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Prtttrrton  Sti^fllogtral  S>?mtnary 

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Rev.   JOSEPH   S.    EXELL,   M.A. 


SECOND  CORINTHIANS 


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INTEODUCTION    TO    THE     SECOND    EPISTLE    TO    THE 
COEINTHIANS. 

I.  The  Interval  between  the  Two  Epistles.  St.  Paul's  departure  from  Ephesus 
was  probably  hastened  by  the  tumult  raised  by  the  shrine-makers  of  Artemis  (or 
Diana)  against  him  (Acts  xix.  21 ;  xx.  1).  It  was  some  time  before  Pentecost,  in  the 
year  58,  when  he  "  departed  for  to  go  into  Macedonia."  He  journeyed  to  Troas, 
the  port  of  embarkation  for  Macedonia,  where  he  stayed  for  a  while  awaiting  the 
return  of  Titus  from  Corinth,  and  making  use  of  the  "  door  opened  "  to  him  at  this 
place  to  preach  Christ  (chap.  ii.  12,  13).  Accordingly  we  find  a  Pauline  Church 
in  existence  at  Troas  on  the  Apostle's  return  journey  this  way  in  the  following  spring 
(Acts  XX.  6-12).  But  Titus  did  not  arrive  at  the  time  expected ;  and  the  Apostle, 
finding  "no  rest  in  his  spirit"  on  this  account,  oppressed  with  anxiety  about  the 
Church  of  Corinth,  bade  farewell  to  his  new  friends  at  Troas,  and  pushed  on  to  meet 
Titus  in  Macedonia.  This  was  the  darkest  hour  in  the  Apostle's  history  since  the 
days  he  spent  in  blindness  at  Damascus  (chap.  vii.  5).  Corinth  appeared  to  be  in 
fuU  revolt  against  him.  Galatia  was  falling  away  to  "  another  gospel."  He  had 
narrowly  escaped  with  his  life  from  the  enraged  populace  of  Ephesus — "wild  beasts" 
with  whom  he  had  long  been  fighting,  and  at  whose  mercy  he  had  left  his  flock  in 
that  city  (1  Cor.  xv.  32).  He  was  "pressed  out  of  measure,  above  strength."  Under 
this  continued  strain  of  excitement  and  anxiety,  his  strength  succumbed ;  he  was 
seized  with  an  attack  of  sickness,  which  threatened  to  terminate  his  life  (chap.  i.  8, 
9 ;  iv.  7-v.  4).  Together  with  his  life,  the  fate  of  his  mission  and  of  Gentile  Chris- 
tianity trembled  in  the  balance.  Never  had  he  felt  himself  so  helpless,  so  beaten 
down  and  discomfited  as  on  that  melancholy  journey  from  Ephesus  to  Macedonia, 
and  while  he  lay  upon  his  sick  bed  (perhaps  at  Philippi),  knowing  not  whether  Titus 
or  the  messenger  of  death  would  reach  him  first.  Titus,  however,  now  returned 
with  news  from  Corinth  which  re-established  his  shattered  health  more  quickly  than 
all  the  medicine  in  the  world.  The  relief  which  St.  Paul  now  experienced  was  as 
intense  as  the  previous  distress  and  alarm  into  which  he  had  been  plunged  by  the 
misconduct  of  the  Corinthians  (chap.  vii.  6-16).  Evidently,  the  First  Epistle  had 
brought  about  a  reaction  in  the  Church ;  there  had  been  an  outburst  of  loyalty 
towards  the  Apostle,  and  of  indignation  and  repugnance  against  the  chief  offender, 
who,  in  addition  to  his  gi-oss  immorality,  had  treated  St.  Paul's  authority  with 
insolent  defiance.     (Prof.  G.  G.  Findlay.  B.A.) 

n.  The  Question  or  a  Thibd  Epistle,  and  op  Paul's  Relations  with  the 
CoEiNTHiANS.  There  are  many  who  think  it  absurd  to  speak  of  the  First  Epistle  as 
written  "  out  of  much  affliction  and  anguish  of  heart  and  with  many  tears,"  and 
who  cannot  imagine  that  Paul  would  speak  of  a  great  sin  like  that  of  the  incestuous 
person  in  such  language  as  he  employs  in  chaps,  ii.  5  ff.  and  vii.  12.  Such  language, 
they  argue,  suits  far  better  the  case  of  a  personal  injury,  an  insult  or  outrage  of 
which  Paul — either  in  person  or  in  one  of  his  deputies — had  been  victim  at  Corinth. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE 


Hence  they  argue  for  an  intermediate  visit  of  a  very  painful  character,  and  for  an 
intermediate  letter,  now  lost,  dealing  with  the  painful  incident.  Paul,  we  are  to 
suppose,  visited  Corinth  on  the  business  of  1  Cor.  v.  (among other  things),  and  there 
suffered  a  great  humiliation.  He  was  defied  by  the  guilty  man  and  his  friends,  and 
had  to  leave  the  church  without  effecting  anything.  Then  he  wrote  the  extremely 
severe  letter  to  which  chap.  ii.  4  refers — a  letter  which  was  carried  by  Titus,  and 
which  produced  the  change  on  which  he  congratulates  himself  in  chap.  ii.  5  ff.  and 
vii.  8  ff.  It  is  obvious  that  this  whole  combination  is  hypothetical,  and  hence 
though  many  have  been  attracted  by  it,  it  appears  with  an  infinite  variety  of  detail. 
It  is  obvious  also  that  the  grounds  on  which  it  rests  are  subjective ;  it  is  a  question 
on  which  men  will  differ  to  the  end  of  time  whether  chap.  ii.  4  is  an  apt  description 
of  the  mood  in  which  Paul  wrote  (at  least,  certain  parts  of)  the  First  Epistle,  or 
-whether  chap.  ii.  5  ff.,  vii.  8  ff.  is  becoming  language  in  which  to  close  proceedings 
like  those  opened  in  1  Cor.  v.  But  surely  it  is  far  easier  to  suppose  that  the  pro- 
ceedings about  the  incestuous  person  took  a  complexion  which  made  Paul's  language 
natural.  The  visit,  however,  it  may  be  said,  at  all  events,  is  not  hypothetical.  It 
is  distinctly  alluded  to  in  chaps,  ii.  1,  xii.  14,  xiii.  1.  Granted ;  yet  the  close  con- 
nection of  our  Epistles  compels  us  to  assume  that  this  second  visit  belongs  to  an 
earlier  date  than  the  First.  We  know  nothing  of  it  save  that  it  was  not  pleasant, 
and  that  Paul  was  very  willing  to  save  both  himself  and  the  Corinthians  the  repeti- 
tion of  such  an  experience.  It  is  nothing  against  this  view  that  this  visit  is  not 
referred  to  in  Acts  or  1  Cor.  Hardly  anything  in  chap.  xi.  24  ff.  is  known  to  us 
from  Acts,  and  probably  we  shcuild  never  have  known  of  this  journey  unless  in 
explaining  the  change  of  purpose  which  the  first  letter  announced  it  had  occurred 
to  Paul  to  say,  "  I  did  not  wish  to  come  when  it  could  only  vex  you  ;  I  had  enough 
of  that  before."  As  for  the  letter  supposed  to  be  referred  to  in  chap.  ii.  4,  it  has  also 
been  relieved  of  its  hypothetical  character  by  being  identified  with  chaps,  x.  1,  xiii. 
10.  In  the  absence  of  the  faintest  external  indication  that  2  Cor.  ever  existed  in  any 
other  than  its  present  form,  it  is  perhaps  superfluous  to  treat  this  seriously.  The 
letter  must  have  had  two  main  objects — (1)  To  accredit  Titus,  who  is  assumed  to 
have  carried  it,  as  Paul's  representative;  (2)  To  insist  on  reparation  for  the  assumed 
personal  outrage  of  which  Paul  had  been  the  victim  on  his  recent  visit.  But  chaps. 
X.  1,  xiii.  10  have  no  reference  whatever  to  either  of  these  things,  and  are  wholly 
taken  up  with  what  the  Apostle  means  to  do,  when  he  comes  to  Corinth  the  third 
time ;  they  refer  not  to  this  (imaginary)  insolent  person,  but  to  the  misbelieving  and 
the  immoral  in  general.  Let  us  now  briefly  review  Paul's  relations  with  the  Corin- 
thians. His  first  visit  to  Corinth  (Acts  xviii.)  extended  over  eighteen  months.  In 
all  probability  he  had  many  communications  with  the  Church,  through  deputies 
whom  he  commissioned,  in  the  years  during  which  he  was  absent ;  the  form  of  the 
question  in  chap.  xii.  17  implies  as  much.  But  it  is  only  after  his  coming  to 
Ephesus,  in  the  course  of  his  third  missionary  journey,  that  personal  intercourse 
•with  Corinth  can  have  been  resumed.  To  this  period  the  visit  of  chaps,  ii.  1,  xiii.  2 
is  to  be  referred.  What  the  occasion  or  circumstances  were  we  cannot  tell ;  all  we 
know  is  that  it  was  painful  and  perhaps  disappointing.  Paul  had  used  grave  and 
threatening  language  (chap.  xiii.  2),  but  had  been  obliged  to  tolerate  some  things  he 
had  rather  seen  otherwise.  This  visit  was  probably  made  towards  the  close  of  his 
Ephesian  ministry,  and  the  letter  referred  to  in  1  Cor.  v.  9  would  be  most  likely 
written  on  his  return.  In  this  letter  he  may  very  naturally  have  announced  that 
purpose  of  visiting  Corinth  twice  (chap.  i.  16).  This  letter,  plainly,  did  not  serve  its 
purpose,  and  not  long  afterwards  Paul  received  at  Ephesus  deputies  from  Corinth 
{1  Cor.  xvi.  17)  who  apparently  brought  with  them  vaitten  instructions  in  which 
Paul's  judgment  was  sought  more  minutely  on  a  variety  of  ethical  questions  (1  Cor. 
vii.  1).  Before  these  deputies  arrived,  or  at  all  events  before  Paul  wrote  1  Cor., 
Timothy  had  left  Ephesus  on  a  journey  of  some  interest.  Paul  meant  Corinth  to 
be  his  destination  (1  Cor.  iv.  17),  but  he  had  to  go  via  Macedonia,  and  the  Apostle 
was  not  certain  that  he  would  get  so  far  (1  Cor.  xvi.  10),  and  he  does  not  seem  to 
have  gone  further  than  Macedonia  (Acts  xix.  22),  and  Paul  now  joins  his  name  with 
his  own  (chap.  i.  1)  in  Macedonia,  and  never  hints  that  he  owed  to  him  any  infor- 
jnation  as  to  the  state  of  the  Church.  All  he  knew  was  from  Titus  (chap.  ii.  13,  vii. 
16).  But  how  did  Titus  happen  to  be  in  Corinth  representing  Paul?  By  far  the 
happiest  suggestion  is  that  which  makes  Titus  and  the  brother  of  chap.  xii.  18  the 
same  as  the  brethren  of  1  Cor.  xvi.  12,  whose  return  from  Corinth  Paul  expected  in 
the  company  of  Timothy.  Timothy,  however,  did  not  get  so  far.  Paul's  departure 
ifrom  Ephesus  was  hastened  by  a  great  peril ;  his  anxiety  to  hear  the  effect  produced 


SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  CORINTHIANS. 


by  his  First  Epistle  was  very  great ;  he  pressed  on  past  Troas,  and  finally  encountered 
Titus  in  Macedonia,  at  which  point  this  Epistle  begins.     (/.  Denney,  B.D.) 

HI.  The  Purpose  of  the  Epistle.  The  First  Epistle  was  entirely  appreciated  by 
those  for  whom  it  was  mainly  intended.  The  licentious  party  who,  whether  from 
misunderstanding  or  perverting  the  Apostle's  teaching,  had  used  his  name  as  a 
watchword  for  their  excesses  were  humbled.  Some  complaints  were  raised  against 
the  Apostle's  change  of  purpose  in  not  coming  to  them  direct  from  Ephesus  (chap. 
i.l5-ii.  1) ;  some  cause  still  remained  for  fear  lest  the  intercourse  with  the  heathen 
should  be  too  unrestrained  (chap.  vi.  14-vii.  1) ;  but  on  the  whole  the  submission  of 
the  mass  of  the  Corinthian  Church  was  complete.  They  received  Titus  with  open 
arms  (chap.  vii.  13-16) ;  and  in  the  matter  of  the  incestuous  marriage,  the  correction 
of  which  had  been  the  chief  practical  subject  of  the  First  Epistle,  they  had  been 
struck  with  the  deepest  penitence  (chap.  vii.  7-11) ;  an  assembly  had  been  convened, 
and  a  punishment  inflicted  on  the  offender  (chap.  ii.  6) ;  and  although  their  sorrow 
for  themselves,  and  this  severity  towards  the  guilty  person,  had  passed  away  before 
Titus's  departure  (chap.  vii.  8),  and  the  sin  itself  had  been  forgiven  (chap.  ii.  10), 
yet  there  was  nothing  to  indicate  any  disinclination  to  follow  the  spirit  of  the 
Apostle's  teaching.  Thus  far  all  had  gone  beyond  the  Apostle's  expectations ;  in 
the  one  point  in  which  his  command  might  seem  to  have  been  only  partially  followed 
out,  in  the  temporary  character  of  the  penalty  inflicted  on  the  incestuous  person,  his 
mind  was  relieved  even  more  than  if  they  had  literally  observed  his  orders.  They 
had  judged,  he  almost  seemed  to  think,  more  wisely  in  this  respect  than  himself 
(chaps,  vii.  12,  ii.  9,  10),  and  generally  he  felt  that  confidence  between  them  was 
now  restored  (chaps,  vi.  11,  vii.  16),  and  that  he  was  now  more  inseparably  united 
with  them  in  that  union  in  their  common  Lord,  which  none  but  Christians  knew 
(chaps,  i.  5-6,  iii.  2-3).  Mingled,  however,  with  this  good  news  were  other  tidings, 
not  wholly  unexpected  by  the  Apostle,  for  he  had  already  anticipated  something  of 
the  kind  in  1  Cor.  ix.  1-6,  but  still  demanding  new  and  distinct  consideration.  The 
Jewish  party  at  Corinth,  which  claimed  especially  the  name  of  Peter,  and  apparently 
that  of  Christ  also,  had  at  the  time  of  the  First  Epistle  been  so  insignificant  in  itself 
or  as  compared  with  the  opposite  party,  as  to  call  for  only  a  few  passing  notices 
from  the  Apostle.  It  had,  however,  even  then  reached  a  sufficient  height  to  question 
his  apostolical  authority  (1  Cor.  ix.  1-6) ;  and  in  the  interval,  apparently  from  the 
arrival  of  a  new  teacher  or  teachers,  with  letters  of  commendation  (chaps,  iii.  1,  x. 
12)  from  some  superior  authority,  probably  from  Jerusalem,  the  opponents  of  the 
Apostle  had  grown  into  a  large  and  powerful  party  (chaps,  i.  12,  17,  iii.  1,  x.  1,  xii. 
21),  constituting  even  the  majority  of  the  teachers  (chap.  ii.  17);  openly  assailing 
the  Apostle's  character,  claiming  ahnost  despotic  dominion  over  their  followers  (chaps, 
i.  24,  ii.  17,  xi.  13,  20),  insisting  on  their  purely  Jewish  origin  (chap.  xi.  22),  and  on 
their  peculiar  connection  with  Christ  (chaps,  v.  16,  x.  7,  xi.  13-23,  xiii.  3),  on  their 
apostolic  privileges  (chap.  xi.  5,  13),  and  on  their  commendatory  letters  (chaps,  iii. 
1,  V.  12,  X.  12,  18).  These  two  subjects,  the  general  acquiescence  of  the  Corinthians 
in  the  Apostle's  injunctions  and  the  claims  of  the  Judaising  party,  must  have  been 
the  chief  topics  of  'Titus's  communication.  The  first  and  prominent  feeling  awakened 
in  St.  Paul's  mind  was  one  of  overwhelming  thankfulness  for  the  relief  from  the 
anxiety  which  he  had  up  to  that  moment  felt  for  the  effects  of  his  Epistle ;  next 
indignation  at  the  insinuations  of  his  adversaries.  To  give  vent  to  the  double  tide 
of  emotion  thus  arising  within  him,  was  the  main  purpose  therefore  of  this  Epistle. 
A  third  subject  of  less  importance,  but  which  gave  him  a  direct  opportunity  for 
writing,  was  the  necessity  of  hastening  the  collection  for  the  Christian  poor  in  Judsea. 
He  had  already  spoken  of  it  in  the  close  of  his  First  Epistle ;  but  his  sense  of  the 
need  of  success  had  been  further  impressed  upon  him  by  the  generosity  of  the  Mace- 
donian churches,  of  which  his  recent  stay  among  them  had  made  him  an  actual 
witness.     (Dean  Stanley.) 

TV.  The  Connection  between  the  Two  Epistles.  This  connection  is  not  a  hypo- 
thesis of  greater  or  less  probability,  it  is  a  large  and  solid  fact.  Thus  chaps,  i.  8-10, 
ii.  12,  13,  attach  themselves  immediately  to  the  situation  described  in  1  Cor.  xvi. 
8,  9.  Similarly  in  chap.  i.  12  there  seems  to  be  a  distinct  echo  of  1  Cor.  ii.  4-14^ 
More  important  is  the  unquestionable  reference  in  chap.  i.  13-17,  23,  to  1  Cor.  xvi. 
5.  And  not  to  point  to  general  resemblances  in  feeling  or  temper,  the  correspon- 
dence is  at  least  suggestive  between  ayi>b^  kv  T(p  wpayftan  (chap.  vii.  11 ;  cf.  the 
use  of  Trpayfia  in  1  Thess.  iv.  6),  and  roiavrr]  voppda  in  1  Cor.  v.  1;  between  tu 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE 


■TrpoffWTry  XpiiTTOv  (chap.  ii.  10),  and  iv  Tiji  bvofiari  rov  K.  jj/xuiv'I.X.  (1  Cor.  v.  4) ; 
between  the  mention  of  Satan  in  chap.  ii.  11,  and  1  Cor.  v.  5 ;  between  irtvQiiv  in 
chap.  xii.  21,  and  1  Cor.  v.  2  ;  between  toiovtoq  and  tiq  in  chap.  ii.  6  f.,  chap.  ii.  5, 
and  the  same  words  in  1  Cor.  v.  5,  and  1  Cor.  v.  1.  If  all  these  are  examined  and 
compared,  I  think  it  becomes  extremely  difficult  to  believe  that  in  chap.  ii.  5  £f.  and 
vii.  8  ff.  the  Apostle  is  dealing  with  anything  else  than  the  case  of  the  sinner 
treated  in  1  Cor.  v.  If  this  view  is  accepted  it  is  natural  and  justifiable  to  explain 
the  Second  Epistle  as  far  as  possible  out  of  the  First.  Thus  the  letter  to  which  St. 
Paul  refers  in  chaps,  ii.  4,  vii.  8,  12,  wiU  be  our  First  Epistle ;  the  persons  referred 
to  in  chap.  vii.  12  will  be  the  son  and  the  father  in  1  Cor.  v.  1.     (<7.  Denney,  B.D.) 

V.  The  Style  of  the  Epistle.  As  in  the  occasion  so  also  in  style,.this  contrast 
between  the  First  and  Second  Epistle  is  very  great.  The  First  is  the  most,  the 
Second  the  least  systematic  of  any  of  the  Apostle's  writings.  The  three  subjects  of 
the  Epistle  are,  in  point  of  arrangement,  kept  distinct.  But  so  vehement  were  the 
feelings  under  which  he  wrote,  that  the  thankful  expression  of  the  first  part  is 
darkened  by  the  indignation  of  the  third ;  and  the  directions  about  the  business  of 
the  collection  are  coloured  by  the  reflections  both  of  his  joy  and  his  grief.  And  in 
all  the  three  portions,  though  in  themselves  strictly  personal,  the  Apostle  is  borne 
away  into  the  higher  regions  in  which  he  habitually  lived ;  so  that  this  Epistle 
becomes  the  most  striking  instance  of  what  is  the  case,  more  or  less,  with  all  his 
writings ;  a  new  philosophy  of  life  poured  forth,  not  through  systematic  treatises, 
but  through  occasional  bursts  of  human  feeling.  The  very  stages  of  his  journey 
are  impressed  upon  it ;  the  troubles  at  Ephesus,  the  repose  of  Troas,  the  anxieties 
and  consolations  of  Macedonia,  Hhe  prospect  of  moving  to  Corinth.  "  Universa 
Epistola,"  says  Bengel,  "  itinerarium  refert,  sed  prseceptis  pertextum  praestan- 
tissimis."  (Dean  Stanley.)  Erasmus  compares  this  Epistle  to  a  river  which 
sometimes  flows  in  a  gentle  stream,  sometimes  rushes  down  as  a  torrent  bearing  all 
before  it ;  sometimes  spreading  out  like  a  placid  lake ;  sometimes  losing  itself,  as  it 
were,  in  the  sand,  and  breaking  out  in  its  fulness  in  some  unexpected  place.  The 
full  play  allowed  to  the  peculiarities  of  mind  and  feeling  of  the  sacred  writers 
is  in  no  way  inconsistent  with  their  inspiration.  The  grace  of  God  in  conversion 
accommodates  itself  to  all  peculiarities  of  disposition  and  temperament.  And 
the  same  is  true  with  regard  to  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  in  inspiration.  (C. 
Hodge,  D.D.) 

VI.  Its  Belatioks  with  and  Dieferences  fbom  the  otheb  Epistles.  If  hope 
is  the  key-note  of  the  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians,  joy  of  that  to  the  Philippians, 
faith  of  that  to  the  Bomans,  and  heavenly  things  of  that  to  the  Ephesians,  afflic- 
tion is  the  one  predominant  word  in  this  Epistle  (chaps,  i.  4-8,  ii.  4,  iv.  8,  viii.  13). 
The  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians  contain  the  Apostle's  views  on  the  Second  Advent ; 
the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians  is  his  trumpet-note  of  indignant  defiance  to  retro- 
grading Judaisers ;  that  to  the  Bomans  is  the  systematic  and  scientific  statement  of 
the  scheme  of  salvation ;  that  to  the  Philippians  is  his  outpouring  of  tender  and 
gladdened  affection  to  his  most  beloved  converts ;  the  first  letter  to  the  Corinthians 
shows  us  how  he  applied  the  principles  of  Christianity  to  daily  life  in  dealing  with 
the  flagrant  aberrations  of  a  most  unsatisfactory  church  ;  the  second  letter  opens  a 
window  into  the  very  emotions  of  his  heart,  and  is  the  agitated  self-defence  of  a 
wounded  and  loving  spirit  to  ungrateful  and  erring,  yet  not  wholly  lost  or  wholly 
incorrigible  souls.  (Dean  Farrar.)  The  Second  Epistle  differs  very  greatly 
from  the  First.  The  First  is  objective  and  practical;  the  Second  intensely 
subjective  and  personal.  The  First  is  calm  and  measured  in  tone — sometimes 
severe,  but  always  collected  and  deliberate ;  the  Second  is  broken,  vehement,  im- 
passioned— now  melting  into  the  softest  affection,  now  rising  into  a  storm  of 
indignant  reproach  and  sarcasm.  The  First  Epistle  reflects  the  nature  of  the 
Corinthian  Church — its  abundance  of  talent  and  activity,  its  truly  Greek  factious- 
ness and  love  of  display,  its  defects  of  conscience  and  moral  sense,  its  close 
relations  with  heathen  society ;  the  Second  reveals  the  nature  of  the  Apostle  Paul 
himself — his  sensitive  honour  and  contempt  for  all  chicanery,  the  tenderness  and 
ardour  of  his  affections  for  the  Gentile  Churches — those  of  a  mother  or  lover  rather 
than  those  which  commonly  belong  to  the  teacher  and  the  pastor,  the  frailty  of  his 
delicate  yet  active  and  enduring  frame,  the  unparalleled  hardships  he  endured,  the 
violent  enmities  amidst  which  he  moved,  his  continual  sense  of  eternal  things,  the 
supernatural  visitations  and  mystical  raptures  that  he  not  unfrequently  experienced, 


SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  CORINTHIANS. 


the  awful  miraculous  powers  he  was  capable  of  exerting,  his  absolute  sincerity  and 
self-abnegation,  his  absorbing  devotion  to  the  doctrine  and  message  of  the  Cross — 
all  these  qualities  of  the  great  Apostle  and  characteristics  of  his  work  stand  out  in 
the  pages  of  this  letter,  in  their  variety  and  combination,  with  amazing  vividness 
and  power.  Never  has  any  man  painted  himself  more  naturally  and  more  effec- 
tively than  St.  Paul  in  the  letter  before  us.  To  see  him  at  his  greatest  as  a  thinker 
and  theologian,  we  turn  to  the  Epistle  to  the  Eomans ;  to  know  him  as  a  saint,  we 
read  the  Philippian  Epistle.  But  if  we  would  measure  him  as  a  man  amongst  men, 
and  as  a  minister  of  Christ ;  if  we  would  sound  the  depths  of  his  heart,  and  realise 
the  force  and  fire  of  his  nature,  the  ascendency  of  his  genius  and  the  charm  of 
his  manner  and  disposition,  we  must  thoroughly  understand  the  second  letter  to  the 
Corinthians.  This  is  Paul's  Apologia  pro  vita  sua.  Its  main  interest  is  not 
doctrinal,  as  in  Galatians  and  Romans — although  there  are  weighty  passages  of 
doctrine  in  it ;  nor  practical,  as  in  1  Corinthians  and  the  Pastorals — although 
chaps,  viii.  and  ix.,  in  the  middle  of  the  letter,  are  practical  enough  ;  it  is  intensely 
personal,  full  of  explanation,  defence,  protestation,  appeal,  reproach,  invective, 
threatening — with  a  vein  of  subduing  pathos  blended  with  the  most  subtle  irony 
running  through  the  whole.  St.  Paul's  heart  just  now  is  very  tender.  He  has  been 
down  in  the  gulfs  of  sorrow,  and  lying  beneath  the  shadow  of  death.  The  restored 
affection  of  the  Corinthian  Church  found  him  in  the  state  when  such  a  cordial  was 
most  needed,  and  it  moved  his  whole  nature  in  response  ;  while  the  insolence  and 
intrigues  of  the  Judaists,  now  laid  open  to  him  in  their  full  baseness,  roused  in  him 
a  scorn  that  knew  no  bounds  and  a  triumphant  confidence  in  the  "  weapons  of  " 
his  ApostoUc  "warfare,"  and  in  his  power  to  "overthrow"  their  "strongholds" 
(chap.  X.  1-6).     (Prof.  G.  G.  Findlay.) 

VII.  Plan  of  the  Epistle.  A.  Salutation  and  intboduction  (chap.  i.  1-11). 
B.  The  tidings  brought  by  Titus.  1.  Confidence  of  St.  Paul  in  the  intentions  of 
the  Corinthian  Church  (chap.  i.  12-ii.  11).     2.  The  arrival  of  Titus  (chap.  ii.  12). 


3.  Digression  on  the  Apostolical  mission.     (1)  The  plainness  and  clearness  of  the 

■"  >)•     (2)  -       ■  "     ■  "       .. 

ApostoUc  service  (chap.  iv.  7-v.  10).     (3)  St.  Paul's  motive  for  his  service  (chap.  v. 


apostolical  service  (chap.  ii.  16-iv.  6j.     (2)  The  difficulties  and  supports  of  the 


11-vi.  10).  4.  The  arrival  of  Titus  (continued  from  chap.  ii.  16)  (chap.  vi.  11-13, 
vii.  2-16).  5.  Digression  on  intercourse  with  heathens  (chap.  vi.  14-vii.  1).  C. 
The  collection  eor  the  churches  in  Jud^a.  1.  The  example  of  the  Mace- 
donian churches  (chap.  viii.  1-15).  2.  The  mission  of  Titus  (chap.  viii.  16-24). 
3.  The  spirit  in  which  the  collection  is  to  be  made  (chap.  ix.  1-15).  D.  The 
ASSERTION  OF  HIS  APOSTOLICAL  AUTHORITY.  1.  Asscrtiou  of  his  authority  (chap.  X. 
1-6).  2.  Digression  on  his  boast  of  his  claims.  (1)  The  reality  of  his  boast  (chap. 
X.  7-18).  (2)  His  boasting  excused  by  his  affection  for  the  Corinthians  (chap.  xi. 
1-15).  (3)  His  boasting  excused  not  by  his  power,  but  by  his  weakness  (chap.  xi. 
16-xii.  10).  E.  Concluding  explanations,  warnings,  and  salutations  (chap.  xii. 
11-xiii.  14).     {Dean  Stanley.) 

Vni.  The  Effect  produced  by  it.  This  is  not  recorded.  Acts  xx.  2,  3,  which 
tells  us  that  St.  Paul's  long  promised  visit  was  at  length  paid,  only  says  that  "  he 
came  into  Greece  and  there  abode  three  months."  When  we 'consider  the  strong 
reaction  in  his  favour  as  described  by  Titus  in  chap,  vii.,  we  cannot  but  think  that 
the  extraordinary  "  weight  and  power  "  of  this  Epistle,  written  expressly  to  take  the 
favourable  tide  at  its  height,  produced  a  deep  impression,  and  this  is  confirmed  by 
the  mere  duration  of  his  sojourn  at  Corinth.  It  is  more  strongly  corroborated  by 
the  fact  that  during  his  visit  he  wrote  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  in  which  many 
momentous  topics  received  a  calm,  profound,  sustained  treatment,  showing  that  he 
had  recovered  that  rest  of  spirit  and  flesh  of  which  he  had  recently  been  so  sorely 
destitute.  The  collection  also  came  to  a  happy  issue,  for  he  had  said  (1  Cor.  xvi. 
4),  that  if  the  amount  subscribed  "  should  be  worthy  of  his  going  also,"  the  Corin- 
thian bearers  of  it  should  accompany  him  to  Jerusalem,  and  we  find  (Rom.  xvi.  26) 
that  it  was  found  worthy  of  his  going.  So  far,  the  letter  bore  its  proper  fruits,  but 
his  original  Jewish  persecutors  (Acts  xviii.  6,  12,  13)  were  not  likely  to  be  mollified 
by  chap.  iii.  6-18.  His  Judaising  adversaries  also  would  naturally  remain  im- 
placable after  his  polemic  against  them  (chap.  x.  1-xii.  18).  We  can  imagine  the 
malignant  rage  with  which  they  would  witness  a  three  months'  demolition  of  their 
Satanic  strongholds  (chap.  x.  4).  But  so  long  as  he  was  in  the  bosom  of  the  Church 
he  was  safe,  and  it  was  only  on  his  departure  that  an  unsuccessful  attempt  was 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE 


made  to  take  his  life  (Acts  xx.  3).  If  we  look  beyond  the  record  of  Scripture 
towards  the  end  of  the  first  century,  we  are  again  presented  with  a  dark  picture  of 
the  Corinthian  community.  (See  the  Epistle  of  Clement  of  Eome,  chaps,  ui.  zxz.) 
Certainly  a  fresh  race  of  men  had  sprung  up,  but  it  would  seem  that  even  an 
apostle  must  not  expect  the  fruits  of  his  labours  to  outhve  the  generation  amidst 
which  he  has  toiled.  Perhaps  no  influence  could  have  been  lasting  in  so  mixed 
and  volatile  a  population.  It  was,  however,  a  glorious  achievement,  if  the  much 
people  which  God  had  in  that  city  (Acts  xviii.  10)  entered,  under  the  Apostle'3 
guidance,  into  their  blessed  rest.  And  the  Epistle  has  become  a  possession  of  aU 
men  for  all  times ;  has  done  and  wiU  continue  to  do  its  Divine  work,  accompUshing 
that  which  God  pleases,  and  prospering  in  that  whereto  he  sent  it  (Isa.  Iv.  11), 
through  the  long  march  of  all  the  ages.     {J.  Waite,  DJD.) 

IX.  Its  Genuineness.  Of  this  there  has  never  been  a  moment's  doubt  even  among 
critics  who  allow  themselves  the  widest  range  in  their  attacks  on  the  canon  of  New 
Testament  writings.  External  evidence  is  in  itself  adequate.  The  Epistle  is 
quoted  by  IrenaBus,  Athenagoras,  Clement  of  Alexandria,  and  Tertullian.  Testimony 
of  this  kind  is,  however,  hardly  needed.  The  Epistle  speaks  for  itself.  In  its 
intense  personality,  its  peculiarities  of  style,  its  manifold  coincidences  with  the  Acts 
and  the  other  Epistles  (especially  1  Cor.,  Kom.,  and  Gal.),  its  vehement  emotions,  it 
may  fairly  be  said  to  present  phenomena  beyond  the  attainment  of  any  later  writer, 
wishing  to  claim  for  what  he  wrote  the  authority  of  a  great  name.  Pseudonymous 
authorship  is,  in  this  case,  simply  out  of  the  question.     (Dean  Plumptre.) 

X.  The  Subsequent  History  of  the  Corinthian  Church.  Of  this  we  know 
little.  Within  a  few  months  Paul  paid  his  promised  visit,  and  was  hospitably 
received  by  one  of  the  chief  members  of  the  Church  (Eom.  xvi.  23).  Titus  and  the 
unnamed  brethren  of  chap.  viii.  18,  22,  probably  Luke  and  Tyehicus,  had  done 
their  work  effectually,  and  he  could  tell  the  Romans  to  whom  he  wrote  of  the  col- 
lection for  the  saints  which  had  been  made  in  Achaia  as  weU  as  in  Macedonia 
(Rom.  XV.  26).  They  apparently  had  so  far  gained  the  confidence  of  the  Corin- 
thians, that  they  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  choose  any  delegates  of  their  own  to 
watch  over  the  funds  (Acts  xx.  4).  The  malignant  enmity  of  the  Jews,  however, 
had  not  abated  (Acts  xx.  8),  and  he  had  to  change  his  plans.  After  this  we  lose 
sight  of  the  Church  altogether,  except  for  the  glimpse  given  in  2  Tim.  iv.  20,  where 
we  learn  that  after  his  first  imprisonment,  and  on  his  return  to  his  former  labours, 
Erastus,  who  seems  to  have  travelled  with  him,  stopped  at  the  city  in  which  he 
held  a  municipal  position  of  authority  (Rom.  xvi.  23).  (Ibid.)  The  silence  pf 
history  respecting  the  subsequent  state  of  this  Church  seems,  as  far  as  it  goes,  of 
favourable  augury.  And  the  testimony  of  Clement  (the  "  fellow-labourer  "  of  St. 
Paul,  Phil.  iv.  3)  later  on  (a.d.  95  circ.)  confirms  this  interpretation  of  it.  He 
speaks  (evidently  from  his  own  personal  experience)  of  the  impression  produced 
upon  every  stranger  who  visited  Corinth  by  their  exemplary  conduct ;  and  specifies 
particularly  their  possession  of  the  virtues  most  opposite  to  their  former  faults. 
Thus  he  says  that  they  were  distinguished  for  the  ripeness  and  soundness  of  their 
knowledge  in  contrast  to  the  unsound  and  false  pretence  of  knowledge  for  which 
they  were  rebuked  by  St.  Paul.  Again,  he  praises  the  pure  and  blameless  lives  of 
their  women,  which  must  therefore  have  been  greatly  changed  since  chap.  xii.  21 
was  written.  But  especially  he  commends  them  for  their  entire  freedom  from 
faction  and  party  spirit  which  had  formerly  been  so  conspicuous  among  their  faults. 
Perhaps  the  picture  which  he  draws  of  this  golden  age  of  Corinth  may  be  too  favour- 
ably coloured,  as  a  contrast  to  the  state  of  things  which  he  deplored  when  he  wrote. 
Yet  he  may  beUeve  it  substantially  true,  and  may  therefore  hope  that  some  of  the 
worst  evils  were  permanently  corrected ;  more  particularly  the  impurity  and 
licentiousness  which  had  hitherto  been  the  most  flagrant  of  their  vices.  Their 
tendency  to  party  spirit,  however  (so  characteristic  of  the  Greek  temper),  was  not 
cured ;  on  the  contrary  it  blazed  forth  again  with  greater  fury  than  ever,  some 
years  after  the  death  of  St.  Paul.  Their  dissensions  were  the  occasion  of  the  letter 
of  Clement,  who  wrote  in  the  hope  of  appeasing  a  violent  and  "long  continued 
schism  "  which  had  arisen  (like  their  earlier  divisions),  from  their  being  "  puffed  up 
in  the  cause  of  one  against  another"  (1  Cor.  iv.  6).  He  rebukes  them  for  their 
"  envy,  strife,  and  party  spirit " ;  accuses  them  of  being  "  devoted  to  the  cause  of 
their  party  leaders  rather  than  to  the  cause  of  God " ;  and  declares  that  their 
divisions  were  "rending  asunder  the  body  of  Christ,"  and  "casting  a  stumbling- 


SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  CORINTHIANS.  xi 

block  in  the  way  of  many."  This  is  the  last  account  which  we  have  of  this  Church 
in  the  apostolic  age ;  so  that  the  curtain  falls  on  a  scene  of  unchristian  strife,  too 
much  like  that  on  which  it  rose.  Yet  though  this  besetting  sin  was  still  unsubdued, 
the  character  of  the  Church,  as  a  whole,  was  much  improved  since  the  days  when 
some  of  them  denied  the  resurrection  and  others  maintained  their  right  to  practise 
unchastity.  (Conybeare  and  Hoioson.)  Later  on,  about  a.d.  135,  the  Church  of 
Corinth  was  visited  by  Hegesippus,  who  found  it  ifaithful  to  the  truth  under  its 
bishop  Primus.  Dionysius,  who  succeeded  Primus,  brought  out  all  that  was  good 
in  the  Church,  and  bears  testimony  to  its  liberality  in  reUeving  the  poverty  of  other 
churches,  to  the  traditional  liberality  which  it  had  in  its  turn  experienced  at  the 
hand  of  the  Eoman  churches.  The  teaching  of  chaps,  viii.  ix.  had,  it  would  seem, 
done  its  work  effectually.  He  records  the  fact  that  the  Epistle  of  Clement  was  read 
from  time  to  time  on  the  Lord's  Day.  A  female  disciple,  named  Chrysophora, 
apparently  of  the  same  type  as  Dorcas  and  PriscUla,  was  conspicuous  both  for  her 
good  works  and  her  spiritual  discernment.  With  this  glimpse  into  the  latest  trace- 
able influence  of  St.  Paul's  teaching,  our  survey  of  the  history  of  the  Chuioh  of 
Corinth  may  well  close.     (Dean  Plumptre.) 


THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTKATOR. 

II.  CORINTHIANS. 
CHAPTER  L 

YsBB.  1,  2.  Patil,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ  by  the  will  of  Ctod. — Paul  to 

the  Corinthians : — Note — I.  The  blending  of  lowliness  and  authobitt  ik  Paul's 
BBSiGNATioN  OF  HIMSELF.  1.  He  does  not  always  bring  his  apostolical  authority 
to  mind  at  the  beginning  of  his  letters.  In  the  loving  letter  to  the  Philippians 
lie  has  no  need  to  urge  his  authority.  In  Philemon  friendship  is  uppermost. 
2.  "  By  the  will  of  God  "  is  at  once  an  assertion  of  Divine  authority,  a  declaration 
of  independence,  and  a  lowly  disclaimer  of  individual  merit.  The  weight  he 
expected  to  be  attached  to  his  words  was  to  be  due  entirely  to  their  Divine 
origin.  Never  mind  the  cracked  pipe  through  which  the  Divine  breath  makes 
music,  but  listen  to  the  music.  II.  The  ideal  of  Christian  character  h^be 
SET  FORTH.  "  Saiuts  " — a  word  that  has  been  woefully  misapplied.  The  Church 
has  given  it  as  a  special  honour  to  a  few,  and  decorated  with  it  mainly  the 
possessors  of  a  false  ideal  of  sanctity.  The  world  uses  it  with  a  sarcastic  intona- 
tion, as  if  it  implied  loud  professions  and  small  performances.  1.  Saints  are  not 
people  living  in  cloisters,  but  men  and  women  immersed  in  the  vulgar  work  of 
everyday  Ufe.  The  root  idea  of  the  word  is  not  moral  purity,  but  separation  to 
God.  Consecration  to  Him  is  the  root  from  which  the  white  flower  of  purity 
springs.  We  cannot  purify  ourselves,  but  we  can  yield  ourselves  to  God,  and  the 
purity  will  come.  2.  To  thus  devote  ourselves  is  our  solemn  obligation,  and  unless 
we  do  we  are  not  Christians.  The  true  consecration  is  the  surrender  of  the  will, 
and  its  one  motive  is  drawn  from  the  love  and  devotion  of  Christ  to  us.  All  con- 
secration rests  on  the  faith  of  Christ's  sacrifice.  3.  And  if,  drawn  by  the  great  love 
of  Christ,  we  give  ourselves  away  to  God  in  Him,  then  He  gives  Himself  to  us.  HI. 
The  APOSTOLIC  wish  which  sets  forth  the  high  ideal  to  be  desired  by  churches 
AND  individuals.  1.  "  Giacc  and  peace  "  blend  the  Western  and  Eastern  forms  of 
salutation,  and  surpass  both.  All  that  the  Greek  meant  by  his  "  Grace,"  and  all 
that  the  Hebrew  meant  by  his  "  Peace  " — the  ideally  happy  condition  which  differ- 
ing nations  have  placed  in  different  blessings,  and  which  all  loving  words  have 
vainly  wished  for  dear  ones — is  secured  and  conveyed  to  every  poor  soul  who  trusts 
in  Christ.  2.  Grace  means — (1)  Love  in  exercise  to  those  who  are  below  the  lover 
or  who  deserve  something  else.  (2)  The  gifts  which  such  love  bestows.  (3)  The 
effects  of  those  gifts  in  the  beauties  of  character  and  conduct  developed  in  the 
receivers.  So  here  are  invoked  the  love  and  gentleness  of  the  Father ;  and  next 
the  outcome  of  that  love,  which  never  visits  the  soul  empty  handed,  in  all  varied 
spiritual  gifts  ;  and,  as  a  last  result,  every  beauty  of  heart,  mind,  and  temper  which 
can  adorn  the  character  and  refine  a  man  into  the  likeness  of  God.  3.  Peace  comes 
after  grace.  For  tranquillity  of  soul  we  must  go  to  God,  and  He  gives  it  by  giving 
US  His  love  and  its  gifts.  There  must  be  first  peace  with  God  that  there  may  be 
peace  from  God.  Then,  when  we  have  been  won  from  our  alienation  and  enmity 
py  the  power  of  the  Cross,  and  have  learned  to  know  that  God  is  our  Lover,  Friend, 
and  Father,  we  shall  possess  the  peace  of  those  whose  hearts  have  found  their 
home ;  the  peace  of  spirits  no  longer  at  war  within — conscience  and  choice  tearing 
ihem  asunder  in  their  strife ;  the  peace  of  obedience,  which  banishes  the  disturbance 

1 


2  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  !► 

of  self-will ;  the  peace  of  security  shaken  by  no  fears ;  the  peace  of  a  sure  future 
across  the  brightness  of  which  no  shadows  of  sorrow  nor  mists  of  uncertainty  can 
fall ;  the  peace  of  a  heart  in  amity  with  all  mankind.  So,  living  in  peace,  we  shall 
lay  ourselves  down  and  die  in  peace,  and  enter  "that  country  afar  beyond  the 
stars"  where  "grows  the  flower  of  peace."     (A.  Maclaren,  D.D.)  The  will  of 

God : — I.  The  supreme  law.  "  By  the  will  of  God."  1.  God  has  a  wiU.  He  is, 
therefore,  an  intelligent,  free  personality.  His  will  explains  the  origin,  sustenance, 
and  order  of  the  universe ;  His  will  is  the  force  of  all  forces,  and  law  of  all  laws. 
2.  God  has  a  will  in  relation  to  individual  men.  He  has  a  purpose  in  relation  to 
every  man's  existence,  mission,  and  conduct.  His  will  in  relation  to  moral  beings 
is  the  standard  of  all  conduct  and  the  rule  of  all  destiny.  Love  is  its  mainspring. 
II.  The  apostolic  spibit.  1.  The  apostolic  spirit  involves  subjection  to  Christ. 
"  An  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ."  Christ  is  the  moral  Master,  he  the  loyal  servant. 
2.  The  apostolic  spirit  is  that  of  special  love  for  the  good.  He  calls  Timothy  his 
"brother,"  and  towards  "the  Church  of  God  which  is  at  Corinth,  with  all  the  saints 
which  are  in  all  Achaia,"  he  glows  with  loving  sympathy.  Love  for  souls,  deep, 
tender,  overflowing,  is  the  essential  qualification  for  the  ministry.  III.  The  chiep 
GOOD.  1.  Here  is  the  highest  good.  "  Grace  and  peace."  2.  Here  is  the  highest 
good  from  the  highest  source.  "From  our  Father  and  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'* 
(Homilist.)  Unto  the  Clmrch  of  God  whicli  is  at  Corinth. — The  Church  which 
is  at  Coriiith : — Corinth  is  notable  for  its  learning,  wealth,  and  lasciviousness.  I. 
That  even  amongst  the  most  pbofane  and  unlikeliest  people  God  may  sometimes 
gather  a  Church  to  Hiimself.  The  reason  why  God  may  build  His  house  of  such 
crooked  timber,  and  make  His  temple  of  such  rough  stones,  may  be  to  show  the 
freeness  of  His  grace  and  the  efiicacy  of  it.  II.  That  a  Church  mat  be  a  tbue 
Chtjech  although  it  be  defiled  with  many  corruptions.  As  a  godly  man  may  be 
truly  godly  and  yet  subject  to  many  failings,  so  a  Church  yet  not  perfect.  This 
truth  is  worthy  of  note,  because  many,  out  of  a  tenderness  and  misguided  zeal, 
may  separate  from  a  Church  because  of  this ;  but  a  particular  Christian  is  not  to 
excommunicate  a  Church  till  God  hath  given  a  bill  of  divorce  to  it.  1.  The  sound- 
ness and  purity  of  Churches  admits  of  degrees.  As  one  star  doth  excel  another  in 
glory,  yet  both  are  stars,  so  one  Church  may  greatly  transcend  another  in  orthodoxy 
and  purity,  and  yet  both  be  Churches.  2.  When  we  speak  of  a  Church  being  God's 
true  Church,  though  greatly  corrupted,  we  must  take  heed  of  two  extremes — (l) 
That  of  those  who  would  have  no  reformation,  though  there  be  never  so  many 
disorders,  but  say,  "  It  is  prudence  to  let  all  things  be."  The  apostle  doth  far  other- 
wise to  this  Church ;  though  he  calls  it  the  Church  of  God,  yet  his  Epistle  is  full 
of  sharp  reproof.  He  is  very  zealous  that  they  become  a  new  lump— that  they  be 
made,  as  it  were,  a  new  Church.  God  takes  notice,  and  is  very  angry  with  all  these 
disorders  and  great  neglect.  (2)  That  of  those  who,  because  of  the  corruptions  that 
are  in  a  Church,  are  so  far  transported  with  misguided  zeal  as  to  take  no  notice 
of  the  truth  of  a  Church.  Some  are  apt  so  to  attend  to  a  true  Church  that  they 
never  matter  the  corruptions  of  it.  Others,  again,  so  eye  the  corruptions  that  they 
never  regard  the  truth  of  it;  but  it  is  good  to  avoid  both  these  extremes.  3.  Though 
that  Church  be  a  true  Church  where  we  live,  yet,  if  many  corruptions  do  abound 
therein,  we  must  take  heed  that  we  do  not  pollute  ourselves  thereby,  or  become 
partakers  of  any  sin  indulged  amongst  them.     (Anthony  Burgess.)  With  all  the 

saints. — Sainthood  : — To  the  constitution  of  a  true  saint  there  is — I.  A  separation. 
Not  locally,  but  in  regard  of  intimate  friendship.  U.  A  dedication  of  ourselves 
TO  the  service  of  God.  III.  An  inward  qualification.  IV.  A  new  conversation. 
The  Christian  carries  himself  even  like  to  Him  that  "hath  called  him  out  of  dark- 
ness into  marvellous  light."     (R.  Sibbes,  D.D.) 

Vers.  3,  4.  Blessed  be  God,  even  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  the  Father 
of  mercies,  and  the  God  of  all  comfort. — Why  we  should  bless  God : — »What  good 
can  we  do  to  God  in  blessing  of  Him?  He  is  blessed,  though  we  bless  Him 
not.  Our  blessing  of  Him — I.  Is  required  as  a  duty,  to  make  us  more  capable 
of  His  graces  (Matt.  xiii.  12).  To  him  that  useth  that  he  hath  to  the  glory 
of  God  shall  be  given  more.  The  stream  gives  nothing  to  the  fountain;  the 
beam  nothing  to  the  sun,  for  it  issues  from  it.  Our  very  blessing  of  God  is  a 
blessing  of  His.  It  is  from  His  grace  that  we  can  praise  His  grace;  and  we 
run  still  into  a  new  debt  when  we  have  hearts  enlarged  to  bless  Him.  U.  To 
OTHERS  it  is  GOOD,  for  they  are  stirred  up  by  it.  God's  goodness  and  mercy  is 
enlarged  in  regard  of  the  manifestation  of  it  to  others.    HI.  Yea,  IBUS  qood  ooim 


OHAP.  1.]  II.  CORINTHIANS. 


TO  OUR  soTTLS.  Besides  the  increase  of  grace,  we  shall  find  an  mcrease  of  joy  and 
comfort.  1.  If  we  can  work  upon  our  hearts  a  disposition  to  see  God's  love,  and  to 
bless  Him,  we  can  never  be  uncomfortable,  for  then  crosses  are  light.  For,  when 
we  search  for  matter  of  praising  God  in  any  aliiiction,  and  when  we  see  there  is 
€ome  mercy  yet  reserved  that  we  are  not  consumed,  God,  when  He  hath  thanks  from 
us,  gives  us  still  more  matter  of  thankfulness,  and  the  more  we  thank  Him  the  more 
we  have  matter  of  praise.  And,  that  we  may  the  better  perform  this  holy  duty,  let 
as  take  notice  of  all  God's  blessings.  Blessing  of  God  springs  immediately  from  an 
enlarged  heart,  but  enlargement  of  heart  is  stirred  up  from  apprehension.  2.  Taking 
notice  of  them,  let  us  forget  not  all  His  benefits  (Psa.  ciii.  2).  Let  us  register  them, 
keep  diaries  of  His  mercies.  He  renews  His  mercies  every  day,  and  we  ought  to 
xenew  our  blessing  of  Him  every  day.  We  should  labour  to  do  here  as  we  shall  do 
when  we  are  in  heaven.  (R.  Sibbes,  D.D.)  The  thankful  heart  discriminates  mercies : — 
If  one  should  give  me  a  dish  of  sand,  and  tell  me  there  were  particles  of  iron  in  it, 
I  might  look  for  them  with  my  eyes,  and  search  for  them  with  my  clumsy  fingers, 
and  be  unable  to  detect  them ;  but  let  me  take  a  magnet,  and  sweep  through  it,  and 
how  would  it  draw  to  itself  the  most  invisible  particles  by  the  mere  power  of  attrac- 
tion I  The  unthankful  heart,  like  my  finger  in  the  sand,  discovers  no  mercies  ;  but 
let  the  thankful  heart  sweep  through  the  day,  and,  as  the  magnet  finds  the  iron,  so 
it  will  find,  in  every  hour,  some  heavenly  blessings ;  only  the  iron  in  God's  sand  is 
gold.  (0.  W.  Holmes.)  The  abundance  of  Divine  consolation  : — I.  Of  blessing 
God  undeb  the  ajhable  characters  which  are  here  ascribed  to  Him.  The  apostle 
blesseth  God  under  the  three  following  designations : — 1.  The  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  God,  considered  in  this  character  and  relation,  ought,  in  a  special 
manner,  to  be  blessed.  2.  The  next  title  under  which  God  is  here  blessed  is,  the 
Father  of  mercies.  Mercy  is  the  compassion  and  relief  which  is  administered  to 
those  who  are  in  misery.  God  is  not  said  to  be  the  Father  of  mercy,  but  of  mercies, 
of  all  the  mercies  we  need  or  can  enjoy.  Did  we  lose  sight  of  all  our  mercies,  we 
might  find  them  again  in  God,  who  is  the  Father  from  whom  they  all  proceed. 
Mercies  of  all  kinds  flow  from  Him — deliverance  from  evil,  the  enjoyment  of  God, 
pardon,  sanctification,  preservation.  There  is  mercy  in  everything  that  befalls  us  : 
in  health,  in  strength,  in  safety,  in  affliction,  in  recovery — nay,  in  every  bereave- 
ment that  we  meet  with.  3.  The  third  designation  under  which  God  is  blessed  is, 
the  God  of  all  comfort.  There  is  comfort  in  all  the  privileges  peculiar  to  Christians, 
such  as  justification,  adoption,  and  sanctification,  and  the  blessings  connected  with 
them.  There  is  comfort  in  the  promises  of  the  new  covenant,  in  which  the  people 
•of  God  are  assured  of  EQs  gracious  presence,  the  assistance  of  His  Spirit,  and  the 
enjoyment  of  His  glory.  But  this  is  not  all  that  is  necessary  that  God  may  be  the 
God  of  all  comfort.  We  may  have  agreeable  possessions,  we  may  have  the  Word 
•of  God,  which  unfolds  the  grounds  of  comfort,  and  yet  not  be  comforted,  if  the  Holy 
Spirit,  the  Comforter,  do  not  apply  to  our  souls  the  consolations  of  His  Word,  and 
powerfully  set  them  home  upon  our  hearts.  He  can  create  comfort  to  us  out  of 
nothing,  or  out  of  what  is  most  unlikely  to  yield  it.  He  can  bring  meat  out  of  the 
•eater,  sweet  out  of  the  bitter,  joy  out  of  sorrow,  life  out  of  death,  and,  what  is  more. 
He  can  make  our  greatest  crosses  our  greatest  comforts.  II.  Let  us  consider  the 
*abtictjlab  ground  mentioned  in  the  text  on  account  of  which  the  apostle 
BLESSED  Him  :  "  God  comforteth  us  in  all  our  tribulation."  He  doth  not  keep  us 
irom  tribulation,  but  He  comforteth  us  in  it,  which  shows  more  of  Divine  power 
and  goodness  than  wholly  to  preserve  from  it.  This  is  the  peculiar  work  of  God 
alone.  Who  but  He  can  restore  the  soul  and  speak  peace  to  the  conscience? 
What  relief  can  outward  enjoyments  or  human  reasonings  afford  in  the  time  of 
soul  distress  ?  The  comforts  He  conveys  are  always  suited  to  the  condition  of  those 
on  whom  they  are  bestowed.  In  lesser  afflictions  fewer  or  smaller  consolations 
suffice.  Great  comforts  are  given  under  great  sufferings.  Worldly  men  look  to 
their  outward  enjoyments  for  comfort,  whilst  they  overlook  the  mercy  of  God,  from 
•whence  they  all  proceed.  HI.  The  important  end  for  which  Divine  consolations 
ASE  IMPARTED  TO  THE  SAINTS — namely,  "  that  they  may  be  able  to  comfort  them 
which  are  in  any  trouble,  by  the  comfort  wherewith  they  themselves  are  comforted 
•of  God."  The  consolations  of  God  are  neither  small  nor  few,  and  can  never  be 
diminished,  however  great  the  number  of  those  who  share  in  them.  God  is  pleased 
to  comfort  those  who  are  in  trouble  by  means  of  Sis  people  who  themselves  have 
been  distressed.  Various  important  purposes  are  served  by  this  wise  appointment. 
Hereby  trial  is  made  of  our  subjection  to  the  Divine  authority.  Many  are  much 
(distressed  with  heavy  hearts  whose  pride  makes  them  scorn  the  way  of  obtaining 


4  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  i. 

comfort  which  God  hath  prescribed.  In  this  way  the  hearts  of  the  godly  are  knit 
together  in  love,  and  their  mutual  esteem  is  increased.  Those  who  are  comforted 
of  God  by  means  of  their  brethren  are  brought  under  strong  obUgations  to  endearing 
friendship  and  affectionate  gratitude.  Improve,  then,  all  your  experiences,  for 
the  benefit  of  your  fellow-Christians.  In  this  way,  also,  those  who  ought  to 
comfort  the  distressed  are  well  prepared  for  performing  the  work  assigned  them. 
Experience  is  an  excellent  instructor.  Experience  likewise  gives  great  confidence 
to  the  speaker,  and  enables  him  to  speak  with  more  certainty  and  boldness  than 
he  could  do  without  this  advantage.  Is  God  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Father  of  mercies,  and  the  God  of  all  comfort?  Why,  then,  are 
some  of  you  dejected,  after  all  the  comfortable  things  that  you  read  in  your 
Bibles  and  hear  in  sermons?  Why,  you  go  to  the  streams  and  neglect  the 
fountain.  Would  you  have  comfort  from  God  in  all  your  tribulations  ?  Consider 
attentively  what  are  the  particular  maladies  with  which  you  are  distressed.  Thini 
of  your  sins,  which  are  the  worst  of  all  evils.  Let  none  misapply  this  subject. 
Though  strong  consolation  is  provided  for  those  who  flee  for  refuge  to  Jesus  Christ, 
there  is  no  true  comfort  to  those  who  go  on  in  their  sins.  When  we  would  comfort 
others,  or  enjoy  comfort  ourselves,  let  us  begin  with  diligent  examination,  in  order 
to  discover  their  and  our  own  spiritual  state — if  it  be  really  such  as  will  allow  us  to 
take  comfort  or  to  administer  it  to  others.  (W.  McCulloch.)  The  God  of  Chris- 
tianity : — I.  The  Father  of  the  world's  Redeemer.  II.  The  source  of  man's 
MERCIES.  The  merciful  Father.  God  in  nature  does  not  appear  as  the  God  of 
mercy  and  comfort  for  the  lost.  m.  The  Cosn-oRTER  of  afflicted  saints.  (D. 
Thomas,  D.D.)  God  the  Father  of  mercies : — When  a  man  begets  children,  they 
are  in  his  own  likeness.  God  groups  all  the  mercies  of  the  universe  into  a  great 
family  of  children,  of  which  He  is  the  head.  Mercies  tell  us  what  God  is.  They 
are  His  children.  He  is  the  Father  of  them  in  all  their  forms,  combinations, 
multiplications,  derivations,  offices.  Mercies  in  their  length  and  breadth,  in  their 
multitudes  infinite,  uncountable — these  are  God's  offspring,  and  they  represent 
their  Father.  Judgments  are  effects  of  God's  power.  Pains  and  penalties  go  forth 
from  His  hand.  Mercies  are  God  Himself.  They  are  the  issues  of  His  heart.  If 
He  rears  up  a  scheme  of  discipline  and  education  which  requires  and  justifies  the 
application  of  pains  and  penalties  for  special  purposes,  the  God  that  stands  behind 
all  special  systems  and  all  special  administrations  in  His  own  interior  nature  pro- 
nounces himself  "  the  Father  of  mercies."  Mercies  are  not  whr.t  He  does  so  much 
as  what  He  is.    (H.  W.  Beecher.)         The  God  of  comfort : — I.  This  world  is  not  ah 

ORB   BROKE   LOOSE  AND  SNARLED  WITH  IMMEDICABLE  EVILS.       1.    If  We  WOuld  knOW  what 

this  world  is  coming  to,  we  must  not  look  too  low.  Have  you  never  noticed,  in 
summer  days,  when  the  sun  stands  at  the  very  meridian  height,  how  white  and 
clear  the  light  is — how  all  things  are  transparently  clear  ?  But  let  the  sun  droop 
till  it  shoots  level  beams  along  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  those  beams  are  caught 
and  choked  up  wfth  a  thousand  vapours,  and  the  Ught  grows  thick  and  murky. 
And  so,  when  men's  eyes  glance  along  the  surface  of  the  world,  looking  at  moral 
questions,  they  look  through  the  vapours  which  the  world  itself  has  generated,  and 
cannot  see  clearly.  Therefore  it  is  that  many  men  think  this  world  is  bound  to 
wickedness,  and  that  all  philanthropic  attempts  are  mere  efforts  of  weakness  and 
inexperience.  And  no  man  who  does  not  take  his  inspirations  from  the  nature  of 
God  can  have  right  views  of  human  life.  No  man  can  be  a  charitable  man  who 
does  not  believe  that  his  feUow-men  are  depraved.  And  then,  no  man  can  be 
charitable  with  men  who  does  not  believe  that  it  is  the  essential  nature  of  God  to 
cure,  and  not  to  condemn.  God  is  Himself  a  vast  medicine.  And  as  long  as  God 
lives,  and  is  what  He  is — "the  Father  of  mercies,  and  the  God  of  all  comfort" — so 
long  this  world  is  not  going  to  rack  and  ruin.  Let  men  despond  as  much  as  they 
please,  the  earth  is  not  for  ever  to  groan.  2.  Work  on,  then !  Not  a  tear  that  you 
drop  to  wash  away  any  person's  trouble,  not  a  blow  that  you  strike  in  imitation  of 
the  strokes  of  the  Almighty  arm,  shall  be  forgotten.  The  world  shall  be  redeemed, 
for  our  God's  name  is  Mercy  and  Comfort.  H.  There  are  no  troubles  which 
befall  our  suffering  hearts  for  which  there  is  not  in  God  a  remedy,  if  only  wb 
WISH  to  receive  it.  Now,  there  is  victory  for  each  true  Christian  heart  over  its 
troubles.  1.  Not  by  disowning  them.  Every  man's  prayer  to  God  is,  "Lord, 
remove  this  thorn  in  the  flesh."  "  My  grace  shall  be  sufficient  for  you."  Then 
bear.  2.  But  how  ? — resignedly  ?  Yes,  if  you  cannot  do  any  better.  That  is  better 
than  murmuring.  But  resignation  is  a  negative  thing.  It  is  the  consent  of  the 
soul  to  receive  without  rebellion.     It  is  giving  up  a  contest.     3.  But  is  the  disciple 


CHAP.  I.]  XT.  CORINTHIANS. 


better  than  the  Master  ?  Would  you,  if  you  could,  reach  forth  your  hand  and  take 
back  one  single  sorrow  that  made  Christ  to  you  what  He  is  ?  Is  it  not  the  power 
of  Jesus  to  all  eternity  that  He  was  the  Sufferer,  and  that  He  bore  suffering  in  such 
a  way  that  He  vanquished  it  ?  Now  you  are  His  followers ;  and  will  you  follow 
Christ  by  slinking  away  from  suffering  ?  Do  not  seek  it ;  but,  if  it  comes,  remember 
that  no  sorrow  comes  but  with  His  knowledge.  And  what  is  trouble  but  that  very 
influence  that  brings  you  nearer  to  the  heart  of  God  than  prayers  or  hymns  ?  But 
Borrows,  to  be  of  use,  must  be  borne,  as  Christ's  were,  victoriously,  carrying  with 
them  intimations  and  sacred  prophecies  to  the  heart  of  Hope  that  by  them  we  shall 
be  strengthened  and  ennobled.  4.  How  is  it,  brother  ?  I  do  not  ask  you  whether 
you  like  the  cup  which  you  are  now  drinking,  but  look  back  twenty  years — at  the 
time  which  seemed  to  you  like  midnight.  Now  it  is  aU  over,  and  it  has  wrought 
out  its  effect  on  you ;  and  I  ask  you,  Would  you  have  removed  the  experience  of 
that  burden  which  you  thought  would  crush  you,  but  which  you  fought  in  such  a 
way  that  you  came  out  a  strong  man  ?  What  has  made  you  so  versatile,  patient, 
broad,  rich  ?  God  put  pickaxes  into  you,  though  you  did  not  like  it.  He  dug  wells 
of  salvation  in  you.  And  you  are  what  you  are  by  the  grace  of  God's  providence. 
You  were  gold  in  the  rock,  and  God  played  miner,  and  blasted  you  out  of  the  rock ; 
and  then  He  played  stamper,  and  crushed  you ;  and  then  He  played  smelter,  and 
melted  you ;  and  now  you  are  gold  free  from  the  rock  by  the  grace  of  God's  severity 
to  you.  And  as  you  look  back  upon  those  experiences,  and  see  what  they  have 
done  for  you,  and  what  you  are  now,  you  say,  "  I  would  not  exchange  what  I 
learned  from  these  things  for  all  the  world."  What  is  the  reason  you  have  never 
learned  to  apply  the  same  philosophy  to  the  trouble  of  to-day  ?    III.  No  person  is 

ORDAXNED  UNTIL  HIS  SORROWS   PTTT   INTO   HIS   HANDS  THE  POWER  OF  COMFORTINO  OTHERS. 

Sorrow  is  apt  to  be  very  selfish  and  self-indulgent,  but  see  how  sorrow  worked  in 
the  apostle.  When  the  daughter  is  married,  and  goes  from  home,  how  often  her 
heart  returns  I  As  time  goes  on,  the  daughter  suffers  from  sickness,  children  are 
multiplied,  and  the  mother  comes  and  tarries  in  the  family.  The  children  are 
sick,  there  is  trouble  in  the  household ;  but  the  daughter  says,  "  Mother  is  here." 
And  she  says,  "  My  dear  child,  I  have  gone  through  it  all,"  and  while  yet  she  is 
telling  her  story,  strangely,  as  if  exhaled,  all  these  drops  of  trouble  that  have 
sprinkled  on  the  child's  heart  have  gone,  and  she  is  comforted.  Why  ?  Because 
the  consolations  by  which  the  mother's  heart  was  comforted  have  gone  over  and 
rested  on  the  chUd's  mind.  Now,  the  apostle  says,  "  When  Christ  comforts  your 
grief  He  makes  you  mother  to  somebody  else."  I  know  some  people  who,  when 
fiiey  have  griefs,  become  mendicants,  and  go  around  with  a  hat  in  their  hand, 
begging  a  penny  of  comfort  from  this  one  and  that  one.  What  does  the  apostle 
say?  That  when  Grod  comforts  your  griefs  He  ordains  you  to  be  a  minister  of 
comfort  to  others  who  are  in  trouble.  (Ibid.)  The  comfort  of  God  : — We  are 
all  engaged  in  the  great  conflict  between  right  and  wrong.  To  the  Christian,  often, 
and  not  unnaturally,  either  from  the  weariness  of  the  struggle  or  the  depressing 
sense  of  failure,  there  comes  an  overwhelming  weight  of  sorrow.  How  is  the  soul 
to  be  supported  ?  By  "  the  comfort  of  God."  It  is  that  blessed  truth  which  haunts 
the  heart  of  St.  Paul  throughout  the  whole  of  this  Epistle.  Examine  this  question 
of  comfort.  I.  Christ  is  the  one  Mediator.  It  is  through  Him  the  comfort 
OOMES.  How?  1.  From  His  loyalty  to  truth.  There  are  those  who  attempt  to 
Boothe  the  conscience  by  making  light  of  sin.  Such  cannot  comfort.  Sin  is,  in  its 
essence,  uneasy  disturbance.  "  The  wicked  are  like  a  troubled  sea,  they  cannot 
rest."  Man  is  too  near  God  to  find  comfort  in  a  lie.  Our  Master  knew  it.  And 
how  unflinchrngly,  minutely  true  His  life  was  1  How  awful  are  His  warnings  of 
the  consequences  of  persistent  sin !  And,  therefore,  how  sweet  His  consolations ! 
How  severe  His  rebukes  to  the  self-righteous,  and  therefore  restless !  Yet  Mary 
Magdalene,  with  all  her  loads  of  guilt,  lay  down  before  Him  and  kissed  His  sacred 
feet,  and  felt  the  kindness  of  His  comfort.  As  the  Master,  so  the  servant;  as 
Christ,  so  His  Church.  Why  do  men  so  often  hate  her  ?  Because  she  makes  no 
compromises.  She  refuses  to  "  daub  with  untempered  mortar."  Sin,  she  says,  is 
always  disastrous.  Moral  laws,  she  says,  are  constant.  "  As  a  man  sows,  so  shall 
he  reap."  As  real  as  sin,  so  real  must  be  penitence.  No  short  cuts ;  this  is  the 
one  path  to  pardon.  Truth  is  the  path  to  comfort.  Sin  does  matter.  Turn  from 
it — to  the  light  of  His  countenance,  to  the  sweetness  of  the  comfort  of  God.  2.  By 
infusing  hope.  Hope  rests  upon  a  promise  and  a  fact.  The  fact  is,  that  entire 
drama  of  tenderness  and  power  which  is  summed  up  in  the  Passion  of  Christ. 
Dark  and  sad  enough  is  the  journey  of  life,  but  this  is  like  the  after-glow  along  the 


6  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  i. 

battlements  of  evening  clouds,  which  promises,  when  night  is  passed,  a  brilliant 
morning  ;  like  the  first  note  of  the  bird  in  winter  that  warbles  of  a  coming  spring, 
this  lifts  the  immortal  spirit  above  the  pressure  of  the  things  of  time,  and  enables 
the  soul  to  appropriate  to  itself  the  good  gifts  of  God.  "Loved  me,  gave  Himself 
for  me  " — there  is  supernatural  hope.  This  invigorates  the  failing  nature ;  it  is 
"  the  comfort  of  God."  3.  From  the  genuine  living  sympathy  of  Christ.  The 
reality  of  that  sympathy  depends,  of  course,  upon  the  perfection  of  His  human 
nature,  the  power  of  it  upon  the  truth  of  His  Godhead.  In  several  experiences  our 
blessed  Master  has  gained  the  necessary  acquaintance  with  our  needs.  (1)  None 
like  Himself  has  known  the  exceeding  horror  of  sin.  Sooner  or  later  every  child 
of  Adam  knows  that.  But  in  the  agony  at  Gethsemane,  and  in  the  dereliction  on 
the  Cross,  pure  human  nature  felt  the  whole  force  and  fierceness  of  the  assaults 
of  evil.  (2)  He  knows  the  reality  and  pain  of  temptation.  "  He  suffered  being 
tempted."  (3)  None  more  acutely  than  He  felt  the  transitoriness  of  human  happi- 
ness and  human  life.  By  all  the  quiet  hours  at  Nazareth,  at  Bethany,  &c.,  He 
knew  the  contrasting  sadness  of  scattered  friends  and  darkened  days,  and  the 
keenness  of  the  Cross.  (4)  He  underwent  the  darkness  and  horror  of  the  grave. 
Struggling  soul,  assaulted  by  fierce  temptation;  sin-laden  soul,  bowed  down  and 
fainting  under  a  sense  of  failure ;  sorrowing  soul,  bewildered  with  a  paralysis  of 
trouble ;  dying  soul,  shrinking  from  the  separation  and  the  gloom  of  the  grave, 
look  up ;  He  feels  for  thine  anguish :  look  up ;  in  that  sympathy  is  comfort.     H. 

How  DOES  THIS  COMFOET,  WHICH    SPRINGS   FEOM  HiS  MIGHTT  MEDIATION,  COME   HOME  TO 

US?  1.  From  the  sweetness  of  the  grace  of  penitence.  Sin — your  sin — ^was rebeUion. 
His  love  has  penetrated  thy  soul ;  the  tears  of  penitence  have  come.  Sin  was  all 
self,  penitence  is  all  God.  But  at  first,  how  sharp  the  sense  of  shame  !  Then  He 
came — "  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ."  What  was  the  cry  ?  '*  Wash  me 
throughly  from  my  iniquity,"  &c.  It  was  pain,  this  penitence — searching,  piercing ; 
but  what  is  this  inner  sense  of  joy  ?  The  presence  of  Jesus,  the  comfort  of  God. 
2.  Prom  the  consecration  of  sorrow.  Sorrow  is  the  fact  of  facts.  Strange  mystery ; 
Christ  has  consecrated  sorrow.  He  has  made  it  the  path  to  victory.  "  The  Valley 
of  Achor"  becomes  a  "door  of  hope."  3.  By  the  blessedness  of  prayer.  To  per- 
severe in  prayer  is  surely  and  at  last  to  know  the  comfort  of  God.  \Canon  Knox- 
Little.)  Sacred  comforts : — I.  Teebulation  is  a  discipline  common  to  xll.  None 
can  evade  it ;  the  richest  man  can  neither  buy  himself  off  nor  provide  a  substitute. 
1.  The  discipline  of  tribulation  is  inevitable  because  we  are  imperfect.  2.  Note 
some  of  the  tribulations  of  earthly  existence.  (1)  Disappointment  in  life.  (2) 
Poverty.  (3)  Death.  11.  In  the  discipline  of  teibulation  God  shall  comtoet 
ALL  His  people  with  sustaining  grace.  The  medicine  may  be  bitter,  but  it  will 
give  strength.  {W.  Birch.)  Comforted  and  comforting : — I.  The  comfoetable 
occTXPATioN.  Blessing  God.  If  a  man  under  affliction  blesses  the  Lord — 1.  It 
argues  that  his  heart  is  not  vanquished — (1)  So  as  to  gratify  Satan  by  murmuring, 
(2)  So  as  to  kUl  his  own  soul  with  despair.  2.  It  prophesies  that  God  will  send  to 
him  speedy  deliverances  to  call  forth  new  praises.  It  is  natural  to  lend  more  to  a 
man  when  the  interest  on  what  he  has  is  duly  paid.  Never  did  man  bless  God  bat 
sooner  or  later  God  blessed  him.  3.  It  profits  the  believer  above  measure.  (1)  It 
takes  the  mind  off  from  present  trouble.  (2)  It  lifts  the  heart  to  heavenly  thoughts 
and  considerations.  (3)  It  gives  a  taste  of  heaven,  for  heaven  largely  consists  in 
adoring  and  blessing  God.  (4)  It  destroys  distress  by  bringing  God  upon  the  scene. 
4.  It  is  the  Lord's  due  in  whatsoever  state  we  may  be.  II.  The  comfoetable 
TITLES.  1.  A  name  of  affinity,  "  The  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  2.  A  name 
of  gratitude,  "  The  Father  of  mercies."  3.  A  name  of  hope,  "  The  God  of  all 
comfort."  4.  A  name  of  discrimination,  "Who  comforteth  us."  The  Lord  has 
a  special  care  for  those  who  trust  in  Him.  in.  The  comfortable  fact.  "  The 
God  of  all  comfort  comforteth  us  in  all  our  tribulation."  1.  Personally.  2. 
Habitually.  He  has  always  been  near  to  comfort  us  in  all  past  time,  never  once 
leaving  us  alone.  3.  Effectually.  He  has  always  been  able  to  comfort  us  in  all 
tribulation.  No  trial  has  baffled  His  skill.  4.  Everlastingly.  He  will  comfort  us 
to  the  end,  for  He  is  "  the  God  of  all  comfort,"  and  He  cannot  change.  Should 
we  not  be  always  happy  since  God  always  comforts  us?  IV.  The  comfoetable 
DESIGN.  "  That  we  may  be  able  to  comfort."  1.  To  make  us  comforters  of  others. 
The  Lord  aims  at  this :  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Comforter,  trains  us  up  to  be  com- 
forters. There  is  great  need  for  this  holy  service  in  this  sin-smitten  world.  2.  To 
make  us  comforters  on  a  large  scale.  "  To  comfort  them  which  are  in  any  trouble." 
We  are  to  be  conversant  with  all  kinds  of  grief,  and  ready  to  sympathise  with  all 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS. 


sufferers.  3.  To  make  us  experts  in  consolation — "  able  to  comfort " ;  because  of 
our  own  experience  of  Divine  comfort.  4.  To  make  us  willing  and  sympathetic,  so 
that  we  may,  through  personal  experience,  instinctively  care  for  the  state  of  others. 
Conclusion :  1.  Let  us  now  unite  in  special  thanksgiving  to  the  God  of  all  comfort. 
2.  Let  us  drink  in  comfort  from  the  Word  of  the  Lord,  and  be  ourselves  happy  in 
Christ  Jesus.  3.  Let  us  be  on  the  watch  to  minister  consolation  to  all  tried  ones. 
(C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  Comforted  to  comfort : — 1.  Look  up.  There  is  thy  Father. 
But  ere  thou  canst  be  like  Him  thou  wilt  need  the  file  of  the  lapidary,  the  heat  of 
the  crucible,  the  bruising  of  the  flail.  2.  Look  down.  At  the  moment  of  thy  con- 
version all  the  powers  of  darkness  pledged  themselves  to  obstruct  thy  way.  3.  Look 
around.  Thou  art  stUl  in  the  world  that  crucified  thy  Lord.  4.  Look  within.  In 
the  constant  strife  between  thy  will  and  God's  will,  what  can  there  be  but  affliction? 
When  in  affliction,  mind  three  things.  I.  Look  out  for  comfort.  It  will  come — 
1.  Certainly.  Wherever  the  nettle  grows  there  grows  the  dock-leaf.  2.  Propor- 
tionately. God  holds  a  pair  of  scales.  This  on  the  right,  called  AS,  is  for  thine 
afflictions  ;  this  on  the  left,  called  SO,  is  for  thy  comforts.  And  the  beam  is  always 
level.  8.  Divinely.  Shall  we  look  to  man  ?  No,  for  Job  found  the  best  men  of 
his  time  to  be  miserable  comforters.  Shall  we  look  to  angels  ?  No ;  this  needs  a, 
gentler  touch  than  theirs.  God  comforteth  those  that  are  cast  down.  4.  Mediately. 
Our  consolation  aboundeth  through  Christ.  5.  Directly  through  the  Holy  Ghost, 
that  other  Comforter,  whom  the  Saviour  gives.  6.  Variously ;  sometimes  by  the 
coming  of  a  beloved  Titus,  a  bouquet,  a  letter,  a  promise,  sometimes  by  God  simply 
coming  near.  H.  Store  tip  comfort.  1.  The  world  is  full  of  comfortless  hearts. 
Our  God  would  comfort  them  through  thee.  But  thou  must  be  trained.  2.  Dost 
thou  wonder  why  thou  dost  suffer  some  special  f onn  of  sorrow  ?  Wait  till  ten  years 
are  passed.  In  that  time  thou  wilt  find  some  afflicted  as  thou  art.  When  thou, 
tellest  them  how  thou  hast  suffered,  and  how  thou  hast  been  comforted,  thou  wilt 
learn  why  thou  hast  been  afflicted,  in.  Pass  on  the  comfort  you  receive.  {F.  B. 
Meyer,  B.A.)  The  purpose  and  use  of  comfort : — The  desire  for  comfort  may  be 
a  noble  or  a  most  ignoble  wish.  The  nobleness  of  actions  depends  more  upon  the 
reasons  why  we  do  them  than  on  the  acts  themselves.  Paul  gave  to  the  comfort 
which  God  had  given  him  its  deepest  and  most  unselfish  reason,  and  so  the  fact  of 
God's  comforting  him  became  the  exaltation  and  the  strengthening  of  his  life.  It 
does  not  matter  what  the  special  trouble  was ;  the  point  is  this — that  Paul  thanked 
God  because  the  comfort  which  had  come  to  him  gave  him  the  power  to  comfort 
other  people.  Now  try  to  recall  the  joy  and  peace  and  thankfulness  that  have  ever 
filled  your  heart  when  you  became  thoroughly  sure  that  God  had  relieved  or  blessed 
you.  But  ask  yourself,  at  the  same  time,  "Did  any  such  thought  as  Paul's  come 
up  first  and  foremost  to  my  mind  ?  "  I.  The  power  of  Paul  or  op  ant  man  to 
realise  this  high  idea — 1.  Shows  a  clear  understanding  that  it  is  really  God  who 
sends  the  help.  If  the  recovery  of  your  health  or  the  saving  of  your  fortune  seems 
to  you  a  piece  of  luck,  then  you  may  be  meanly  and  miserably  selfish  about  it.  It 
is  a  light  which  you  have  struck  out  for  yourself,  and  may  bum  in  your  own  lantern. 
But  if  the  hght  came  down  from  God  it  is  too  big  for  you  to  keep  to  yourself.  2. 
Evinces  genuine  unselfishness  and  a  true  humility.  Put  these  together  into  a 
nature,  and  you  clear  away  those  obstructions  which,  in  so  many  men,  stop  God's 
mercies  short,  and  absorb,  as  personal  privileges,  what  they  were  meant  to  radiate  as 
blessings  to  mankind.  Who  is  the  man  whom  we  rejoice  to  see  possessing  wealth  ? 
It  is  the  man  who  says,  "  God  sent  this,"  and,  "I  am  not  worthy  of  this ;  where 
are  my  brethren  ?  "  Who  is  the  man  who,  receiving  comfort  from  God,  radiates 
it?  It  is  the  reverent,  unselfish,  humble  man.  The  sunlight  falls  upon  a  clod,  but 
lies  as  black  as  ever;  but  the  sun  touches  a  diamond,  and  the  diamond  almost 
chills  itself  as  it  sends  out  in  radiance  on  every  side  the  light  that  has  fallen  on  it. 
So  God  helps  one  man  bear  his  pain,  and  nobody  but  that  one  man  is  a  whit  the 
richer.  God  comes  to  another  sufferer,  and  all  around  are  comforted  by  the  radiated 
comfort  of  that  happy  soul.  3.  Will  always  be  easier  and  more  real  to  us  in 
proportion  as  we  dwell  habitually  upon  the  profounder  and  more  spiritual  of  His 
mercies.  If  I  am  in  the  habit  of  thanking  God  mainly  for  food  and  clothes  and 
house,  it  will  not  be  easy  for  me  to  take  them  as  if  the  final  purpose  of  them  was 
that  I  might  be  warm  and  well  fed.  But  if  what  I  thank  Him  for  most  is  not  that 
He  gives  me  His  gifts,  but  that  He  gives  me  Himself,  then  I  cannot  resist  the  ten- 
dency of  that  mercy  to  outgrow  my  life.  A  stream  may  leave  its  deposits  in  the 
pool  it  flows  through,  but  the  stream  itself  hurries  on  to  other  pools ;  and  so  God's 
gifts  a  soul  may  selfishly  appropriate,  but  God  Himself,  the  more  truly  a  soul 


8  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  i. 

possesses  Him,  the  more  truly  it  will  long  and  try  to  share  Hun.  Thus  I  have 
tried  to  picture  the  man  who  in  the  profoundest  way  accepts  and  values  God's 
mercies.  You  see  how  clear  his  superiority  is.  The  Pharisee  says,  "  I  thank  Thee 
that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are,"  and  evidently  it  is  his  difference  from  other  men 
that  he  values  most,  and  he  means  to  keep  himself  different  from  other  men  as 
long  as  possible.  The  Christian  says,  "  I  thank  Thee  that  Thou  hast  made  me 
this,  because  it  is  a  sign  and  may  be  made  a  means  of  bringing  other  men  to  the 
same  help  and  joy."  U.  Note  a  few  of  the  special  helps  which  God  gives  to 
MEN,  and  see  how  what  I  have  been  saying  applies  to  each  of  them.  1.  Take  the 
comfort  which  God  sends  a  man  when  he  is  in  religious  doubt.  And  that  does  not 
by  any  means  always  mean  the  filling  of  every  darkness  with  perfect  light.  No 
doubt  God  does  answer  our  questions  for  us  sometimes  if  we  will  "  walk  in  His 
ways."  But  he  has  had  little  experience  of  God  who  has  not  often  felt  how  some- 
times, with  a  deep  doubt  in  the  soul  unsolved,  the  Father  will  fold  about  His 
doubting  child  a  sense  of  Himself  so  self-witnessing  that  the  child  is  content  to 
carry  his  unanswered  question,  because  of  the  unanswerable  assurance  of  his 
Pather  which  he  has  received.  You  are  comforting  your  child  just  in  that  way 
every  day.  But,  tell  me,  is  it  the  gain  of  that  one  doubter  only  ?  Is  no  other 
questioner  helped?  Few  men  are  aided  by  arguments  compared  with  those  to 
whom  religion  becomes  a  clear  reality  from  the  sight  of  some  fellow-man  who 
carries  the  life  of  God  wherever  he  goes.  2.  Take  the  way  God  proves  to  us  that 
the  soul  is  more  than  the  body.  In  the  breakage  or  decay  of  physical  power  He 
brings  out  spiritual  richness  and  strength.  This  was  something  that  St.  Paul  knew 
well  (chap.  iv.  16).  A  man  who  has  been  in  the  full  whirl  of  prosperous  business 
fails,  and  then  for  the  first  time  he  learns  the  joy  of  conscious  integrity  preserved 
through  all  temptations,  and  of  daily  trust  in  God  for  daily  bread.  A  man  who 
never  knew  an  ache  comes  to  a  break  in  health,  and  then  the  soul  within  him 
stands  strong  in  the  midst  of  weakness,  calm  in  the  very  centre  of  the  tunnoil  and 
panic  of  the  aching  body.  The  temper  of  the  fickle  people  changes,  and  the 
favourite  of  yesterday  becomes  the  victim  of  to-day ;  but  in  his  martyrdom  for  the 
first  time  he  sees  the  full  value  of  the  truth  he  dies  for,  and  thanks  the  flames  that 
have  lighted  up  its  preciousness.  Now,  in  all  these  cases,  must  it  not  be  an  element 
in  the  comfort  which  fills  the  sick  room,  or  gathers  about  the  martyr's  stake,  that 
by  this  revelation  of  the  spiritual  through  the  broken  physical  life  other  men  may 
learn  its  value  ?  3.  Take  the  comfort  which  God  gives  a  man  who  has  found  out 
his  sin  and  repented  of  it — forgiveness.  We  take  too  low  a  ground  in  pleading  with 
the  man  living  in  sin.  We  tell  him  of  his  danger.  We  go  higher  than  that :  we 
tell  him  of  the  happiness  of  the  life  with  God.  But  suppose  we  took  a  higher  strain, 
and  said,  "Every  time  any  man  humbly  takes  God's  forgiveness,  that  man  becomes 
a  new  witness  to  men  of  how  strong  and  good  the  Saviour  is.  And  look,  how  they 
need  Him !  Not  for  yourself  now,  but  for  them,  for  Him,  take  His  forgiveness  and 
give  up  yourself  inwardly  and  outwardly  to  Him."  So  used  one  grows  to  find  men 
respond  to  the  noblest  motives  who  are  deaf  to  a  motive  which  is  less  noble.  Be  a 
new  man  in  Christ  for  these  men's  sake.  {Bishop  Phillips  Brooks.)  Man  requiring, 
enjoying,  and  ministering  Divine  comforts  : — The  passage  presents  to  us  man  in 
three  aspects — I.  As  requieing  Divine  comfort.  This  is  implied  in  the  words, 
"  God  of  all  comfort."  There  are  troubles  arising — 1.  From  secular  sources — 
broken  plans,  profitless  efforts,  worldly  cares  and  anxieties.  2.  From  social  sources 
— the  disruption  of  social  ties,  the  venom  of  social  slander,  the  disappointments  of 
social  ingratitude  and  unfaithfulness.  3.  From  moral  sources — sense  of  guilt,  con- 
flict of  passions  with  conscience,  terrible  forebodings  of  the  future.  II.  As  enjoying 
Divine  comfort.  The  apostle  speaks  of  himself  and  the  Church  at  Corinth  as  being 
"  comforted  of  God."  God  comforts  His  trusting  people — 1.  By  inspiring  hope. 
What  delightful  promises  does  He  make — promises  suitable  to  every  tribulation ! 
(1)  To  those  in  secular  tribulation  He  says,  "Be  careful  for  nothing,"  &c.  (2)  To 
those  in  social  tribulation  He  says,  "Cursed  is  the  man  that  maketh  flesh  his  arm," 
"Cursed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  not  in  the  Lord."  (3)  To  those  in  moral  tribula- 
tion He  says,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  2.  By 
uniting  their  thoughts.  Conflicting  thoughts  are  the  great  troublers  of  the  soul. 
God  harmonises  those  thoughts  by  centring  them  on  Himself.  3.  By  engrossing 
their  love.  Distracted  affections  are  sources  of  distress.  God  centres  the  heart 
upon  Himself,  and  man  is  kept  in  perfect  peace.  III.  As  ministering  Divine 
COMFORT.  "  That  we  may  be  able  to  comfort,"  &c.  And  Paul  felt  thankful  for  the 
comforts  received,  not  merely  for  his  own  sake,  but  the  sake  of  others.     His  Ian- 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  9 

guage  implies — 1.  That  he  gratefully  administered  comfort  to  others  as  the  gift  of 
God.  2.  That  he  loyally  administered  comfort  to  others  "  according  to  the  will  of 
God."  "Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  My  people,  saith  the  Lord."  Conclusion:  How 
suitable  is  the  God  of  the  gospel  to  the  troubled  condition  of  humanity.  (-D.  Thomas, 
D.D.)         The  ministry  of  consolation : — ^L  Chkistians  have  many  a  seceet,  making 

PAIN    ENDURABLE    AND    TAKING    THE    STINQ    FBOM    TROUBLE.       1.    SorrOW    is    fellowship 

with  Christ,  is  a  great  self-revealer — of  sin,  of  restoring  mercy,  of  cleansing  grace, 
•of  the  tenderness  of  God.  2.  But  the  text  shows  a  new  gain — a  special  grace. 
"Blessed  are  they  that  mourn,  for  they  shall  be  comforted";  but  "blessed,"  also, 
"  are  they  that  be  comforted,  for  they  shall  comfort  others."  (1)  When  God  com- 
forts a  man,  the  man's  speech  is  full  of  feeling,  and  listening  to  him  is  like  listening 
to  the  voice  of  God.  (2)  One  who  has  felt  a  wound  knows  where  and  how  to  touch 
one.  In  our  inexperience  we  are  too  blunt  or  too  shy,  and  hurt  the  sensibilities 
we  would  soothe  :  we  lay  bare  when  we  should  shroud,  and  cover  up  a  wound  we 
should  try  to  purge.  (3)  "  Comforted  of  God."  Who  comforteth  like  Him?  "  He 
knoweth  our  frame,"  &c.  It  is  worth  while  to  stand  in  need  of  God's  comforts  and 
to  experience  them,  if  we  may  but  acquire  an  aptitude  like  this.  3.  There  is  no 
honour  comparable  with  the  gratitude  and  love  bestowed  on  a  consoler,  and  no 
satisfaction  greater  than  the  sense  that  we  have  carried  comfort  to  a  mourner. 
This  was  Christ's  honour,  joy,  mission.     U.  Paul's  trouble  was  one  in  connection 

WITH  HIS  MINISTRY,  YET  HE  SPEAKS  OF  BEING  PREPARED  FOR  ANY  CASE  NEEDING  CON- 
SOLATION. The  power  to  console  lies  not  in  our  ability  to  use  a  particular  formula 
that  shall  suit  a  particular  want ;  it  lies  in  our  acquaintance  with  God  and  His 
ways  and  the  quickness  of  our  sympathies  with  men.  No  one  whose  heart  is  tender 
and  whose  faith  is  strong  may  be  deterred  from  trying  to  console  a  sufferer  because 
he  has  not  experienced  a  like  calamity.  The  experience  which  is  so  valuable  in  all 
contact  with  souls  is  a  tone  of  spirit  rather  than  a  knowledge  of  details ;  and  it  is 
this  which  is  God's  choice  gift  to  those  He  comforts.  (A.  Mackennal,  D.D.)  The 
design  of  PauVs  ajpictions  : — Notice — I.  The  particular  affliction  to  which  the 
APOSTLE  refers.  The  whole  paragraph  speaks  of  his  trials,  but  at  ver.  8  we  read 
of  one  in  particular  extremely  severe.  In  many  parts  of  Asia  Minor  Paul  suffered 
persecution,  but  if  to  one  place  more  than  another  the  text  refers,  it  is  to  Lystra 
(Acts  xiv.  8-20).  n.  The  comfort  he  enjoyed  in  this  or  in  any  other  affliction 
TO  WHICH  HE  MAY  REFER.  Paul  was  comfoited — 1.  By  various  occurrences  under 
Providence.  At  Lystra,  the  scene  of  his  terrific  sufferings,  sat  a  cripple  who  "  had 
faith  to  be  healed."  And  did  not  the  apostle  rejoice  to  see  that  thus,  wherever  he 
•went,  there  were  those  whom  sovereign  grace  designed  to  bless  ?  When  a  prisoner 
at  Rome,  "  the  things  which  happened  to  him  fell  out  to  the  furtherance  of  the 
gospel."  In  Macedonia  God,  who  comforteth  those  that  are  cast  down,  comforted 
him  by  the  coming  of  Titus.  2.  By  communion  with  his  Lord.  3.  By  his  hope 
of  heaven.  HI.  The  happy  influence  of  Paul's  trials  in  promoting  the  religion 
OF  HIS  fellow-Christians  (vers.  4,  6).  In  two  ways  the  suffering  and  steadfastness 
of  the  apostle  would  benefit  the  Corinthians.  1.  By  his  example  they  would  be 
animated  to  encounter  similar  difficulties.  2.  By  his  writings,  full  of  Christian 
experience,  they  would  derive  all  that  instruction  and  appeal  which  an  actual 
endurance  of  sorrow  and  support  would  be  sure  to  imprint  by  his  pen.     IV.  The 

GRATEFUL,  ADORING    SPIRIT    WHICH   THE    GOODNESS   OF    GOD   OCCASIONED   IN  HTM  (vCr.  3). 

(Isaac  Taylor.)  Comfort  does  not  mean  mere  pacification,  lulling,  the  creation  of 
a  species  of  moral  and  spiritual  atrophy :  the  comfort  of  God  is  the  encouragement 
of  God,  the  stimulus  of  the  Most  High  applied  to  the  human  mind  and  the  human 
heart.  When  God  vivifies  us  He  comforts  us  ;  instead  of  putting  His  fingers  upon 
our  eyeUds  and  drawing  them  down  over  tired  eyes  and  saying,  "  Now  sleep  a  long 
sleep,"  He  sometimes  gives  us  such  an  access  of  life  that  we  cannot  lie  one  moment 
longer  ;  we  spring  forth  as  men  who  have  a  battle  to  fight  and  a  victory  to  bring 
home.  That  access  of  life  is  the  comfort  of  God,  as  well  as  that  added  sleep,  that 
extra  hour  of  slumber  which  is  a  tender  benediction.  Why  was  the  apostle  com- 
forted, vivified,  or  encouraged  ?  That  he  should  be  able  to  comfort  them  which  are 
in  trouble.  Why  does  God  give  us  money  ?  To  make  use  of  it  for  the  good  of 
others.  Why  does  God  make  a  man  very  strong  ?  That  He  may  save  a  man  who 
is  very  weak,  by  carrying  his  burden  for  him  an  hour  or  two  now  and  then,  so  as  to 
give  the  man  some  sense  of  hohday.  Why  does  the  Lord  make  one  man  very 
penetrating  in  mind,  very  complete  in  judgment,  very  serene  and  profound  in 
counsel?  Not  that  he  may  say,  "Behold  me!"  but  that  he  may  sit  in  the  gate 
and  dispense  the  bounty  of  his  soul  to  those  who  need  all  manner  of  aid,  all 
ministries  of  love.     {J.  Parker,  D.D.) 


10  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  x. 

Ver.  4.  Who  comfortetli  us  .  .  .  that  we  may  be  able  to  comfort  them  which 
are  in  any  trouble. — Divine  comfort  in  tribulation : — 1.  There  is  no  tribulation 
either  for  the  kind  or  degree  of  it,  but  God  can  and  doth  comfort  His  people 
therein,  and  God's  comforts  do  far  exceed  all  philosophical  remedies,  as  much  as 
the  sun  doth  a  glow-worm.  2.  It  is  very  useful  to  know  what  are  these  apples  of 
comfort  (Cant.  2-5),  because  many  of  God's  children — (1)  Are  in  a  great  manner 
ignorant  of  what  foundations  and  sure  grounds  they  have  of  comfort.  They  are 
like  Elisha's  servant,  who,  though  there  was  a  great  host  of  angels  to  help  him, 
yet  did  not  see  them.  So  that  the  Spirit  of  God  not  only  illuminates  us  in  the 
matter  of  duty,  but  also  in  matter  of  comfort.  (2)  Though  they  know  many 
arguments  of  comfort,  yet  their  memory  faileth  them,  that  in  the  very  hour  of 
their  temptations  they  forget  what  comfortable  supports  they  might  make  use  of. 
So  that  it  is  good  to  preach  of  these  principles  of  consolation,  that  thereby  we  may 
be  remembrancers  to  you.  3.  Come  we  then  to  lead  you  up  into  the  mount  of 
transfiguration,  let  us  see,  even  in  this  life,  what  are  the  good  things  God  hath 
prepared  for  those  that  love  Him.  And  take  this  for  a  foundation,  that  God 
coroforts  through  and  by  the  Scriptures.  I.  All  telbulation  is  pbecisely  deter- 
mined BY  God  as  a  Fatheb  out  of  much  love.  1.  In  regard  of  the  beginning,  the 
degree,  and  the  continuance  of  it.  Here  is  matter  of  comfort  enough;  here  is 
more  oil  than  we  have  vessels  to  receive  (Matt.  v. ;  Heb.  xii.  9,  10).  Now  as 
winter  and  cold  is  necessary  in  its  season  as  well  as  summer,  and  the  night  hath  its 
use  as  well  as  the  day,  a  time  of  tribulation  is  as  necessary  as  a  time  of  rest  and 
quietness.  2.  In  regard  to  the  time  of  deliverance  from  it.  The  tribulation  shall 
not  stay  an  hour  longer  than  while  it  may  do  good  to  thee ;  He  will  not  take  one 
drop  of  blood  more  from  thee  than  is  necessary  to  prevent  thy  disease,  or  abate  it 
(Bev.  2  10).  Even  as  the  artificer  knoweth  how  long  the  gold  must  be  in  the  fire 
to  take  away  the  dross,  and  will  not  suffer  it  to  abide  any  longer.  11.  Another 
Scripture-cordial  is  fkom  Christ,  with  all  the  fulness  that  is  in  Him.  Christ 
received  by  faith  is  able  to  make  us  gather  grapes  of  thorns  and  figs  of  thistles. 
He  that  hath  this  sun  cannot  be  in  the  dark  night.  What  makes  Paul  (Kom.  viii.)  to 
triumph  in  all  manner  of  tribulations  ?  Is  not  the  foundation  of  all  this  Christ 
dead  and  Christ  risen  again  ?  And  if  He  hath  given  us  Christ,  how  shall  He  not 
with  Him  give  us  all  things  ?  Thus  the  spiritual  influence  of  Christ  into  the  soul 
taketh  away  the  bitterness  of  all  troubles.  III.  Another  Scripture  discovery  for 
comfort  is  to  pkess  and  command  the  life  of  faith  upon  God's  promise.  So  that, 
whatsoever  the  principles  of  the  world  and  sense  do  suggest,  yet  faith  rectifieth  all. 
That  finds  honey  to  come  out  of  a  dead  lion,  that  can  suck  honey  from  a  bitter 
herb.  God's  thoughts  and  ours  are  wholly  different ;  only  faith  enableth  us  to 
know  the  mind  of  God ;  and  where  flesh  is  ready  to  say,  God  is  casting  off  and 
utterly  forsaking,  there  faith  seeth  Him  drawing  near.  The  disciples  in  a  tempest 
thought  they  had  seen  a  spirit,  and  were  affrighted,  but  it  was  Christ.  The 
promise  of  God  and  faith  applying  it,  do  bear  up  the  soul,  and  make  it  rejoice  in 
troubles  (Heb.  vi.  18).  IV.  Eternal  globy  is  to  be  possessed  after  the  troubles 
(2  Cor.  iv.  16,  17).  (A.  Burgess.)  Coviforting  others : — Circumstances  of  life  not 
unfrequently  become  aids  to  the  revelations  of  God  to  the  soul.  Most  of  us  know 
h(SW  troubles  have  helped  us  in  the  translation  of  the  Bible.  I.  Cub  afflic- 
tions   and   COMFORTINGS   ABE    THE   SOURCE   OF    OUR    FITNESS   FOB   INFLUENCING   OTHERS. 

1.  These  together  bring  a  peculiar  kind  of  power.  (1)  How  often  the  very  tone  of 
stricken  ones  has  had  its  power  upon  us.  They  were  not  morbid ;  not  talking 
always  about  their  past  griefs ;  but  our  spirits  felt  as  we  listened  to  them  the 
hallowing  influence  of  the  passage  through  suffering.  Compare  their  conversation 
with  that  of  those  whom  God  has  but  seldom  and  lightly  smitten.  Take 
those  efforts  which  are  made  for  the  conversion  of  others ;  hear  also  the  men  of 
sanctified  afflictions.  They  who  have  been  brought  to  Christ  without  any  great 
struggles  seldom  gain  the  power  to  aid  the  early  seekings  of  others.  (2)  Take  any 
endeavour  to  express  sympathy  with  those  who  may  now  be  suffering.  The  unstricken 
can  find  beautiful  words,  but  the  stricken  can  express  unutterable  things  in  silence. 

2.  Then  it  will  but  be  reasonable  to  expect  that  if  God  has  valuable  influence  for 
us  to  exert.  He  will  need  to  bring  us  through  troubles.  The  same  truth  shines  out, 
even  more  clearly,  from  the  life  and  Cross  of  Christ.  "  He  is  able  to  succour 
because  in  all  points  tempted."  Should  you  not,  then,  bless  God  for  sorrows  that 
win  you  Christly  powers  to  bless  others?  II.  Oub  afflictions  and  comfoetings 
GAIN  for  us  all  THE  powEB  OF  A  NOBLE  EXAMPLE.  There  is  an  unconscious  as 
well  as  a  conscious  influence,   forming  an  atmosphere,   living  in  which    men 


OTAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  11 

insensibly  grow  better.  Sometimes  God's  more  suffering  children  become 
despondent  because  they  can  do  so  little  actual  work  for  Christ ;  but  God  has  done 
some  of  His  very  best  things  by  the  example  of  suffering  patience.  1.  Estimate 
the  moral  influence  of  sanctified  afflictions  on  men  who  are  living  with  no  sense  of 
spiritual  and  eternal  things.  What  touches  these  men  ?  Do  sermons  ?  Alas !  but 
faiintly.  Does  Christian  life  around  them  ?  Alas  !  its  witness  is  too  feeble.  Does 
their  own  part  of  human  trouble  ?  Only  a  little,  for  they  accept  it  as  their  part  of 
the  common  lot.  But  in  the  presence  of  a  sanctified  Christian  sufferer  many  a 
worldly,  thoughtless  man  has  said  in  his  heart,  "I. would  gladly  change  places 
with  him,  if  I  could  but  know  his  heart  peace."  2.  Then  estimate  the  influence 
exerted  by  such  on  doubting  and  imperfect  Christians.  For  all  of  us  the  Christian 
life  is  difficult ;  it  is  easy  for  us  all  to  fall  into  careless,  unworthy  living,  and  into 
doubt  and  despair.  Now  those  who  have  passed  under  God's  afflictions  and 
comfortings  have  a  higher  life ;  they  excite  us  all  to  try  and  reach  up  to  it. 
3.  Then  think  of  the  power  exerted  by  these  sanctified  sufferers  on  children. 
Eeligion  is  in  this  way  set  before  the  young  as  no  mere  theory,  but  the  very  noblest 
power  to  sanctify  their  life.  (R.  Tuck,  B.A.)  Affliction  a  school  of  comfort: — 1. 
If  there  is  one  point  of  character  more  than  another  which  belonged  to  St.  Paul  it 
was  his  power  of  sympathy.  He  went  through  trials  of  every  kind,  and  this  was 
their  issue.  He  knew  how  to  persuade,  for  he  knew  where  lay  the  perplexity ;  he 
knew  how  to  console,  for  he  knew  the  sorrow.  His  spirit  was  as  some  delicate 
instrument  which,  as  the  weather  changed  about  him,  accurately  marked  all  its 
variations,  and  guided  him  what  to  do.  "  To  the  Jews  he  became  as  a  Jew,"  &c. 
(chap.  xi.  23-30).  The  same  law  was  fulfilled  not  only  in  the  case  of  Christ's 
servants,  but  even  He  Himself  condescended  to  learn  to  strengthen  man,  by  the 
experiencing  of  man's  infirmities  (Heb.  ii.  17,  18,  iv.  14,  15).  2.  Now,  in 
speaking  of  the  benefits  of  suffering,  we  should  never  forget  that  by  itself  it  has  no 
power  to  make  us  more  heavenly.  It  makes  many  men  morose  and  selfish.  The 
only  sympathy  it  creates  in  many  is  the  wish  that  others  should  suffer  with 
them,  not  they  with  others.  The  devils  are  not  incited  by  their  own  torments  to 
any  endeavour  but  that  of  making  others  devils  also.  It  is  only  when  grace  is  in 
the  heart  that  anything  outward  or  inward  turns  to  a  man's  salvation.  3.  And 
while  affliction  does  not  necessarily  make  us  kind,  and  may  even  make  us  cruel, 
the  want  of  affliction  does  not  mend  matters.  There  is  a  buoyancy  and  freshness 
of  mind  in  those  who  have  never  suffered,  which,  beautiful  as  it  is,  is  perhaps 
scarcely  suitable  and  safe  in  sinful  man.  Pain  and  sorrow  are  the  almost 
necessary  medicines  of  the  impetuosity  of  nature.  Without  these,  men,  like  spoilt 
children,  act  as  if  they  considered  everything  must  give  way  to  their  own  wishes 
and  conveniences.  4.  Such  is  worldly  happiness  and  worldly  trial ;  but  God, 
while  He  chose  the  latter  as  the  portion  of  His  saints,  sanctified  it.  He  rescues 
them  from  the  selfishness  of  worldly  comfort  without  surrendering  them  to  the 
selfishness  of  worldly  pain.  He  brings  them  into  pain,  that  they  may  be  like 
Christ,  and  may  be  led  to  think  of  Him,  not  of  themselves.  When  they  mourn, 
they  are  more  intimately  in  His  presence  than  at  any  other  time.  Pain,  anxiety, 
bereavement,  distress,  are  to  them  His  forerunners.  He  who  has  been  long  under 
the  rod  of  God  becomes  God's  possession  (Lam.  iii.  1,  2,  12).  And  they  who 
see  him  gather  around  like  Job's  acquaintance,  speaking  no  word  to  him,  yet  more 
reverently  than  if  they  did ;  looking  at  him  with  fear  yet  with  confidence,  as  one 
who  is  under  God's  teaching  and  training  for  the  work  of  consolation  towards  his 
brethren.  Him  they  will  seek  when  trouble  comes  on  themselves ;  turning  from  all 
such  as  delighted  them  in  their  prosperity.  5.  Surely  this  is  a  great  blessing  to  be 
thus  consecrated  by  affliction  as  a  minister  of  God's  mercies  to  the  afflicted.  Thus, 
instead  of  being  the  selfish  creatures  which  we  were  by  nature,  grace,  acting 
through  suffering,  tends  to  make  us  ready  teachers  and  witnesses  of  Truth  to  all 
men.  Time  was  when,  even  at  the  most  necessary  times,  we  found  it  difficult  to 
speak  of  heaven  to  another ;  but  now  our  affection  is  eloquent,  and  "  out  of  the 
abundance  of  the  heart  our  mouth  speaketh."  6.  Such  was  the  high  temper  of 
mind  instanced  in  our  Lord  and  His  apostles,  and  thereby  impressed  upon  the 
Church.  And  for  this  we  may  thank  God  that  the  Church  has  never  forgotten  that 
we  must  all,  "  through  much  tribulation  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God."  She 
has  never  forgotten  that  she  was  set  apart  for  a  comforter  of  the  afflicted,  and  that 
to  comfort  well  we  must  first  be  afflicted  ourselves.  Those  who  are  set  on  their 
own  ease  most  certainly  are  bad  comforters  of  others ;  thus  the  rich  man,  who 
fared   sumptuously   every   day,  let  Lazarus  lie  at  his  gate,  and  left  him  to  be 


12  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  i. 

''  comforted  "  after  this  life  by  angels.  As  to  comfort  the  poor  and  afflicted  is  the 
way  to  heaven,  so  to  have  affliction  ourselves  is  the  way  to  comfort  them. 
{J.  H.  Neioman,  D.D.)  Affliction  : — I.  As  a  school  of  comfort.  Affliction  and 
comfort — a  remarkable  connection  of  two  apparent  opposites,  and  yet  how 
indissoluble !  For  heavenly,  as  distinguished  from  mere  earthly  gladness,  is 
inseparable  from  suffering.  It  was  so  in  the  life  of  Christ ;  it  was  immediately  after 
the  temptation  that  angels  came  and  ministered  to  Him ;  it  was  in  His  agony 
that  the  angel  strengthened  Him.  And  as  in  His  life  so  in  ours,  these  two  are 
never  separated,  for  the  first  earnest  questions  of  personal  and  deep  religion  are 
ever  born  out  of  personal  suffering.  As  if  God  had  said,  "  In  the  sunshine  thou 
canst  not  see  Me ;  but  when  the  sun  is  withdrawn  the  stars  of  heaven  shall 
appear."  II.  A  school  of  assurance.  1.  There  is  nothing  so  hard  to  force  upon 
the  soul  as  the  conviction  that  life  is  a  real,  earnest,  awful  thing.  Only  see  the 
butterfly  life  of  pleasure  men  and  women  are  living  day  by  day,  flitting  from  one 
enjoyment  to  another ;  living,  working,  spending,  and  exhausting  themselves  for 
nothing  else  but  the  seen  and  temporal  and  unreal.  2.  Nothing  is  harder  than 
to  believe  in  God.  When  you  are  well,  when  hours  are  pleasant  and  friends 
abundant,  it  is  an  easy  thing  to  speculate  about  God ;  but  when  sorrow  comes, 
speculation  will  not  do.  It  is  like  casting  the  lead  from  mere  curiosity,  when  you 
have  a  sound  strong  ship  in  deep  water.  But  when  she  is  grinding  on  the  rocks, 
then  we  sound  for  God.  For  God  becomes  a  living  God,  a  home,  when  once  we 
feel  that  we  are  helpless  and  homeless  in  this  world  without  Him.  III.  A  school 
of  sympathy.  1.  Some  Christians  are  rough,  hard,  and  rude :  you  cannot  go  to 
them  for  sympathy.  They  have  not  suffered.  Tenderness  is  got  by  suffering. 
Would  you  be  a  Barnabas  and  give  something  beyond  commonplace  consolation  to 
a  wounded  spirit?  then  "you  must  suffer  being  tempted."  2.  Now  here  we 
have  a  very  peculiar  source  of  consolation  in  suffering.  The  thought  that  the 
apostle's  suffering  benefited  others  soothed  him  in  his  afflictions,  and  this  is  a 
consolation  which  is  essentially  Christian.  Consider  how  the  old  Stoicism  groped 
in  the  dark  to  solve  the  mystery  of  grief,  telling  you  it  must  be,  and  that  it 
benefits  and  perfects  you.  Yes,  that  is  true  enough.  But  Christianity  says  much 
more  ;  it  says.  Your  suffering  blesses  others ;  it  gives  them  firmness.  Here  is  the 
law  of  the  Cross :  "  No  man  dieth  to  himself  "  ;  for  his  pain  and  loss  is  for  others, 
and  brings  with  it  to  others  joy  and  gain.     (F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.) 

Ver  5.  For  as  the  sufferings  of  Christ  aboiind  in  us,  so  our  consolation 
aboundeth  by  Christ. — The  sufferings  and  the  consolation: — Our  cross  is  not  the 
same  as  Christ's,  yet  we  have  a  cross.  Our  suft'erings  are  not  the  same  as  Christ's, 
yet  we  have  sufferings.  The  cross  is  like  Christ's,  and  the  sufferings  are  like  His, 
but  yet  not  the  same  in  kind  or  object.  Yea  there  is  a  wide  difference ;  for  our 
trials  have  nothing  to  do  with  expiation.  The  meaning  and  use  of  trials.  I.  Ix 
shows  God  to  be  in  earnest  with  us.  He  does  not  let  us  alone.  He  takes 
great  pains  with  our  spiritual  education  and  training.  He  is  no  careless 
Father.  II.  It  assures  us  of  His  love.  "  As  many  as  I  love  I  rebuke  and 
chasten."  III.  It  draws  prayer  to  us.  IV.  It  knits  us  in  sympathy  to  the 
WHOLE  body.  v.  It  teaches  us  sympathy  with  brethren.  VI.  It  brings  us  into 
A  mood  more  receptive  of  blessing.  It  softens  our  hearts.  VII.  It  makes  us 
PRIZE  THE  Word.  The  Bible  assumes  a  new  aspect  to  us.  All  else  darkens  ;  but  it 
brightens.  VIII.  It  shuts  out  the  world.  It  all  at  once  draws  a  curtain  round 
us,  and  the  world  becomes  invisible.  IX.  It  bids  us  Look  up.  Set  your  affec- 
tion on  things  above.  X.  It  turns  our  hope  to  the  Lord's  great  coming. 
[A.  Bonar.)  Consolations  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ : — The  quality  and  extent  of 
suffering  depends  not  so  much  on  the  exciting  causes  of  it  as  upon  the  nature  of 
the  faculty  which  suffers.  It  is  the  power  of  suffering  that  is  inherent  in  any 
faculty  that  measures  suffering,  and  not  the  magnitude  of  the  aggression  which  is 
made  outwardly.  For  there  are  many  who  will  stand  up  and  have  their  name 
battered,  as  if  they  were  but  a  target,  almost  without  suffering,  while  there  are 
others  to  whom  the  slightest  disparagement  is  like  a  poisoned  arrow,  and  rankles 
with  exquisite  suffering.  A  stroke  of  a  pound  weight  upon  a  bell  two  inches  in 
diameter  will  give  forth  a  certain  amount  of  sound.  Let  the  bell  be  of  one 
hundred  pounds  weight,  and  the  same  stroke  of  one  pound  will  more  than 
quadruple  the  amount  of  aerial  vibi'ation.  Let  the  bell  be  increased  to  a  thousand 
pounds,  and  the  same  stroke  will  make  the  reverberations  vaster,  and  cause  them 
to  roil  yet  further.     Let  it  be  a  five  or  ten  thousand  pound  weight  bell,  and  that 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  13 

same  stroke  that  made  a  tinkling  on  the  small  bell  makes  a  roar  on  this  large  one. 
The  very  same  quality  that  being  struck  in  a  small  being  produces  a  certain 
amount  of  susceptibility,  being  struck  in  a  being  that  is  infinite,  produces  an 
infinitely  greater  experience,  for  feeling  increases  in  the  ratio  of  being.  The  sama 
suffering  in  a  great  nature  is  a  thousandfold  greater  than  it  is  in  a  small  nature, 
because  there  is  the  vibration,  as  it  were,  of  a  mind  so  much  greater  given  to  tha 
suffering.  The  chord  in  our  souls  is  short  and  stubborn.  The  chord  in  the  Divino 
soul  is  infinite ;  and  its  vibrations  are  immeasurably  beyond  any  experience  of 
our  own.  Sorrow  in  us  is  of  the  same  kind  as  sorrow  in  Christ,  and  yet,  as 
compared  with  the  sorrow  of  Christ,  human  sorrow  is  but  a  mere  puiJ.  (H.  IV. 
Beecher.)  Consolation  proportionate  to  spiritual  sufferings  : — I.  The  sufferings 
TO  BE  EXPECTED.  1.  Bcforc  wc  buckle  on  the  Christian  armour  we  ought  to  knovr 
what  that  service  is  which  is  expected  of  us.  A  recruiting  sergeant  often  slips  a, 
shilling  into  the  hand  of  some  ignorant  youth,  and  tells  him  that  Her  Majesty's 
service  is  a  fine  thing,  that  he  has  nothing  to  do  but  walk  about  in  his  fiaming 
colours,  and  go  straight  on  to  glory.  But  the  Christian  sergeant  never  deceives 
like  that.  Christ  Himself  said,  "  Count  the  cost."  He  wished  to  have  no  disciple 
who  was  not  prepared  "  to  bear  hardness  as  a  good  soldier."  2.  But  wliy  must  the 
Christian  expect  trouble?  (1)  Look  upward.  Thinkest  thou  it  will  be  an  easj' 
thing  for  thy  heart  to  become  as  pure  as  God  is  ?  Ask  those  bright  spirits  clad  in 
white  whence  their  victory  came.  Some  of  them  will  tell  you  they  swam  through 
seas  of  blood.  (2)  Turn  thine  eyes  downward.  Satan  will  always  be  at  thee,  for 
thine  enemy,  "  like  a  roaring  lion,  goeth  about  seeking  whom  he  may  devour." 
(3)  Look  ai'ound  thee.  Thou  art  in  an  enemy's  country.  (4)  Look  within  thee. 
There  is  a  little  world  in  here,  which  is  quite  enough  to  give  us  trouble.  Sin  is 
there  and  self  and  unbelief.  II.  The  distinction  to  be  noticed.  Our  sufferings 
are  said  to  be  the  sufferings  of  Christ.  Now,  suffering  itself  is  not  an  evidence  of 
Christianity.  There  are  many  people  who  have  troubles  who  are  not  children  of 
God.  A  man  is  dishonest,  and  is  put  in  jail  for  it ;  a  man  is  a  coward,  and  men 
hiss  at  him  for  it ;  a  man  is  insincere,  and  therefore  persons  avoid  him.  Yet  he 
says  he  is  persecuted.  Not  at  all ;  it  serves  him  right.  Take  heed  that  your 
sufferings  are  the  sufferings  of  Christ.  It  is  only  then  that  we  may  take  comfort. 
What  is  meant  by  this?  As  Christ,  the  head,  had  a  certain  amount  of  suffering 
to  endure,  so  the  body  must  also  have  a  certain  weight  laid  upon  it. 
Ours  are  the  suffermgs  of  Christ  if  we  suffer  for  Christ's  sake.  If  you  are 
called  to  endure  hardness  for  the  sake  of  the  truth,  then  those  are  the 
sufferings  of  Christ.  And  this  ennobles  us  and  makes  us  happy.  It  must 
have  been  some  honour  to  the  old  soldier  who  stood  by  the  Iron  Duke  in  his 
battles  to  be  able  to  say,  "  We  fight  under  the  good  old  Duke,  who  has  won  so 
many  battles,  and  when  he  wins,  part  of  the  honour  will  be  ours."  I  remember  £k 
story  of  a  great  commander  who  led  his  troops  into  a  defile,  and  when  there  a 
large  body  of  the  enemy  entirely  surrounded  him.  He  knew  a  battle  wa:i 
inevitable  on  the  morning,  he  therefore  went  round  to  hear  in  what  condition  his 
soldiers'  minds  were.  He  came  to  one  tent,  and  as  he  listened  he  heard  a  man 
say,  "  Our  general  is  very  brave,  but  he  is  very  unwise  this  time ;  he  has  led  us 
into  a  place  where  we  are  sure  to  be  beaten  ;  there  are  so  many  of  the  enemy  and 
only  so  many  of  us."  Then  the  commander  drew  aside  a  part  of  the  tent  and  said, 
"  How  many  do  you  count  me  for?  "  Now,  Christian,  how  many  do  you  count 
Christ  for?  He  is  all  in  all.  III.  A  proportion  to  be  experienced.  As  the 
sufferings  of  Christ  abound  in  us  so  the  consolations  of  Christ  abound.  God 
always  keeps  a  pair  of  scales — in  this  side  He  puts  His  people's  trials,  and  in  that 
He  puts  their  consolations.  When  the  scale  of  trial  is  nearly  empty,  you  will 
always  find  the  scale  of  consolation  in  nearly  the  same  condition,  and  vice  versa. 
Because — 1.  Trials  make  more  room  for  consolation.  There  is  nothing  makes  a. 
man  have  a  big  heart  like  a  great  trial.  2.  Trouble  exercises  our  graces,  and  the 
very  exercise  of  our  graces  tends  to  make  us  more  comfortable  and  happy.  Whero 
showers  fall  most,  there  the  grass  is  greenest.  3.  Then  we  have  the  closest 
dealings  with  God.  When  the  barn  is  full,  man  can  live  without  God.  But  onca 
take  your  gourds  away,  you  want  your  God.  Some  people  call  troubles  weights. 
Verily  they  are  so.  A  ship  that  has  large  sails  and  a  fair  wind  needs  ballast.  A 
gentleman  once  asked  a  friend  concerning  a  beautiful  horse  of  his  feeding  about  in 
the  pasture  with  a  clog  on  its  foot,  "Why  do  you  clog  such  a  noble  animal?" 
"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  I  would  a  great  deal  sooner  clog  him  than  lose  him ;  he  is  given  to 
leap  hedges."     That  is  why  God  clogs  His  people.    IV.  A  person  to  be  honoured. 


14  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  i. 

Christians  can  rejoice  in  deep  distress,  but  to  whom  shall  the  glory  be  given  ?  Oh, 
to  Jesus,  for  the  text  says  it  is  all  by  Him.  The  Christian  can  rejoice,  since 
Christ  will  never  forsake  him.  {C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  Suffering  and  consolation  : — 
1.  It  would  be  difficult  to  exaggerate  how  much  suffering,  patiently  and  heroically 
borne,  contributed  to  the  propagation  of  the  Christian  religion.  All  the  apostles 
were  martyrs,  except  St.  John,  and  he  was  a  martyr  in  will.  2.  This  Epistle  is 
one  which  is  marked  by  intense  feeling.  We  see  the  different  emotions  of  joy  and 
sorrow,  thankfulness  and  indignation,  disappointment  and  confidence,  distress  and 
hope,  breaking  forth  every  here  and  there  in  this  Second  Letter  to  the  Corinthians. 
The  apostle  is  speaking  in  the  text  of  troubles,  afflictions,  and  persecutions  which 
he  himself  had  endured,  to  which  he  refers  in  verse  8.    But  he  does  not  repine. 

1.  "  The  suffeeings  of  Christ  abound  in  us."  1.  First,  notice  what  a  very 
different  view  of  suffering  we  find  in  the  New  Testament  from  that  which  was 
taken  of  old.  The  Jewish  estimate  was  very  narrow.  We  see  from  the  Gospels 
that  the  Jew  regarded  suffering  as  retributive,  but  not  as  remedial  or  perfective. 
There  are  many  reasons  for  interpreting  the  purposes  of  pain  and  affliction  in  a 
wider  way.  The  sufferings  of  Job,  "  a  perfect  and  an  upright  man,"  and  the 
sufferings  of  the  animal  world,  might  have  opened  the  eyes  to  the  inadequacy  of 
their  theory.  2.  The  apostle  says,  "  The  sufferings  of  Christ  abound  in  us."  Is  not 
Christ  in  glory  ?  How  can  St.  Paul  speak  still  of  His  sufferings  ?  The  words  have 
received  three  interpretations.  One,  the  sufferings  of  Christ  means  our  sufferings 
for  Him.  Another,  by  the  sufferings  of  Christ  is  meant  sufferings  similar  to  those 
which  He  bore ;  and  so  the  martyrs  might  all  claim  a  special  likeness  to  Him  in 
their  violent  deaths.  But  the  third  interpretation  seems  more  to  the  point.  The 
sufferings  of  Christ  mean  His  sufferings  in  us.  Christ  said,  when  Saul  was 
persecuting  His  members,  "  Why  persecutest  thou  Me  ?  "  So  close  is  the  union 
between  the  Head  and  the  members,  that  Christ,  as  an  old  commentator  asserts, 
was  in  a  manner  stoned  in  Stephen,  beheaded  in  Paul,  crucified  in  Peter,  and 
burnt  in  St.  Lawrence.  11.  Now,  "  our  consolation."  1.  Our  sufferings  differ 
from  Christ's,  in  that  we  have  consolation  which  is  apportioned  to  our  trial. 
Christ  suffered  without  solace.  His  Passion  was  endured  amid  what  sphitual 
writers  describe  as  "  dryness  of  spirit."  This,  it  need  not  be  said,  intensifies 
affliction  (John  xii.  27 ;  Matt,  xxvii.  46).  2.  But  with  the  Christian,  if  the 
sufferings  "  abound,"  the  consolation  "  abounds  "  also.  This  accounts  in  part  for 
the  different  spirit  in  which  the  martyrs  faced  death  from  that  which  the  King  of 
Martyrs  displayed.  3.  Christ  purchased  the  consolation  which  is  bestowed  upon 
His  members.  The  text  runs,  "  Our  consolation  aboundeth  by  Christ,"  or,  Kevised 
Version,  "through  (Sid)  Christ."  Through  His  death  and  passion,  through  His 
all-prevailing  intercession,  through  the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  grace  of  the 
sacraments — trial  and  persecution  have  been  endured  even  with  thankfulness  and 
joy  (James  i.  2 ;  Phil.  iii.  10).     III.  Lessons.  1.  To  take  a  right  view  of  suffering. 

2.  To  realise  the  consolation  as  the  gift  of  Christ,  and  as  measured  out  in 
proportion  to  our  day  of  trial.  3.  Especially  to  seek  this  "  consolation  "  from  the 
Comforter,  God  the  Holy  Ghost — like  the  Churches  of  old,  who  walked  "  in  the 
comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost"  (Acts  ix.  31).  (Canon  Hutchings,  M.A.)  How 
Christ  comforteth  those  who  suffer  for  Him : — I.  As  oub  sufferings  are  fob 
Christ,  so  bt  the  same  Christ  abe  our  comforts.  Consider  in  what  respects 
comforts  may  be  said  to  abound  by  Christ.  1.  Efficiently.  He  being  the  same 
with  God,  is  therefore  a  God  of  all  consolation,  and  as  a  Mediator  He  is  sensible  of 
our  need,  and  therefore  the  more  ready  to  comfort.  Christ  that  wanted  comfort 
Himself,  and  therefore  had  an  angel  sent  to  comfort  Him,  is  thereby  the  more 
compassionate  and  willing  to  comfort  us.  Thus  you  may  read  Christ  and  God  put 
together  in  this  very  act  (2  Thess.  ii.  16,  17).  Christ,  therefore,  not  only  absolutely 
as  God,  but  relatively  as  Mediator,  is  qualified  with  all  fitness  and  fulness  to 
communicate  consolation ;  He  is  the  fountain  and  head,  as  of  grace,  so  of  comfort. 
2.  Meritoriously.  He  hath  merited  at  the  hands  of  God  our  comfort.  As  by 
Christ  the  Spirit  of  God  is  given  to  the  Church  as  a  guide  into  all  truth,  and  as 
the  Sanctifier,  so  He  is  also  the  Comforter,  who  giveth  every  drop  of  consolation 
that  any  believer  doth  enjoy.  3.  Objectively — i.e.,  in  Him,  and  from  Him  we  take 
our  comfort.  As  Christ  is  called  "our  righteousness,"  because  in  and  through  His 
righteousness  we  are  accepted  of  in  Him,  so  Christ  is  our  comfort,  because  in 
Him  we  find  matter  of  all  joy  (Phil.  iii.  3).  II.  How  many  ways  Christ  makes  His 
COMFORTS  TO  ABOUND  TO  THOSE  THAT  SUFFER  FOR  HiM,  1.  By  pcrsuadiug  them  of 
the  goodness  of  the  cause,  why  they  suffer.     2.  By  forewarning  of  their  sufferings. 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  15 

All  who  will  live  godly  must  suffer  tribulation.  Christ  hath  done  us  no  wrong,  He 
hath  told  us  what  we  must  look  for,  it  is  no  more  than  we  expected.  The  fiery- 
trial  is  not  a  strange  thing.  Surely  this  maketh  way  for  much  comfort,  that 
we  looked  for  afflictions  beforehand ;  we  prepared  an  ark  against  the  deluge 
should  come.  3.  By  informing  us  of  His  sovereignty  and  conquest  over  the 
world.  If  our  enemies  were  equal  or  superior  to  Christ,  then  we  might  justly 
be  left  without  comfort ;  but  what  Christ  spake  to  His  disciples  belongs  to  all  (John 
xiv.  18,  xvi.  33).  4.  By  virtue  of  His  prayer  put  up  in  that  very  behalf  (John  xvii.  13). 
5.  By  instructing  us  of  the  good  use  and  heavenly  advantage  all  these  tribulations 
shall  turn  unto.  (1)  Our  spiritual  and  eternal  good.  This  will  winnow  away  our 
chaff,  purge  our  dross,  be  a  school  wherein  we  shall  learn  more  spiritual  and  Divine 
knowledge  than  ever  before.  Sufferings  have  taught  more  than  vast  libraries,  or 
the  best  books  can  teach.  (2)  Our  eternal  glory.  (A.  Burgeas.)  The  sacred  joy  : 
— These  words  fathom  a  depth  of  human  experience  which  can  only  be  touched  by 
those  who  seek  in  the  life  of  Christ  the  key  to  the  mystery  of  pain.  There  is  a 
suffering  which  is  common  to  man,  and  there  is  in  respect  of  such  suffering 
consolation  in  God.  But  there  is  a  suffering  which  belongs  to  life  under  its  highest 
conditions  and  which  the  mere  man  of  the  world  never  tastes,  but  for  which  there 
is   a  Divine  joy   which   is   equally   beyond   his   range.     I.  The   nature   of  the 

SUFFERING    WHICH    IS  TO  BE  REG.VRDED  AS  A  SHARING   OF    THE   SUFFERING    OF   THE  LORD. 

Among  the  elements  which  enter  into  it  are — 1.  The  spectacle  of  the  misery  of 
mankind.  On  earth  Christ  wept  as  He  beheld  it,  and  the  Christian  is  also  bound 
to  feel  the  pressure  of  its  burden.  2.  The  deadly  nature  of  evil.  We  cannot 
cheat  ourselves  into  the  belief  that  it  does  not  much  matter,  that  God  is  good  and 
will  make  it  all  right  at  last.  Sin  is  to  be  looked  at  in  the  light  of  Calvary.  That 
teaches  how  terrible  it  is  to  the  eye  of  God,  how  deadly  in  the  heart  of  man. 
3.  The  resistance  of  the  will  of  the  flesh  to  the  best  efforts  and  influences;  its 
determination  to  reject  the  things  that  heal  and  save.  It  was  this  that  made 
Christ  the  Man  of  Sorrows  (Luke  xiii.  34).  To  see  a  man  perish  within  reach  of 
rescue  is  one  of  the  most  piteous  of  spectacles.  Imagine,  then,  what  the  world 
must  be  to  Christ  as  He  says,  "  Ye  will  not  come  unto  Me  that  ye  might  have  life." 
This  burden  the  disciple  of  Christ  has  ever  pressing  upon  him  as  he  fulfils  his 
ministry  in  a  scornful  world.  4.  The  future  eternal  destiny.  The  thought  pressed 
as  a  constant  burden  on  the  heart  of  Christ.  It  was  this  that  drove  Paul  into 
barbarous  lands,  if  he  might  save  a  soul  from  death.  The  fellowship  of  the 
Redeemer's  tears  is  no  unknown  experience  to  the  disciple.  II.  How  our 
CONSOLATION  ABOUNDETH  IN  Christ.  If  wc  are  Called  to  share  the  suffering,  we  are 
called  also  to  share  the  consolation.  There  was  a  joy  set  before  Christ  for  which 
He  endured  the  Cross,  &c. — the  joy  of  a  sure  redemption  of  humanity.  These  are 
some  of  the  elements  of  the  joy.  1.  The  God  of  all  power  and  might  has  taken 
up  the  burden  and  wills  the  redemption  of  the  world.  God  has  come  forth  in 
Christ  to  undertake  in  person  the  recovery  of  our  race.  In  working  and  suffering 
for  man  we  have  the  assurance  that  God  is  with  us.  We  see  Mammon  or  Moloch 
on  the  throne,  but  it  cannot  be  for  ever.  With  all  the  vantage  strength  of  His 
Godhead,  Christ  is  working  at  the  problem  of  man's  salvation.  When  we  feel 
saddened  by  the  burden  of  human  misery  let  us  rest  on  the  thought,  "  God  is 
in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  Himself."  2.  There  is  a  joy  in  the  fulfilment 
of  a  self-sacrificing  ministry  which  is  more  like  heavenly  rapture  than  any  other 
experience  which  is  within  our  reach.  Unselfish  work,  inspired  by  the  love  of 
Ohrist,  is  the  soul's  gymnastic  culture.  To  sow  the  seed  of  the  kingdom  is  the 
present  joy  of  a  lifetime.  No  man  who  has  known  it  would  part  with  it  to 
be  a  crowned  king.  The  certainty  of  the  issue  (Isa.  Iv.  10-13).  (J.  Baldwin 
Brown,  B.A.) 

Ver.  6-11.   And    whether  we  be  afflicted  ...  or  whether  we  be  comforted, 
It  is   for  your   consolation  and   salvation. — Personal  suj'cri)igs : — I.  Are   often 

EXPERIENCED  IN  THE  BEST  OF  ENTERPRISES  (chap.  xi.  23,  29).  II.  ArE  EVER 
NECESSARY    FOR   THE     RENDERING     OF    THE    HIGHEST      SERVICE     TO     MANKIND     ^Ver     6). 

in.  Their  detailment  purely  for  the  good  of  others  is  justifiable  (ver.  8). 
IV.  Their  experience  often  proves  a  blessing  to  the  sufferer.  They 
«eem  to  have  done  two  things  for  Paul — 1.  To  have  transferred  his  trust 
in  himself  to  God  (ver.  9).  2.  To  have  awakened  the  prayers  of  others  on  his 
behalf  (ver.  11).  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  The  peculiar  afflictions  of  God's  people  : — 
I.  God  suffers  His  children  to  fall  into  great  extremities.     1.  To  try  what 


16  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  r. 

mettle  they  are  made  of.  Light  aiiflictions  will  not  try  them  thoroughly,  great  ones 
will.  What  we  are  in  great  afflictions,  we  are  indeed.  2.  To  try  the  sincerity  of 
our  estate,  to  make  us  known  to  the  world  and  known  to  ourselves.  A  man  knows 
not  what  a  deal  of  looseness  he  hath  in  his  heart,  and  what  a  deal  of  falseness,  till 
we  come  to  extremity.  3.  To  set  an  edge  upon  our  desires  and  our  prayers  (Psa. 
cxxx.  1).  4.  To  exercise  our  faith  and  patience.  5.  To  perfect  the  work  of 
mortification.  6.  To  prepare  us  for  greater  blessings.  Humility  doth  empty  the 
soul,  and  crosses  do  breed  humility.  The  emptiness  of  the  soul  fits  it  for  receipt. 
Why  doth  the  husbandman  rend  his  ground  with  the  plough  ?  Is  it  because  h& 
hath  an  ill  mind  to  the  ground  ?  No.  He  means  to  sow  good  seed  there,  and  he 
will  not  plough  a  whit  longer  than  may  serve  to  prepare  the  ground  (Isa.  xxviii.  24). 
So  likewise  the  goldsmith,  the  best  metal  that  he  hath,  he  tempers  it,  he  labours  to 
consume  the  dross  of  it,  and  the  longer  it  is  in  the  fire  the  more  pure  it  comes 
forth.  7.  That  we  might  set  a  price  upon  the  comforts  when  they  come.  8.  Learn, 
then — (1)  Not  to  pass  a  harsh,  rigid  censure  upon  ourselves  or  others  for  any  great 
affliction  or  abasement  in  this  world.  (2)  Not  to  build  overmuch  confidence  on 
earthly  things.  H.  As  God's  children  are  brought  to  this  estate,  so  they  are 
SENSIBLE  of  IT.  They  are  flesh  and  not  steel  (Job  vi.  12).  They  are  men  and  not 
stones.  They  are  Christians  and  not  Stoics.  III.  We  may  triumph  over  death 
BY  FAITH  and  GRACE.  That  wc  may  not  fear  death  overmuch,  let  us  look  upon 
it  in  the  glass  of  the  gospel  as  it  is  now  in  Christ,  and  meditate  on  the  two 
terms,  from  whence  and  whither.  What  a  blessed  change  it  is  if  we  be  in  Christ ! 
(R.  Sibbes,  D.D.)  But  we  liad  the  sentence  of  death  in  ourselves,  that  we 
should  not  trust  in  ourselves,  but  in  God  which  raiseth  the  dead. — Death  a 
sentence  : — Death  is — I.  A  sentence.  1.  Universal.  2.  Just.  3.  Irrevocable.  II. 
As  a  sentence  in  man.  "  We  have  the  sentence  of  death  in  ourselves."  1.  The 
sentence  of  death  is  in  man's  body.  It  is  born  with  him,  and  it  continues  to 
work  within  until  the  organisation  falls  back  to  its  original  dust.  "  The  moment 
we  begin  to  live  we  all  begin  to  die."  2.  The  sentence  of  death  is  in  man's  mind. 
There  it  dwells  as  a  dark  thought  spreading  a  gloom  over  the  whole  of  his  life.  It 
haunts  the  memory,  it  terrifies  the  conscience.  It  is  in  us,  we  cannot  get  rid  of  it. 
No  science  can  expel  it  from  the  body,  no  reason  can  argue  it  from  the  soul.  III. 
As  a  sentence  in  man  for  useful  ends.  What  are  the  spiritual  uses  it  is  designed 
to  answer?  1.  Nontrust  in  self.  "Not  trust  in  ourselves."  There  is  a  self- 
reliance  that  is  a  duty.  But  there  is  a  self-confidence  that  is  sinful  and  ruinous. 
Now  the  sentence  of  death  tends  to  check  this.  It  makes  man  feel  his  frailty. 
Thank  God  for  death,  it  keeps  down  the  arrogant  spirit  of  humanity.  2.  Devout 
trust  in  God.  "  But  in  God  that  raiseth  the  dead."  Man's  well-being  is  essentially 
dependent  upon  trust  in  God.  {Homilist.)  Sentence  of  death,  the  death  of  self- 
trust  : — 1.  We  are  justified  in  speaking  about  our  own  experience  when  it  will  be 
for  the  benefit  of  others.  Especially  is  this  the  case  with  leaders  in  the  Church 
such  as  Paul.  As  to  our  own  experience  of  trial  and  delivering  mercy,  it  is  sent  for 
our  good,  and  we  should  endeavour  to  profit  to  the  utmost  by  it ;  but  it  was  never 
intended  that  it  should  end  with  our  private  benefit.  We  are  bound  to  comfort 
others  by  the  comfort  wherewith  the  Lord  hath  comforted  us.  2.  The  particular 
experience  of  which  Paul  speaks  was  a  certain  trial,  or  probably  series  of  trials, 
which  he  endured  in  Asia.  You  know  how  he  was  stoned  at  Lystra,  and  how  he 
was  followed  by  his  malicious  countrymen  from  town  to  town.  You  recollect  the 
uproar  at  Ephesus,  and  the  constant  danger  to  which  Paul  was  exposed  fron>  perils 
of  all  kinds  ;  but  he  appears  to  have  been  suffering  at  the  same  time  grievous  sick- 
ness of  body,  and  the  whole  together  caused  very  deep  depression  of  mind.  His 
tribulations  abounded.  Note — 1.  The  disease — the  tendency  to  trust  in  ourselves 
is — 1.  One  to  which  all  men  are  liable,  for  even  Paul  was  in  danger  of  it.  Where 
a  sharp  preventive  is  used  it  is  clear  that  a  strong  liability  exists.  I  should  have 
thought  that  Paul  was  the  last  man  to  be  in  this  danger.  Self-confidence  he  is 
always  disclaiming.  He  looks  upon  his  own  righteousness  as  dross,  and  "  By  the 
grace  of  God,"  saith  he,  "  I  am  what  I  am."  It  is  plain,  then,  that  no  clearness  of 
knowledge,  no  purity  of  intent,  and  no  depth  of  experience  can  altogether  kill  the 
propensity  to  relf-reliance.  2.  Evil  in  all  men,  since  it  was  evil  in  an  apostle.  Paul 
speaks  of  it  as  a  fault  which  God  in  mercy  prevented.  At  first  sight  it  seems  that 
there  was  somewhat  in  him  whereof  he  might  glory.  What  folly  would  be  ours, 
then,  if  we  became  self-sufficient !  If  a  lion's  strength  be  insufficient,  what  can  the 
dogs  do  ?  If  the  oak  trembles,  how  can  the  brambles  boast  ?  3.  Highly  injurious, 
since  God  Himself  interposed  to  prevent  His  servant  from  falling  into  it  by  sending  a 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  17 

great  trouble.  Depend  upon  it,  He  is  doing  the  same  for  us,  since  we  have  even  greater 
need.  Anything  is  better  than  vain-glory  and  self-esteem.  4.  Very  hard  to  cure ; 
for  to  prevent  it  in  Paul  it  was  necessary  for  the  Great  Physician  to  go  the  length 
of  making  him  feel  the  sentence  of  death  in  himself.  II.  The  teeatment.  "  We 
had  the  sentence  of  death  in  ourselves,"  which  means  that — 1.  He  seemed  to  hear 
the  verdict  of  death  passed  upon  him  by  the  conditions  which  surrounded  him. 
So  continually  hounded  by  his  malicious  countrymen,  &c.,  he  felt  certain  that  one 
day  or  other  they  would  compass  his  destruction.  The  original  conveys  the  idea, 
not  only  of  a  verdict  from  without,  but  of  an  answer  of  assent  from  within,  a  sort  of 
presentiment  that  he  was  soon  to  die.  And  yet  it  was  not  so  :  he  survived  all  the 
designs  of  the  foe.  We  often  feel  a  thousand  deaths  in  fearing  one.  Into  a  low 
state  of  spirit  was  Paul  brought,  and  this  prevented  his  trusting  in  himself.  The 
man  who  feels  that  he  is  about  to  die  is  no  longer  able  to  trust  in  himself.  What 
earthly  thing  can  help  us  when  we  are  about  to  die  ?  Paul  felt  as  every  dying 
Christian  must,  that  he  must  commit  his  spirit  unto  Christ  and  watch  for  His 
appearing.  2.  The  sentence  of  death  which  he  heard  outside  wrought  within  his 
soul  a  sense  of  entire  helplessness.  He  was  striving  to  fight  for  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  but  he  saw  that  he  must  be  baffled  if  he  had  nothing  to  rely  upon  but 
himself.  Paul's  mind  was  so  struck  with  death  within  himself  that  he  could  not 
stem  the  torrent,  and  would  have  drifted  to  despair  had  he  not  given  himself  up 
into  the  hands  of  grace  Divine.  III.  The  cure.  It  was  sharp  medicine,  but  it 
worked  well  with  Paul.  1.  He  argued.  If  I  die,  what  matters  it  ?  God  can  raise  me 
from  the  dead.  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth."  2.  He  inferred,  also,  that  if 
God  could  raise  him  from  the  dead  He  could  preserve  him  from  a  violent  death. 
Immortal  is  every  believer  till  his  work  is  done.  3.  He  argued  yet  further  that  if 
God  can  raise  the  dead  He  could  take  his  fainting  powers,  over  which  the  sentence 
of  death  has  passed,  and  He  could  use  them  for  His  own  purposes.  (C.  H. 
Spurgeon.)  Who  delivered  us  from  so  great  a  death. — God's  deliverances  : — 1. 
God  hath  a  time,  as  for  all  things,  so  for  our  deliverance.  2.  God's  time  is  the 
best  time.  He  is  the  best  discerner  of  opportunities.  3.  This  shall  be  when  He 
hath  wrought  His  work  upon  our  souls,  specially  when  He  hath  made  us  trust  in 
Him.  As  here,  when  Paul  had  learned  to  trust  in  God,  then  He  delivered  him. 
{R.  Sibbes,  D.D.)  A  great  deliverance  : — First,  we  have  here  the  terms  of  the 
deliverance,  or  the  thing  delivered  from — "  so  great  a  death."  For  the  evil 
itself — "  death,"  and  for  the  aggravation  of  it — "  a  great  death."  Chrysostom, 
together  with  some  others,  gives  it  in  the  plural  number,  so  great  deaths. 
And,  indeed,  there  are  more  deaths  than  one  which  God  does  undertake  to 
deliver  His  servants  from,  and  from  which  He  delivered  St.  Paul  and  his 
companions.  First,  from  spiritual  death,  the  death  of  sin ;  that  is  a  very 
great  death,  not  only  as  exposing  to  wrath  and  future  condemnation,  but  like- 
wise as  disabling  to  the  actions  of  grace  and  holiness,  depriving  us  of  that  life 
of  God  which  should  be  in  us  (Eph.  iv.  18).  And  this  death  of  sin  is  to  be 
numbered  among  great  deaths,  and  the  deliverance  from  it  reckoned  among  great 
deliverances.  Secondly,  eternal  death,  the  death  of  wrath  and  condemnation,  that  is 
another  great  death  also,  and  such  as  follows  likewise  upon  the  former  without  re- 
covery from  it.  The  third,  and  that  which  is  here  particularly  aimed  at,  is 
temporal  death,  which  is  the  least  death  of  all.  The  greater  aggravations  we  may 
take  in  these  following  particulars.  First,  from  the  nature  and  kind  of  it,  a  violent 
death,  not  a  natural.  This  is  a  great  death,  and  so  consequently  a  great  mercy  to 
be  delivered  from  it,  to  be  kept  from  accidents.  As  for  wicked  men,  it  is  threatened 
as  a  judgment  upon  them  that  a  tempest  shall  steal  them  away  (Job  xxvii.  20). 
The  second  is,  from  the  quality  and  manner  of  it,  a  painful  death,  not  a  gentle  and 
easy.  Death  is  unpleasing  in  itself ;  but  when  to  this  we  shall  add  pain  and 
torture,  this  makes  it  to  be  so  much  the  more.  This  was  that  which  the  many  of 
godly  martyrs  endured  (Heb.  xi.  35).  Thirdly,  take  in  another  from  the  coming 
and  proceeding  of  it — a  sudden  death  and  not  an  expected.  Fourthly,  from  the 
time  and  season  of  it,  when  it  is  an  hastened  death,  not  a  mature  one  (Eccles.  vii.  17  ; 
Psa.  Iv.  23).  It  is  said  of  bloody  and  deceitful  men  that  they  shall  not  live  out 
half  their  days  ;  for  men  not  to  live  out  half  their  days  is  reckoned  in  the  catalogue 
of  great  deaths.  Fifthly,  the  greatness  of  death  has  an  aggravation  of  it  from 
its  latitude  and  extent.  That  is  a  great  death  which  devours  multitudes  at  once. 
And  then  what  kind  of  "us"  were  they?  Take  in,  secondly,  the  quality  of 
persons,  such  as  were  especially  useful — an  apostle  and  the  ministers  of  Christ ; 
for  these  to  be  delivered  from  death,  it  was  to  be  delivered  from  a  great  death.     The 

2 


18  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  t. 

death  of  none  is  to  be  slighted,  though  never  so  mean  ;  but  the  death  of  men  who  are 
eminent  for  their  gifts  and  graces  is  much  to  be  set  by.  Sixthly,  a  great  death  in 
regard  of  the  proximity  and  nearness  of  the  evil  itself.  It  was,  as  it  were,  at  the 
very  next  door.  A  great  death,  that  is,  indeed,  a  great  danger,  so  some  read  the 
words.  Lastly,  a  great  death  also  in  regard  of  the  apprehensions  of  those  which 
were  in  danger  of  it.  That  which  is  great  in  our  thoughts,  to  us  it  is  great.  And  so 
was  this  here  to  the  Apostle  Paul  and  his  company,  as  we  may  see  in  the  verse 
before  the  text,  "  We  had  the  sentence  of  death  in  ourselves,"  that  is,  we  gave  our- 
selves for  dead  men.  So  great  a  death  !  Here  is  now  the  nature  of  thankfulness, 
to  extend  the  mercies  of  God,  and  to  make  them  as  great  as  may  be.  The  second 
particular  is  the  preservation  or  dehverance  itself,  "  And  doth  deliver,"  &g.  And 
here  again  take  notice  of  two  things  more.  First,  for  the  thing  itself ;  this  is  that 
which  we  may  here  observe  how  ready  God  is  to  deliver  His  people  from  death,  and 
from  great  death  (Psa.  Ivii.  13,  cxvi.  8,  cxviii.  18).  And  so  in  like  manner  other  of 
the  saints.  There  are  many  gracious  promises  to  this  purpose,  as  Job  v.  20,  "  He 
shall  redeem  thy  soul  from  death."  First,  out  of  pity  and  compassion  towards 
them.  Look  how  much  sweetness  there  is  in  life,  so  much  mercy  in  preservation 
from  death.  Secondly,  He  has  work  for  them  to  do,  and  some  service  which  He 
requires  from  them.  When  we  put  ourselves  out  of  service  we  put  ourselves  out  of 
protection.  When  we  lay  ourselves  aside  as  to  our  work,  we  do  in  a  manner  hasten 
our  end,  and  ring  our  own  passing  bell.  Thirdly,  God  does  further  delight  to 
frustrate  the  attempts  of  enemies,  and  those  that  conspire  the  death  of  His  servants, 
and  for  this  cause  will  deliver  them  from  it.  We  may  in  the  second  place  look 
upon  it  in  the  reflection,  as  coming  from  the  apostle,  God  had  dehvered  him, 
and  he  did  not  now  let  it  pass  without  notice.  This  is  a  duty,  to  take  notice 
of  those  deliverances  which  God  at  any  time  has  vouchsafed  unto  us.  Thank- 
fulness is  the  least  which  we  can  return  upon  God  for  deliverance.  That 
God  has  delivered  us,  and  from  a  great  death.  First,  for  the  person  delivering, 
it  was  God.  Secondly,  for  the  persons  delivered,  we  may  add  also  "  us,"  it 
is  we  which  are  delivered.  The  deliverance  of  others  has  cause  for  joy.  But 
when  ourselves  are  interested  in  any  deliverance,  this  should  more  work 
upon  us.  Thirdly,  for  the  terms  also  of  deliverance,  "  so  great  a  death," 
so  great  as  it  is  hard  to  declare  how  great  it  was.  The  second  now  follows, 
and  that  is  the  signification  of  a  dehverance  present,  in  these  words,  "And 
doth  deliver.  He  that  hath  delivered,  does  deliver."  It  is  very  fitly  put  in  the 
present  tense,  and  also  indefinitely,  because  God  is  never  out  of  this  work  of 
deliverance  of  us.  This  may  be  made  good  according  to  a  twofold  explication. 
First,  God  does  still  deliver  so  far  forth  as  He  does  confirm  and  make  good  His 
former  deliverance.  God,  when  He  delivers  His  people,  but  He  still  pursues  them 
with  His  deliverance  further.  As  there  is  preventing  and  antecedent  grace,  so  there 
is  following  and  subsequent  grace.  And  as  there  is  the  grace  of  conversion,  so  there 
is  likewise  the  grace  of  confirmation.  Thus,  for  example,  when  God  delivered  the 
Israelites  from  the  Egyptians  at  the  Eed  Sea.  What,  did  He  only  deliver  them  in 
that  juncture  of  time  ?  No,  but  even  all  the  time  after  they  did  reap  the  fruit  of 
that  deliverance  till  they  came  to  Canaan.  Secondly,  God  does  deliver,  even  after 
that  He  has  delivered  already.  In  renewing  upon  us  the  like  mercies  again,  and  in 
vouchsafing  the  same  deliverances  for  kind  as  He  has  formerly  done.  So  likewise 
for  spiritual  deliverances,  God  does  deUver  after  deliverances.  The  efficacy  of 
Christ's  death  is  extended  beyond  the  time  of  His  sufferings  to  all  following 
generations.  The  third  and  last  is  the  prognostication  of  a  deliverance  to 
come,  "In  whom  we  trust  also,  that  He  will  yet  dehver  us."  We  see  this 
excellent  gradation  how  the  apostle  proceeds  from  one  thing  to  another,  from 
time  past  to  time  present,  and  from  time  present  to  time  to  come.  What  we 
may  observe  from  hence.  That  deliverances  which  are  past  are  a  very  good 
ground  for  expecting  of  deliverances  to  come ;  or  if  ye  will  thus,  God  that 
has  delivered  hitherto  He  will  likewise  deliver  again.  This  is  the  sweetest 
heavenly  reasoning  of  the  saints  and  servants  of  God,  even  to  argue  thus  with 
themselves  and  to  draw  deductions  of  expectation  from  former  experience.  What 
God  will  do  from  what  He  has  done,  and  that  also  upon  weighty  considerations. 
First,  His  ability  and  power.  In  men  this  is  many  times  defective,  so  that  we 
cannot  so  happily  conclude  of  the  one  from  the  other,  of  future  goodness  from 
former,  because  their  power  and  opportunity  may  be  gone.  And  then  further,  here 
is  an  argument  likewise  from  the  greater  to  the  less,  He  that  has  done  the  one  He 
ean  do  the  other  too ;  He  that  has  delivered  from  so  great  a  death  He  can  much 


CHAP.  I.]  IL  CORINTHIANS.  19 

more  deliver  from  a  smaller  danger.  Secondly,  there  is  in  God  a  perpetuity  of 
affection  too.  "  It  is  of  the  Lord's  mercy  that  we  are  not  consumed,  because  His 
compassions  fail  not"  (Lam.  iii.  22).  Thirdly,  there  is  in  God  exactness  and  a  desire 
to  perfect  His  own  work ;  now  this  He  should  not  be  able  to  do,  if  together  with 
deliverances  which  are  past  He  should  not  join  deliverances  to  come.  The 
improvement  of  it  may  be  in  a  double  way  of  application.  First,  for  our  own 
private  and  particular,  we  should  learn  from  this  present  doctrine  to  treasure  up 
unto  ourselves  ground  of  expectation  of  more  from  God  in  a  way  of  deliverance  and 
preservation,  by  considering  what  He  has  done  for  us  heretofore  in  like  exigencies. 
Thus  the  mariner  or  traveller  by  sea  may  reason,  God  has  delivered  me  in  such  a 
storm  and  in  such  a  tempest,  I  am  now  in  the  same  lawful  way  and  He  will  deliver 
me  again.  So  likewise  in  the  second  place  we  may  also  carry  it  (as  more  pertinent 
to  the  occasion)  to  the  Church  and  State  in  general,  and  reason  so  for  that.  He 
has  delivered  and  does  deliver,  and  we  trust  that  He  will  yet  deliver  us.  God  does 
not  do  things  all  at  once,  but  by  time  and  degrees.  He  makes  one  thing  a  prepara- 
tion to  another,  and  a  ground  and  argument  for  the  expectation  of  it,  and  so  as  we 
may  in  a  manner  see  His  footsteps  in  it.  (Thomas  Hvrton,  D.D.)  The  tenses  : — 
The  text — I.  Suggests  three  tbains  of  thought.  1.  Memory  tells  of  deliverance 
in  the  past.  From — (1)  Violent  death.  (2)  Our  death  in  sin  :  "  So  great  a  death," 
indeed.  (3)  Fierce  despair  when  under  conviction.  (4)  Total  overthrow  when 
tempted  by  Satan.  (5)  Faintness  under  daily  tribulation.  (6)  Destruction  by 
slander  and  the  like.  The  Lord  has  graciously  delivered  us  hitherto.  Let  us 
express  our  gratitude.  2.  Observation  calls  attention  to  present  deliverance.  By 
the  good  hand  of  the  Lord  we  are  at  this  time  preserved  from — (1)  Unseen  dangers 
to  life.  (2)  The  subtle  assaults  of  Satan.  (3)  The  rampant  errors  of  the  times. 
(4)  Libred  sin  and  natural  corruption.  (5)  The  sentence  of  death  within,  and  the 
greater  danger  of  self -trust  (ver.  9).  Our  present  standing  is  wholly  due  to  the 
grace  of  God,  and,  trusting  in  that  grace,  we  may  indulge  a  happy  confidence.  3. 
Expectation  looks  out  of  the  window  upon  the  future.  (1)  Faith  rests  alone  in  God, 
"  in  whom  we  trust,"  and  through  Him  she  looks  for  future  deliverance,  (a)  From 
all  future  common  trials,  (b)  From  coming  losses  and  afflictions,  and  from  sick- 
nesses, which  may  be  coming  upon  us.  (c)  From  the  infirmities  and  wants  of  age. 
(d)  From  the  peculiar  glooms  of  death.  (2)  This  expectation  makes  us  march  on 
with  cheerfulness.  11.  Supplies  three  lines  of  argument.  That  the  Lord  will 
preserve  us  to  the  end  is  most  sure.  We  can  say  of  Him,  "  Li  whom  we  trust  that 
He  will  yet  deUver  us."  1.  From  the  Lord's  beginning  to  deliver  we  argue  that  He 
will  yet  deliver,  for — (1)  There  was  no  reason  in  us  for  His  beginning  to  love  us. 
If  His  love  arises  out  of  His  own  nature  it  will  continue.  (2)  He  has  obtained  no 
fresh  knowledge.  He  foreknew  all  our  misbehaviours :  hence  there  is  no  reason 
for  casting  us  off.  (3)  The  reason  which  moved  Him  at  first  is  operating  now,  and 
none  better  can  be  required.  2.  From  the  Lord's  continuing  to  deliver  we  argue 
that  He  will  yet  deliver ;  for — (1)  His  deUverances  have  been  so  many.  (2)  They 
have  displayed  such  wisdom  and  power.  (3)  They  have  come  to  us  when  we  have 
been  so  unworthy.  (4)  They  have  continued  in  such  an  unbroken  line.  That  we 
feel  sure  He  will  never  leave  nor  forsake  us.  3.  From  the  Lord  Himself — "In 
whom  we  trust  "  :  we  argue  that  He  will  yet  deliver ;  for — (1)  He  is  as  loving  and 
strong  now  as  aforetime.  (2)  He  will  be  the  same  in  the  future.  (3)  His  purpose  never 
changes,  and  it  is  to  His  glory  to  complete  what  He  has  begun.  III.  Is  open  to  three 
rNrE:..ENCES.  1.  That  we  shall  always  be  so  in  danger  as  to  need  to  be  delivered  ; 
wherefore  we  are  not  high-minded,  but  fear.  2.  Our  constant  need  of  God's  own 
interposition.  He  alone  has  met  our  case  in  the  past,  and  He  only  can  meet  it  in 
the  future ;  wherefore  we  would  ever  abide  near  our  Lord.  3.  That  our  whole  life 
should  be  filled  with  the  praise  of  God,  who,  for  past,  present,  and  future,  is  our 
Deliverer.     (C  H.  Spurgeon.) 

Ver.  11.  Ye  also  helping  together  by  prayer  for  us. — Helping  together : — You 
have  four  girls ;  Mary  does  the  work  of  the  rest^such  help  is  not  good.  All  help  is 
dangerous  for  any  of  us  when  there  is  absence  of  mutuality.  I  am  not  allowed  to 
think  of  myself  as  in  one  of  those  boat  excursions,  where  some  sit  idle  at  the  stern 
while  some  one  else  rows.  There  is  nothing  healthy  or  wholesome  unless  we  work 
together.  I.  We  must  not  hinder.  What  a  dreadful  thing  it  is  to  read  concerning 
the  Pharisees,  that  they  not  only  did  not  enter  in  themselves,  but  hindered  those 
that  were  entering  in.  That  may  be  done  by  Hi-temper  and  by  indifference.  II. 
Nerve  yourself  to  triumph  over  hindrances.     The  river  comes  leaping  on.     Well, 


20  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  i. 

you  say  you  cannot  get  over  that  rock,  it  is  so  high !  "  Oh  !  yes,"  the  river  says,  "  I 
am  going  round  that  side."  Your  life  and  mine  ought  to  mean  conquest.  III.  It  is 
PLEASANT  TO  HELP.  But  wheu  you  are  "  helping  together  "  then  the  critics  come. 
Look  at  Nehemiah's  work.  These  are  the  things  that  test  your  strength !  Go  on 
with  the  work,  helping  together !  IV.  Note  the  variety  of  work.  There  is  a 
great  deal  to  be  said  for  the  numerous  ways  in  which  we  may  help.     V.  This 

"HELPING    together"    WILL    BE    REWARDED    IN    WAYS  WE    LITTLE    THINK    OF.       VI.    ThE 

influence  of  work  UPON  THE  WORKER.  We  are  all  disciplined  by  it.  {W.  M. 
Stntham.)  Christians'  prayers  the  minister's  help  : — I.  The  objects  at  which 
Christian  ministers  aim.  1.  The  destruction  of  the  empire  of  Satan.  2.  To 
restore  order  and  happiness  to  the  world.  3.  To  bring  glory  .to  Christ.  4.  To 
prepare  souls  for  heaven.  II.  The  influence  which  your  prayers  will  have  on 
their  attainment.  They  will— 1.  Awaken  the  attention  of  beholders.  2.  Honour 
the  Holy  Spirit,  who  is  the  great  agent  in  the  success  of  the  gospel.  3.  Prepare 
the  Church  for  its  safe  enjoyment  of  prosperity.  4.  Fall  in  with  the  will 
of  God,  as  made  known  to  us  in  His  Word.  HI.  The  motives  which  should 
engage  you  to  the  performance  of  this  duty.  1.  It  will  tend  to  your  own 
good.  2.  There  will  be  the  use  of  other  means  to  secure  the  good  of  the  Church. 
He  who  prays  as  he  ought  will  endeavour  to  live  as  he  prays.  3.  The  great 
Lord  of  the  Church  hath  set  the  example  of  prayer.  4.  The  Divine  approba- 
tion it  will  surely  receive.  {Essex  Congregational  Remembrancer.)  The  poicer  of 
prayer  and  the  pleasure  of  praise  : — Although  our  apostle  thus  acknowledged  God's 
hand  alone  in  his  deliverance,  yet  he  did  not  undervalue  the  second  causes. 
Having  first  praised  the  God  of  all  comfort,  he  now  remembers  with  gratitude  the 
earnest  prayers  of  the  many  loving  intercessors.  Let  us — I.  Acknowledge  the 
power  of  united  prayer.  1.  God  has  been  pleased  to  command  us  to  pray,  for 
prayer — (1)  Glorifies  God,  by  putting  man  in  the  humblest  posture  of  worship.  (2) 
Teaches  us  our  unworthiness,  which  is  no  small  blessing  to  such  proud  beings  as 
we  are.  While  it  is  an  application  to  Divine  wealth,  it  is  a  confession  of  human 
emptiness.  (3)  Apart  from  the  answer  which  it  brings,  a  great  benefit  to  the 
Christian.  As  the  runner  gains  strength  for  the  race  by  daily  exercise,  so  for  the 
great  race  of  life  we  acquire  energy  by  the  hallowed  labour  of  prayer.  2.  As  many 
mercies  are  conveyed  from  heaven  in  the  ship  of  prayer,  so  there  are  many  choice 
and  special  favours  which  can  only  be  brought  to  us  by  the  fleets  of  united  prayer. 
Many  are  the  good  things  which  God  will  give  to  His  Elijahs  and  Daniels,  but  if 
two  of  you  agree,  &c.,  there  is  no  limit  to  God's  bountiful  answers.  Peter  might 
never  have  been  brought  out  of  prison  if  it  had  not  been  that  prayer  was  made 
without  ceasing  by  all  the  Church  for  him.  Pentecost  might  never  have  come  if  all 
the  disciples  had  not  been  "  with  one  accord  in  one  place."  Thus  our  gracious 
Lord  sets  forth  His  own  esteem  for  the  communion  of  saints.  We  cannot  all  preach, 
rule,  or  give  gold  and  silver,  but  we  can  all  contribute  our  prayers.  3.  This 
united  prayer  should  specially  be  made  for  the  ministers  of  God.  (1)  Their 
position  is  most  perilous.  Satan  knows  if  he  can  once  smite  one  of  these  there  will 
be  a  general  confusion,  for  if  the  champion  be  dead  then  the  people  fly.  On 
returning  from  Rotterdam,  when  we  were  crossing  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Maas,  where  by  reason  of  a  neap  tide  and  a  bad  wind  the  navigation  was  exceedingly 
dangerous,  orders  were  issued — "  All  hands  on  deck  !  "  So  the  life  of  a  minister  is 
so  perilous,  that  I  may  well  cry — "  All  hands  on  deck  "  ;  every  man  to  prayer.  (2) 
A  solemn  weight  of  responsibility  rests  on  them.  The  captain  as  we  crossed  that  bar 
threw  the  lead  himself  into  the  sea ;  and  when  one  asked  why,  he  said,  "  At  this 
point  I  dare  not  trust  any  man  to  heave  the  lead,  for  we  have  hardly  six  inches 
between  our  ship  and  the  bottom."  (3)  Their  preservation  is  one  of  the  most 
important  objects  to  the  Church.  You  may  lose  a  sailor  from  the  ship,  and  that  13 
very  bad,  but  if  the  captain  should  be  smitten,  what  is  the  vessel  to  do  ?  (4)  How 
much  more  is  asked  of  them  than  of  you.  4.  I  find  that  in  the  original  the  word 
for  "  helping  together  "  implies  very  earnest  work.  Some  people's  prayers  have  no 
work  in  them.  Melancthon  derived  great  comfort  from  the  information  that  certain 
poor  weavers,  woman  and  children,  had  met  i  .dther  to  pray  for  the  Reformation. 
It  was  not  Luther  only,  but  the  thousands  of  poor  persons  who  offered  supplications, 
that  made  the  Reformation  what  it  was.  H.  Excite  you  to  praise.  1.  Praise 
should  always  follow  answered  prayer  ;  the  mist  of  earth's  gratitude  should  rise  as 
the  sun  of  heaven's  love  warms  the  ground.  Tongue-tied  Christians  are  a 
sad  dishonour  to  the  Church.  2.  United  praise  has  a  very  special  commenda- 
tion,  it  is  like   music  in  concert.     It  is  a  volume  of  harmony.     The  praise  of 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  21 

one  Christian  is  accepted  before  God  like  a  grain  of  incense;  but  the  praise  of 
many  is  like  a  censer  full  of  frankincense  smoking  up  before  the  Lord.  3.  As 
united  prayer  should  be  offered  specially  for  ministers,  so  should  united  praise.  We 
ought  to  praise  God  for  good  ministers — (1)  That  they  live,  for  when  they  die  much 
of  their  work  dies  with  them.  (2)  For  preserved  character,  for  when  a  minister  falls, 
what  a  disgrace  it  is !  (3)  If  the  minister  be  kept  well  supplied  with  goodly  matter, 
and  if  he  be  kept  soimd.     (C.  H.  Spurgeon.) 

Ver.  12.  For  our  rejoicing  is  this,  tlie  testimony  of  our  conscience. — The  joy  of 

a  clear  conscience : — I.  When  Chiustians  have  the  testimony  of  conscience  in 
THEiE  FAVOUR.  When  it  testifies — 1.  That  they  have  done  what  is  right.  2.  That 
they  have  done  right  from  right  motives.  11.  That  this  testimony  of  conscience 
IN  THEIE  favour  AFFORDS  THEM  GOOD  GROUND  TO  REJOICE.     Bccause  it  assurcs  them 

I.  That  they  have  internally,  as  well  as  externally,  obeyed  God.  2.  That  they  have 
the  approbation  of  God.  3.  That  they  will  sooner  or  later  meet  the  approbation  of 
all  the  world.  4.  That  they  stand  entitled  to  all  the  blessings  of  eternal  life.  III. 
Improvement.  If  Christians  have  the  testimony  of  their  conscience  in  their  favour, 
then— 1.  They  may  always  know  their  gracious  state.  2.  They  may  always  know 
their  duty.  3.  They  live  the  happiest  life  of  any  men  in  the  world.  4.  They  never 
need  to  be  afraid  to  do  their  duty.  5.  It  as  faithfully  testifies  against  all  their  short- 
comings and  moral  imperfections.  6.  We  may  discover  the  great  source  of  self 
deception  in  sinners.  (N.  Emmons,  D.D.)  The  testimony  of  conscience : — I. 
Conscience  is,  perhaps,  the  greatest  power  in  the  world.  It  is  an  inward  know- 
ledge, which  speaks  either  for  or  against  the  person  in  whom  it  resides.  It  witnesses 
not  only  to  outward  things,  but  also  to  inner  ones ;  not  only  to  our  words  and 
actions,  but  to  our  motives,  thoughts,  and  feelings.  Hence  its  immense  power 
either  to  comfort  or  to  distress.  II.  Every  one  will  be  judged  according  to  his 
conscience.  III.  How  IS  THE  CONSCIENCE  TO  BE  TRAINED  ?  1.  Pray  that  it  may 
be  a  right  one  in  everything,  and  expect  it  in  answer  to  your  prayers.  2.  Square  it 
■with  the  Bible.  3.  Honour  it ;  never  trifle  with  it  in  the  smallest  thing.  4.  Disobey 
■whatever  is  against  it,  however  pleasant,  advantageous  and  popular.  5.  Do  not  be 
afraid  to  take  its  comfort  ■when  it  tells  you  that  you  are  right.  IV.  Here  then  are 
THE  TWO  QUESTIONS  FOR  OURSELVES,  the  two  lines  which  conscience  should  take.  1. 
In  worldly  things,  in  all  m}'  dealings  with  my  fellow-creatures,  in  my  ways  of 
spending  my  time,  my  expenses,  amusements,  family,  servants,  employers,  <fec. 
What  must  conscience  say?  Has  it  all  been  with  a  single  eye?  Has  it  been 
"  in  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity "  ?  2.  And  in  more  decidedly  religious 
points,  what  does  conscience  say  ?  Have  I  been  true  to  my  Church,  to  my 
conscience,  to  my  God  ?  Have  I  loved  God's  house  ?  Is  any  one  the  better 
because  I  am  a  Christian?  (1)  A  condemning  conscience  is  a  dark  shade 
thrown  over  the  life.  How  will  my  conscience  condemn  me  on  a  dying  bed  ? 
(2)  But  there  is  something  worse  than  a  condemning  conscience — a  silent 
conscience.  It  is  God  going  away !  (3)  But  for  a  condemning  or  a  silent 
conscience  there  is  a  remedy.  A  conscience  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  Christ. 
{J.  Vaughaji,  M.A.)  The  testimony  of  consoience: — By  this  Paul  does  not 
mean  faultlessness.  "  If  we  say  we  have  no  sin  we  deceive  ourselves."  He  is 
not  speaking  of  personal  character  but  of  ministry ;  and  again  not  of  theblamelessness 
of  his  ministry,  but  of  its  success.  He  had  been  straightforward  in  his  ministry, 
and  his  worst  enemies  could  be  refuted  if  they  said  that  he  was  insincere.  Now 
this  sincerity  excluded — I.  Subtle  manceuvring,  all  indirect  modes  of  teaching. 

II.  All  teaching  upon  the  ground  of  mere  authority.  Conclusion  :  This  was  the 
secret  of  the  apostle's  wondrous  power.  It  was  because  he  had  used  no  craft,  nor 
any  threat  of  authority,  but  stood  simply  on  the  truth,  evident  like  the  sunlight  to 
all  who  had  eyes  to  see,  that  thousands,  go  where  he  would,  "  acknowledged  "  what 
he  taught.  {F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.)  Conscience  and  the  inner  life  of  man  : — I. 
What  is  going  on  in  the  soul  conscience  obser^ves.  This  is  implied  in  its  testi- 
mony. II.  Whatever  is  good  in  the  soul  conscience  approves.  III.  Whatever 
IS  JOYOUS  IN  the  soul  CONSCIENCE  OCCASIONS.  "  Our  rejoiciug  is  this."  (D.  Thomas, 
D.D.)  In  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity,  not  ■with  fleshly  wisdom  but  by  the 
grace  of  God. — Christian  simplicity  : — I.  The  nature  of  Christian  simplicity  and 
of  fleshly  ■wisdom.  1.  Christian  simplicity.  There  are  six  things  which  we  are 
to  take  for  certain  marks  of  it.  (1)  Veracity  in  our  speech.  (2)  Honesty  in  our 
actions.  (3)  Purity  in  our  intentions.  (4)  Uniformity  of  righteousness  in  our 
whole  conversation.     (5)  Constancy  in  that  way  of  universal  righteousness  to  the 


22  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  u 

end.  (6)  An  impartial  regard  to  truth  and  right  in  causes  depending  between  men 
and  men.  2.  The  fleshly  wisdom  to  which  simplicity  is  here  opposed.  Of  these 
wise  of  this  world  there  are  three  sorts.  (1)  Those  who  will  be  under  the  restraints 
of  religion  so  far  as  they  think  is  in  any  respect  requisite  for  their  worldly  welfare. 
(2)  Those  who  will  take  more  liberty  in  serving  their  worldly  designs,  only  still  with 
a  care  to  be  safe  from  the  laws  of  men  and  the  punishment  they  inflict.  (3)  Those 
who  have  their  full  swing,  and  allow  themselves  the  utmost  latitude  of  expedients 
for  their  ends,  without  any  check  from  human  laws  at  all.     11.  The  great  comfobt 

AND  JOY    IT   AFFORDS  TO    GOOD   MEN,  WHOSE  CONSCIENCES  DO   WITNESS   IT  OF   THEM.       All 

the  advantages  that  can  be  made  in  this  world  by  fleshly  wisdom  are  nothing 
comparable  to  the  pleasure  of  simplicity  and  honesty,  and  to  the  joy  that  ariseth 
from  the  conscience  of  such  virtue.  1.  It  sets  a  man  above  the  opinion  of  the 
world.  2.  It  is  a  certain  support  to  a  man  under  all  the  adversity  that  befalls  him 
in  the  world.  3.  It  gives  him  a  comfortable  prospect  and  good  assurance  when 
he  is  leaving  the  world.  {Archdeacon  Clagett.)  Handling  sincerity  as  a  sign 
of  grace : — That  sincerity  and  uprightness  of  heart  in  our  motives  and  ends 
is  a  sure  and  infallible  sign  of  our  being  in  the  state  of  grace  (1  John  iii.  21,  22).  I. 
For  the  opening  of  this  point,  let  us  consider  how  unsafelt  it  mat  be  pressed  fob 

A  SIGN  in    some  particulars,  AND    THEN    WHEREIN    THE  NATURE   OF   IT   LIETH.       1.    It  is 

unwarrantably  pressed  when  uprightness  is  urged  to  the  exclusion  of  all  respect 
unto  any  reward.  2.  This  sign  of  uprightness  may  be  pressed  unsafely  when  it  is 
understood  of  such  a  perfect  uprightness  that  hath  no  deceit  or  falsehood  at  all 
joined  with  it ;  but  as  other  graces  are  but  in  part,  we  know  in  part,  we  love  in  part, 
so  we  are  sincere  and  upright  in  part.  Who  can  understand  his  error  ?  We  may 
abuse  the  sign  of  sincerity  by  going  too  low.  (1)  When  we  take  sincerity  for 
quietness  of  conscience  that  it  doth  not  accuse.  (2)  When  we  limit  sincerity  to  one 
particular  fact,  or  to  some  passages  only.  (3)  When  we  judge  of  sincerity  by  the 
immediate  ends  of  actions,  not  at  all  attending  to  the  principal  and  main, 
"  Whatsover  ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God."  IE.  In  the  next  place,  let  us 
consider  what  this  uprightness  is,  and  so  wherein  it  is  a  sign.  1.  There  is  no 
sincerity  but  where  there  is  a  full  and  powerful  change  of  the  whole  man  by  the 
grace  of  God.  2.  Uprightness  is  a  sign,  and  then  acknowledged  to  be  sincerity, 
when  we  do  any  good  duty  because  God  commands.  3.  Uprightness  is  seen  in  the 
universality  of  obedience.  Thus  a  blackamore,  though  he  hath  white  teeth,  yet 
cannot  be  called  white,  because  it  id  in  some  respect  only,  so  neither  may  a  man  be 
called  sincere  that  hath  only  partial  obedience.  4.  Then  is  uprightness  a  true  sign 
when  the  motives  of  all  our  actions  are  pure  and  heavenly ;  when  all  is  done 
because  of  the  glory  of  God,  or  for  such  motives  that  God's  Word  doth  require.  5. 
Uprightness  is  when  a  man  is  very  diligent  and  conscientious  in  internal  duties  or 
secret,  to  perform  them,  and  in  spiritual  or  heart-sins  and  secret  lusts  to  avoid  them. 
These  things  thus  explained,  observe  that  it  is  a  sure  and  comfortable  sign  of  grace, 
when  a  man  is  willing  to  have  his  soul  and  all  within  saarched  by  God  (Psa.  xvii.  3). 
(1)  Let  us  consider  how  God  doth  try,  that  so  we  may  perceive  our  willingness 
therein.  And  the  first  way  is  by  His  Word,  "  Whatsoever  doth  manifest,  and  so 
reprove  evU,  is  light "  (Eph.  v.  13).  As  by  the  light  of  the  sunbeams  we  see  the 
little  motes  and  flies  in  the  air,  so  by  God's  Word  shining  into  our  hearts  we  come 
to  see  many  things  sinful  and  unlawful  which  we  did  not  perceive  before.  (2)  A 
second  way  whereby  God  proveth  is  a  powerful  and  soul-searching  ministry.  (3^ 
The  work  of  conscience  within  us,  that  also  doth  prove  us.  God  hath  set  up  a  light 
within  us,  and  when  this  is  enlightened  by  the  Word,  then  it  makes  a  man's  breast 
full  of  light.  (4)  God  trieth  us  by  the  illuminations  of  His  Spirit  and  strong 
convictions  thereby.  (5)  God  trieth  when  by  His  Providence  we  are  put  upon 
many  duties  and  commands  which  it  may  be  at  other  times  did  not  concern  us. 
Thus  God  examined  Abraham  by  a  command  to  offer  up  his  only  son  Isaac.  Thus 
God  tried  the  young  man  who  had  great  confidence  in  himself.  The  vessel's 
soundness  is  tried  in  the  fire  ;  the  mariner's  skill  in  a  storm  ;  the  trees  in  a  windy 
tempest.  (6)  And  this  is  the  fixed  way  of  trial,  viz.,  when  God  brings  us  under  His 
chastisements.  This  manifesteth  what  metal  we  are  of  (1  Peter  i.  7).  As  God 
useth  these  several  ways  to  prove  us,  and  the  soul  of  a  godly  man  is  ready  herein, 
so  in  these  three  cases  especially  doth  a  godly  man  give  up  himself  to  be  examined. 
1.  In  matters  of  doctrine.  Although  heresy  may  be  merely  in  matter  of  conscience 
and  opinion,  yet  for  the  most  part  carnal  principles  and  motives  are  interwoven 
therewith.  2.  In  matter  of  received  worship  and  traditional  service  of  God. 
Although  it  be  worship  that  can  plead  custom  from  prescription  many  yeara' 


CHAP.  I.]  11-  CORINTHIANS.  23 

commendation  of  the  universality  of  learned  men  ;  yet  an  heart  truly  sincere 
c-oireth  to  have  all  things  examined  and  proved  out  of  God's  Word.  3.  This  is 
eminently  discovered  in  matter  of  practice.     III.  In  the  next  place  let  us  consider 

WHAT  ARE  THE  EFFECTS  OF  SUCH  A  GRACIOUS  TEMPER    IN    THE  HEART.       1.    Where  this  is 

it  doth  not  excuse  or  mitigate  sin,  but  takes  in  with  God  against  its  own  self.  2. 
Not  resting  upon  generals,  but  particularly  applying  matters  of  duty.  3.  A  sincere 
heart  loveth  a  godly  reproof  and  those  that  give  it.  Use  of  examination.  Here  is  a 
touchstone  and  trial  for  yourselves.  Is  there  love  of  the  light,  or  fear  of  the  light ; 
are  you  afraid  of  the  Word  of  God,  a  soul-searching  ministry,  close  and  particular 
applications?  Then  suspect  all  is  not  sound  within  thee.  (A.  Burpess.)  Siiiqdicitii 
and  sincerity  : — These  words  have  the  charm  of  life  in  them.  They  tell  us  how  a 
man  lived  :  and  not  in  smooth  circumstances  in  sunny  weather,  but  when  beset  by 
enemies,  difficulties  and  sorrows  ;  and  not  in  conspicuous  places  merely,  but  every- 
where, and  not  for  a  short  time,  but  always.  Here  is  the  kind  of  life  which  each 
one  of  us  should  endeavour  after  as  his  own.  I.  Conscience.  1.  The  supreme  faculty, 
or  something  that  has  supreme  place,  in  man's  moral  life.  The  moral  life  is  higher 
than  the  intellectual,  and  the  dignity  of  conscience  is  that  it  is  the  governing  element 
in  the  moral  life.  2.  Every  one  knows  what  conscience  is.  Find  one  who  knows  that 
there  is  a  right  and  a  wi-ong,  he  knows  that  by  his  conscience.  Conscience  always 
uses  the  reason,  as,  indeed,  the  other  powers,  in  forming  its  judgments.  But  the 
judgments  formed  are  higher  than  the  deliverances  of  reason.  3.  Conscience  is 
not  infallible  ;  but  still  it  is  supreme.  It  needs  instruction,  but  still  a  man  must 
act  according  to  the  light  he  has,  while  always  seeking  for  more.  It  is  the  only 
clock  that  points  to  the  moral  time  of  day.  It  is  the  only  shadow  that  falls  on  the 
sun-dial  of  life.  The  only  barometer  that  gives  true  indication  of  the  state  of  the 
moral  atmosphere  within.  Go  by  it.  Do  not  look  up  at  the  clock,  &c.,  which  rules 
another  man's  conscience.  4.  A  good  conscience,  like  a  good  wife  or  husband, 
deserves  only  faithful  loyalty  "  as  long  as  ye  both  shall  live."  Indeed,  moi'al  death 
has  come  when  conscience  has  no  more  testimony  to  give,  or  when  its  witness  is 
systematically  disobeyed.  But  the  description  of  life  and  character  in  this  passage 
is  yet  more  pacific.  Conscientiousness,  after  all,  is  a  general  quality.  In  order  to 
know  a  man — what  he  is,  and  how  he  lives — we  need  information  in  particulars. 
Well,  here  is  one  of  the  particular  qualities.  II.  Simplicity — singleness  of  mind, 
purpose,  character,  life — the  opposite  of  duplicity — doubleness  in  speech,  behaviour, 
heart.  1.  All  who  are  much  in  the  world  know  very  well  how  full  it  is  of  this. 
Double-speaking — saying  one  thing  and  meaning  another — using  language  to  hide 
meaning,  or,  equivocally,  in  order  to  mislead.  Double-dealing.  "  It  is  naught,  it 
is  naught,  saith  the  buyer ;  but  when  he  is  gone  his  way  then  he  boasteth." 
Double-seeming,  too.  What  masks  men  wear  !  Sometimes  glittering,  sometimes 
sordid  !  A  man  comes  rolling  home  in  a  carriage,  and  enters  a  magnificent  house, 
and  after  entertaining  a  splendid  company,  goes  into  his  own  room,  brings  out  his 
bank-book,  and  lays  it,  open,  beside  the  claims  upon  him  which  that  book  shows 
no  way  to  meet,  and  sits  down  there  for  a  little,  in  misery,  under  the  shadow  of  the 
ghastly  fact  that  he  is,  in  reality,  a  bankrupt.  Take  an  instance  on  the  other  side. 
A  man  comes  trudging  home  through  wet  streets,  enters  a  plain  house,  moderately 
furnished,  takes  a  simple  ordinary  meal,  and  then  receives  a  friend  or  two.  One  of 
them  in  leaving  asks  a  guinea  for  some  charity.  This  plain,  good  man  expresses 
good-will,  but  shakes  his  head  saying,  "  You  see  I  am  in  a  very  humble  way  ;  you 
must  go  to  the  rich."  Then,  by-and-bye,  he  too  looks  at  his  balance-sheet.  This 
man  is  rolling  in  wealth,  although  without  any  of  its  outward  signs.  Yet  he  can  thus 
hide  himself  from  his  own  flesh.  "  Our  rejoicing,"  if  we  are  Christians,  is  this,  the 
testimony  of  our  conscience  that  "  in  simplicity  "  we  live,  not  saying  what  we  do 
not  mean,  nor  seeming  what  we  are  not.  2.  Most  of  all  should  we  keep  this  pure 
simplicity  in  the  religious  sphere  ;  avoiding,  on  the  one  hand,  the  high  phraseology 
which  expresses  for  more  than  we  believe,  feel,  or  indeed,  really  mean ;  and,  on 
I  -J  other,  the  compromising  silence,  or  brief  and  hesitating  speech,  which  expresses 
less  than  we  believe,  and  feel,  and  are.  III.  Sincerity,  which  perhaps  brings  in  no 
characteristically  different  element.  They  are  almost  as  twin  sisters.  The  word 
means,  hterally,  translucence,  clearness,  of  mind.  When  you  look  into  a  diamond 
you  might  say  it  is  sincere  !  Or  into  a  crystal  well,  or  down  to  the  depths  of  the 
calm  and  silent  sea !  Such  is  the  sincerity  of  a  devout  soul.  It  is  called,  literally, 
"the  sincerity  of  God,"  either  because  it  is  like  His  own,  or  because  it  comes 
directly  from  Him,  a,nd  makes  us  partakers  of  the  Divine  nature.  Now  see 
what   that   is,    and  how   it   pervades — 1.  Nature.     Does    the    sun   ever   stay   his 


24  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  i. 

shining?  Or  the  gentler  moon  withhold  her  Mght  ?  Do  rivers  ever  run  back 
to  their  sources,  or  tides  begin  to  ebb  at  half-flood  ?  Has  there  ever  been  a 
spring-time  which  went  round  the  world  to  call  out  flower  and  leaf,  which  has  not 
been  followed  by  an  autumn  with  more  or  less  of  fruit  ?  Will  wood  sink  ?  will  iron 
swim  ?  2.  Providence.  Does  God  not  rule  the  world,  so  that  he  who  speaks  the 
truth  and  does  the  right  has  always  the  best  of  it  in  the  end  ?  Yes ;  and  in  the  middle 
also,  and  from  the  beginning.  3.  The  gospel,  with  its  great  revelation  of  love,  its 
great  donation  of  life,  its  power  of  redemption  from  sin,  its  promises  of  seasonable 
helps,  and  its  grand,  last  promise  of  "  eternal  life."  God  is  sincere  in  all.  We 
cannot  aim  too  high,  or  hope  for  too  much.  "  If  it  were  not  so,  He  would  have 
told  us."  He  is  sincere.  Are  there  any  to  aver  the  contrary?  Who  has  come  to 
a  throne  of  grace  and  been  repulsed  ?  Such  is  the  sincerity  of  God  ;  and  it  is  of 
this  very  quality  that  His  children  partake  when  they  live  the  life  befitting  them. 
They  cannot  but  be  sincere  when  they  yield  to  His  gracious  nurture.  IV.  Rejoicing. 
This  kind  of  life  is  well  adapted  to  make  men  glad.  Eemember,  he  who  writes 
these  words  is  often  weighed  down  with  great  labours,  suffers  much  persecution,  is 
misjudged  even  by  his  friends.  And  yet  here  he  retires  into  his  own  happy 
consciousness  as  into  a  fortress  of  peace  and  safety  !  And,  indeed,  no  moral  state 
could  be  imagined  so  strong,  so  safe  as  this.  When  he  has  a  conscience  which  he 
"  keeps,"  or  rather  which  keeps  him — when  he  lives  a  simple  life — when  he  breathes 
in  the  sincerity  of  God — let  him  have  no  fear.  V.  But  now  we  begin  to  long  for 
another  word  that  shall  make  this  secukitt  wholesome  to  us,  as  well  as  deep  and 
assured.  For  is  there  not  some  possibility  that  this  profoundly  conscious  satisfac- 
tion in  the  possession  of  personal  righteousness  may  come  to  have  some  tinge  of 
"  self-righteousness  "  in  it  ?  VI.  The  word  is  grace.  "  By  the  grace  of  God  "  we 
have  so  lived.  Particularly  "  not  by  fleshly  wisdom."  No  man  can  ever  reach  the 
heights  of  safety  and  purity  and  joy  by  that  way.  Yet  that  is  the  principle  which 
multitudes  of  people  are  adopting  for  self -development.  "  The  fleshly  wisdom  "  is 
just  "  the  wisdom  of  the  world,"  with  its  watchings,  and  windings,  and  insincerities, 
with  its  soft  speech,  and  fair  appearance,  and  secret  ways.  Does  any  one  think  he 
can  develop  his  nature,  and  do  justice  to  his  immortality  by  that  ?  Oh,  miserable 
mistake  !  Not  with  fleshly  wisdom,  "  but  by  the  grace  of  God  "• — by  its  cleansings, 
its  kindlings,  its  renewings,  its  growth ;  by  its  whole  drift  and  discipline  we  have 
"  our  conversation  in  the  world."  And  because  it  is  "  the  grace  of  God,"  those  who 
take  it,  and  trust  in  it,  and  put  it  to  use,  cannot  fail  in  some  measure  to  realise  and 
embody,  and  cannot  fail,  ultimately,  to  perfect  the  fair  ideal  of  Scriptural  holiness. 
{A.  Raleigh,  D.D.)  On  sincerity  : — Another  would  have  said.  My  rejoicing  is 
this,  the  testimony  of  the  world,  that  by  my  knowledge  of  its  ways  and  adroit  use 
of  circumstances,  I  have  succeeded  in  my  favourite  projects  of  amassing  wealth,  of 
increasing  my  power,  of  rising  to  a  high  elevation  on  the  steeps  of  ambition. 
Sincerity  is  the  virtue  to  which  I  would  invite  your  special  attention  ;  as  it  is  not 
only  a  moral  virtue,  but  a  distinguished  evangelical  grace,  essential  to  the 
character  of  every  just  man,  and  of  every  disciple  of  Christ.  Hence  is  it  so 
strenuously  enjoined  in  the  sacred  volume.  Joshua  exhorts  the  Israelities  to  "  fear 
and  serve  the  Lord  in  sincerity."  This  virtue  is  inseparable  from  the  heart  and 
mind  of  all  who  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  It  is  a  radical  principle 
in  the  constitution  of  every  virtuous  society — the  soul  of  union,  of  co-operation,  of 
friendship,  of  love,  of  piety,  of  devotion.  Without  it  there  is  no  morality,  no 
religion.  What  then,  let  us  inquire,  is  the  nature  of  this  virtue,  and  what  are  its 
requisitions  ?  The  term  sincere,  in  its  moral  application,  implies  a  clearness  and 
transparency  of  character.  But  though  the  law  of  sincerity  imperatively  forbids 
all  deception,  it  does  not  oblige  us  to  lay  our  whole  hearts  open  to  the  scrutiny  of 
every  curious  eye,  nor  loudly  to  divulge  every  unseasonable  truth  which  may  occupy 
our  minds.  There  can  be  no  violation  of  sincerity  in  maintaining  a  proper  reserve, 
provided  such  reserve  does  not  lead  our  friend  or  neighbour  to  a  wrong  conclusion  ; 
to  trust  when  he  shall  doubt,  or  to  lay  open  his  bosom  when  he  shall  cover  it  with 
triple  mail.  We  are  under  no  obligation  to  give  offence,  or  provoke  enmity. 
There  are  cases  in  which  it  would  be  extreme  cruelty  to  divulge  all  we  have  heard 
or  known  of  a  neighbour's  misfortunes  or  misconduct.  Numberless  are  the 
deceptions  which  are  practised  every  day  by  men  upon  men  and  by  men  on  them- 
selves. As  to  the  latter,  it  is  but  too  notorious  with  what  ingenuity  they  disguise 
their  vices,  varnish  them  over  till  they  assume  the  semblance  of  virtues,  or 
amiable  weaknesses.  Not  less  numerous  are  the  modes  in  which  men  practise 
insincerity   towards   others,   by  hypocrisy    aad    falsehood,    fraud    and    perjury. 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  25 

Courtesy  is  a  Christian  virtue.  It  is  not  opposed  to  sincerity  but  to  vulgarity. 
The  insincei'ity  of  which  we  speak  has  the  semblance  of  courtesy,  but  it  is  courtesy 
in  excess.  It  is  learned  in  the  school  of  deceit,  in  the  court  of  fashion.  Custom, 
the  continuator  of  many  an  evil  practice,  has  given  its  sanction  to  a  certain  species 
of  phraseology  which  is  termed  polite,  and  which,  by  general  agreement,  is  under- 
stood to  signify  nothing ;  nevertheless,  a  regard  for  Christian  sincerity  should 
induce  us  to  employ  it  with  caution.  There  are  also  tricks  and  deceptions  in 
certain  transactions,  which,  by  a  similar  convention,  are  supposed  to  be  accom- 
panied by  no  moral  turpitude ;  nay,  the  dexterity  with  which  they  are  conducted 
confers  the  highest  praise  on  their  agent.  But  is  it  not  evident  to  every  Christian 
man,  that  let  such  transactions  receive  whatever  sanction  they  may  from  custom 
and  the  world,  they  are  totally  unauthorised  by  the  Word  of  God,  which  is  the 
Christian's  standard  of  right  and  wrong  ?  It  has  been  maintained,  in  opposition  to 
the  godly  sincerity  of  the  apostle,  that  dissimulation  may  be  lawfully  practised  for 
the  establishment  of  some  useful  design — to  promote  a  movement  in  politics,  or 
confirm  a  doctrine  in  religion — and  that  if  the  end  be  laudable  or  beneficial,  the 
means  are  indifferent.  This  opinion,  founded  as  it  is  on  ignorance  and  sin,  has 
been  productive  of  much  evil.  The  impure  fountain  must  send  forth  an  impure 
stream.  Even  when  the  end  in  view  is  really  to  be  desired,  if  vicious  means  be 
employed  to  effect  it,  they  excite  a  just  and  natural  suspicion  that  it  has  some 
ulterior  object  which  is  selfish.  Moreover,  how  often  are  we  mistaken  in  the  nature 
of  true  good!  How  often  is  that  which  we  contemplate  as  beautiful  and  lovely 
regarded  by  others  as  deformed  and  odious!  They  may  foresee  nothing  but 
misery  in  the  very  project  from  which  we  anticipate  happiness.  Sincerity  is  the 
characteristic  of  a  noble  and  magnanimous  disposition,  as  much  as  its  opposite  vice 
is  the  indication  of  what  is  mean  and  ungenerous.  A  brave  man  disdains  to  hang 
out  false  colours,  to  take  unfair  advantage  even  of  an  enemy,  to  appear  what  he  is 
not.  As  insincerity  vitiates  every  virtue,  it  disappoints  every  hope;  for  it  is 
written,  "  The  hypocrite's  hope  shall  perish,  his  trust  shall  be  in  a  spider's  web. 
He  shall  lean  upon  his  house,  but  it  shall  not  stand ;  he  shall  hold  it  fast,  but  it 
shall  not  endure."  The  motives  of  a  man's  conduct  often  lie  nearer  the  surface 
than  he  imagines,  even  when  he  deems  them  most  profound  ;  and  hence  it  happens 
that  almost  every  species  of  imposition  is  so  easily  detected.  Such  are  the  mis- 
chiefs of  insincerity,  its  fallacy  and  insecurity,  its  suspicion  and  its  punishment. 
The  benefits  of  its  opposite  virtue,  equally  striking  and  numerous,  are  enhanced  by 
the  contrast.  The  sincere  man  is  fearless  and  consistent.  He  dreads  no  scrutiny  ; 
he  is  und  r  no  apprehension  of  being  caught  in  the  snare  of  his  own  contradictions; 
he  feel  conscious  that  the  more  closely  you  inspect  him,  the  stronger  will  grow 
your  convition  of  his  integrity;  so  that,  even  from  selfish  motives,  it  would  be 
wise  alwayi  to  act  sincerely.  Nothing  is  more  abhorrent  to  the  whole  spirit  of 
Christiaiuiy  than  every  species  of  hypocrisy,  whether  in  word,  in  deed,  or  in  dumb 
show,  from  whatever  motive  it  proceeds,  or  on  whatsoever  pretence  it  is  practised. 
Hypocrisy  is  the  most  efficient  agent  of  Antichrist,  and  it  has  done  more  injury  to 
the  cause  of  Christianity  than  the  most  decided  open  hostility.  It  works  by  sap, 
and  effects  its  wicked  purposes  by  manoeuvring  in  the  dark.  The  apostles  of 
Christ,  as  became  the  disciples  of  such  a  master,  equally  with  Him,  condemn 
hypocrisy,  and  are  earnest  in  their  commendation  of  truth,  honesty,  candour, 
sincerity.  They  desire  us  to  have  respect  to  God  in  all  our  actions,  and  whatsoever 
we  do,  to  do  it  heartily  unto  the  Lord,  and  not  as  unto  men.  With  sincerity  the 
apostle  conjoins  simplicity,  its  natural  associate.  But  of  this  virtue  it  may  with 
good  reason  be  observed  that  it  is  more  the  gift  of  nature  than  of  education ;  one  of 
those  rare  endowments  which  she  bestows  only  on  her  favourites.  Generally  con- 
sidered, it  is  a  quality  the  most  pleasing  to  a  pure  and  uncorrupted  taste  in  every- 
thing with  which  it  can  be  connected.  We  admire  it  in  architecture,  in  furniture, 
in  dress,  in  manners,  in  literary  composition,  and  hence  the  matchless  beauty  of 
the  sacred  Scriptures,  which  still  continue  to  please  and  never  pall  by  repetition. 
So  far  as  simplicity  is  a  moral  virture,  excluding  all  sinister  views  and  double- 
dealing,  it  is  in  every  man's  power,  and  it  is  every  man's  duty  to  acquire  it.  To  the 
young  I  would  more  particularly  recommend  this  virtue.  In  them  we  naturally  expect 
to  find  openness  and  ingenuousness,  and  are  cruelly  disappointed  when  we  discover 
any  attempt  at  imposition  or  deceit.  They  are  most  unfavourable  omens  of  their 
future  worth  and  respectabihty.  The  distortion  of  the  sapling  grows  inveterate  in 
the  tree,  and  a  slight  disease  which  a  tiny  remedy  might  remove  becomes  by  neglect 
incurable.     {A.  R.  Beard.)        On  sincerity  in  religion  : — We  all  value  sincerity  in 


26  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR,  [chap,  i, 

religion,  but  many  overlook  that  the  only  thing  which  can  give  value  to  this  sincerity 
is — that  we  are  sincere  in  true  religion.  To  suppose  a  man  sincere  in  a  false 
system  is  only  to  suppose  him  lulled  in  insensibility,  or  hardened  in  obstinacy ;  it 
is  to  suppose  him  placed  almost  beyond  the  reach  of  conviction.  What  are  the 
evidences  of  that  sincerity — how  a  man  may  know  himself  to  be  really  in  earnest 
in  his  spiritual  concerns?  1.  The  first  thing  that  will  enable  us  to  answer  in  the 
affirmative  is,  that  there  is  no  compromising  spirit  in  our  religion ;  that  we  "  render 
unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's,"  without,  what  I  may  call,  the  discount  of  the 
world ;  that  we  do  not  deliberately  suffer  "  one  jot  or  tittle  of  the  law  to  pass 
unfulfilled."  This  is  a  strong  evidence  of  sincerity.  Men  who  are  in  their  hearts 
slaves  to  the  world,  and  yet  unable  wholly  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  conscience, 
generally  contrive  to  reconcile  both,  by  constructing  a  system  of  religion  for  them- 
selves, that  they  believe  will  pacify  the  one  and  enable  them  to  retain  their  hold  on 
the  other — they  contrive  a  religion  consisting  of  external  forms,  but  which  has  not 
the  power  to  extort  from  them  the  sacrifice  of  one  beloved  lust.  2.  Another  and 
scarce  an  inferior  proof  is  perseverance.  There  are  few  individuals  who  have  not 
at  some  period  of  life  felt  religious  impressions  ;  there  is  not  a  hbertine  whom  his  vices 
have  not  sometimes  terrified  into  partial  reformation ;  but  there  is  no  permanence. 
3.  I  add,  that  in  my  mind  a  strong  evidence  of  sincerity  in  religion  is,  that  it  bears  the 
test  of  sohtude,  and  does  not  desert  or  upbraid  us  in  the  hour  of  lonely  reflection. 
So  universal  are  the  workings  of  pride,  prejudice,  and  error,  that  there  is  great  need 
of  distinguishing  between  the  effects  they  produce  on  professors  of  religion,  and  the 
operation  of  very  dissimilar  causes,  that  end  in  producing  the  same  effects.  Thus 
passion  will  produce  zeal  in  religion,  of  which  the  outward  evidences  will  be  as 
radiant  as  if  the  fire  was  kindled  from  heaven.  Every  passion  and  every  vice  may 
assume  the  disguise  of  an  angel  of  light.  But  the  system  they  defend,  and  the 
consequences  they  suggest,  will  not  stand  the  test  of  solitude.  4.  But  the  greatest 
proof  of  sincerity,  that  before  which  all  others  fade  away,  and  without  which, 
indeed,  not  one  can  be  an  admissible  evidence,  is  the  conformity  of  our  lives  to  our 
principles.  Other  evidences  may  deceive  us — but  this  never  can.  Not  they  who 
say  unto  Me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  those  who  do 
the  will  of  My  Father.  (C.  R.  Maturin.)  When  I  therefore  was  thus  minded, 
did  I  use  lightness  ?  .  .  .  that  with  me  there  should  be  yea  yea,  and  nay  nay  ? 
Yea  and  naxj  men  (sermon  to  the  young) : — Let  us — I.  Note  the  facts  to  which 
Patjl  links  his  singleness  and  honesty  of  pukpose.  1.  Christ  was  not  yea  and 
nay.  (1)  In  His  personal  character  He  was  yea.  He  combined  the  gracefulness 
and  flexibility  of  the  willow  and  the  strength  of  the  oak,  but  He  had  no  double- 
mindedness.  He  adapted  Himself  to  the  trembling  sinner  and  the  confident 
Pharisee,  but  He  was  one  and  the  same  notwithstanding.  (2)  So  was  and  is  His 
gospel.  Adapted  to  all  classes  and  conditions,  it  accommodates  itself  to  none.  It 
has  not  one  set  of  doctrines  for  the  favoured  few  and  another  for  the  world. 
2.  The  promises  of  God.  There  is  no  vacillation  about  them.  God  means  all 
He  says,  and  He  says  what  He  means.  3.  But  what  had  these  to  do  with  the 
charge  of  trimming?  The  answer  is  in  verses  21,  22.  Paul's  character  was 
modelled  on  the  character  of  Christ :  he  had  not  acted  according  to  the  flesh,  but 
according  to  the  new  nature  formed  by  the  Spirit  of  Christ.  We  have  here  a  notable 
example  of  bringing  the  common  things  of  life  under  the  powers  of  the  world  to 
come.  The  apostle  had  planned  a  journey,  and  to  change  it  might  seem  a  small 
matter.  But  not  so  with  Paul.  His  purposes  were  formed,  and  could  only  be 
changed  under  the  eye  of  the  Great  Master.  And  he  was  so  imbued  with  His  Spirit, 
that  he  could  not  do  otherwise.  II.  Examine  some  varieties  of  tea  and  nay  men.  1. 
The  wicked  yea  and  nay  men — the  man  who  intentionally,  and  without  regard  to 
right  or  wrong,  is  now  yea  and  now  nay,  as  best  suits  his  purpose.  This  man  is  a 
saint  with  saints,  and  a  devil  with  devils.  As  a  politician  he  is  Whig  or  Tory, 
democrat  or  aristocrat,  provided  only  he  can  attain  his  end.  In  religion,  business, 
and  social  life  he  is  all  things  unto  all  men  in  a  bad  sense.  2.  The  weak  yea  and 
nay  man  may  not  be  at  heart  a  bad  man.  He  would  not  deliberately  lie  or  drink 
or  swear  to  be  in  keeping  with  his  company ;  but  within  certain  limits  he  is  as 
variable  as  the  wind.  You  never  know  when  you  have  him.  He  is  lik  the 
chameleon  which  has  no  colours  of  his  own,  but  "  borrows  from  his  neighbour's 
hue."  3.  The  compound  of  these  two.  There  are  those  in  whom  you  find  wicked- 
ness so  combined  that  you  cannot  say  whether  the  fool  or  the  knave  predominates 
— objects  now  of  anger,  now  of  pity.  4.  There  are  also  instances  of  yea-and- 
nayness  in  the  lives  of  the  most  honest  and  courageous  under  temptation— Peter. 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  27 

III.  Ukge  the  cultivation  of  the  opposite  chakacter.  Be  not  yea  and  nay  men — '■ 
1.  In  the  morals  of  life  and  of  business.  You  have  just  entered  on  life,  will  you 
surrender  yourselves  to  the  evil  current  or  will  you  resist  it  ?  Yea-and-nayness  may 
bring  temporary  success,  but  it  spells  ruin  in  the  long  run.  2.  In  the  department 
of  religion  and  faith.  The  question  determined  of  old  on  Carmel  should  be 
determined  by  you  now.  Is  your  life  to  be  godless  or  godly  ?  3.  In  the  practical 
following  out  of  your  Christian  principles.  (J.  Kennedy,  D.D.)  Meaning  ichat 
we  say  (To  young  men) : — Paul  was  misjudged  as  to  his  motives  and  consistency. 
It  seems  that  he  had  intended  to  visit  Corinth  both  on  his  way  to  Macedonia  and  on 
his  return ;  but  something  that  he  thought  of  sufficient  moment  led  him  to  change 
his  mind,  and  his  word  was  not  kept.  Backbiters  put  this  down  to  caprice.  This 
led  Paul  to  state  upon  what  principle  he  acted  in  this  and  in  every  case.  I.  When 
WE  SA^x  YES  OR  NO  WE  SHOULD  MEAN  IT.  1.  Our  words  should  be  serious.  Paul's 
earnest  spirit  dreaded  a  light  tongue,  and  to  be  regarded  as  a  frivolous  man,  not  to 
say  insincere,  was  more  than  he  could  bear.  And  it  ought  not  to  be  a  shackle  on 
speech  to  have  regard  to  the  reality  of  things.  Dr.  Johnson  could  not  endure  the 
man  who  could  not  tell  a  story  without  exaggerating.  And  then  in  the  work  of  life 
we  should  avoid  a  loose  way  of  speaking — haphazard,  questionable,  plausible  state- 
ments which,  while  appearing  to  be  true,  shade  off  into  falsehood.  Every  word 
and  action  should  go  from  the  mint  of  conscience  stamped  with  the  King's  image  and 
superscription.  2.  The  apostle  condemns  "  purposing  according  to  the  flesh,"  i.e., 
according  to  some  shifting  principle  of  an  evil  nature.  The  apostle  comes  down 
hard  upon  all  mental  reservations,  upon  the  amiable  weakness  which  promises  you 
anything  and  gives  you  nothing,  as  well  as  upon  the  craft  which  keeps  while  it 
pretends  to  give.  He  seems  to  have  especially  in  view  our  tendency  to  please  our- 
selves. If  we  say  "yes"  or  "no"  to  avoid  trouble,  if  we  say  anything  out  of 
expediency  or  self-seeking,  or  love  of  popularity,  we  rest  on  a  carnal  foundation 
and  "  purpose  according  to  the  flesh."  Truth  often  puts  us  to  terrible  inconvenience, 
but  a  good  man  speaketh  the  truth  in  his  heart,  and  will  change  not  even  though 
he  has  sworn  to  his  hurt.  II.  We  ought  not  to  hold  to  our  yea  and  nay 
STUBBORNLY  AND  IN  SPITE  OF  FKESH  LIGHT  FROM  ABOVE.  We  may  mean  our  word  when 
we  speak  it,  and  purpose  it  in  obedience  to  present  knowledge  of  the  will  of  God ; 
but  we  may  not  affirm  that  we  will  keep  it,  come  what  will.  "  A  man's  heart 
deviseth  his  way,  but  the  Lord  directeth  his  steps."  It  was  thus  with  Paul  here  and 
m  Acts  xvi.  6-9.  In  every  case  we  should  say,  "If  the  Lord  will."  It  is  a  sign  of 
weakness  and  wickedness  when  any  one  sets  himself  upon  his  pui'pose,  when  God 
has  warned  him  to  forsake  it.  Take,  e.g.,  Jephthah  and  Saul  (1  Sam.  xiv.  24-33). 
Do  not  stick  to  your  resolution  when  you  see  that  God  has  a  different  one.  What 
does  it  matter  about  your  promising  when  the  Lord  orders  something  else  ?  But 
you  say,  "  If  I  don't  abide  by  my  word,  what  will  be  thought  of  it?  "  Why,  you 
must  take  your  chance,  which,  with  God  on  your  side,  will  not  be  a  bad  one. 
Conclusion :  1.  If  you  act  on  these  principles  you  will  be  honourable  men  in  all  the 
relations  of  life.  2.  Is  it  not  an  insult  to  a  Christian  man  whose  yea  is  yea,  &c.,  to 
be  asked  to  swear  it  ?  3.  What  would  England  be  with  a  truth-loving  and  truth- 
speaking  people?  4.  Only  remember  that  all  must  be  rooted  in  a  true  gospel 
(ver.  20).  (J.  P.  Gledstone.)  Purpose  : — A  man's  purpose  of  life  should  be  like 
a  river,  which  was  born  of  a  thousand  little  rills  in  the  mountains ;  and  when,  at 
last,  it  has  reached  its  manhood  in  the  plain,  though,  if  you  watch  it,  you  shall  see 
httle  eddies  that  seem  as  if  they  had  changed  their  minds,  and  were  going  back  again 
to  the  mountains,  yet  all  its  mighty  current  flows,  changeless,  to  the  sea.  If  you 
build  a  dam  across  it,  in  a  few  hours  it  will  go  over  it  with  a  voice  of  victory.  If 
tidt'S  check  it  at  its  mouth,  it  is  only  that,  when  they  ebb,  it  can  sweep  on  again  to 
the  ocean.  So  goes  the  Amazon  or  the  Orinoco  across  a  continent — never  losing  its 
way,  or  changing  its  direction  for  the  thousand  streams  that  fall  into  it  on  the  right 
hand  and  on  the  left,  but  only  using  them  to  increase  its  force,  and  bearing  them 
onward  in  its  resistless  channel.  {H.  W.  Beeecher.)  For  the  Son  of  God,  Jesus 
Christ,  which  was  preached  among  you  by  us  .  .  .  was  not  yea  and  nay. — Hearers 
reminded  of  the  theme  of  preachers  : — I.  Paul  was  a  teacher,  but  he  taught  in 
o:;der  to  lead  men  to  the  Great  Teacher.  1.  This  is  peculiar  to  the  Christian 
dispensation.  The  prophets  preached,  but  their  direct  object,  with  the  exception  of 
their  prophecies  of  the  Messiah,  was  not  to  lead  to  another.  This  was  the  case, 
however,  with  John  the  Baptist.  He  preached,  not  concerning  his  own  mission,  but 
the  coming  Christ,  for  whom  he  made  way.  So  Paul  never  set  up  for  being  a 
jnaster,  which  Jesus  had  forbidden,  but  taught  men  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  God's  Son. 


28  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  r 

2.  As  a  teacher,  Christ  surpasses  all  who  came  before  Him,  or  have  followed  Him* 
The  treasures  of  wisdom  and  of  knowledge  are  in  Him ;  the  Spirit  without  measure 
rests  upon  Him ;  He  is  the  Truth.  God  had  rent  His  heavens  to  say  to  men, 
"  Hear  Himi."  Paul  echoed  this.  3.  And  the  true  ministers  of  Christ  imitate  Paul. 
They  do  not  bring  before  you  some  ancient  sage  or  modern  teacher ;  why  should  they 
exhibit  the  portrait  when  they  can  show  you  the  original  ?  And  if  any  of  you  be 
not  learning  of  Him,  learn  of  Him  now.  H.  Paul  was  a  minister,  and  he  ministered 
TO  bring  men  into  sympathy  with  the  priesthood  or  Christ.  1.  He  was  no  priest 
himself,  except  in  the  sense  in  which  he  taught  that  all  Christians  are  priests.  His 
doctrine  was,  that  Christ  had  once  in  the  end  of  the  world  put  away  sin  by  the 
sacrifice  of  Himself.  2.  And  this  was  the  secret  of  his  glorying  in  the  Cross.  Now, 
if  "  the  Son  of  God,  Jesus  Christ,"  died  merely  as  Stephen  died,  why  should  Paul 
glory  in  His  death  ?  3.  And  God's  true  ministers  foUow  Paul  in  this  also.  When 
men  come  to  them  acknowledging  their  sinfulness,  and  craving  pardon  and  absolu- 
tion, they  say,  "  Go  to  God's  High  Priest,  Christ  Jesus."     HI.  Paul  was  a  herald 

AND  AN  AMBASS.tDOR,  AND   HE    PROCLAIMED  THE  SoN    OF    GoD,  JeSUS  ChRIST,  TO  BE  KiNO 

OF  KINGS.  1.  He  taught  subjection  to  earthly  sovereigns  within  a  certain  limit,  but 
in  religious  matters  he  was  subject  to  no  human  potentate  :  he  came  into  collision 
even  with  Peter.  We  are  all  equal  with  reference  to  the  Saviour — "  one  is  your 
Master,  even  Christ,  and  all  ye  are  brethren."  2.  Here  again  God's  true  ministers 
follow  Paul.  They  say  that  the  government  is  on  Christ's  shoulder,  and  that  the 
Son  of  God  is  the  fountain  of  law,  and  of  all  honour.  Let  us  crown  Him  Lord  of 
all — with  our  love,  confidence,  prayers,  obedience,  zeal  and  devotedness.  Con- 
clusion :  1.  God's  chief  gift  is  His  Son.  He  has  given  you  many  precious  things, 
but  there  is  no  gift  hke  that.  2.  You  are  in  the  keeping  of  Christ.  By  trusting  in 
Him  you  have  committed  yourselves  to  Him  ;  He  has  charge  of  your  body,  soul, 
and  spirit.  From  His  hand  you  can  never  be  plucked  by  any  foe,  because  it  is  the 
hand  of  "  the  Son  of  God,  Jesus  Christ."  3.  How  is  it  that  you  do  not  love  Jesus 
Christ  and  trust  Him  more  ?  You  do  not  read  or  think  enough  about  Him.  (S. 
Marti7i.)  In  Him  was  yea> — In  Him  was  yea  : — How  much  is  included  in  the 
word  Yes  !  Upon  that  word,  waiting  for  it,  what  anxious  hearts  have  hung  !  The  soul 
cries  for  certainty  and  satisfaction,  and — I.  Christ  solves  the  problem  or  nature. 
We  are  perplexed  by  "  the  burden  of  the  mystery  "  around  us,  and  yearn  for  its 
solution.  This  yearning  has  borne  witness  and  fruit  in  all  ages.  We  see  this 
especially  in  Hindooism — the  religion  of  the  natural  man— God  without  character, 
consciousness,  will.  And  Hindooism  is  making  its  converts  among  us.  The  myth 
system  of  Strauss,  the  pantheistic  absolute  of  Hegel,  the  Pantheistic  substance  of 
Schelling,  the  idealisation  of  Fichte,  aU  these  systems  have  their  disciples  among 
us.  Nature  answers  no  questions,  resolves  no  doubts ;  she  meets  the  inquisitive 
intelligence  of  man  ;  and  when  these  two  marry,  they  make  a  religion.  But  it  is  a> 
religion  without  motives,  and  without  safeguards.  Now  upon  this  state  of  mind 
Christ  descends,  and  in  Him  is  the  Divine  assurance.  He  says,  "  He  that  hath  seen 
Me,  hath  seen  the  Father."  In  this  personality  God  lifts  the  curtain  from  His 
eternity.  "He"  was  and  "  is  the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,  and  the  express 
image  of  His  person."  As  light  paints  likenesses,  so  that  I  may  have  the  express 
image  of  a  person  I  have  never  seen,  so  Christ  is  the  portrait  of  God.  I  know  God 
is  a  person  and  a  power,  a  conscience  and  a  will,  when  I  am  able  to  believe  in  Jesus. 
There  has  come  no  answer  from  nature,  or  to  nature  ;  but  He  has  come,  and  the  true 
light  shineth.  11.  Christ  reconciles  the  contradictions  of  Scripture.  How  is  it  that 
in  God  is  "no  variableness  nor  shadow  of  turning,"  and  yet  He  hears  and  answers 
prayer?  How  is  it  "  the  pure  in  heart  see  God,  whom  no  man  can  see  "  ?  How  is 
it  that  a  "  man  is  justified  by  faith,"  and  yet  "  by  grace  "  ?  How  is  it  that  God  is 
omnipotent,  and  yet  man  is  spoken  to  as  free  ?  Well,  no  doubt  contradictions  exist, 
but  they  are  explained  in  Him.  Contradictions  may  exist  in  God  even  as  opposite 
parts  exist  in  a  circle,  but  it  is  the  circle  which  explains.  See  men  at  work  on 
opposite  walls  of  a  building,  while  it  grows,  opposite  to  each  other  they  work ;  but 
the  unity  of  the  conception  and  the  labour  is  beheld  in  the  roof.  I  look  on  the 
doctrine  of  God's  grace,  and  man's  responsibility,  they  seem  to  be  in  conflict  with 
each  other ;  so  the  infinity  and  the  eternal  omnipotence  of  God,  and  the  freedom 
and  the  power,  and  the  volition  of  man  ;  but  these  things  become  clearer  to  me  as 
I  see  Jesus.  Hence  He  is  called  the  "  corner-stone  "  ;  the  corner-stone  meets  what 
otherwise  would  never  meet,  reconciles  what  could  not  be  reconciled.  HI.  Jesus 
gives  the  Yes  to  your  most  intense  questions,  as  other  masters  and  consolers 
cannot  give  it.     That  which  is  higher  than  I  am,  and  which  is  satisfied,  should 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  29 

satisfy  me.  Christ's  knowledge,  experience,  love,  and  sympathy,  surely  are  greater 
than  mine;  He  was  satisfied,  and  this  should  satisfy  me.  This  may  be  a  low  ground 
to  occupy,  but  I  can  from  this  climb  far  higher.  I  am  in  sorrow ;  if  I  could  feel 
that  sorrow  had  any  purpose  or  plan,  I  could  bear  it.  I  go  to  Him,  and  I  say, 
"Lord,  is  there  any  plan  in  my  pain  ?  "  and  "  in  Him  is  yea."  "  The  cup  which 
My  Father  hath  given,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ?  "  But,  ah  !  is  there  any  life  beyond 
this  ?  Wast  Thou  satisfied  ?  "  Father,  I  will  that  they  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me 
be  with  Me  where  I  am."  "Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also."  And  salvation! 
may  I  hope,  may  I  trust  Thee  ?  "  Him  that  cometh  unto  Me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast 
out."  Conclusion :  We  read  of  the  disciples,  on  one  of  the  mornings  after  the 
resurrection,  they  saw  Jesus  standing  on  the  shore,  and  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus ; 
but  at  last  they  knew ;  so,  after  wading  through  seas,  and  fires,  and  fogs,  may  it  be 
given  to  us  to  see  Him.  (-E.  Paxton  Hood.)  The  Divine  yea : — The  human  heart 
cries  out  to  God,  and  can  be  at  rest  alone  when  its  mysterious  questions  meet  the 
answering  Yea  !  Eeligion  is  not  imagination,  it  is  revelation.  All  is  still  incertitude 
outside  the  Christ.  I.  There  ake  false  conceptions  concerninq  the  character  of 
God.  1.  For  ages  the  world  had  worshipped  gods  and  goddesses,  whose  ritual  had 
made  even  vice  a  part  of  worship.  The  Pagan  deities  at  the  best  were  coarse  and 
hard  and  cruel.  Christ  came  and  gave  the  true  conception,  "  God  is  love."  2.  If 
His  lips  are  sealed  concerning  much  that  curiosity  might  like  to  know,  His  word  is 
clear  and  convincing  concerning  all  that  we  need  to  know.  II.  There  were 
MISTAKEN  EFFORTS  AFTER  A  DiviNE  LIFE.  Men  had  been  for  ages  trying  their  own 
philosophies  of  goodness !  Multitudes  had  counted  not  health  or  home,  life  or 
beauty,  dear  to  them,  that  they  might  escape  the  taint  of  evil,  and  rise  through 
self-conquest  up  to  God.  But  the  ascetic  economy  of  life  did  not  work  well. 
Eepression  only  drives  life  into  uncongenial  and  unhallowed  channels.  Is  this 
earthly  hfe  from  God  ?  Are  human  interests  Divine  ?  Are  love  and  marriage  from 
God?  Does  He  smile  on  innocent  joys?  How  perfectly  all  this  is  answered  in  the 
Redeemer's  life.  "  I  pray  not  that  Thou  shouldest  take  them  out  of  the  world,"  &c. 
in.  There  were  longings  after  the  fulfilment  op  Divine  promise.  Would  God 
indeed  visit  men  and  bless  them  ?  was  the  problem  alike  of  philosopher  and  saint. 
But  all  the  promises  that  travailed  in  creation  and  history  had  their  birth-hour  in 
the  advent  of  Christ ;  for  all  the  promises  of  God  in  Him  are  Yea,  and  in  Him 
Amen.  I  want  to  know  if  God  indeed  is  love? — if  man  is  indeed  made  for 
immortality  ?  Left  to  the  profoundest  students  of  philosophy,  I  am  in  a  school  of 
Yea  and  Nay.  Now  the  materialist  claims  me  as  dust ;  now  the  poet  permits  me  to 
make  imagery  out  of  an  hereafter.  It  is  only  when  I  come  into  fellowship  with 
Him  who  brought  life  and  immortality  to  Ught  that  I  can  say,  "  In  Him  is  Yea  !  " 
Concerning  the  Divine  beneficence,  God  is  love ;  and  concerning  immortality. 
"  For  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain."  (W.  M.  Statham.)  The  everlasting 
yea : — This  was  Paul's  answer  to  a  charge  of  vacillation.  Jesus  Christ  whom  he 
preached  was  not  cliangeful ;  how  then  could  His  apostle,  so  identified  with  His 
truth  and  with  Himself,  be  changeful  ?  It  might  seem  to  some  a  strange  vindication, 
but  not  to  those  who  felt  in  their  inmost  soul  the  Yea  of  Christ,  and  how  completely 
Paul  was  absorbed  in  that.  The  very  unexpectedness  of  the  application  gives  it 
force.  If  there  is  such  a  connection  between  Jesus  Christ,  and  adherence  to  a  purpose 
as  to  a  journey,  how  closely  connected  must  the  whole  of  a  Christian's  life  be  to  Christ. 
Consider — I.  The  fact  of  Christ's  oneness.  This  is  a  truth  not  of  mere  specula- 
tive interest.  It  has  an  immediate  practical  bearing  upon  our  faith  and  confidence. 
The  conviction,  or  the  feeling  of  it  alone,  gives  rest  to  our  souls.  And  yet  it  is 
precisely  here  that  Christ  seems  to  some  encompassed  with  difficulty.  There  are 
great  contrasts  in  Christ.  1.  He  has  a  side  of  gloom  and  terror,  like  an  Alpine 
precipice,  or  some  gigantic  black  cloud  hiding  sun  and  sky,  and  portending  terrible 
storm ;  and  a  side  gentle  and  soft  and  sweet,  like  a  garden  that  faces  the  sunny 
south  full  of  beauty  and  richest  fruits  are  floating  with  all  delicate  and  balmy 
odours.  Hear  Him  as  He  rolls  out  woe  after  woe  like  peals  of  thunder,  and  then 
follow  Him  as  He  showers  blessings  where  He  goes.  And  yet,  was  it  not  because 
He  was  so  loving  that  He  was  so  stern?  Perfect  love  is  opposed  to  all  that  is 
opposed  to  love.  He  was  not  Yea  and  Nay  because  He  showed  different  sides  to 
different  things.  Had  He  done  otherwise  there  would  have  been  a  surrendering  of 
truth  and  right,  and  therefore  of  love.  (1)  Are  not  nature  and  life  full  of  unities 
which  appear  to  be  contraries  ?  Light  and  darkness,  cold  and  heat  balance  each 
other  and  conduce  to  one  result.  There  is  a  negative  and  a  positive  pole  in 
electricity,  and  it  is  by  combination  of  two  opposite  tendencies  that  the  planets  are 


30  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  i. 

kept  in  their  steady  course  round  the  sun.  (3)  Look  into  the  human  heart  and  you 
will  find  the  same  principle  in  operation.  Love  and  hatred  are  opposites,  and  yet  they 
do  not  destroy  unity  if  the  soul  loves  what  ought  to  be  loved  and  hates  what  ought 
to  be  hated.  Hope  and  fear  are  opposites,  but  are  both  necessarJ^  Does  not 
imagination  need  its  opposite  of  common-sense  to  prevent  it  running  riot,  and 
nothing  more  needs  the  widening  influence  of  imagination  than  strong  common- 
sense.  The  character  of  Christ  embraces  the  like  contrasts,  but  the  oneness  shines 
forth  all  the  more  brightly  from  these  apparent  contradictions.  2.  The  like  is  to  be 
said  of  another  contrast  that  stands  out  in  the  life  of  Christ — that  between  His 
humility  and  His  self-assertion.  Both  are  prominent,  and  both  are  equally  appropriate 
to  the  God-man.  His  humility  was  human,  His  self-assertion  was  Divine,  and 
was  part  of  the  revelation  which  He  had  to  give.  His  is  a  unity  not  formal 
or  studied,  but  natural,  resulting  simply  from  what  He  was.  It  is  a  unity  to 
be  felt,  as  all  unities  must  be,  in  contemplating  the  whole,  and  in  realising  the 
aim  and  meaning  of  the  whole.  H.  The  wealth  and  fulness  of  the  Yea  that 
IS  IN  Christ.  Thomas  Carlyle  speaks  finely  of  the  everlasting  Yea  which  the 
soul  of  man  needs  for  rest.  Can  we  find  anywhere  a  word  so  full  of  substance 
and  welcome  as  Yes  ?  Christ  is  the  everlasting  Yea — the  one  solid,  complete  and 
availing  Yes  to  the  soul  of  man.  The  everlasting  Yea  cannot  be  an  abstract 
truth.  No  truth,  however  sublime,  can  give  the  heart  rest.  The  everlasting  Yea 
must  be  an  infinite  person,  and  yet  one  that  can  come  close  and  near  us ;  must  be 
perfect,  and  yet  His  perfection  genial  and  tender ;  must  bring  God  to  us,  and  bring  our 
souls  to  rest  in  God,  and  there  is  none  but  Christ  does  this.  1.  Christ  is  God's  Yes 
to  us.  Men  have  doubted  whether  the  world  meant  Yes  or  No.  There  are  times 
■when  nature  seems  to  say  Yes— and  other  times  when  man  can  hear  nothing  but  a 
fierce  No.  To  a  whole  class  of  powerful  writers  there  is  no  real  blessing  anywhere. 
Others  find  a  struggle  between  the  Yea  and  Nay,  as  if  the  goodness  at  work  in  the 
universe  were  not  able  to  carry  out  its  purposes  on  account  of  the  opposing  element. 
But  Christ  is  God's  unmistakable  Yes.  He  showed  by  His  miracles  that  all  the 
powers  of  nature  were  wielded  by  love,  and  His  life  and  death  were  the  translating 
of  the  Divine  Yes  into  intelligible  speech,  God  is  love.  2.  Christ  is  God's  Yes  to  us 
by  being  Yes  to  God  for  us.  His  obedience  and  death  was  the  putting  of  a  Yea  in 
the  room  of  our  Nay.  Sin  is  the  saying  No  to  God.  It  is  denial  of  God's  wisdom 
and  love.  It  is  distrust  of  God,  negation  of  His  claims  and  the  setting  up  of  our 
will  in  the  place  of  His.  Hell  is  the  development  of  this  No.  In  the  nature  which 
dishonoured  God  by  saying  No,  Christ  uttered  a  sublime,  uniform,  intense  Yes,  by 
action,  and  suffering,  and  speech.  3.  The  yea  of  positive  truth  is  in  Him.  He 
affirms  :  you  find  little  denial  in  His  words.  The  beatitudes  are  the  most  solid  of 
all  utterances.  The  like  depth  and  breadth  of  affimiation  is  in  the  utterances. 
"  God  is  a  Spirit,"  &c.  "  If  ye  being  evil  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to 
your  children,"  &c.  What  substance  and  wealth  there  is  in  His  promises  and 
invitations.  And  then  think  of  the  solid  grandeur  He  gave  to  the  word  love. 
4.  Jesus  Christ  is  Yes  to  all  the  deepest  longings  and  highest  aspirations  of  the 
heart.  There  is  not  any  momentous  question  to  which  Jesus  has  not  answered 
Yes.  And  this  affirmation  of  Christ  is  uttered  with  clearness  and  certainty. 
On  all  central  subjects  His  language  is  luminous,  reiterated  and  emphatic. 
Conclusion  :  Have  we  taken  Christ's  Yea  to  God  as  our  own  ?  Do  we  accept  it  and 
rejoice  in  it,  and  present  it  to  God  ?  The  proof  and  the  outcome  of  this  will  be  the 
utterance  of  Yea  to  God.  {J.  Leckie,  D.D.)  Christ's  tone  of  decision : — Why  this 
tone  of  decision  and  clearness?  Why  this  pomp  of  definiteness?  Because  the 
Lord  Christ  is  not  a  speculator  but  a  Saviour.  When  the  lifeboat  goes  out  it  does 
not  go  out  to  reason  with  the  drowning  men  but  to  lay  hold  of  them.  When  the  sea 
is  sunny,  when  the  air  is  a  blessing,  then  boats  may  approach  one  another,  and  talk 
to  one  another  more  or  less  merrily  and  kindly,  and  as  it  were  on  equal  terms  ;  but 
when  the  wind  is  alive,  when  the  sea  and  sky  seem  to  have  no  dividing  line,  and 
death  has  opened  its  jaws  to  swallow  up,  as  if  in  a  bottomless  pit,  all  its  prey,  then 
the  lifeboat  says,  "  We  have  not  come  out  here  to  reason  and  to  conjecture  and  to 
bandy  opinions  with  you,  but  to  seize  you  and  save  you."  That  is  what  Christ  has 
come  for.     (J.  Parker,  D.D.) 

Ver  20.  For  all  the  promises  of  God  in  Him  are  yea,  and  in  Him  Amen,  unto  the 
glory  of  God  by  us. — All  the  promises  : — I.  The  dignity  of  the  promises.  They 
are  "  the  promises  of  God."  1.  They  were  each  one  made  by  Him  according  to  the 
purpose  of  His  own  will.      2.  They  are  links  between  His  decrees  and  His  acts; 


CHAP.  I.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  31 

being  the  voice  of  the  decree,  and  the  herald  of  the  act.     3.  They  display  the 
qualities  of  Him  who  uttered  them.     They  are  true,  immutable,  powerful,  eternal, 
&c.     4.  They  remain  in  union  with  God.     After  the  lapse  of  ages  they  are  still 
His  promises  as  much  as  when  He  first  uttered  them.     5.  They  are  guaranteed  by 
the  character  of  God  who  spoke  them.     6.  They  will  glorify  Him  as  He  works  out 
their  fulfilment.     H.  The  range  of  the  promises.     "All  the  promises."     It  will 
be  instructive  to  note  the  breadth  of  the  promises  by  observing  that— 1.  They  are 
found  both  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments ;  from  Genesis  to  Kevelation,  running 
through  centuries   of    time.      2.  They   are   of    both    sorts — conditional   and   un- 
conditional :  promises  to  certain  works,  and  promises  of   an  absolute  order.     3. 
They  are  of  all  kinds  of  things — bodily  and  spiritual,  personal  and  general,  eternal 
and  temporal.     4.  They  continue  blessings  to  varied  characters,  such  as — (1)  The 
Penitent  (Lev.  xxvi.  40-42;  Isa.  Iv.  7,  Ivii.  15  ;  Jer.  iii.  12,  13).     (2)  The  Believing 
(John  iii.  16,  18,  vi.  47  ;  Acts  xvi.  31 ;  1  Pet.  ii.  6).     (3)  The  Serving  (Ps.  xxxvii.  3, 
ix.  40 ;  Prov.  iii.  9,  10  ;  Acts  x.  35).     (4)   The  Praying  (Isa.  xlv.   11. ;  Lam.  iii. 
25  ;  Matt.  vi.  6  ;Psa.  cxlv.  18).     (5)  The  Obeying  (Exod.  xix.  5  ;  Psa.  cxix.  1-3 ;  Isa. 
i.  19).     (6)   The  Suffering    (Matt.  v.  10-12;    Horn.  viii.   17;    1    Pet.   iv.    12-14). 
5.  They  bring  us  the  richest  boons  :  pardon,  justification,  sanctification,  instruc- 
tion, preservation,  &c.     What  a  marvellous  wealth  lies  in  "all  the   promises"! 
III.  The  stability  of  the  promises.     "All  the  promises  in  Him  are  yea,  and  in 
Him  Amen."    A  Greek  word  "  Yea,"  and  a  Hebrew  word  "  Amen,"  are  used  to 
mark  certainty,  both  to  Gentile  and  Jew.     1.  They  are  established   beyond   all 
doubt  as  being  assuredly  the  mind  and  purpose  of  the  eternal  God.     2.  They  are 
confirmed  beyond  all  alteration.     The  Lord  hath  said  "  Amen,"  and  so  must  it  be 
for  ever.     3.  Their  stability  is  in  Christ  Jesus  beyond  all  hazard  ;  for  He  is — 
(1)  The  witness  of  the  promise  of  God.     (2)  The  surety  of  the  covenant.     (3)  The 
sum  and  substance  of  all  the  promises.     (4)  The  fulfilment  of  the  promises,  by 
His  actual  incarnation.  His  atoning  death.  His  living  plea.  His  ascension  power,  &c. 
(5)  The  security  and  guarantee  of  the  promises,  since  all  power  is  in  His  hand  to 
fulfil  them.     IV.  The  result  of  the  promises.     "  The  glory  of  God  by  us."     By 
us.  His  ministers,  and  His  beheving  people,  the  God   of  the   promises   is   made 
glorious.     We  glorify — 1.  His  condescending  love  in  making  the  promise.     2.  His 
power  as  we  see  Him  keeping  the  promise.     3.  Him  by  our  faith,  which  honours 
His  veracity,  by  expecting  the  boons  which  He   has  promised.     4.  Him  in  our 
experience  which  proves  the  promise  true.  Conclusion :  1.  Let  us  confidently  rest  in 
His  sure  word.     2.  Let  us  plead  the  special  promise  applicable  to  the  hour  now 
passing.     (C.  H.  Spurgeon.)         The  promises  : — 1.  A  promise  is  the  antithesis  of  a 
threat.     The  Bible  abounds  in  both.     2.  When  God  more  apparently  guided  the 
courses  of  man  personally,  promises  were  made  to  individual  men.     To  patriarchs, 
prophets,  and  apostles  ;  and  by  such  they  were  upborne  through  trial.     But  when 
this  became  impossible  the  promises  were  made  applicable  to  whole  nations  and 
generations.     3.  Thus  the  Word  of  God  is  filled  with  assurances  of  blessings  as  no 
other  book  is.     Promises  cover  the  whole  period  of  human  life.     They  meet  us  at 
our  birth  ;  they  cluster  about  our  childhood  ;  they  overhang  our  youth  ;  they  go  in 
companies  into  manhood  with  us  ;  they  divide  themselves  into  bands  and  stand  at 
the  door  of  every  possible  experience.     Therefore  there  are  promises  of  God  to  the 
ignorant,  poor,  oppressed,  discouraged,  &c. ;  to  every  affection,  to  every  sphere  of 
duty,  to  all  perils  and  temptations.     There  are  promises  for  joy,  sorrow,  victory, 
defeat,  adversity,  prosperity,  <fec.     Old  age  has  its  garlands  as  full  and  fragrant  as 
youth.     All  men,  everywhere,  and  always — have  their  promises  of  God.     4.  They 
belong  to  mankind.     There  have  been  periods  when,  for  special  and  beneficent 
reasons,  God's  promises  seemed  to  belong  only  to  His  own  people.     5.  And  they 
are  fresh  with  everlasting  youth.      The  stars  never  wear  out ;    the    sun    is   not 
weary  from  the  number  of  years.     The  heaven  and  the  earth,  however,  shall  pass 
away,  but  God's  word  shall  not  pass  away.     6.  Not  one  promise  has  ever  been 
unfulfilled.     There  is  not  a  witness  in  God's  universe  that  can  testify  that  he  has 
leaned  on  a  promise  of  God,  and  that  God  forgot  to  be  gracious  to  him.     I.  What 

ARE   THE    uses   TO   WHICH   WE   ABE   INVITED     TO     PUT    God'S     PROMISES  ?       1.    To     make 

rude  duties  more  attractive.  It  is  affecting  to  see  with  what  tenderness  God  has 
taken  care  of  those  that  no  one  else  cares  for.  How  He  goes  down  to  the  poor, 
and  the  ignorant,  and  the  enslaved.  How  He  goes  down  to  those  that  can  find  no 
motive  for  right  living  in  their  ordinary  experience,  and  says  to  them,  "  Be  faithful, 
if  not  for  the  sake  of  your  master,  then  for  My  sake."  And  once  let  us  know  that 
we  are  serving  One  that  we  love,  and  One  that  loves  us,   and  love  vanquishes 


32  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  i. 

difficulty.  2.  To  fortify  our  faith.  Duty  is  often  surrounded  by  peril  or  hardship, 
and  is  often  apparently  without  adequate  result.  It  is  needful,  therefore,  that 
there  should  be  some  promise  which  shall  assure  us  that  a  perilous  duty  well 
performed  will  bring  down  upon  us  the  Divine  blessing.  You  are  oftentimes 
brought  into  trials  when  it  seems  as  though  everything  would  be  wrecked,  and  the 
world  says,  "Prudence":  experience  says,  "Draw  back";  policy  says,  "Change 
a  little";  and  expediency  says,  "Compromise";  but  the  Word  of  God,  which 
is  yea  and  amen,  says,  "  He  that  will  lose  his  life  for  a  right  principle  shall  save 
it."  And  in  the  end,  when  you  come  to  count  the  wrecks  along  the  shore,  you  will 
find  those  men  who  would  save  their  lives  by  losing  their  principles  are  the  men 
that  have  lost  their  lives.  3.  To  equalise  the  conditions  of  life.  Men  are  of 
different  calibre,  and,  owing  to  this,  men  follow  Christ  in  different  ways.  Now,  if 
a  party  of  men  are  going  to  California  assured  that  each  shall  be  the  possessor,  in 
five  years,  of  one  million  dollars,  the  differences  between  them  are  annihilated 
while  they  are  going  across.  One  may  have  twenty-five  dollars  in  his  pocket, 
another  a  hundred ;  one  may  have  almost  no  conveniences,  and  another  all  that 
heart  could  wish ;  and  yet,  if  they  are  assured  that  in  five  years  they  shall  each 
have  a  million  dollars,  they  do  not  care  for  these  inequalities.  And  let  the 
promises  of  God  rest  on  the  poor  man's  lot,  and  he  forgets  the  inequalities  of  life. 
For  that  man  who  is  ere  long  to  be  crowned  in  eternity  cannot  find  the  road  there 
so  hard  that  he  will  complain  of  it.  4.  To  redeem  secular  life  from  barrenness, 
and  make  it  worth  our  while  to  continue  faithful  to  the  end.  And  while  there  are 
promises  of  God  that  run  through  our  whole  lower  life,  the  promises  grow  broader 
and  deeper  as  you  go  up  to  those  spheres  where  a  man  is  obliged  to  live  by  faith, 
and  above  the  ordinary  affairs  of  life.  So  the  promises  of  God  are  in  proportion  to 
our  exigencies.  11.  What  are  the  obstacles  in  the  wat  of  using  the  promises 
OF  God  ?  1.  We  are  ignorant  of  them.  There  is  many  a  man  that  lives  on  his 
farm  years  and  years  without  knowing  the  different  growths  that  it  produces. 
Many  a  man  is  buried  within  a  yard  of  plants  that,  if  their  healing  properties  had 
been  known,  would  have  saved  his  life.  Many  a  field  is  capable,  if  properly  tilled, 
of  producing  fourfold  as  much  as  it  is  made  to  produce.  God's  Word  is  like  such  a 
field.  There  are  promises  in  it  that  no  man  has  ever  tried  to  find.  There  are 
treasures  of  gold  and  silver  in  it  that  no  man  has  taken  the  pains  to  dig  for. 
There  are  medicines  in  it,  for  the  want  of  a  knowledge  of  which  hundreds  have 
died.  2.  When  men  find  them  they  do  not  know  how  to  use  them.  Tea  was  first 
served  in  England  as  greens.  The  people  rejected  it,  and  thought  it  rather  an 
imposition.  When  potatoes  were  first  introduced  into  Ireland  they  were  rejected 
there,  because  they  did  not  know  how  to  use  them.  And  many  and  many  a  man 
rejects,  or  fails  to  profit  by,  the  promises  of  God's  Word,  because  he  does  not  know 
how  to  gather  them,  and  cook  them,  and  use  them.  8.  We  are  afraid  to  venture  upon 
using  them.  There  is  many  and  many  a  man  that  would  be  afraid  to  trust  himself 
upon  a  single  plank  stretched  across  a  deep  chasm,  though  others  had  walked  over  on 
it  often  without  accident.  There  is  many  a  promise  of  God  that  is  strong  enough 
to  carry  men  across  the  abyss  of  this  life,  but  they  do  not  dare  to  try  it.  In  an 
emergency  the  promises  of  God  are  to  many  men  what  weapons  of  defence  are  to 
a  man  who  does  not  know  how  to  use  them  when  he  finds  that  he  must  fight  for 
his  life.  4.  We  wish  the  result  without  the  fulfilment  of  the  conditions  attached. 
Many  a  child  that  is  promised  a  vacation  on  condition  that  he  will  perform  a 
certain  amount  of  labour,  would  like  the  vacation,  but  does  not  like  the  condition 
on  which  it  is  promised.  So  many  of  the  things  promised  we  would  like  to  steal, 
instead  of  working  for  them.  5.  We  do  not  appropriate  them.  The  promise  of 
"grace  to  help  in  time  of  need"  comes  to  men  thousands  of  times  without 
benefiting  them  for  this  very  reason.  Many  carry  the  promises  as  a  miser  carries 
bank  bills,  the  face  of  which  calls  for  countless  treasures,  but  which  he  does  not 
carry  to  the  bank  for  presentation.  Many  a  man  holds  bills  for  blessings  of  God, 
but  does  not  present  them.  They  enter  upon  a  philosophical  inquiry  as  to  whether 
there  is  a  presumptive  argument  in  favour  of  prayer,  and  whether  God  will  stop  the 
laws  of  nature  for  our  benefit,  or  so  use  them  as  to  fulfil  His  promises  to  us.  But 
the  way  to  employ  a  promise  of  God  is  to  comply  with  its  conditions,  and  then 
wait  for  its  fulfilment.  6.  Many  are  afraid  of  presumption.  Well,  it  may  be 
presumptuous  for  you  to  go  into  a  stranger's  house  without  an  invitation  ;  but  if  a 
man  has  invited  you  to  come  and  see  him  it  is  presumptuous  for  you  not  to  take 
him  at  his  word.  And  to  be  afraid  to  appropriate  the  promises  of  God  is  to  charge 
Him  falsely.     7.  Many  would  like  to  take  the  promises  of  God,  but  they  fear  they 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  33 

may  be  self-deceived.  You  may  be,  but  God  is  not ;  and  therefore  you  may  rest 
upon  the  promises.  8.  There  are  others  that  have  a  fear  about  their  own 
unworthiness  ;  which  is  as  if  a  man  should  advertise  that  he  would  cure  the 
infirmities  of  men  free  of  expense,  and  a  blind  man  should  say,  "I  would  go  to 
this  physician  if  I  were  not  so  blind."  Therefore  plead  the  promises  because  you 
are  sinful ;  the  nature  of  goodness  is  to  relieve  want,  even  though  that  want  be 
founded  on  sin.  9.  Much  of  the  want  of  faith  in  the  promises  comes  from  a 
neglect  on  the  part  of  Christians  to  bear  witness  to  the  fulfilment  of  those 
promises  in  their  own  experience.  There  are  hundreds  of  men  whose  life  God  has 
made  significant  and  memorable,  and  they  have  never  uttered  a  word  about  it  to 
those  around  them.  (H.  W.  Beecher.)  The  proviues,  how  they  become  ours  : — 
I.  "  By  us  "  AS  MINISTERS — publishing,  explaining,  applying  them.  A  promise  ia 
often  like  a  box  of  ointment,  very  precious ;  but  the  fragrance  does  not  fill  the 
room  till  the  preacher  breaks  it.  Or  it  is  like  the  water  that  was  near  Hagar, 
which  she  saw  not  till  God  opened  her  eyes  and  showed  her  the  well.     II.  "By  us  " 

AS   BELIEVERS    REALISING    THE    EXCELLENCY    AND    EFFICACY  OF   THEM   IN  OUR  CHARACTER 

AND  CONDUCT.  It  is  whcn  these  promises  are  reduced  to  experience — when  they 
are  seen  cleansing  us  from  all  filthiness  of  flesh  and  spirit,  making  us  partakers 
of  the  Divine  nature,  leading  us  to  walk  worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith 
we  are  called,  filling  us  with  kindness  and  supporting  us  in  trials— it  is  then 
they  glorify  God  by  us.  (IF.  Jay.)  The  j'rondses  of  God  ; — Note — I.  That 
THEY  ARE  THE  PROMISES  OF  GoD.  Bccausc  they  are  His  promises  they  are 
utterly  incapable  of  any  failure.  "  God  is  not  a  man  that  He  should  lie," 
&c.  In  our  presumptuous  readiness  to  liken  the  Almighty  to  ourselves,  we 
may  imagine  instances  in  which  Divine  promises  have  failed  to  be  accom- 
plished. But — 1.  There  may  have  been  an  incorrect  apprehension  as  to  the 
subject  of  the  promise ;  and  in  the  error  cherished  thereupon,  something  has  been 
imagined  and  expected  which  has  not  been  promised.  The  Jews  misapprehended 
the  meaning  of  prophecies  concerning  the  Messiah.  2.  There  may  have  been 
some  mistake  or  negligence  on  our  part  as  to  the  condition  on  which  the  promise 
was  suspended,  and  the  circumstances  under  which  it  became  actually  due.  8.  The 
time  for  its  accomplishment  may  not  be  fully  come.  For  the  promises  of  God, 
though  sure,  are  not  in  every  instance  designed  for  immediate  fulfilment.     II.  The 

TRUTH    AND    FAITHFULNESS    OF   THESE    PROMISES   AS   RESULTING  FROM  THEIR  CONNECTION 

WITH  Christ.  They  are  "  in  Him  yea,  and  in  Him  Amen,"  as  He  is  the  great 
foundation  of  the  promises.  God  sees  in  Him,  as  our  once  suffering  but  now 
exalted  Mediator,  an  unchangeable  and  everlasting  reason  why  all  His  other 
promises  should  be  fulfilled.  HI.  They  are  "  to  the  glory  of  God  by  us."  1.  In 
the  very  circumstance  of  their  original  annunciation.  2.  As  they  constitute  a  new 
and  separate  manifestation  of  His  own  character  and  attributes.  3.  As  in  that 
very  act  of  faith  by  which  those  promises  are  accepted  and  become  available,  God 
is  glorified  in  that  particular,  in  reference  to  which  His  glory  was,  in  the  first 
instance  of  man's  sin,  insulted  and  invaded.  4.  In  the  accomplishment  of  the 
promises.  5.  As  furnishing,  to  all  who  may  be  interested  in  it,  an  additional 
encouragement  to  exercise  that  faith,  by  means  of  which  the  God  of  the  promises 
is  glorified,  and  the  result  of  which  must  be  the  reiterated  accomplishment  of  the 
same  promise.  Conclusion :  Learn — 1.  The  true  character  of  unbelief.  It  is — ■ 
(1)  Unreasonable.  (2)  Wicked.  2.  The  means  by  which  alone  the  soul  can  rise  to 
the  exercise  of  that  faith  in  the  promises  which  is  required  as  the  condition  of 
their  accomplishment,  and  that  it  is  only  when,  and  in  proportion  as,  we  view  them 
in  their  connection  with  Christ,  that  we  can  so  believe  them  as  to  receive  experi- 
mentally and  savingly  the  benefit  and  comfort  of  them.  (Jonathan  Crowther.) 
All  God's  promises  Yea  in  Christ : — God's  promises  are  His  declarations  of  what  He 
is  willing  to  do  for  men,  and  in  the  very  nature  of  the  case  they  are  at  once  the 
limit  and  inspiration  of  our  prayers.  We  are  encouraged  to  ask  all  that  God 
promises,  and  we  must  stop  there.  Christ  Himself,  then,  is  the  measure  of  prayer 
to  man ;  we  can  ask  all  that  is  in  Him ;  we  dare  not  ask  anything  that  lies 
outside  Him.  How  this  should  expand  our  prayers  in  some  directions,  and  contract 
them  in  others !  We  can  ask  God  to  give  us  Christ's  purity,  simplicity, 
meekness,  and  gentleness,  faithfulness  and  obedience,  victory  over  the  world. 
Have  we  ever  measured  these  things?  Have  we  ever  put  them  into  our 
prayers  with  any  glimmering  consciousness  of  their  dimensions,  any  sense 
of  the  vastness  of  our  request?  Nay,  we  can  ask  Christ's  glory,  His  resurrec- 
tion life   of    splendour   and    incorruption  —  the    image    of    the    heavenly,    God 

3 


34  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  i. 

has  promised  us  all  of  these  things,  and  far  more;  but  has  He  promised  all 
that  we  ask  ?  Can  we  fix  our  eyes  on  His  Son,  as  He  lived  our  life  in  this  world, 
and  remembering  that  this,  so  far  as  this  world  is  concerned,  is  the  measure  of 
promise,  ask  without  any  qualification  that  our  course  here  may  be  free  from  every 
trouble  ?  Had  Christ  no  sorrow  ?  Did  He  never  meet  with  ingratitude  ?  Was  He 
never  misunderstood?  Was  He  never  hungry,  thirsty,  weary?  If  all  God'3 
promises  are  summed  up  in  Him — if  He  is  everything  God  has  to  give — can  we  go 
boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  pray  to  be  exempted  from  what  He  had  to 
bear,  or  to  be  richly  provided  with  indulgencies  which  He  never  knew?  What  if 
all  unanswered  prayers  might  be  defined  as  prayers  for  things  not  included  in  the 
promises — prayers  that  we  might  get  what  God  did  not  get,  or  be  spared  from  what 
He  was  not  spared  ?  The  spirit  of  this  passage,  however,  does  not  urge  so  much  the 
deflniteness  as  the  compass  and  the  certainty  of  the  promises  of  God.  There  are  "  so 
many  "  that  Paul  could  never  enumerate  them,  and  all  of  them  are  sure  in  Christ. 
And  when  our  eyes  are  once  opened  on  Him,  does  not  He  Himself  become,  as  it 
were,  inevitably  the  substance  of  our  prayers  ?  Is  not  our  whole  heart's  desire,  Oh, 
that  I  might  win  Him  !  Oh,  that  He  might  live  in  me,  and  make  me  what  He  is  ! 
Do  we  not  feel  that  if  God  would  give  us  His  Son,  all  would  be  ours  that  we  could 
take  or  He  could  give.  {J.  Denney,  B.D.)  God's  certainties  and  ma,n's  certitudes  : — 
"Yea"  and  "  amen"  are  in  the  A.V.  nearly  synonymous,  and  point  substantially 
to  the  same  thing — viz.,  that  Christ  is,  as  it  were,  the  confirmation  and  seal  of 
God's  promises.  But  the  E. V.  indicates  two  different  things  by  the  "  yea "  and 
the  "amen."  The  one  is  God's  voice,  the  other  is  man's.  When  we  listen  to 
God  speaking  in  Christ,  our  lips  are,  through  Christ,  opened  to  shout  our 
assenting  "Amen"  to  His  great  promises.  Consider — 1.  God's  certainties  in 
Christ.  Of  course  the  original  reference  is  to  the  great  promises  given  in  the 
O.T. ;  but  the  principle  is  good  on  a  wider  field.  In  Christ — 1.  There  is  the 
certainty  about  God's  heart.  Everywhere  else  we  have  hopes,  fears,  guesses, 
inferences.  Nothing  will  make  us  sure  here  but  facts.  We  want  to  see  love  in 
operation  if  we  are  to  be  sure  of  it,  and  the  only  demonstration  of  the  love  of  God 
is  to  witness  it  in  actual  working.  And  you  get  it  where  ?  On  the  Cross. 
"  Herein  is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,"  &c.  2.  In  Him  we  have  the  certainty  of 
pardon.  Every  deep  heart-experience  has  felt  the  necessity  of  having  clear 
knowledge  about  this.  And  the  only  message  which  answers  to  the  needs  of  an 
awakened  conscience  is  the  old-fashioned  message  that  Jesus  Christ  the  Righteous 
has  died  for  us  sinful  men.  All  other  religions  have  felt  after  a  clear  doctrine  of 
forgiveness,  and  all  have  failed  to  find  it.  Here  is  the  Divine  "  Yea !  "  And  on  it 
alone  we  can  suspend  the  whole  weight  of  our  soul's  salvation.  3.  We  have  in 
Christ  Divine  certainties  in  regard  of  life.  We  have  in  Him  the  absolutely  perfect 
pattern  to  which  we  are  to  conform  our  whole  doings.  He  stands  the  Law  of 
our  lives.  We  have  certainties  for  life,  in  the  matter  of  protection,  guidance, 
supply  of  all  necessity,  and  the  like,  garnered  in  Jesus  Christ.  For  He  not  only 
conforms,  but  fulfils,  the  promises  which  God  has  made.  Christ  is  protean,  and 
becomes  everything  to  each  man  that  each  man  requires.  And  in  some  of  those 
sunny  islands  of  the  Southern  Pacific  one  tree  supplies  the  people  with  all  that 
they  need  for  their  simple  wants,  fruit  for  their  food,  leaves  for  their  houses,  staves, 
thread,  needles,  clothing,  drink,  everything — so  Jesus  Christ,  this  Tree  of  Life,  ia 
Himself  the  sum  of  all  the  promises,  and,  having  Him,  we  have  everything  that 
we  need.  4.  In  Christ  we  have  the  Divine  certainties  as  to  the  future,  over  which, 
apart  from  Him,  lie  cloud  and  darkness.  Here  again  a  verbal  revelation  ia 
not  enough.  We  have  enough  of  man's  peradventures.  What  we  want  is  that 
somebody  shall  cross  the  gulf  and  come  back  again.  And  so  we  get  in  the 
Resurrection  of  Christ  the  one  fact  on  which  men  may  safely  rest  their  convictions 
of  immortality.  II.  Man's  certainties,  which  answer  to  Christ's  certainties. 
The  latter  are  in  Christ,  the  former  are  through  Christ.  The  only  fitting  attitude 
for  Christians  in  reference  to  these  certainties  is  that  of  unhesitating 
affirmation  and  joyful  assent.  1.  There  should  be  some  kind  of  correspondence 
between  the  assurance  with  which  we  believe  these  great  truths,  and  the  firmness 
of  the  evidence  upon  which  they  rest.  It  is  a  poor  compliment  to  God  to  come  to 
His  affirmations,  and  to  answer  with  a  hesitating  "  Amen."  Build  rock  upon  rock. 
Be  certain  of  the  certain  things ;  for  it  is  an  insult  to  the  certainty  of  the  revelation 
when  there  is  hesitation  in  the  believer.  The  Christian  verb  is  "  we  know," 
Hot  "  we  hope,  we  calculate,  we  infer,  we  think,"  but  "  we  know."  2.  I  need 
not    speak   about  the  blessedness   of   such  a   calm    assurance,   about  the  need 


CHAP.  I.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  35 

of  it  for  power,  for  peace,  for  effort,  for  fixedness  in  the  midst  of  a  world 
and  age  of  change.  But  I  must  point  to  the  only  path  by  which  that 
certitude  is  attainable.  "  Through  Him  is  the  amen."  He  is  the  Door.  The 
truths  which  He  confirms  are  so  inextricably  intertwined  with  Himself  that 
you  cannot  get  them  and  put  away  Him.  Christ's  relation  to  Christ's  gospel 
is  not  the  relation  of  other  teachers  to  their  words.  You  may  accept  the 
words  of  a  Plato,  whatever  you  think  of  Plato.  But  you  cannot  separate  Christ 
and  His  teaching  in  that  fashion,  and  you  must  have  Him  if  you  are  to  get  it.  3. 
If  thus  we  keep  near  Him  our  faith  will  bring  us  the  present  experience  and 
fulfilment  of  the  promises,  and  we  shall  be  sure  of  them  because  we  have  them 
already.  And  whilst  men  are  asking,  "Do  we  know  anything  about  God?  Is 
there  such  a  thing  as  forgiveness  ?  "  &c.,  we  can  say,  "  One  thing  I  know,  Jesus 
Christ  is  my  Saviour,  and  in  Him  I  know  God,  and  pardon,  and  duty,  and 
sanctifying,  and  safety,  and  immortality ;  and  whatever  is  dark,  this,  at  least,  is 
sun-clear."  Get  high  enough  up  and  you  will  be  above  the  fog ;  and  while  the 
men  down  in  it  are  squabbling  as  to  whether  there  is  anything  outside  the  mist, 
you,  from  your  sunny  station,  will  see  the  far-off  coasts,  and  haply  catch  some 
whiff  of  perfume  from  their  shore,  and  see  some  glinting  of  a  glory  upon  the 
shining  turrets  of  "the  city  that  hath  foundations."  So  live  near  Jesus  Christ, 
and,  holding  fast  by  His  hand,  you  may  lift  up  your  joyful  "Amen  "  to  every  one 
of  God's  "yeas";  and  when  the  Voice  from  Heaven  says  "Yea!"  our  choral 
shout  may  go  up,  "Amenl  Thou  art  the  faithful  and  true  witness."  {A. 
Maclaren,  D.D.) 

Vers.  21,  22.  Now  He  which  stablisheth  us  with  you  iu  Christ,  and  hath 
anointed  us,  is  God. — Establishing  grace  : — I.  The  Christian  needs  not  only 
CONVERTING  BUT  ESTABLISHING  GRACE.  He  that  hath  bcgun  any  good  work  in  us 
must  perfect  it.  The  weakest  with  this  grace  will  stand,  and  the  strongest  without 
it  will  fall.  1.  The  life  of  a  Christian  is  a  perpetual  dependent  life.  He  not 
only  lives  by  faith  in  his  first  conversion,  but  ever  after.  He  depends  upon  God  for 
protection  and  strength  throughout  his  whole  course.  2.  A  Christian,  then,  should 
set  upon  nothing  in  his  own  strength  (1  Sam.  ii.  9).  God  is  all  our  sufficiency 
(Prov.  iii.  6).  What  do  we  but  make  ourselves  gods,  when  we  set  upon  business 
without  invocation  and  dependence  ?  3.  Let  God,  therefore,  have  all  the  glory 
of  our  establishing,  and  depend  on  Him  by  prayer  for  the  same.  As  all 
comes  of  His   mere  grace,   so   let    all   return  to  His  mere  glory  (Psa.  cxv.  1). 

n.   By    WHAT     MEANS    MAY    A    CHRISTIAN    OBT.UN    THIS     STABLISHING     GRACE?      LaboUr 

for  fundamental  graces.  If  the  root  be  strengthened,  the  tree  will  stand 
fast.  1.  Humiliation.  The  foundation  of  religion  is  very  low.  Every  grace 
hath  a  mixture  of  humility,  because  they  are  all  dependencies  on  God.  2. 
Dependence  upon  God,  considering  our  own  insufficiency.  3.  Beg  it  earnestly 
of  God.  Our  strength  in  Him  is  altogether  by  prayer.  Bind  Him,  therefore, 
with  His  own  promise ;  beseech  Him  to  do  unto  thee  according  to  His  good 
word.      (iJ.    Sibbes,   D.D.)         Stability : — I.    The    natural    character    of  man 

WITH    REGARD    TO     STABILITY,    AS    DRAWN    FOR    US    IN    THE    SCRIPTURES.       If    yOU   look 

throughout  the  Scriptures,  you  will  find  instability  stamped  upon  it.  The 
instabiUty  of  the  natural  man  easily  discovers  itself.  His  understanding  is  not 
capable  of  comprehending  the  things  of  God ;  the  natural  affections  of  men  will 
not  embrace  the  things  of  God.  It  follows,  then,  very  obviously  that,  while 
neither  the  understanding  nor  the  affections  take  hold  of  the  things  of  God, 
men  may  put  on  religion  for  a  time,  but  the  corruption  of  their  vitiated  nature 
soon  breaks  out,  ond  they  put  off  the  form  of  godliness  with  as  much  indifference 
as  they  put  it  on.  Thus  did  Saul,  who  seeks  the  Lord  in  his  difficulties,  but  when 
he  receives  no  answer  he  turns  aside  to  enchantments.  But  while  man  is  thus 
unsteady  in  the  pursuit  of  that  which  is  good,  how  determined  is  he  lq  an  evil 
course,  even  when  the  pursuit  of  it  brings  labour  and  toil,  he  makes  light  of  the 
difficulty,  and  presses  forward  (Isa.  Ivii.  10).  Yet  even  in  doing  evil,  man's 
fickleness  betrays  itself.  As  the  sick  man  soon  loathes  one  kind  of  drink,  and  calls  for 
another,  or  when  his  symptoms  are  more  aggravated,  desires  to  be  shifted  from  one 
couch  to  another,  so  the  men  of  this  world  continually  affect  endless  variety  in 
their  gratifications,  finding  no  rest  or  satisfaction  in  any  one  of  them.  Let  not 
any,  therefore,  who  is  stricken  with  a  sense  of  his  own  shameful  instability  in 
everything  good,  draw  back  from  closing  with  the  terms  of  the  gospel,  and  laying 
hold  of  the  immovable  rock  of  ages.    It  was  for  such  Christ  died,  and  such  being 


36  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTBATOR.  [chap,  i 

transformed  by  the  renewing  of  their  mind  He  at  last  fixes  in  the  firmament  of 
eternal  glory.  II.  What  means  God  has  taken  to  coerect  the  natural 
CHARACTER  OF  MAN.  He  has  Ordained  His  own  Son  as  the  ground  and  pillar  of  a 
building  which  shall  be  immovable  for  ever.  But  when  a  man  has  closed  with 
the  Saviour,  is  he  henceforth  delivered  from  all  tendency  to  the  fickleness  ?  Not 
so.  Too  speedily  is  he  tempted  to  break  his  engagement  with  Him.  The 
operation  of  the  third  person  in  the  Godhead  is  necessary  that  the  goodwill  of  God 
towards  His  people  be  not  defeated.  As  the  jeweller  sets  the  precious  diamonds  to 
secure  them,  even  so  God  by  His  Holy  Spirit  secures  those  who  believe  by  finnly 
engrafting  them  into  Christ.  This  operation  of  the  Spirit  is  expressed  in  the  text 
in  three  forms  of  speech.  The  first  figure  is  that  of  anointing.  Now  the  first 
communications  of  the  Spirit,  sweet  and  fragrant  as  they  are  known  to  be,  are  well 
represented  by  the  pouring  out  of  ointment ;  but  as  its  sweet  savour  wastes  after  a 
time,  another  figure  is  employed  to  represent  His  continual  influence,  to  show  that 
the  savour  of  this  ointment  is  not  lost — that  of  sealing  (1  John  ii.  27).  There  is 
something  to  express  sweetness ;  there  is  something,  moreover,  to  express 
perpetuity.  It  may  be  that  your  sweet  experiences,  which  you  felt,  when 
first  you  were  joined  to  the  Lord,  are  gi-eatly  decayed ;  but  God  has  given 
you  something  more  fixed.  He  is  sealing  you  with  His  Holy  Spirit,  and  making 
more  abiding  impressions  upon  your  souls.  The  visible  impressions  of  holiness 
which  are  discernible  in  the  servants  of  Christ,  and  more  especially  after  a  season 
of  trial,  when  after  having  suffered  for  a  while,  they  are  established,  strengthened, 
settled  (1  Peter  v.  10),  are  the  broad  seal  by  which  they  are  known  to  be  His.  The 
apostle  speaks  here  of  another,  a  privy  seal,  "  And  hath  given  the  earnest  of  the 
Spirit  in  our  hearts  "  (ver.  22).  This  is  the  inward  testimony  and  pledge  in  the 
heart  by  which  the  children  of  God  know  that  they  have  been  adopted  into 
His  family.  III.  WHiiT  should  be  the  result  of  the  application  or  these 
MEANS?  If  God's  pui'j)ose  of  love  to  us  in  Christ  be  so  immovably  fixed, 
and  so  continually  testified  by  the  gifts  of  the  anointing,  sealing  Spirit,  the 
earnest  of  our  inheritance,  there  ought  to  be  a  corresponding  purpose  of 
heart  on  our  part  to  cleave  to  Him,  there  should  be  no  halting  between  two 
opinions,  no  lukewarmness,  but  an  entireness  of  devotion  to  Him  (Col.  ii.  6,  7 ; 
Heb.  xiii.  9).  Whatsoever  labours  of  love  you  are  engaged  in  turn  not  back,  break  not 
off  from  tnem  lightly.  (H.  Verschoyle.)  The  anointing  which  establishes : — 
Notice — I.  The  deep  source  of  Christian  steadfastness.  "  Anointing "  is  the 
means  of  "  establishing  " — i.e.,  God  confers  steadfastness  by  bestowing  the  unction 
of  His  Spirit.  1.  Notice  how  deep  Paul  digs  in  order  to  get  a  foundation  for  this 
common  virtue.  (1)  From  beginning  to  end  of  Scripture  "  anointing "  is  the 
symbol  of  the  communication  of  the  Spirit.  Note  the  felicity  of  the  emblem. 
Oil  smoothes  the  surface,  supples  the  limbs,  is  nutritive  and  illuminating,  and  is 
thus  an  appropriate  emblem  of  the  secret,  silent,  quickening,  nourishing, 
enlightening  influences  of  the  Spirit.  (2)  And  inasmuch  as  here  this  oil  of  the 
Divine  Spirit  is  the  true  basis  of  Christian  steadfastness,  the  anointing  cannot  be 
consecration  to  apostolic  or  other  office,  but  must  be  the  possession  of  all  Christians. 
"  Ye,"  says  John,  speaking  to  the  whole  democracy  of  the  Christian  Church,  "  have 
an  unction  from  the  Holy  One."  2.  This  anointing  is  derived  from,  and  parallel 
with,  Christ's  anointing.  The  "Christ"  is  the  Anointed  One.  "He  that 
establisheth  us  with  you  in  the  Anointed,  and  hath  anointed  us,  is  God."  Does  not 
this  mean,  "  Each  of  you,  if  you  are  a  Christian,  is  a  Christ"?  You,  too,  are  God's 
Messiahs.  On  you  the  same  Spirit  rests  in  a  measure  which  dwelt  without 
measure  in  Him,  and  consequently  you  are  bound  to  a  prolongation  of  part  of  His 
function.  Christians  are  prophets  to  make  God  known  to  men,  priests  to  offer  up 
spiritual  sacrifices,  and  kings  over  themselves,  and  over  a  world  which  serves  those 
that  love  God.  3.  It  is  plain,  therefore,  how  this  Divine  unction  lies  at  the  root  of 
steadfastness.  We  talk  a  great  deal  about  the  gentleness  of  Christ ;  but  we  do  not 
sufficiently  mark  the  masculine  features  of  the  Christ  who  "  steadfastly  set  His 
face  to  go  to  Jerusalem,"  and  was  followed  by  that  wondering  group,  astonished  at 
the  rigidity  of  purpose  that  was  stamped  on  His  features.  That  Christ  gives  us 
His  Spirit  to  make  us  inflexible  in  the  pursuit  of  all  that  is  lovely  and  of  good 
report,  like  Himself.  We  are  all  too  like  aneroid  barometers,  that  go  up  and  down 
with  every  variation  of  a  foot  or  two  in  the  level ;  but  if  we  have  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  dwelling  in  us  it  will  cut  the  bonds  that  bind  us  to  the  world,  and  give  us  a 
deeper  love.  The  possession  of  the  Spirit  sets  a  man  on  an  isolating  stool,  and  all 
the  currents  that  move  round  about  him  are  powerless  to  reach  him.    If  we  have 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  37 

that  Spirit  within  us,  it  will  give  us  an  experience  of  the  certitude  and  the 
sweetness  of  Christ's  gospel,  which  will  make  it  impossible  to  "  cast  away  the  confi- 
dence which  has"  such  "recompense  of  reward."  When  storms  are  raging  they  lash 
light  articles  on  deck  to  holdfasts.  Let  us  lash  ourselves  to  the  abiding  Christ,  and 
we,  too,  shall  abide.  II.  The  aim  or  pukpose  of  this  Christian  steadfastness. 
"  He  stablisheth  us  with  you  "  into  or  "  unto  Christ."  Our  steadfastness,  made 
possible  by  our  possession  of  the  Spirit,  is  steadfastness — 1.  In  our  relation  to  Jesus 
Christ.  What  Paul  here  means  is — (1)  A  fixed  conviction  of  the  truth  that  He  is 
the  Christ,  the  S6n  of  God,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  and  my  Saviour.  (2)  In 
regard  to  Christ  of  our  trust  and  love.  He  loves  ever ;  we  therefore  should  be 
steadfast  in  our  answering  love  to  Him.  (3)  Habitual  obedience,  which  is  always 
ready  to  do  His  will.  So  we  answer  Him  "  Yea  !  "  with  our  "  Amen  !  "  and  having 
an  unchanging  Christ  to  rest  upon,  rest  upon  Him  unchanging.  "  Be  ye  steadfast, 
immovable,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord."  2.  Such  steadfastness  has 
for  itsjresult  a  deeper  penetration  into  Christ  and  a  fuller  possession  of  Him.  The 
only  way  by  which  we  can  grow  nearer  to  our  Lord  is  by  steadfastly  keeping  beside 
Him.  You  cannot  get  the  spirit  of  a  landscape  unless  you  sit  down  and  gaze,  and 
let  it  soak  into  you.  You  cannot  get  to  know  a  man  until  you  live  with  him.  "  As 
the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  except  it  abide  in  the  vine,  no  more  can  ye  except  ye 
abide  in  Me."  III.  The  very  humble  and  commonplace  sphere  in  which  the 
Cheistian  steadfastness  manifests  itself.  It  was  nothing  of  more  importance 
than  that  Paul  had  said  he  was  going  to  Corinth  and  did  not,  on  which  he  brings 
all  this  array  of  great  principles  to  bear.  The  highest  gifts  of  God's  grace  and 
the  greatest  truths  of  God's  Word  are  meant  to  regulate  the  tiniest  things  in  our 
daily  life.  It  is  no  degradation  to  the  lightning  to  have  to  carry  messages.  It  is 
no  profanation  of  the  sun  to  gather  its  rays  into  a  burning-glass  to  light  a  kitchen 
fire  with.  And  it  is  no  unworthy  use  of  the  Divine  Spirit  to  say  it  will  keep  a  man 
from  precipitate  decisions  as  to  little  things  in  life,  and  from  changing  about 
without  a  sufticient  reason.  If  your  religion  does  not  influence  the  trifles,  what 
is  it  going  to  influence?  Our  life  is  made  up  of  trifles.  If  your  religion 
does  not  influence  the  little  things,  it  will  never  influence  the  big  ones. 
•'  He  that  is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least  is  faithful  also  in  much."  2.  And  you 
can  do  no  good  in  the  world  without  steadfastness.  Unless  a  man  can  hold  his 
own,  and  turn  an  obstinate  negative  to  temptation,  he  will  never  come  to  any  good 
at  all,  either  in  this  life  or  in  the  next,  and  there  is  only  one  infallible  way  of 
doing  it,  and  that  is  to  let  the  "  strong  Son  of  God  "  live  in  you,  and  in  Him  to  find 
your  strength  for  resistance,  for  obedience,  for  submission.  (A.  Maclaren,  D.D.) 
The  Divine  anointing  : — Messiah  signifies  "  anointed."  Our  nature  is  enriched  in 
Christ  with  all  graces.  "  He  is  anointed  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  his  fellows  " 
that  we  might  have  a  spring  of  grace  in  our  own  nature,  for  "  of  His  fulness  we 
receive  grace  for  grace."  I.  Wh.\t  ake  those  graces  which  we  receive  from  Christ's 
FULNESS?  1.  The  grace  of  favour  and  acceptance;  for  the  same  love  that  God 
bears  to  Christ,  He  bears  to  all  His,  though  not  in  so  high  a  degree.  2.  The  grace 
of  sanctification,  answerable  to  the  grace  of  sanctification  in  Him.  3.  The  rich 
privileges  and  prerogatives  that  issue  to  persons  sanctified.  II.  Why  is  it  called 
here  an  anointing?  Because,  as  the  holy  anointing  (Exod.  xxx.  31-33),  was  not 
to  be  applied  to  profane  uses,  so  neither  are  the  graces  of  the  Spirit  to  be  under- 
valued. III.  What  are  the  virtues  of  this  ointment  ?  1.  It  hath  a  cherishing 
power ;  it  revives  the  drooping  soul,  and  cheers  a  fainting  spirit.  2.  It  hath  a 
strengthening  power.  It  makes  our  limbs  vigorous.  So  doth  grace  fortify  the 
soul.  3.  Ointment  doth  excellently  delight  and  refresh  our  spirits  (John  xii.  3). 
So  grace  is  a  wondrous  sweet  thing,  and  that  which  makes  a  man  sweet  is  grace. 
This  cures  our  spiritual  distempers,  beautifying  the  inner  man,  and  making  the 
whole  frame  of  a  Christian's  carriage  sweet  and  delectable — (1)  To  God,  who 
loves  the  scent  of  His  own  grace,  wheresoever  He  finds  it.  (2)  To  angels  (Luke 
XV.  10).  (3)  To  the  Church.  So  far  as  a  man  is  gracious,  he  improves  his 
abilities  to  glorious  uses.  Grace  is  offensive  to  none  but  to  wicked  men.  4. 
An  ointment  consecrates  persons  to  holy  uses.  Anointed  persons  are  raised 
above  the  ordinary  rank.  The  graces  of  God's  Spirit  elevate  men  above  the 
condition  of  others  with  whom  they  live.  (Psa.  cv.  15).  5.  An  ointment  is  a  royal 
liquor.  So  the  graces  of  God's  Spirit,  where  they  are,  will  be  uppermost,  they  will 
guide  and  govern  all.     {R.  Sibbes,  D.D.) 

Ver.  22.  Who  hath  also  sealed  us,  and  given  the  earnest  of  the  Spirit  in  our 


38  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  i. 

hearts. — Sealing  of  the  Spirit: — What  are  we  to  understand  by  the  sealing  of  the 
Spirit?  It  is  that  act  of  the  Holy  Spirit  by  which  the  work  of  grace  is  deepened 
in  the  heart  of  the  believer,  so  that  he  has  an  increasing  conviction  of  his  acceptance 
in  Jesus  and  his  adoption  into  the  family  of  God.  1.  It  is  sometimes  a  sudden  work 
of  the  Spirit.  A  soul  may  be  so  deeply  sealed  in  conversion,  may  receive  such  a 
vivid  impression  of  Divine  grace,  as  it  never  afterwards  loses.  2.  But  in  most  cases 
the  sealing  of  the  Spirit  is  a  more  gradual  work.  It  is  a  work  of  time.  There  are, 
then,  degrees,  or  progressive  stages,  of  the  Spirit's  sealing.  (1)  The  first  impression 
is  made  in  regeneration.  This  is  often  faint,  and  in  numerous  cases  scarcely  per- 
ceptible. The  first  impression  is  as  much  the  work  of  the  Spirit  as  any  deeper  one 
in  after  years.     Let  not  the  weak  behever  undervalue  what  God  has  done  for  him. 

(2)  But  a  yet  deeper  impression  of  the  seal  is  made  when  the  believer  is  led  more 
fully  into  the  realisation  of  his  sonship,  when  he  attains  to  the  blessed  sense  of 
the  "  adoption  of  children."  Oh,  what  an  impression  is  then  left  upon  his  heart, 
when  aU  his  legal  fears  are  calmed,  when  all  his  slavish  moanings  are  hushed ! 

(3)  In  the  process  of  sanctified  affliction  the  soul  often  receives  a  fresh  and  a  deep 
impress  of  the  seal  of  the  Spirit.  The  furnace  works  wonders  for  a  beUever.  The 
hour  of  affliction  is  the  hour  of  softening.  Job  bore  this  testimony :  "  He  maketh 
my  heart  soft."  Let  it  not,  then,  be  forgotten  that  an  afflicting  time  is  often  a 
sealing  time.  We  would  remark,  in  this  connection  of  the  subject,  that  the  sealing 
of  the  Spirit  does  not  always  imply  a  rejoicing  frame.  It  is  not  necessarily  accom- 
panied by  great  spiritual  joy.     I.  It  is  the  duty  ahd  pbtvilege  of  every  BELtEVEB 

DILIGENTLY   AND   PRAYERFULLY   TO    SEEK   THE    SEALING   OF   THE  SPIRIT.       He  restS  short 

of  his  great  privilege  if  he  slights  or  undervalues  this  blessing.  Be  not  satisfied 
with  the  faint  impression  which  you  receive  in  conversion.  In  other  words,  rest 
not  contented  with  a  past  experience.  II.  Again,  I  remark,  this  blessing  is  only 
FOUND  IN  THE  WAY  OF  God's  APPOINTMENT.  He  has  ordaiucd  that  prayer  should  be 
the  great  channel  through  which  His  covenant  blessings  should  flow  into  the  soul. 
(0.  Winsloio,  D.D.)  The  sealing  of  the  Spirit : — Christ  is  the  first  sealed  (John  vi. 
27).  God  hath  distinguished  Him,  and  set  a  stamp  upon  Him  to  be  the  Messiah 
by  the  graces  of  the  Spirit.  Christ  being  sealed  Himself,  He  sealed  all  that  He 
did  for  our  redemption  with  His  blood,  and  hath  added  for  the  strengthening  of  our 
faith  outward  seals — the  sacraments — to  secure  His  love  more  firmly  to  us.  But  in 
this  place  another  manner  of  sealing  is  to  be  understood.  I.  What  is  the  manner 
OF  OUR  SEALING  BY  THE  SpiRiT?  Sealing,  wc  know,  hath  divers  uses.  1.  It  imprints 
a  likeness  of  him  that  seals.  When  the  king's  image  is  stamped  upon  the  wax, 
everything  in  the  wax  answers  to  that  in  the  seal.  So  the  Spirit  sets  the  stamp 
of  Christ  upon  every  true  convert.  There  is  no  grace  in  Christ  but  there  is  the 
like  in  every  Christian  in  some  measure.  2.  It  distinguishes.  Sealing  is  a  stamp 
upon  one  thing  among  many.  It  distinguisheth  Christians  from  others.  8.  It 
serves  for  appropriation.  Men  seal  those  things  that  are  their  own.  So  God 
appropriates  His  own  to  show  that  He  hath  chosen  them  for  Himself  to  delight 
in.  4.  It  serves  to  make  things  authentic,  to  give  authority  and  excellency. 
The  seal  of  the  prince  is  the  authority  of  the  prince.  This  gives  validity  to  things, 
answerable  to  the  dignity  and  esteem  of  him  that  seals.  H.  What  is  the  stamp 
THAT  the  Spirit  seals  us  withal  ?  III.  How  shall  we  know  that  there  is  such 
A  spiritual  sealing  in  us?  (R.  Sibbes,  D.D.)  The  seal  and  earnest  of  the  Sjnrit: — 
I.  God  hath  sealed  us  by  His  Spirit.  Seals  are  employed — 1.  To  authenticate  a 
document  or  confirm  it  as  genuine  (1  Kings  xxi.  8 ;  Esther  iii.  12).  So  by  the 
Spirit  the  believer  has  the  assurance  that  he  is  a  genuine  disciple  of  Christ 
(Rom.  viii.  16).  The  Christian  knows  that  the  Holy  Ghost  has  been  exerting  His 
agency  within  him  when  he  perceives  that  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  has  begun  to  make 
its  appearance  in  him.  2.  As  a  mark  to  distinguish  property.  We  have  something 
like  it  in  the  trade  marks  of  the  manufacturer,  and  in  the  broad  arrow,  which 
indicates  that  the  thing  so  stamped  is  the  property  of  the  Government.  In  ancient 
times  the  servants,  cattle,  and  goods  of  a  rich  man  were  distinguished  by  his  seal. 
In  like  manner  believers  are  recognised  as  the  property  of  God  by  the  seal  of  the 
Spirit.  And,  as  sometimes  a  seal  has  an  obverse  and  reverse  side,  so  is  it  in  the 
case  of  believei's.  On  the  hidden  side,  visible  only  to  Jehovah,  is — "  The  Lord 
knoweth  them  that  are  His  "  ;  on  the  other  side,  where  all  men  may  read  it,  there 
is — "  Let  him  that  nameth  the  name  of  Christ  depart  from  iniquity."  When  the 
coinage  of  a  country  has  worn  thin  and  light,  so  that  no  one  can  see  the  image  or 
RiTperscription,  it  is  called  in,  reminted,  and  sent  forth  anew,  with  a  distinct  im- 
pression from  the  original  die.    And  so,  when  our  Christian  characters  are  rubbed 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  39 

down  by  the  abrasion  of  the  world  to  such  an  extent  that  the  image  of  the  Lord 
in  us  has  been  well-nigh  effaced,  there  is  need  to  submit  to  the  reminting  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  that  we  may  come  foi-th  anew  and  bear  unmistakable  witness  to  Christ's 
property  in  us.  3.  As  a  means  of  security.  Thus  the  stone  laid  at  the  mouth  of 
the  den  into  which  Daniel  was  thrust  was  sealed  with  the  king's  signet,  &c. ;  and 
when  Jesus  was  laid  in  the  grave  the  Jews  made  the  sepulchre  sure,  "  sealing  the 
stone  and  setting  a  watch."  In  like  manner  believers  are  kept  secure  in  the  world 
by  the  seal  of  the  Spirit.  The  reference  here  is  not  to  God's  almighty  protection, 
nor  to  the  ordering  of  His  all-wise  providence,  but  to  the  characteristics  and  habits 
which  are  acquired  by  the  believer  through  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
Christian's  graces  are  his  armour  also.  Our  security  is  perfect,  and  yet  it  is  not 
without  our  own  exertions,  for  it  is  effected  by  the  constant  manifestation  by  us 
of  the  qualities  which  are  formed  and  fostered  in  us  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  H.  God 
HATH  GIVEN  US  THE  EARNEST  OF  THE  Si'iRiT.  The  term  is  borrowcd  from  a  custom 
in  connection  with  the  transfer  of  property,  when  the  buyer  received  a  small  in- 
stalment at  once  as  a  sample  of  it,  and  as  a  pledge  of  full  delivery.  So,  when  the 
Spirit  in  our  hearts  is  styled  an  earnest,  we  have  implied — 1.  That  the  fruit  of  the 
Spirit  which  we  here  enjoy  is  the  same  in  kind  with  the  blessedness  of  heaven. 
2.  That  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  a  pledge  that  the  full  inheritance  of  heaven  shall 
yet  be  ours.  "  He  who  hath  begun  a  good  work  in  us  will  perform  it  until  the  day 
of  Jesus  Christ."  This  is  not  quite  the  same  as  the  security  suggested  by  the  seal. 
That  was  the  pledge  that  we  should  be  kept  for  heaven ;  this  is  an  assurance  that 
heaven  shall  be  ours.  Conclusion :  I  come  to-day  as  the  spies  came  to  Kadesh- 
barnea,  with  the  Eshcol  cluster  of  grapes  as  a  sample  of  the  products  of  the  goodly 
land  which  they  had  been  to  see.  Beware  how  ye  receive  our  report.  Remember 
what  happened  to  the  tribes  when  they  refused  to  go  up  and  possess  the  land,  and 
"  take  heed  lest  ye  fall  after  the  same  example  of  unbelief."  (IF.  BI.  Taylor,  D.D.) 
The  sealing  Spirit : — I.  St.  Paul  reminds  us  of  our  peculiar  obligation  to  the  Spirit 
by  pointing  to  one  of  the  primary  ch.uiacteristics  or  His  work.  "  Sealed  "  by 
His  indwelling  witness,  and  that  not  for  a  favoured  moment  only,  but  "  unto  the 
day  of  redemption."  This  custom,  on  which  the  Bible  metaphor  rests,  of  sealing 
letter,  decree,  edict,  or  title  of  possession,  came  fi'om  the  East,  and  is  of  obvious 
significance.  It  gives  validity,  assurance,  legal  effect  to  contract,  declaration,  or 
title-deed,  and  affinns  proprietorship  over  the  things  upon  which  it  is  carried  out. 
With  the  spread  of  education  the  personal  signature  comes  to  take  the  place  of  the 
old-fashioned  seal.  Some  years  ago  a  bundle  of  unsigned  Bank  of  England  notes 
was  stolen.  A  note  without  that  signature  at  the  bottom,  familiar  to  most  of  us, 
would  be  valueless.  Religious  life,  endeavour,  relationship,  anticipation,  borrow 
force  and  validity  from  the  sealing  of  the  Spirit.  The  intermediate  position  in 
the  religious  history  of  God's  saved  people  into  which  Paul  puts  this  act  of  sealing 
clearly  indicates  its  nature  and  purport.  Whilst  a  solitary  believer  slumbers  in 
the  sepulchre,  Christ  looks  upon  His  inheritance  as  but  incompletely  redeemed. 
It  is  till  Christ's  power  has  wrought  through  its  last  redemptive  cycle  and  undone 
the  i-emotest  disaster  of  sin  that  the  Spirit  seals  us.  "  Sealed  unto  the  day  of 
redemption."     II.  This  sealing  by  the  Spirit  implies  that  the  reconciliation  tk 

which  we  are    so    DEEPLY   INTERESTED   IS    MORE    OR    LESS    SECRET    AND   UNSEEN.      After' 

long  and  anxious  debate,  the  terms  of  peace  between  two  belligerent  powers  are 
fixed.  But,  pending  the  formal  ratification  of  the  treaty,  and  possibly  for  some 
time  after,  the  contending  parties  occupy  the  same  positions  on  the  field.  You 
can  scarcely  predicate  the  cessation  of  hostilities  from  what  meets  the  eye.  But 
to  the  commanders  on  either  side  the  message  has  passed  along  the  wires,  and  the^ 
genuineness  of  the  message  is  vouched  for  by  the  cypher  in  which  it  is  sent.  When' 
the  children  begin  to  play  about  the  homesteads,  the  peasants  to  till  the  hillsides,, 
the  nightingales  to  sing  in  the  myrtle  bush,  the  golden  crops  to  sway  in  the  warm 
winds,  and  the  church  bells  to  chime  again  through  the  valleys,  there  will  be  no 
need  to  prove  the  reality  of  the  peace  by  the  seal  or  official  announcement  of  the 
fact.  It  will  be  then  proved  by  every  sight  and  sound  and  movement  within  the 
horizon.  For  the  present  our  personal  reconciliation  to  God  is  an  unseen  fact, 
and  is  only  attested  by  the  indwelling  Spirit  which  seals  us.  The  heritage  has 
not  been  fully  and  finally  released  and  redeemed.  The  law  yet  seems  to  rumble 
with  ominous  curses.  Nature  often  seems  hostile  in  the  last  degree.  We  are  left 
under  conditions  that  sometimes  suggest  that  awful  and  hopeless  war  is  still  going 
on,  and  yet  the  peace  has  been  secretly  sealed  and  its  conditions  ratified.  One 
day  the  last  thunder  will  have  rolled  itself  into  silence,  the  last  bolt  have  hurtled. 


40  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  i. 

through  the  air,  the  last  hostile  footstep  be  gone,  and  the  stormless  peace  of  eternity 
hide  us  in  its  sacred  wings.     The  seal  will  then  be  needless.     III.  This  seahng 

DECLARES   THE   RELATIONSHIP  OF  DIGNITY  AND   PRIVILEGE  WE    SUSTAIN  BEFORE  GOD.       In 

Oriental  life  the  seal  is  necessary  to  accredit  a  man  to  the  office  his  master  may 
have  bestowed  upon  him.  The  messenger  of  the  throne  is  recognised  by  the 
imperial  seal  he  bears.  When  he  has  fulfilled  his  term  of  office,  let  him  go  back 
to  the  palace,  stand  amidst  its  fabulous  splendours,  and  move  to  and  fro  beneath 
the  eye  of  his  imperial  master,  and  there,  at  the  centre  of  government  once  more, 
he  will  no  longer  need  the  seal,  as  a  personal  credential  at  least.  His  dignity  is 
recognised  and  promptly  acknowledged  on  all  sides.  The  seal  is  indispensable 
when  he  has  to  cross  the  mountains  or  sail  up  unknown  rivers,  and  go  into  districts 
where  he  must  deal  with  semi-aliens.  And  it  is  whilst  we  pass  as  strangers  and 
pilgrims  through  the  earth  that  we  need  the  seal  which  attests  our  true  standing 
before  God.  Our  majesty  is  obscured,  our  bodies  are  inglorious  and  subject  to 
decay,  and  our  garments  torn  and  stained  with  travel.  The  world  knows  us  not, 
as  it  knew  not  God's  greatest  Son.  IV.  This  sealing  marks  out  the  behever  as  the 
SUBJECT  OF  A  SPECIFIC  PROVIDENTIAL  CARE.  In  this  scnse  was  it  that  circumcision 
stood  to  the  Jews  both  for  a  sign  and  a  seal.  The  rite  proclaimed  God's  special 
proprietorship  over  the  nation,  and  singled  out  its  separate  members  for  such  defence, 
tender  oversight,  strenuous  protection  as  a  father  exercises  over  the  little  ones  of 
his  family.  V.  The  seal  is  a  token  of  proprietorship.  You  watch  a  ship  as  it 
is  being  loaded  for  a  voyage,  and  amongst  other  cargo  notice  a  number  of  boxes 
bearing  a  significant  seal.  These  are  not  stowed  away  in  the  hold,  like  consign- 
ments of  common  goods,  but  are  taken  to  some  place  where  they  will  be  constantly 
watched  by  the  reponsible  officers  of  the  ship.  The  chests  are  chests  of  sealed 
treasure.  Should  the  ship  spring  a  leak  and  be  endangered,  after  the  safety  of 
of  the  passengers  has  been  provided  for,  these  sealed  chests  will  be  the  first  things 
to  be  put  into  the  lifeboats.  The  seal  marks  them  out  for  special  care  and  defence, 
and  whatever  human  vigilance,  foresight,  and  valour  can  do  will  be  done  to  deliver 
them  to  the  consignees.  And  so  with  that  sealing  of  the  Spirit  affixed  to  sincere 
believers  in  Jesus  Christ.  They  are  subject  to  the  same  risks,  vicissitudes,  and 
temptations  as  other  men ;  but  all  that  God's  power  can  do  to  help  and  deliver 
them  shall  be  done.  This  special  sealing  marks  out  body  and  soul  alike  for  God's 
special  possession  and  guardianship.  VI.  This  sealing  goes  on  to  mark  out  those 
who  receive  it  as  the  types  of  a  pure  and  incorruptible  life.  God  seals  us  for 
our  humbler  vocation  no  less  infalhbly  than  He  sealed  the  only-begotten  Son.  He 
is  incapable  of  the  folly  of  sending  into  a  disloyal,  suspicious,  and  sense-ridden 
world  an  unsealed  servant  and  message-bearer.  And  by  the  holy  fruit  which 
appears  in  our  lives,  the  world,  if  it  be  not  altogether  thoughtless  and  unteachable, 
■will  be  compelled  sooner  or  later  to  see  that  we  are  of  God.  The  Holy  Spirit  is 
ever  working  a  continuous  transformation  and  ennoblement  within  us  which  is  the 
distinctive  mark  of  the  children  of  the  kingdom.  When  we  shall  have  come  to 
bear  in  our  transfigured  flesh  the  power  and  potency  of  all  Divine  qualities,  this 
sealing  will  be  needless.  Till  that  day  of  perfect  redemption  dawns  we  cannot 
afford  to  despise  this  high  signature.  "Sealed  unto  the  day  of  redemption" — 
sealed  for  our  own  assurance,  and  also  for  a  witness  to  the  world.  (T.  G.  Selby.) 
The  seal  and  earnest : — The  three  metaphors  in  this  and  ver.  21 — "  anointing," 
"  sealing,"  and  "  giving  the  earnest" — 1.  All  refer  to  the  same  subject — the  Divine 
Spirit.  2.  All  refer  to  one  and  the  same  act.  They  are  three  aspects  of  one  thing, 
just  as  a  sunbeam  might  be  regarded  either  as  the  source  of  warmth,  or  of  light, 
or  of  chemical  action.  3.  All  declare  a  universal  prerogative  of  Christians.  Every 
man  that  loves  Christ  has  the  Spirit  in  the  measure  of  his  faith.  Note : — I.  The 
"  SEAL  "  OF  THE  Spirit.  A  Seal  is  impressed  upon  a  recipient  material,  made  soft 
by  warmth,  in  order  to  leave  there  a  copy  of  itseK.  1.  The  effect  of  the  Divine 
indwelling  is  to  mould  the  recipient  into  the  image  of  the  Divine  inhabitant.  There 
is  in  the  human  spirit  a  capacity  of  receiving  the  image  of  God.  His  Spirit,  enter- 
ing into  a  heart,  will  there  make  that  heart  wise  with  its  own  wisdom,  strong  with 
its  own  strength,  gentle  with  its  own  gentleness,  holy  with  some  purity  of  its  own. 
2.  There  are,  however,  characteristics  which  are  not  so  much  copies  as  correspon- 
dences— i.e.,  just  as  what  is  convex  in  the  seal  is  concave  in  the  impression,  and 
vice  versa,  so,  when  that  Spirit  comes  into  our  spirits,  its  promises  will  excite  faith, 
its  gifts  will  breed  desire ;  yearning  love  will  correspond  to  the  love  that  longs  to 
dispense,  emptiness  to  abundance,  prayers  to  promises;  the  cry,  "Abba  !  Father!  " 
to  the  word,  "  Thou  art  My  Son."    3.  Then,  mark,  the  material  is  made  capable 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  41 

of  receiving  the  stamp,  because  it  is  warmed  and  softened — i.e.,  my  faith  must 
prepare  my  heart  for  the  sanctifying  indwelling  of  that  Divine  Spirit.  God  does 
not  do  with  man  as  the  coiner  does  with  his  blanks — put  them  cold  into  a  press, 
and  by  violence  from  without  stamp  an  image  upon  them ;  but  He  does  as  men 
do  with  a  seal — warms  the  wax  first,  and  then,  with  a  gentle,  firm  touch,  leaves 
the  likeness  there.  4.  This  aggregate  of  Christian  character  is  the  true  sign  that 
we  belong  to  God,  as  the  seal  is  the  mark  of  ownership.  I  believe  that  Christian 
people  ought  to  have  a  consciousness  that  they  are  God's  children,  for  their  own 
peace  and  rest  and  joy.  But  you  cannot  use  that  in  demonstration  to  other  people. 
The  two  things  must  go  together.  Be  very  sure  that  your  happy  consciousness 
that  you  are  Christ's  is  verified  to  yourself  and  to  others  by  a  plain  outward  life 
of  righteousness  like  the  Lord's.  Have  you  got  that  seal  stamped  upon  your  lives 
like  the  hall-mark  that  says,  "  This  is  genuine  silver,  and  no  plated  Brummagem 
stuff "  ?  And  is  it  woven  into  the  whole  length  of  your  being  like  the  scarlet  thread 
that  is  spun  into  every  Admiralty  cable  as  a  sign  that  it  is  Crown  property  ?  5. 
This  sealing,  which  is  thus  the  token  of  God's  ownership,  is  also  the  pledge  of 
security.  A  seal  is  stamped  in  order  that  there  may  be  no  tampering  with  what  it 
seals— that  it  may  be  kept  safe  from  thieves  and  violence.  And  our  true  guarantee 
that  we  shall  come  at  last  to  heaven  is  present  likeness  to  the  indwelling  Spirit. 
The  seal  is  the  pledge  of  security  just  because  it  is  the  mark  of  ownership.  When, 
by  God's  Spirit  dwelling  in  us,  we  are  led  to  love  the  things  that  be  fair,  and  to 
long  after  more,  that  is  like  God's  hoisting  His  flag  upon  a  newly-annexed  territory. 
And  is  He  going  to  be  so  careless  in  the  preservation  of  His  property  as  that  He 
will  allow  it  to  slip  away  from  Him?  But  no  man  has  a  right  to  rest  on  the 
assurance  of  God's  saving  him  into  the  heavenly  kingdom  unless  He  is  saving  him 
at  this  moment  from  the  devil  and  his  own  evil  heart.  11.  The  eaknest  of  the 
Spirit.  1.  It  is  the  guarantee  of  the  inheritance.  (1)  The  experiences  of  the 
Christian  life  here  are  plainly  immortal.  The  resurrection  of  Christ  is  the  external 
proof  ;  the  facts  of  the  Christian  life  are  the  inward  proofs  of  a  future  life.  How- 
soever much  we  may  say  we  believe  in  a  future  life  and  in  a  heaven,  we  really 
grasp  it  in  the  proportion  in  which  here  we  are  living  in  direct  contact  with  God. 
What  have  faith,  love,  fellowship  with  God,  to  do  with  death  ?  They  cannot  be 
cut  through  with  the  stroke  that  destroys  physical  life,  any  more  than  you  can 
divide  a  sunbeam  with  a  sword.  (2)  All  the  results  of  the  Divine  Spirit's  sealing 
of  the  soul  manifestly  tend  towards  completeness.  The  engine  is  clearly  working 
only  half-speed.  Those  powers  in  the  Christian  man  can  plainly  do  a  great  deal 
more  than  they  ever  have  done  here,  and  are  meant  to  do  a  great  deal  more.  The 
road  evidently  leads  upwards,  and  round  that  sharp  corner,  where  the  black  rocks 
come  so  near  each  other  and  our  eyesight  cannot  travel,  we  may  be  sure  it  goes 
steadily  up  still  to  the  top  of  the  pass,  until  it  reaches  "  the  shining  tablelands 
whereof  our  God  Himself  is  Sun  and  Moon,"  and  brings  us  all  to  the  city  set  on 
a  hill.  2.  It  is  part  of  the  whole.  The  truest  and  loftiest  conception  that  we  can 
form  of  heaven  is  the  perfecting  of  the  religious  experience  of  earth.  The  shilling 
or  two  given  to  the  servant  of  old  when  he  was  hired  is  of  the  same  currency  as 
the  balance  that  he  is  to  get  when  the  year's  work  is  done.  You  have  but  to 
take  from  the  faith,  love,  obedience,  communion  of  the  highest  of  moments  of  the 
Christian  life  all  their  imperfections,  multiply  them  to  their  superlative  possibility, 
and  stretch  them  out  to  absolute  eternity,  and  you  get  heaven.  So  here  is  a  gift 
offered  for  us  all,  a  gift  which  our  feebleness  sorely  needs,  the  offer  of  a  reinforce- 
ment as  real  and  as  sure  to  bring  victory  as  when,  at  Waterloo,  the  Prussian  bugles 
blew,  and  the  English  commander  knew  that  victory  was  sure.  (A.  Maclaren,  D.D.) 
The  Spirit  as  an  earnest : — I.  We  ake  the  heirs  of  a  sprRiTUAi  inheritance.  It 
is  quite  consistent  with  the  present  economy  of  mercy  that  we  should  enjoy  some  of 
this  whilst  on  earth,  and  before  we  are  put  in  full  possession.  Many  things  in  the 
Divine  purpose,  and  in  the  history  of  the  world,  preceded  Christ's  personal  media- 
tion, prepared  the  way  for  it,  and  passed  over,  through  His  work,  in  blessings  upon 
our  souls.  We  were  originally  members  of  a  disinherited  race.  The  inheritance 
under  consideration  was  the  rightful  possession  of  our  Lord  as  the  Only-begotten 
of  the  Father.  As  to  our  interest  in  it,  it  lay  under  a  forfeiture,  and  we  were  treated 
as  aliens.  It  is  also  a  merciful  part  of  the  plan  that  it  should,  at  least  for  a  time, 
be  vested  in  Christ  as  trustee  for  us.  In  Eden,  the  inheritance  of  life  was  vested 
m  the  first  man,  who  lost  it  to  himseM  and  all  his  posterity.  God  is  our  inheritance, 
and  heaven  is  the  place  where  most  perfectly  we  shall  enter  upon  its  full  and  un- 
disputed enjoyment.   This  is  our  estate  ;  not  ours  for  years  merely,  but  for  eternity. 


42  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  i. 

It  will  then  be  subject  neither  to  corruption  nor  violence.  Heaven,  with  its  freedom 
from  sin,  sickness,  pain,  the  curse,  and  death,  is  ours  in  reversion.     II.  The  Spibit 

IS  GIVEN  TO  TJS  AS  AN  EARNEST  OF  THIS  SPLENDID  INHERITANCE.       1.    It  is   Supposed   that 

the  word  and  its  use  came  to  the  Greeks  from  the  Syrian  and  Phoenician  merchants, 
just  as  the  words  "  tariff  "  and  "  cargo  "  came  to  England  from  Spanish  merchants. 
The  technical  sense  of  the  word  signifies  the  deposit  paid  by  the  purchaser  on. 
entering  into  an  agreement  for  the  purchase  of  anything.  The  identity  of  the 
deposit  with  the  full  payment  is  a  very  essential  consideration  in  the  force  and 
use  of  the  word.  In  many  of  the  rural  districts  of  Scotland,  and  possibly  in  other 
places,  a  shilling,  or  small  sum  of  money,  is  put  into  the  hand  of  a  servant  when 
hired  for  a  certain  work  as  handsel-money,  and  as  a  pledge  that  when  the  whole 
work  is  done  the  whole  wages  shall  be  paid.  Two  things,  therefore,  seem  to  be 
included  in  the  meaning  of  the  word  used  :  first,  that  it  should  be  the  same  in 
kind  as  the  fulness  of  which  it  is  a  part ;  and,  secondly,  representing  our  present 
state  as  Christians,  it  affirms  the  certainty  of  our  privileges  in  this  world  and  the 
next.  As  God  Himself  is  said  to  be  our  inheritance — as  we  are  said  to  have  the 
inheritance  in  Christ — so  the  Holy  Ghost  is  Himself  the  earnest  of  it  in  our  hearts. 
It  is  not  a  work  which  He  delegates  to  another ;  nor  would  it  suffice  to  say  that 
any  one  blessing,  such  as  pardon,  life,  or  peace,  is  the  earnest  of  heaven— it  is  the 
Spirit  Himself  only.  He  is  the  earnest  of  heaven.  2.  The  earnest  is  thus  part 
of  our  future  inheritance,  and  identical  in  kind  with  it.  An  infant  has  a  title  to 
an  inheritance  which  has  descended  from  his  deceased  father ;  and  though  not 
legally,  or  in  fact,  in  possession,  except  as  under  tutors  and  governors,  certain 
advances  are  made  from  it  to  conduct  his  education,  and  in  this  way  foretastes  of 
it  are  given  to  him.  As  he  passes  through  the  family  mansion,  forests,  and  fields, 
and  meets  with  the  servants  of  the  estate,  he  has  in  this  walk,  and  in  the  loving 
respect  of  faithful  dependents,  an  earnest  of  what  he  is  speedily  coming  to ;  and 
we  can  imagine  how  his  breast,  as  heir,  would  heave  with  excitement  on  the  eve 
of  possessing  the  inheritance.  This  experience  of  the  earthly  heir  may  help  us, 
as  an  illustration,  to  understand  our  present  enjoyment  of  "  the  firstfruits  of  the 
Spirit,"  which,  upon  the  testimony  of  the  apostle,  we  now  have.  To  take  the 
blessing,  eternal  life,  it  is  obvious,  from  both  our  Lord's  teaching  and  that  of  His- 
apostles,  that  in  all  the  essential  elements  of  eternal  life  we  are  equal  to  "the 
spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect"  (Heb.  xii.  23).  We  form  part  of  the  same 
family.  Life  in  heaven  ts  just  our  spiritual  hfe  here,  excepting  the  amplification 
and  elevation  which  death,  as  a  freedom  from  the  body  and  from  the  fretting 
power  of  sin,  will  confer  upon  us.  Again,  how  vivid  is  the  writer's  conception  of 
the  likeness,  and  indeed  identity,  of  the  earnest  to  the  whole  in  his  view  of  the 
nearness  of  the  believers  on  earth  to  heaven.  "But  ye  are  come  unto  Mount 
Sion  "  (Heb.  xii.  22,  23).  Portions  of  this  inheritance  are  ministered  to  us  in 
advance.  True,  it  is  but  twilight  yet  with  us.  But  as  the  sun  is  seen  from 
the  lofty  Swiss  mountains  to  throw  forward  on  the  distant  peaks  his  rays,  as 
skirmishers  before  an  army,  to  announce  his  coming,  so  our  present  foretastes  of 
heaven — the  earnest  of  our  inheritance,  calm,  intelligent  faith  in  the  Lord,  love 
to  Him  and  to  His  people,  and  our  luminous  hope  cast  as  an  anchor  within  the 
veil — testify  that  the  day  in  which  there  shall  be  no  night  is  at  hand.  All  these 
experiences  are  pledges  of  our  immediate  admission  into  heaven  when  we  die. 
3.  The  earnest  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  thus  a  real  part  of  the  inheritance  of  heaven, 
is  only  a  part  of  it.  There  is  no  principle  or  fixed  rule  by  which  we  could  define 
the  proportion  which  it  bears  as  a  part  to  the  whole.  A  handful  of  wheat  offered 
by  the  farmer  in  the  market  as  a  sample  to  the  purchaser  of  the  entire  crop,  though 
identically  the  same,  bears  a  very  small  proportion  to  the  whole.  We  may  safely 
infer  that  the  earnest  is  less  than  the  whole.  The  Spirit  who  Himself  is  the 
earnest,  with  all  the  grace  and  love  which  He  is  pleased  to  bestow  upon  our  souls, 
is  but  a  part.  All  the  blessings  of  which  God  kindly  thought  and  devised  for  us 
in  eternity,  which  cost  the  Redeemer  His  life  to  secure  and  bestow  as  the  efficient 
cause  of  our  salvation,  and  which  the  Holy  Ghost  came  down  from  heaven  to 
reveal,  are  undoubtedly  involved  in  this  earnest.  How  stupendous  a  thought  that 
something  greater — and  how  much  greater ! — awaits  us  when  we  shall  see  God ! 
It  may  be  said  that  even  here  we  have  God,  and  what  more  can  we  have  inheaven  ? 
But  there  He  will  be  our  God  without  any  of  the  deductions  made  for  our  present 
imperfections  and  actual  transgressions  (1  Cor.  xiii.  12;  IJohn  iii.  2).  {A.  Douglas 
McMillan.) 


CHAP.  I.]  •  11.  CORINTHIANS.  43 

Vers.  2.3,  24.  I  call  God  for  a  record  .  .  .  that  to  spare  you  I  came  not  as  yet 
to  Corinth. — T/;//  Pmd  did  not  visit  Corinth: — His  reasons  were — I.  One  of  mercy: 
to  spare  them  pain  (ver.  23) — to  save  them  from  the  sharp  censure  their  lax 
morality  would  have  necessitated.  It  was  no  caprice,  no  fickleness,  respecting  St. 
Paul's  character  that — 1.  He  was  not  one  of  those  who  love  to  be  censors  of  the 
faults  of  others.  There  are  social  faultfinders,  who  are  ever  on  the  watch  for 
error  and  who  yet  provide  no  remedy.  Now  all  this  was  contrary  to  the  spirit  of 
St.  Paul ;  he  had  that  love  "  which  thinketh  no  evil,"  &c.  It  pained  him  to  inflict 
the  censure  which  would  give  pain  to  others.  2.  He  was  not  one  of  those  who 
love  to  rule.  II.  Apparently  a  selfish  one  :  to  spare  himself  pain  (chap, 
ii.  1  5).  But  if  we  look  closely  into  it,  it  only  sheds  fresh  light  upon  the 
unselfishness  and  delicacy  of  St.  Paul's  character.  He  desired  to  save  himself 
pain,  because  it  gave  them  pain.  He  desired  joy  for  himself,  because  his  joy  was 
theirs.  He  will  not  separate  himself  from  them  for  a  moment.  1.  It  was  not  to 
pain  them  merely  that  he  wrote,  but  because  joy,  deep  and  permanent,  was  impos- 
sible without  pain ;  as  the  extraction  of  a  thorn  by  a  tender  father  gives  a  deeper 
joy  in  love  to  the  child.  2.  It  was  not  to  save  himself  pain  merely  that  he  did  not 
come,  but  to  save  them  that  pain  which  would  have  given  him  pain.  Here  there  is 
a  canon  for  the  diflicult  duty  of  blame.  To  blame  is  easy  enough — with  some  it  is 
all  of  a  piece  with  the  hardness  of  their  temperament ;  but  to  do  this  delicately — 
how  shall  we  learn  that  ?  I  answer,  Love !  and  then  say  what  you  will ;  men  will 
bear  anything  if  love  be  there.  If  not,  all  blame,  however  just,  will  miss  its  mark ; 
and  St.  Paul  showed  this  in  ver.  4.  (F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.)  A  threefold  theme : — 
I.  The  fulfiljient  of  a  promise  adjourned  (ver.  24).  II.  Authority  over  the  faith 
OF  others  disclaimed.  "  Not  for  that  we  have  dominion  over  your  faith."  IH. 
The  true  work  of  a  gospel  minister.  He  is  a  helper,  not  a  lord ;  a  helper,  not 
a  substitute.  A  true  minister  is  to  help  men — 1.  To  think  aright — i.e.,  on  the  right 
subject,  in  the  right  way.  2.  To  feel  aright — in  relation  to  self,  mankind,  the 
universe,  and  God.  3.  To  believe  aright.  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  Not  for  that  we 
would  have  dominion  over  your  faith,  but  are  helpers  of  your  joy. — Ministerial 
helpfulness  (Inaugural) : — I.  Negatively.  "Not,"  &c.  1.  This  disclaimer,  to  some 
of  us,  is  perhaps  unexpectedly  strong.  Paul  might  well  have  said  the  opposite, 
and  for  other  purposes  did  so,  as  an  inspired  apostle.  But  he  seems  to  have  been 
always  sensible  of  the  individual  responsibility  of  others,  which  no  other  should 
assail  or  could  share.  He  is  grandly  intolerant  of  falsehood  and  evil  living,  but 
none  so  respectful  of  individual  liberty.  2.  After  this,  is  it  not  passing  strange 
that  any  should  arrogate  the  very  thing  which  Paul  here  so  anxiously  disclaims — 
authority  over  human  consciences  ?  Every  real  successor  of  the  apostle  will  say, 
"  My  soul,  come  not  thou  into  their  secret."  Your  souls  are  your  own  to-day  when 
I  first  speak  to  you  ;  they  will  be  your  own  when  I  speak  my  last.  II.  Positively. 
"  But,"  &c.  Joy  is  to  be  taken  here  as  the  happy  fruit  of  all  Christian  principles 
and  affections,  so  that  to  be  a  "  helper  of  joy  "  is  to  promote  the  whole  moral 
perfection.  1.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  intellectual  hindrance  to  Christian  decision 
and  life.  (1)  A  number  of  people  "  prove  all  things  "  without  "  holding  fast  to 
that  which  is  good  " — at  least,  they  stir  all  things  into  doubt  and  difficulty,  but 
cannot  work  their  way  to  a  solution.  Here  we  may  help.  Great  gospel  facts  are 
questioned,  denied.  What  then  ?  We  who  are  set  for  "  a  defence  of  the  gospel  " 
go  on  asserting  them  as  true,  because,  with  unshaken  faith,  we  believe  them  to 
be  so.  And  the  sight  of  our  unmoved  constancy  has  a  reassuring  effect.  How 
can  the  battle  be  lost  when  we  are  seen  advancing,  well  in  rank,  looking  for 
victory  ?  (2)  The  same  kind  of  effect  is  produced  on  those  who  are  prejudiced 
against  doctrinal  preaching.  Hear  doctrines  explained  by  those  who  have  really 
studied  them,  who  put  them  in  their  proper  relations  and  draw  them  out  into 
practical  duty,  and  the  prejudice  will  melt  away.  2.  Life  is  to  many  a  busy  one, 
without  leisure,  ever  on  the  move.  From  this  we. may  see  that  God's  day  was 
never  more  needed  or  precious,  and  that  the  opportunity  to  both  preacher  and 
people  is  one  of  the  great  opportunities  of  life.  Welcome  to  both  should  be  the 
hour  that  brings  them  into  the  Divine  presence  and  abates  somewhat  of  the  fever 
and  stir  of  life.  And  if  we  can  but  be  "  helpers  "  during  the  week  in  preparing  for 
this  service,  we  shall  reach  our  utmost  ambition.  3.  Then  there  is  the  continual 
shortcoming  of  the  Christian  life  making  the  helpfulness  of  the  ministry  necessary 
.tind  welcome.  Go  where  we  will,  there  is  the  same  tale  of  infirmity,  the  failure  to 
realise  the  ideal,  which  not  seldom  engenders  despondency  or  despair.  But  we  are 
iielpers  of  your  joy.     We  are  sent  to  revive  it,  and  to  take  means  that  it  shall  not 


44  THE  BIBLICAL  ILTJ-TRATOR.  [chap.  i. 

die.  Whatever  dark  tales  we  hear  we  are  to  meet  and  overmatch  by  the  glad 
tidings.  No  ruins  of  any  life-plan  but  may  yet  be  built  up.  "  The  weak  may  be 
as  David,  and  David  as  an  angel  of  the  Lord."  4.  Wherever  we  go  we  find  troubles 
— if  we  seek  for  them  ;  and  it  is  worth  while  putting  forth  all  our  skill  to  find 
them.  There  is  no  scene,  however  distressful,  in  which  we  may  not  quietly  yet 
confidently  appear  as  "  helpers  of  joy."  Unlike  the  apostles  of  natural  law,  who 
command  you  to  bow  to  the  inevitable  in  the  present  and  dismiss  all  hope  for  the 
future,  we  tell  you  that  "  aU  things  work  together  for  them  that  love  God  "  and 
have  fruitage  in  a  blessed  immortality.  5.  The  grave  is  not  the  end  of  all,  but  to 
each  there  is  a  grave.  There  can  be  no  fellowship  in  the  article  of  death,  but  on 
the  brink  we  can  tell  some  such  things  as  will  rob  death  of  its  terrors,  and  make 
it  no  more  than  a  quiet  passage  into  life.  [A.  Raleigh,  D.D.)  CJin<tian  ministers 
helpers  of  their  peopWs  joy  : — I.  The  Christian's  privilege — joy.  1.  Its  origin 
and  nature.  It  is  not  the  offspring  of  a  fervid  imagination,  but  the  effect  of  a 
well-grounded  conviction  of  the  love  of  God.  It  has  its  root  in  faith:  "the  God 
of  hope  fiU  you  with  all  joy  and  peace  in  beUeving."  And  why?  Because  faith 
connects  the  believer  with  Jesus,  who  is  all  his  salvation  and  all  his  desire.  2.  This 
is  the  legitimate  state  of  the  Christian.  Joy  diffuses  a  beautiful  and  attractive 
lustre  around  every  grace  which  ornaments  the  beUever's  character ;  it  is  the  very 
atmosphere  through  which  he  should  continually  walk,  proving  that  the  ways  of 
religion  are  "  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  that  "all  her  paths  are  peace."  I  know 
of  nothing  that  recommends  the  gospel  more  than  this  ;  I  know  of  no  moral  proof 
of  its  divinity  more  powerfully  convincing  than  this.  3.  Joy  fits  the  beUever  for 
comforting  and  encouraging  others.  It  was  a  great  sin  in  those  who  were  sent 
to  take  a  survey  of  the  Promised  Land  to  return  with  an  evil  report.  II.  The 
minister's  office.  "  Helpers  of  joy,"  but  not  of  salvation.  Christ  is  the  only 
Saviour  ;  and  He  allows  not  of  any  helpers.  But,  though  ministers  are  not  helpers 
in  the  work  of  salvation,  they  are,  as  instruments,  helpers  in  the  application  of  it. 
Ministers  act  as  helpers  of  joy— 1.  By  unfolding  the  Word  of  God.  The  Bible 
contains  glad  tidings,  which  are  calculated  to  rejoice  the  heart.  2.  By  expatiating 
on  the  love  of  Christ.  Nothing  can  fill  the  soul  with  so  much  gladness  as  this. 
3.  By  giving  a  just  interpretation  of  present  trials.  4.  By  praying  to  the  Author 
of  every  grace  and  Giver  of  every  privilege  (Rom.  xv.  13).  (D.  Bagot,  B.D.)  Helpers 
of  others'  joy  : — I.  As  religious  persons  we  are  happy.  There  are  various  sources 
of  this  joy.  1.  God  Himself.  "  We  joy  in  God."  2.  God's  works.  (1)  Their 
variety,  order,  beauty,  and  splendour.  (2)  Because  they  are  His — a  temple  which 
He  has  made  for  Himself  to  be  worshipped  in.  (3)  On  account  of  the  figurative 
instruction  which  they  convey.  (4)  As  created  and  constituted  for  us  to  dwell  in. 
3.  His  providence.  "  The  Lord  reigneth  ;  let  the  earth  rejoice."  (1)  It  is  exercised 
over  nations.  By  God  "  kings  reign  and  princes  decree  judgment."  We  have  joy 
in  a  nation's  joy.  When  pestilence  disappears,  when  there  is  an  ample  harvest, 
when  there  is  reviving  commerce,  it  is  by  God's  providence,  and  as  religious  men 
we  rejoice  therein.  (2)  It  bears  personally  upon  ourselves.  We  can  lie  down  upon 
the  everlasting  arms,  and  say,  "  The  eternal  God  is  my  refuge."  4.  All  things  that 
are  common  to  humanity.  (1)  The  joy  of  honourable  marriage.  (2)  When  aifliction 
disappears  and  God  turns  for  us  our  mourning  into  dancing.  (3)  In  the  common 
conditions  of  human  life.  Whatever  may  be  the  amount  of  human  suffering,  the 
amount  of  human  happiness  immensely  preponderates.  5.  Christ  Jesus  and  His 
gospel.  He  came  into  the  world  in  joy.  The  angels  sang  for  joy  at  His  nativity  ; 
He  opened  His  ministry  in  joy — "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  Me,"  &c. ;  and 
He  spake  very  often  of  His  joy.  We  may  have  joy — (1)  In  the  knowledge  of  Him. 
(2)  In  reconciliation  by  Him.  (3)  In  justification  through  Him.  6.  The  Holy  Ghost. 
"  The  kingdom  of  God  is  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy,  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 
There  is  joy  in  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit.  Was  not  the  day  of  Pentecost  a  day  of  joy  ? 
7.  The  ordinances  of  the  gospel.  Happy  on  the  Lord's  day,  in  the  reading  of  God's 
Word,  in  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  in  Christian  association  and  alliance.  8.  The 
prospect  of  the  life  to  come.  "  For  the  joy  set  before  Christ  He  endured  the  Cross, 
despising  the  shame"  ;  and  you  and  I  may  have  joy  set  before  us  in  like  manner. 
II.  It  is  our  duty  to  enhance  each  other's  joy.  It  is  clear  enough  that  we  can 
promote  each  other's  sin.  We  may  help  forward  afflictions ;  we  may  do  a  good 
deal  to  make  one  another  miserable.  How  can  we  augment  one  another's  joy  ? 
1.  By  expounding  the  principles  of  joy,  as  our  Saviour  did.  He  began  His  ministry 
with  the  beatitudes.  Wherever  He  went  there  was  joy.  2.  By  removing  the  causes 
of  infelicity.     What  makes  you  unhappy  ?    Is  it  sin  ?     Go  to  God  in  penitence  and 


CHAP.  I.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  45 

ask  for  remission,  and  you  shall  have  it.  Is  it  anxiety?  "Be  careful  for  nothing," 
&c.  A  sense  of  weakness  and  insufficiency?  "My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee; 
My  strength  shall  be  perfected  in  weakness."  3.  By  reminding  of  the  fact  that 
ur  religion  is  a  happy  religion  (Psa.  xcviii.).  "  The  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall 
return  and  come  to  Zion  with  songs."  4.  By  being  examples  of  this  joy.  We  are 
contagious,  or  communicative,  beings.  "  He  that  sympathises  with  me  in  my  sorrow 
divides  the  stream  and  takes  half  of  it  away ;  he  that  sympathises  with  me  in  my 
gladness  and  my  joy,  lights  his  lamp  from  my  lamp,  takes  nothing  from  me,  only 
kindles  a  brighter  light,  only  diffuses  a  wider  blaze."  5.  By  seizing  on  the  occasions 
and  opportunities  of  joy,  such  as  the  Sabbath  and  the  means  of  grace.  6.  By 
inciting  and  stirring  one  another  up  to  it.  7.  By  adverting  often,  as  Christ  and 
beUevers  do,  to  that  which  is  to  come.  {J.  Stratten.)  Helpers  of  your  joy  : — The 
points  considerable  in  this  clause  are  these :  I.  That  joy  is  the  state  propek  to 
Christians.  Either  they  do  rejoice,  or  they  should  labour  to  come  to  it.  God 
requires  it  at  their  hand  as  a  duty  (Phil.  iv.  4).  Consider — 1.  The  ills  they  are 
freed  from — sin,  the  wrath  of  God,  the  sting  of  death,  Ac.  2.  The  state  that  God 
brings  them  to  b^  believing  (Kom.  xiv.  17).  3.  Why  should  they  labour  to  be  in 
that  state  ?  (1)  That  God,  who  gives  them  such  matter  of  joy,  may  have  glory 
rem  them.  Their  life  should  be  a  perpetual  thanksgiving  to  God  ;and  how  can 
man  be  thankful  that  is  not  joyful  ?  (2)  It  makes/g  him  active  in  good  when  he 
is  anointed  with  the  oil  of  gladness  (Eom.  ix.  23).  )  And  then  for  suffering;  we 
have  many  things  to  go  through  in  this  world.  How  shall  a  man  suffer  those 
things  that  are  between  him  and  heaven  unless  he  labour  to  bring  himself  to  this 
temper  of  joy  ?  (^  And  then  for  others — every  man  should  labour  to  encourage 
them.  We  are  all  fellow-passengers  in  the  way  to  heaven.  Therefore,  even  to 
bring  on  others  more  cheerfully,  we  ought  to  labour  to  be  in  a  state  of  joy.  And 
if  a  Christian  do  not  joy,  it  is  not  because  he  is  a  Chi-istian,  but  because  he  is  not 
a  Christian  enough.  11.  Ministers  are  helpers  of  this  blessed  condition.  1.  By 
acquainting  people  with  the  ill  estate  they  are  in ;  for  all  sound  comfort  comes 
from  the  knowledge  of  our  grief,  and  freedom  from  it.  For  they  must  plough 
before  they  sow,  and  the  law  must  go  before  the  gospel.  The  law  shows  the  wound, 
but  the  gospel  heals  the  wound.  2.  By  showing  the  remedy  which  is  in  Christ ; 
then  they  open  the  riches  of  God's  love  in  Christ,  the  sweet  "  box  of  ointment." 
Thus  did  St.  Peter,  after  he  had  brought  them  to,  "  Men  and  brethren,  what  shall 
we  do  to  be  saved?  "  point  them  to  Jesus  Christ.  3.  By  advice  in  cases  of  con- 
science what  people  should  do.  So  their  office  is  to  remove  all  hindrances  of 
spiritual  joy.  We  know  that  light  is  a  state  of  joy.  The  ministry  of  the  gospel 
is  Mght.  Spiritual  freedom  makes  people  joyful.  But  the  end  of  the  ministry  is 
to  set  people  more  and  more  at  liberty.  Victory  is  a  state  of  joy.  Now  the  ministers 
of  God  teach  God's  people  how  to  fight  God's  battles,  how  to  answer  temptations, 
and  at  length  how  to  triumph.  4.  By  forcing  it  as  a  duty  upon  them  (Phil.  iv.  4). 
They  are  as  guides  among  the  rest  of  the  travellers,  that  encourage  them  in  the 
way  to  heaven,  "  Come  on,  let  us  go  cheerfully."  5.  In  death  itself.  The  end  of 
the  ministry  is  to  help  joy,  to  help  them  to  heaven  by  a  joyful  departure,  drawing 
comfort  out  of  the  Word  for  this  purpose.  But  you  will  say  true  Christians  are 
ofttimes  cast  do\vn  by  the  ministry.  If  so,  yet  it  is  that  they  might  joy  (chap.  vii.  8). 
We  say  of  April  that  the  showers  of  that  month  dispose  the  earth  to  flowers  in  the 
next ;  so  tears  and  grief  wrought  in  the  heart  by  the  ministry  frame  the  soul  to  a 
joyful  temper  after.  A  physician  comes,  and  he  gives  sharp  and  bitter  purges ; 
saith  the  patient,  "  I  had  thought  you  had  come  to  make  me  better,  and  I  am 
sicker  now  than  I  was  before."  But  he  bids  him  be  content ;  all  this  is  for  your 
joyfulness  of  spirit  after ;  you  will  be  the  better  for  it.  III.  Ministers  are  helpers 
or  JOY,  and  but  helpers.  They  do  but  propound  matter  of  joy,  grounds  of  joy 
from  the  Word  of  God ;  but  it  is  the  Spirit  of  God  that  doth  rejoice  the  heart 
(John  xvi.  5).  (R.  Sibhes,  D.D.)  By  faith  ye  stand. — The  victory  of  faith: — 
The  Scriptures  mention  three  sorts  of  faith — 1.  Simple  credence,  or  bare  assent. 
This  is  not  the  faith  of  the  text,  for  the  devils  have  it  (James  ii.  19).  2.  Temporary 
conviction,  which  carries  the  soul  to  some  short  sallies  in  the  course  of  godliness, 
but,  having  no  firm  fixation  in  the  heart,  comes  to  nothing.  3.  A  saving,  effectual 
faith,  which  takes  in  both  the  former  kinds  and  adds  its  own  peculiar  perfection. 
It  is  a  durable,  fixed  disposition  of  holiness,  immediately  infused  by  God  into  the 
soul,  whereby  the  soul  is  renewed  and  powerfully  inclined  to  exert  itself  in  the 
actions  of  a  pious  life.  This  is  the  faith  by  which  "we  stand."  I.  The  thtng 
supposed — a  person  assaulted  by  an  enemy  (cf.  chap.  x.  4;  Eph.  vi.  12;  Heb.  xii.  4). 


46  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  n. 

Now  in  every  such  combat  there  are  to  be  considered — 1.  The  persons  engaged. 
Their  enmity  is  almost  as  old  as  the  world  itself  (Gen.  iii.  15).  The  devil's  hatred 
of  us  bears  date  with  our  very  being,  and  is  directed  against  us  as  men,  but  much 
more  as  beUevers.  As  soon  as  we  enlist  under  the  Captain  of  our  salvation,  He 
proclaLms  perpetual  war.  So  a  Christian's  life  is  not  a  state  of  ease,  but  of  incessant 
conflict  with  the  devil.  2.  The  thing  contended  for  :  to  cast  them  down — (1)  From 
that  sanctity  of  life  which  the  regenerating  Spirit  has  wrought  them  up  to ;  for, 
having  lost  all  holiness  himself,  the  devil  abhors  it  in  others.  He  is  "  a  murderer 
from  the  beginning,"  and  he  chiefly  attempts  the  murder  of  souls  by  making  them 
like  himself.  (2)  From  their  interest  in  the  Divine  favour ;  and  no  wonder,  since 
he  finds  it  denied  to  himself.  So  he  tries  to  sow  enmity  between  God  and  the  soul, 
and  to  embroil  the  whole  creation  in  a  war  against  heaven.  3.  The  ways  and 
means  by  which  it  is  carried  on.  (1)  The  devil's  own  immediate  suggestions 
(John  xiii.  27 ;  Acts  v.  3).  (2)  The  infidelity  of  the  human  heart — a  quality  which 
does  the  devil's  work  most  compendiously  and  effectually.  (3)  The  alluring  vanities 
of  the  world  (James  iv.  4).  (4)  Man's  own  lusts  and  corruptions.  H.  The  thtno 
EXPKESSED — viz.,  that  faith  alone  can  give  the  victory  in  this  contest.  Consider — 
1.  Man's  natural  estate  void  of  the  grace  of  faith.  That  this  is  deplorable  enough 
is  proved  by  the  fact  that,  were  not  bare  nature  insuflicient  to  work  out  its  own 
recovery,  the  Divine  grace  would  never  have  put  itself  to  such  an  expense  for  its 
recovery.  What  forces  can  man  rally  against  the  workings  of  his  own  corruptions  ? 
— his  imperfect  good  desires,  resolutions,  duties  ?  Alas  !  nature  will  quickly  break 
through  such  puny  resistances.  2.  The  advantages  and  helps  of  faith.  (1)  Union 
with  Christ.  Christ,  being  to  the  soul  like  armour,  only  defends  when  He  is  close 
to  it.  (2)  The  assistance  of  the  Spirit,  without  whom  it  is  impossible  for  the  soul 
to  do  anything  in  the  way  of  duty,  or  to  oppose  sin  with  success  (Rom.  viii.  13 ; 
Phil.  ii.  13).  3.  The  title  to  and  power  to  effectually  apply  God's  promises.  The 
promises  are  weapons  which  the  Spirit  places  in  our  hands,  and  faith  is  the  spiritual 
hand  into  which  they  are  put.     {R.  South,  D.D.) 


CHAPTER  n. 

Veb.  2.  For  if  I  make  you  sorry,  who  is  he  then  that  maketh  me  g^Iad,  but  the 
same  which  is  made  sorry  by  me  ? — Gladness  for  sadiiess  : — I.  Self-impbovement  is 
PEECEDED  BY  DISSATISFACTION  WITH  SELF.  This  is  true  of  all  Self -improvement. 
We  find  it  so  in  education.  And  other  things  being  equal,  that  child  will  learn 
most  rapidly  who  is  most  sorry  when  it  cannot  master  its  task.  The  same  statement 
appUes  to  improvement  in  mechanical  skUl  and  in  so-called  ornate  accomplish- 
ments. Certainly  there  is  desire  to  excel,  but  that  imphes  dissatisfaction  with 
present  attainments.  The  principle  is  equally  applicable  in  the  moral  and  spiritual 
sphere.  In  this  sphere  there  can  be  no  upward  progress  without  repentance. 
Search  for  a  new  master  in  this  realm  presupposes  dissatisfaction  with  the  old. 
There  is  a  discontent  that  is  praiseworthy.  A  passing  reference  to  the  other  side  of 
the  same  truth  wUl  more  clearly  show  this  principle.  And  the  other  side  is — He 
rarely  makes  any  advancement  who  is  opinionated,  seK-satisfied.  Men  have  to  be 
roused  out  of  their  contentment.  H.  The  "sobeow"  of  the  pupil  is  the 
"gladness"  of  the  teacher — provided,  of  ^course,  that  the  "sorrow"  of  the 
scholar  be  in  connection  with  the  teacher's  special  function.  Failure,  through 
waywardness  to  do  right,  always  brings  "sorrow"  to  the  partially  educated  child. 
But  as  often  as  the  child  manifests  "  sorrow  "  at  its  failure,  just  as  often  is  its 
mother  made  "  glad."  And  the  highest  "  gladness  which  the  Christian  teacher 
knows  comes  not  through  him  who  passes  an  eulogium  upon  his  sermons,  but 
from  him  whom  the  sermons  have  made  "  sorry "  on  account  of  sin.  {J.  S. 
Swa7i.) 

Vers.  5-11.  But  if  any  have  caused  grief. — The  aim  of  Church  disciplineis  in  the 
last  resort  the  restoration  of  thy  fallen.  The  Cliurch  has,  of  course,  an  interest  of 
its  own  to  guard ;  it  is  bou;.d   to  pro;,es>,  againsi  all  that  is  inconsistent  with  its 


CHAP.  11.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  47 

character ;  it  is  bound  to  expel  scandals.  But  the  Church's  protest,  its  condem- 
nation, its  excommunication  even,  are  not  ends  in  themselves  ;  they  are  means  to 
that  which  is  really  an  end  in  itself,  a  priceless  good  which  justifies  every  extreme 
of  moral  severity,  the  winning  again  of  the  sinner  through  repentance.  The 
judgment  of  the  Church  is  the  instrument  of  God's  love,  and  the  moment  it  is 
accepted  in  the  sinful  soul  it  begins  to  work  as  a  redemptive  force.  The  humiliation 
it  inliicts  is  that  which  God  exalts ;  the  sorrow,  that  which  He  comforts.  But  when 
a  scandal  comes  to  light  in  a  Christian  congregation,  what  is  the  significance  of 
that  movement  of  feeling  which  inevitably  takes  place  ?  In  how  many  has  it  the 
■character  of  goodness  and  of  severity,  of  condemnation  and  compassion,  of  love 
and  fear,  of  pity  and  shame,  the  only  character  that  has  any  virtue  in  it,  to  tell  for 
the  sinner's  recovery  ?  If  you  ask  nine  people  out  of  ten  what  a  scandal  is,  they 
will  tell  you  it  is  something  that  makes  men  talk  ;  and  the  talk  in  nine  cases  out  of 
ten  will  be  malignant,  affected,  more  interesting  to  the  talkers  than  any  story  of 
virtue  or  piety — scandal  itself,  in  short,  far  more  truly  than  its  theme.  Does 
anybody  imagine  that  gossip  is  one  of  the  forces  that  awaken  conscience,  and  work 
for  the  redemption  of  our  fallen  brethren  ?  If  this  is  all  we  can  do,  in  the  name 
of  all  that  is  Christian  let  us  keep  silence.  Every  word  spoken  about  a  brother's 
sin,  that  is  not  prompted  by  a  Christian  conscience,  that  does  not  vibrate  with  the 
love  of  a  Christian  heart  is  itself  a  sin  against  the  mercy  and  the  judgment  of 
Christ.  (J.  Denney,  B.D.)  Sufiftcient  unto  such  a  man  is  this  pimishment. — 
Christian  punishment  and  absolution  : — I.  The  Christian  idea  of  punishment 
includes  in  it— 1.  The  reformation  of  the  offender  (ver.  6).  The  ancient  system  of 
law  sacrificed  the  individual  to  the  society,  and  feeble  philanthropy  would  sacrifice 
society  to  the  individual,  whereas  Christianity  would  save  both.  2.  The  purification 
of  society.  Sin  committed  with  impunity  corrupts  the  body  of  men  to  which  the 
sinner  belongs ;  and  this  purification  is  effected  pai-tly  by  example,  and  partly  by 
removal  of  the  evil.  The  discipline  by  which  this  removal  was  effected  was 
excommunication,  and  at  that  time  apostolic  excommunication  represented  to  the 
world  God's  system  of  punishment.  3.  The  expression  of  righteous  indignation. 
For  there  is  a  right  feeling  in  human  nature  which  we  call  resentment,  although  in 
the  worst  natures  it  becomes  malice.  It  existed  in  Christ  Himself.  Mark  what 
follows  from  this.  Man  is  the  image  of  God  :  so  there  is  something  in  God  which 
corresponds  with  that  which  we  call  resentment,  stripped,  of  course,  of  all  selfishness 
or  fury.  So  we  must  not  explain  away  those  words  of  Scripture,  "  the  wrath  of 
God,"  "  God  is  angry  with  the  wicked  every  day,"  "  the  wrath  of  God  is  revealed 
from  heaven."  These  sayings  contain  a  deep  and  an  awful  truth.  If  the  wrath  of 
God  be  only  a  figure.  His  love  must  be  but  a  figure  too.  II.  The  Christian  idea  of 
absolution.  Forgiveness  is  one  thing,  absolution  is  another.  Absolution  is  the 
authoritative  declaration  of  forgiveness.  When  Christ  said,  "  Son,  be  of  good 
cheer ;  thy  sins  be  foi"given  thee,"  He  did  not  forgive  him ;  he  was  forgiven  already, 
but  He  declared  his  forgiveness.  Now  the  case  before  us  is  a  distinct  instance  of 
ecclesiastical  absolution.  St.  Paul  says,  "  I  forgive."  This  is  absolution  ;  man's 
declaration  of  God's  forgiveness — man  speaking  in  God's  stead.  1.  Consider  the 
use  of  absolution.  It  was  to  save  from  remorse,  and  is  here  considered  as  a 
"  comfort."  2.  This  absolution  was  representative — (1)  Of  the  forgiveness  of  God. 
St.  Paul  forgave  the  sinner  "  in  the  person,"  that  is  in  the  stead  "  of  Christ."  Thus, 
as  the  punishment  of  man  is  representative  of  the  punishment  and  wrath  of  God, 
so  the  absolution  of  man  is  representative  of  the  forgiveness  of  God.  (2)  Of  the 
■Christian  congregation:  "for  your  sakes."  Every  member,  therefoi'e,  of  that  congrega- 
tion was  forgiving  the  sinner  ;  it  was  his  right  to  do  so,  and  it  was  in  his  name  that 
St.  Paul  spoke  ;  nay,  because  each  member  had  forgiven,  St.  Paul  forgave.  Absolu- 
tion therefore  is  not  a  priestly  prerogative.  It  belongs  to  man,  and  to  the  minister 
because  he  stands  as  the  representative  of  purified  humanity.  Who  does  not  know 
how  the  unforgivingness  of  society  in  branding  men  and  women  as  outcasts  makes 
their  case  hopeless  ?  Men  bind  his  sins — her  crimes — on  earth,  and  they  remain 
bound.  Now  every  man  has  this  power  individually.  For  years  the  thought  of 
his  deceit,  and  the  dread  of  his  brother,  had  weighed  on  Jacob's  heart,  and  when 
Esau  forgave  him,  it  was  as  if  he  "  had  seen  the  face  of  God."  When  we  treat  the 
guilty  with  tenderness,  hope  rises  in  them  towards  God ;  their  hearts  say,  "  They 
love  us;  will  not  God  forgive  and  love  us  too?"  {F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.)  Ye 
ought  rather  to  forg-ive  him,  and  comfort  him,  lest  such  a  one  should  be  swallowed 
up  with  overmuch  sorrow. — Overimtch  sorrow  : — I.  When  sorrow  is  overmuch. 
It  is  notorious  that  overmuch  sorrow  for  sin  is  not  the  ordinarv  case  of  the  world. 


48  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  ii. 

1.  When  it  is  fed  by  a  mistaken  cause.  If  a  man  thinketh  that  a  duty  which  is  no 
duty,  and  then  sorrow  for  omitting  it,  such  sorrow  is  all  too  much,  because  it  is 
undue,  and  caused  by  error.  Many  fearful  Christians  are  troubled  about  food, 
clothes,  thoughts,  and  words,  thinking  or  fearing  that  aU  is  sinful  which  is  lawful,. 
and  that  unavoidable  infirmities  are  heinous  sins.  2.  When  it  hurteth  and 
overwhelmeth  nature  itself,  and  destroyeth  bodily  health  or  understanding.  God 
would  not  have  us  hurt  our  neighbour,  nor  have  us  destroy  or  hurt  ourselves.  II. 
How  ovEKMDCH  SORROW  DOTH  SWALLOW  A  MAN  UP.  1.  It  ofteu  ovcrthrows  the  sober 
use  of  reason,  so  that  a  man's  judgment  is  corrupted  by  it.  A  man  in  anger, 
fear,  or  trouble  thinks  not  of  things  as  they  are,  but  as  his  passions  represent 
them.  2.  It  disableth  a  man  to  govern  his  thoughts,  and  ungoverned  thoughts 
must  needs  be  both  sinful  and  very  troublesome.  You  may  almost  as  easily  keep 
the  leaves  of  trees  in  quietness  and  order  in  a  blustering  wind,  as  the  thoughts  of 
one  in  troubling  passions.  3.  It  would  swaUow  up  faith  itself,  and  greatly  hindereth 
its  exercise.  4.  It  yet  more  hindereth  hope.  5.  It  swaUoweth  up  all  comfortable 
sense  of  the  love  of  God,  and  thereby  hindereth  the  soul  from  loving  Him.  And  in 
this  it  is  an  adversary  to  the  very  life  of  holiness.  6.  It  is  a  false  and  injurious 
judge  of  all  the  word  and  works  of  God,  and  of  all  His  mercies  and  corrections. 
Whatever  such  an  one  reads  or  hears,  he  thinks  it  all  makes  against  him.  7.  It  is 
an  enemy  to  thankfulness.  8.  It  is  quite  contrary  to  the  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost- 
Yea,  and  the  peace  in  which  God's  kingdom  much  consisteth.  9.  It  is  much 
contrary  to  the  very  tenor  of  the  gospel,  which  is  glad  tidings  of  pardon  and 
everlasting  joy.  10.  It  greatly  advantageth  Satan,  whose  design  is  to  describe  God. 
to  us  as  like  himseK,  who  is  a  malicious  enemy.  11.  It  unfits  men  for  aU  profitable 
meditation.  The  more  they  muse,  the  more  they  are  overwhelmed.  And  it  turneth 
prayer  into  mere  complaint,  instead  of  child-Uke,  believing  supplications.  12.  It  is 
a  distemper  which  maketh  all  sufferings  more  heavy.  HI.  What  are  the  causes- 
OF  IT?  1.  With  very  many  it  arises  from  distemper  or  weakness  of  the  body,  and 
by  it  the  soul  is  greatly  disabled  to  any  comfortable  sense.  2.  But  usually 
other  causes  go  before  this  disease  of  melancholy.  And  one  of  the  most  common  is 
sinful  impatience,  a  want  of  sufficient  submission  to  the  will  of  God.  3.  The  guilt 
of  some  wilful  sin ;  when  conscience  is  convinced,  yet  the  sin  is  beloved  and  yet 
feared.  God's  wrath  doth  terrify,  yet  not  enough  to  lead  to  the  overcoming  of.  sin. 
4.  Ignorance  and  mistakes  in  matters  which  peace  and  comforts  are  concerned. 
(1)  Ignorance  of  the  tenor  of  the  gospel.  (2)  Mistakes  about  the  use  of  sorrow  for 
sin,  and  about  the  nature  of  hardness  of  heart.  (3)  Ignorance  of  ourselves,  not 
knowing  the  sincerity  which  God  hath  given  us.  (4)  Failure  to  fetch  comfort  from 
bare  probabilities,  when  we  get  not  certainty.  (5)  Ignorance  of  other  men,  many 
think,  by  our  preaching  and  writing,  that  we  are  much  better  than  we  are.  (6^ 
Unskilful  teachers  cause  the  perplexities  of  many.  IV.  What  is  the  cure?  1. 
Look  not  on  the  sinful  part  of  your  troubles,  either  as  better  or  worse  than  indeed 
it  is.  2.  Give  not  way  to  a  habit  of  peevish  impatience.  3.  Set  yourselves  more 
diUgently  than  ever  to  overcome  the  inordinate  love  of  the  world.  4.  If  you  are 
not  satisfied  that  God  alone,  Christ  alone,  heaven  alone,  is  enough  for  you,  as 
matter  of  felicity  and  full  content,  go,  study  the  case  better,  and  you  may  be 
convinced.  5.  Study  better  how  great  a  sin  it  is  to  set  our  own  wills  and  desires  in 
a  discontented  opposition  to  the  wisdom,  will,  and  providence  of  God,  and  to 
make  our  wiUs,  instead  of  His,  as  gods  to  ourselves.  6.  Study  well  how 
great  a  duty  it  is  wholly  to  trust  God,  and  our  blessed  Eedeemer,  both  with 
soul  and  body,  and  all  we  have.  7.  If  you  would  not  be  swallowed  up  with 
sorrow,  swaUow  not  the  baits  of  sinful  pleasure.  8.  But  if  none  of  the  fore- 
mentioned  sins  cause  your  sorrows,  but  they  come  from  the  mere  perplexities  of 
your  mind,  I  will  lay  down  your  proper  remedies,  and  that  is,  the  cure  of  that 
ignorance  and  those  errors  which  cause  your  troubles.  (1)  Many  are  perplexed 
about  controversies  in  religion.  Directions :  (a)  See  that  you  be  true  to  the  light  and 
law  of  nature,  which  all  mankind  is  obliged  to  observe,  (b)  As  to  God's  super- 
natural revelation,  hold  to  God's  Word,  the  sacred  Bible,  (c)  Y''et  use  with  thank- 
fulness the  help  of  men  for  the  understanding  and  obeying  the  Word  of  God.  (d) 
Take  nothing  as  necessary  to  the  being  of  Christianity,  and  to  salvation  which  is 
not  recorded  in  the  Scripture,  and  hath  not  been  held  as  necessai-y  by  all  true 
Christians  in  every  age  and  place,  (e)  Maintain  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond 
of  peace,  with  all  true  Christians,  as  such,  and  live  in  love  in  the  communion  of 
saints.  (/)  Never  set  a  doubtful  opinion  against  a  certain  truth  or  duty,  (g) 
Faithfully  serve  Christ  as  far  as  you  have  attained,  and  be  true  to  all  the  truth  that 


CHAP,  n.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  49 

you  know.  (2)  If  your  trouble  be  about  your  sins,  or  want  of  grace,  and  spiritual 
state,  digest  well  these  counsels,  (a)  God's  goodness  is  equal  to  His  greatness. 
(b)  Christ  hath  come  to  save  us.  (c)  The  condition  of  pardon  and  Ufe  is  that  we 
believe  Him,  and  willingly  accept  of  the  mercy  which  He  freely  giveth  us.  (d)  The 
day  of  grace  is  never  so  past  to  any  sinner  but  still  he  may  have  Christ  and  pardon 
if  he  will.  (3)  But  if  melancholy  have  got  head,  there  must  be,  beside  what  is  said, 
some  other  and  proper  remedies  used,  (a)  Avoid  your  melancholy  musings,  (b) 
Let  those  thoughts  which  you  have  be  laid  out  on  the  most  excellent  things.  The 
infinite  goodness  of  God  ;  the  unmeasurable  love  of  Christ ;  the  unconceivable 
glory  and  joy  which  all  the  blessed  have  with  Christ,  (c)  When  you  pray,  resolve 
to  spend  most  of  your  time  in  thanksgiving  and  praising  God.  9.  If  further  the 
sorrow  proceed  from  some  bodily  disorder,  as  it  often  doth,  the  physician  must  take 
the  place  of  the  preacher.  This  sorrow  must  be  treated  by  medicine  and  diet.  (R. 
Baxter.) 

Ver.  11.  Lest  Satan  should  get  an  advantage  of  us  :  for  we  are  not  ignorant  of  his 
deviceB. — Satan^s  devices  : — We  who  "  are  called  to  be  saints"  are  not  ignorant  of 
his  devices.  We  know  them,  what  they  are,  whence  they  come,  and  whither  they 
lead.  These  are  not  matters  of  report  or  hearsay,  but  of  personal  knowledge.  I.  His 
DEVICES  IN  DISCIPLINE  TOWARDS  THE  LAPSED.  Their  Dot  being  ignorant  of  his  devices 
is  assigned  as  a  reason  for  the  apostle's  anxiety,  "  lest  Satan  should  get  an 
advantage  of  them."  He  was  fearful  lest  he  should  overreach  them  in  the  matter 
referred  to.  That  was  a  case  of  discipline.  A  notorious  scandal  had  gained 
currency  that  "  one  should  have  his  father's  wife."  The  severe  discipline  had 
Bufficed  to  produce  the  desired  effect.  Whatever  might  be  the  mind  of  "  the  many 
who  inflicted  "  the  censure,  it  would  seem  that  there  was  a  party  among  them 
unwilling  to  forgive  the  offence,  remove  the  sentence,  and  restore  the  offender.  To 
all  of  them  the  apostle  says,  "  Ye  ought  rather  to  forgive  him  and  comfort  him,  lest 
perhaps  such  a  one  should  be  swallowed  up  with  overmuch  sorrow."  And  this 
exhortation  is  enforced  by  his  own  example  in  the  person  and  presence  of  Christ. 
"  To  whom  ye  forgive  anything,  I  forgive  also  :  for  if  I  forgave  anything,  to  whom  I 
forgave  it,  for  your  sakes  forgave  I  it  in  the  person  or  in  the  sight  of  Christ " 
vers.  6-10).  By  their  excessive  severity  in  continuing  the  censure  it  was  possible  that 
the  spirit  of  such  an  one  would  give  way  to  despondency  or  despair,  would  entertain 
hard  thoughts  of  God,  of  the  government  of  His  Church,  and  "  thus  draw  back 
into  perdition."  In  such  a  fatal  issue  the  spirit  would  be  lost  to  Christ  and  gained 
by  Satan.  On  these  accounts  the  apostle  was  anxious  "  lest  Satan  should  gain  an 
advantage  of  us :  for  we  are  not  ignorant  of  his  devices."  From  this  instructive 
case  of  primitive  discipline  it  would  appear  that  his  devices  to  corrupt  the  Church 
of  Christ,  maintain  a  party  spirit,  and  mar  its  unity,  and  prevent  purity  of 
communion  were,  and  still  are,  these — no  discipline,  laxity  of  discipline,  and 
partiality  in  discipline  between  rich  and  poor,  master  and  servant,  one  party 
and  another,  on  the  one  hand ;  and  excessive  severity  of  censure,  disproportionate  to 
the  offence,  and  continued  for  too  long  a  time,  on  the  other.  II.  His  devices  to 
PBEVENT  the  SALVATION  OF  THE  LOST.  If  such  are  his  devices  to  keep  within  those 
who  ought  to  be  without,  and  to  keep  them  without  when  they  ought  to  be  received 
again  within  the  Church,  what  are  his  devices  in  keeping  sinners  from  Christ  and 
His  salvation  ?  His  chief  devices,  his  master-machinations  to  prevent  sinners  "  from 
giving  themselves  to  the  Lord,"  seem  to  be  the  four  foUowing.  1.  No  joy.  There 
is  no  joy  in  Christ,  no  joy  in  His  religion,  no  joy  in  His  service,  and  no  joy  in  His 
salvation.  Christians  go  mourning  without  the  sun.  To  become  a  Christian  is  to 
bid  farewell  to  all  joy,  pleasure,  and  amusement  for  the  life  that  now  is.  This 
device  is  specially  intended  for  the  merry-hearted.  It  will  not  stand  examination. 
Try  it  by  reason.  Surely  every  one  possessed  of  reason  and  speech  will  admit  that 
the  Maker  of  us  all  can  make  His  creatures  happy  or  miserable.  For  He  is  "  the 
blessed,  as  well  as  the  only  wise  God."  Happy  in  HimseK,  He  is  also  the  source  of 
all  happiness  to  His  creatures.  The  very  supposition  is  not  less  irrational  than  it 
is  impious.  Is  the  knowledge  of  God,  who  is  good  as  well  as  blessed  for  ever ;  faith 
in  God ;  trust  in  His  providence  and  promises  ;  the  hope  of  eternal  life  likely — are 
such  exercises  to  inspire  sadness  ?  Assuredly  not.  And  whether  are  the  benevolent 
affections  of  "peace  on  earth  and  goodwill  toward  men,"  or  malevolent  affections 
toward  God  and  men  most  fitted  to  give  true  and  lasting  joy  ?  Try  it  by  revelation. 
And  what  are  its  tidings  ?  The  gospel  is  not  bad  but  good  news  from  heaven  to 
earth,  from  God  to  men.     And  is  good  news  fitted  to  produce  gladness  or  gloom, 

4 


^0  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  ii. 

joy  or  sorrow  ?     Tried  by  Scripture,  no  joy  in  religion  is  seen  and  shown  to  be  a 
lying  device  and  a  lying  wonder  of  Satan.     Try  it  by  experience.     Now  on  what 
does   real   joy  or   happiness   depend  ?      Not    on    worldly   conditions    or    external 
circumstances,  but  on  the  state  of  the  mind  and  heart.     WeU,  "  The  good  man 
shaU  be  satisfied  from  himself " — not  withhimseK  but  from  himself — "  out  of  a  pure 
heart,  and  of  a  good  conscience,  and  of  faith  unfeigned."     For  what  does  he  pray? 
"  Eejoice  the  soul  of  Thy  servant."     "  Are  the  consolations  of    God  small  with 
thee  ?  "     One  thing  is  certain :    the  consolations  of    God  are  not  small   in  their 
source,  not  small  in  the  promise,  and  not  small  in  themselves  ;  and  if  they  are  small 
with  thee,  is  there  not  a  cause  ?     It  may  be    owing  either — (1)  To   tliy  partial, 
defective,  or  erroneous  views  of  the  character  or  gospel  of  God  ;  or  (2)  To  the  want, 
the  weakness,  or  wavering  of  thy  faith,  under  a  fair  and  flaming  profession ;  or  (3) 
To  some  "  secret  thing  with  thee,"  to  some  secret  duty  neglected,  some  secret  sin 
indulged ;  or  (4)  To   thy   constitutional   temperament,  moody   and   sickly,  which 
depresses  thy  spirits,  and  diminishes  thy  consolations.     "  Happy  is  the  man  that 
findeth  wisdom  and  the  man  that  getteth  understanding.     Her  ways  are  ways  of 
pleasantness  and  all  her  paths  are  peace.    She  is  a  tree  of  life  to  them  that  lay  hold 
upon  her ;   and  happy  is  every  one  that  retaineth  her."     2.  No  haste.     There  is 
no  haste  for  you  to  be  found  on  the  Lord's  side,  and  be  devoted  to  His  service. 
For  all  this  you  have  time  enough,  and  to  spare  in  the  length  of  days  that  he  before 
you.     In  the  meantime  take  your  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry.     This  device  is 
specially  adapted  for  the  young,  the  strong,  the  healthy,  and  aspiring  in  the  outset 
of  life.     If  No  Joy  fail  with  this  class.  No  Haste,  and  no  danger  from  delay,   is 
more  likely  to  take,  as  it  falls  in  with  the  presumptuous  spirit  and  procrastinating 
habits  of  fallen  man.     This  device  is  second  to  none  in  danger,  and  in  success  with 
the  sons  of  men.     It  is  a  most  deceitful  and  destructive  device  of   Satan.     If  it 
takes,  Satan,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  has  gained  his  end.     By  it  unstable  souls 
are  beguiled  from  day  to  day  to  their  eternal  undoing  and  ruin.     This  device,  even 
still  less  than   the  former,  will  not  bear  examination.     For  is  it  not  the  part  of 
reason  and  wisdom,  to  give  the  first  and  most  earnest  heed  to  things  of  the  greatest 
importance.    "  Is  not  the  life  more  than  meat,  and  the  body  than  raiment?  "     Now 
what  time  is  secured  to  man  for  the  business  of  salvation  ?     "  There  is  a  time  to  be 
born  and  a  time  to  die  "  ;  but  what  is  the  time  to  live  ?     Who  can  tell  ?     The 
commands  of  the  Master  accord  with  the  dictates  of  reason,  and  the  results  of 
observation,  in  this  matter.     They  are  all  in  the  present  time,  all  personal,  all 
pressing,  and  all  supreme  in  obligation  on  all  men.     For  the  Saviour's  conunands 
are    enforced    by     Scriptural    "  ensamples,    written    for    our    admonition,    upon 
whom    the    ends    of   the   world,"   or    of    the    ages,    "have    come."      What    are 
they?     Felix    is   a    fitting   type   of    many  hearers   under   the   preaching   of    the 
gospel.     They  are  convinced,  but  they  are  not  converted  to  Christ.     Their  convic- 
tions are  stifled,  it  may  be   never   to  return.     And  does  not   the   experience  of 
unconverted  sinners  under  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  correspond  more  or  less 
to   these  ensamples    written    for  our    warning?      Do   they    not   feel    that  every 
delay    tends    to    make    the    ears    dull    of    hearing    the    Word  ?     3.  No  danger. 
There  is  no  danger  of  your  losing  your  soul,  or  of  coming  short  of  the  promised 
rest.     This  device  is  specially  intended  for  the  outwardly  decent,  the  moral,  the 
well-to-do  sort  of  people.     They  are  satisfied  with  themselves ;  are  at  peace  with 
themselves,  and  at  peace  with  the  world ;  and  they  see  and  feel  no  danger  from  any 
other  quarter.     Such  peace  is  delusive  and  short-lived.     It  is  like  the  calm  that 
precedes  the  storm.     They  admit  that  they  are  sinners,  as  all  men  are,  not  from 
any  heartfelt  conviction  of  its  evil,  but  in  extenuation  of  their  guilt  by  its  diffusion 
over  all ;  but  they  have  never  been  convinced  of  their  own  sinfulness  so  as  to  make 
them  feel  the  urgent  need  of  the  Saviour.     They  love  mammon  more  than  mercy, 
their  sins  more  than  their  souls,  self  more  than  the  Saviour,  and  pleasure  more  than 
God.  They  are  the  friends  of  the  world  and  the  enemies  of  God.  Satan  thus  gets  an 
advantage  over  them,  for  they  are  ignorant  of  his  devices.     "  The  publicans  and 
the  harlots  go  into  the  kingdom  of  God  before  you."     4.  No  hope.     There  is  for 
you  no  hope  of  salvation.     This  is  the  last,  chief  device  of  Satan,  but  it  is  not  the 
least.     Terrors  are  increased  by  the  vivid  recollections  of  privileges  misimproved ; 
of  opportunities   lost.      Well   does   Satan   know   that  more   sinners  perish   from 
despair  than  through  presumption.     Like  all  his  other  devices,  this  last  is  a  lying 
device  of  Satan.   For  while  there  is  life  there  is  hope.  {Geo.  Rohsmi.)         Advantage 
sought : — 1.    That  Church  discipline  is  necessary.     2.    That  discipline  should  be 
extended  to  every  member  of  the  Church,  whatever  his  worldly  position.     3.  That 


CHAP,  n.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  51 

Church  discipline  has  its  limits.  I.  The  evil  power  that  seeks  advantage  over 
us.  The  Bible  has  much  to  say  of  him,  but  nothing  different  from  its  teaching 
here.  We  are  taught — 1.  Satan's  names.  2.  His  condition.  Reduced  in  estate, 
brought  down  by  pride,  (fee.  3.  His  character.  Unmixed  evil.  5.  His 
calUng.  He  is  pre-eminently  the  tempter.  H.  Some  of  the  many  w  \ys  by  which 
Satan  seeks  an  advantage.  1.  He  tempts  with  systematic  suit  tty.  2.  He 
insinuates  evil  suggestions.  3.  He  makes  use  of  men  to  tempt  their  teUow-mtn. 
4.  He  conceals  his  designs,  so  as  not  to  be  perceived  or  suspected.  5.  He  avails 
himself  of  the  advantages  presented  by  the  disposition  and  circumstances  of  those 
•whom  he  tempts.     The  rich,  the  poor,  the  gay,  the  proud.     HI.  The  knowleuge 

WHICH    SHOULD     FRUSTRATE      THE      DESIRED      ADVANTAGE.       We     hlVe     nO     exCUSe      fOV 

ignorance.     A  pious  mother  said  to  her  weU-instructed  but  ungodly  son,  "  Wdl, 

Morgan,  you  are  going  straight  to  destruction,  but  you  don't  go  there  in  the  dark. 

your  mother  has  put  the  candle  in  your  hand."     What  is  the  Bible,  the  preaching, 

and  the  religious  meetings  we  have  ?     There  are  only  so  many  candles,  warnings, 

like  the  red  lights  of  danger,  as  well  as  the  beacon  lights  of  safety.     (Z).  DavU.) 

Satan^ft  devices  : — There  can  be  no  greater  evidence  of  men's  degeneracy  than  that 

their  minds  are  so  easily  imposed  upon  in  matters  of  the  greatest  moment,  and  that 

by  little  arts  of  sophistry  they  are  led  into  paths  immediately  destructive  both  of 

their   nature   and   their    happiness.     Being   therefore   placed    in   such   uangerous 

circumstances,  nothing  can  be  more  prudent  than  that  we  should  keep  our  discerning 

faculties  wakeful,  lest  Satan  should  get  an  advantage  of  us.     Note — I.  Some  of  the 

MORE  SUCCESSFUL  METHODS  AND  TRAINS  OF  TEMPTATION  whereby  the  great  enemy  of 

souls  is  wont  to  blow  up  men's  resolutions  for  a  holy  life.     1.  By  secret  disbelief  of 

the  truth  of  things.     2.  By  making  false  representations  of  religion.     (1)  That  its 

restraints  are  unjust  and  unreasonable.     So  religion  is  looked  upon  as  a  tyrannical 

encroachment  upon  the  natural  rights  and  privileges  of  mankind.     (2)  That  the 

precepts  of  it  are  difficult,  if  not  impossible.     3.  By  tempting  men  to  place  all 

rehgion  in  a  few  empty  and  external  pretensions  to  piety,  devoid  of  the  inward  life 

and  spirit  of  religion.     4.  By  tempting  them  to  such  vices  as  have  a  shadow  and 

resemblance  of  virtue.     This  crafty  spirit  knows  very  well  that  sin  will  nffver  take 

fin  its  own  naked  shape,  and  therefore  dresses  it  up  in  a  better  garb,  and  calls  it  by 

another  name.     Pride  never  spreads  its  plumes  with  more  success  than  when  it  is 

recommended  as  gentility,  and  a  just  valuing  of  ourselves  according  to  our  desert 

and  quaUty.     Many  a  man  would  never  be  betrayed  into  excesses  did  he  not  look 

upon  it  as  an  argument  of  a  free,  generous  mind,  and  a  piece  of  good  fellowship. 

5.  By  improving  the  influence  of  powerful  and  prevalent  examples.     Mankind  is  of 

a  sociable  and  pliable  temper,  easUy  drawn  aside  when  the  multitude  do  evil.     We 

are  apt  to  look  upon  it  as  some  kind  of  shelter  and  patronage  to  sin  in  company, 

and  to  act  contrary  to  the  company  we  are  in  is  looked  upon  as  a  trespass  against 

the  laws  of  civihty  and  good  manners.     II.  Therefore  it  concerns  us  to  stand 

CONTINUALLY  UPON  OUR  GU.\RD,  to  preserve  our  consciences  quick  and  tender,  to  be 

infinitely  watchful,  that  our  foot  be   not   taken  in  any  of  those   snares   that  are 

purposely  laid  to  ruin  us.     It  is  no  contemptible  enemy  that  we  have  to  deal  with, 

nor  the  less  to  be  feared  because  invisible,  for  by  this  means  he  maintains  a  nearer 

and  more  secret  intercourse  with  the  spirits  of  men.     He  is  admirably  acute  to  plant 

his  engines,  to  make  his  batteries  in  the  weakest  part.  But,  alas !  though  men  had  no 

foreign  enemy  there  is  an  enemy  within  their  own  breasts  (James  i.  14).    Herein  lies 

Satan's  great  advantage.     He  knows  our  strength  is  small,  our  propensions  to  sin 

impetuous,  and  how  apt  we  are  to  be  betrayed  by  our  appetites  and  passions.     1. 

Let  us,  then,  treasure  up  in  our  minds  a  great  sense  of  God  and  of  ourselves,  let  us 

suffer  conscience  freely  to  discharge  its  duty.     Let  us  reverence  the  nobility  of  our 

natures,  which  are  of  a  more  Divine  frame  and  temper  than  to  be  defiled.     2.  Let 

all  opportunities  and  occasions  of  vice  be  avoided  with  a  quick  and  jealous  care ;  a 

temptation  is  easier  prevented  than  removed,  when  once  it  has  thrust  itself  upon  the 

sinner.     3.  We  should  frequently  review  our  lives,  and  call  our  actions  to  a  severe 

and  impartial  examination  that  we  may  know  what  is  their  spring,  tendency  and 

consequence.     4.  But  above  all  we  must  solicit  Heaven  that  God  would  enable  us 

to  defeat  the  subtleties  of  the  tempter.     "Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into 

temptation."     {W.  Cave,  D.D.)         Satan's  temptations  and  the  necessity  of  resisting 

them : — I.  Now  the  first  trait  in  the  character  of   Satan  is  deceit.     It  is  evident 

sin  originated  in  deceit  (Gen.  iii.  13 ;  Eev.  xii.  9).     Hence  arise  those  frequent 

monitions  in  the  Word  of  God  not  to  be  deceived  if  we  would  not  sin.     II.  The 

next  device  which  the  tempter  exercises  for  the  seduction  of  mankind  is  enticement 


52  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  n. 

OR  THE  ENTANGLEMENT  OF  THE  AFFECTIONS.  No  sooner  is  the  mind  drawn  aside  from 
the  path  of  duty  than  the  affections  are  instantly  assailed  and  enticed  to  sin.  Like 
the  bait  with  which  a  fish  is  taken  on  the  hook,  so  does  Satan  seek  to  allure  men  to 
their  destruction.  The  days  of  this  captivity  will  be  heightened  when  he  can 
insidiously  prevail  upon  the  imagination  to  entertain  vain  thoughts  with  secret 
complacency  and  delight.  III.  A  third  stratagem  which  the  great  seducer  employs 
to   get  an  advantage   over  us  is   to   extenuate   the   guilt  of   sin.     IV.  Let  us 

INQUIRE  how  this  DANGER  IS  TO  BE  AVOIDED,  AND  POINT  OUT  THE  NECESSITY  OF 
RESISTING  THE    CRAFTS    AND  ASSAULTS    OF    THE   DEVIL.       1.    In  the  wholc  COUrse  of    yOUr 

obedience  attend  minutely  to  the  wisdom  of  Solomon,  and  "keep  thy  heart  with  all 
diligence."  2.  Let  this  consideration  animate  us  at  all  times  to  resist  stead- 
fastly in  the  faith,  "  knowing  that  greater  is  He  that  is  in  us  than  he  that 
is  in  the  world."  3.  For  this  purpose  let  us  always  bear  in  mind  the  example 
and  sufferings  of  the  blessed  Jesus.  4.  Let  us,  then,  rejoice  that  we  are  called 
to  serve  under  so  good  a  leader,  so  solicitous  for  our  success,  so  careful  to 
promote  it,  and  so  ready  "  to  help  in  time  of  need."  5.  Finally,  let  us  remember 
that  in  all  our  encounters  with  sin,  the  world,  and  the  devil,  we  are  but  following 
the  footsteps  of  the  Captain  of  our  salvation,  and  travelling  to  the  attainment  of 
the  same  glory,  through  the  same  rugged  paths  of  sorrow  and  temptation.  {E. 
Brackenbury ,  B.A.)  Satance  stratagemata : — Chabryas  was  wont  to  say  that  he 
was  the  best  commander  in  war  who  best  understood  his  enemies.  I.  First, 
OF  the  caution.  Some  render  these  words.  Lest  Satan  should  usurp  upon  you ; 
and  they  give  this  reason,  because,  say  they,  Satan  hath  no  right  to  any  place ; 
wheresoever  he  getteth  footing  he  is  an  intruder  and  usurper.  Others  read,  Lest 
Satan  circumvent  us  agreeably  to  the  circumstances  of  the  place  and  the  practice  of 
the  devil.  But  why  doth  the  apostle  say,  "  Lest  he  get  advantage  of  us"  ?  Was  St. 
Paul  in  any  danger,  or  had  Satan  any  design  upon  him  ?  We  may  conceive  that  St. 
Paul  joins  himself  with  them,  because  he  esteemed  all  those  whom  he  begot  to 
Christ  by  the  gospel  no  other  than  his  own  children,  and  the  father  cannot  but 
Buffer  in  the  loss  of  his  child.  The  shepherd  must  needs  be  endamaged  when  any 
of  his  flock  is  diminished.  St.  Paul  was  further  interested  in  this  business,  for  the 
Corinthians  had  excommunicated  this  incestuous  person  by  order  from  the  apostle, 
and  therefore  if  he  had  miscarried,  Satan  had  made  his  advantage  upon  all :  upon 
the  incestuous  person,  whose  soul  he  would  have  ruined  ;  upon  the  Church,  which 
he  had  maimed  of  a  member.  These  were  Satan's  devices,  which  he  could  not 
carry  so  closely  but  that  the  apostle's  vigilant  eye  descried  them,  for,  saith  he,  "  We 
are  not  ignorant  of  his  devices."  Did  the  householder  know  what  night  the  thief 
would  come  to  rob  him,  he  would  certainly  guard  his  house ;  did  the  birds  know  a 
snare  were  laid  for  them,  would  they  come  near  it?  "Devices."  Devices  are 
subtle  means  to  compass  our  ends,  such  as  are  tricks  in  gaming,  fallacies  in 
disputing,  and  stratagems  in  war ;  the  enemy  of  our  soul  is  full  of  them. 
1.  The  first  stratagem,  poUey,  or  device  of  Satan  is  to  observe  the  natural 
constitution  of  every  man's  mind  and  body,  and  to  fit  his  temptations  there- 
unto. For  he  knoweth  well  that,  as  every  plant  thrives  not  in  every  soil,  so 
neither  every  vice  in  every  temper  and  complexion.  As  the  mariner  marks  the 
wind,  and  accordingly  hoisteth  up  or  striketh  sail,  or  as  the  cunning  orator  learneth 
which  way  the  judge  propendeth,  and  ever  draweth  him  where  he  seeth  him 
coming  on,  so  the  devil  maketh  perpetual  use  of  the  bent  of  our  nature  to  help 
forward  his  temptations.  2.  The  second  stratagem,  policy,  or  device  is  to  observe 
our  natural  abilities  and  endowments,  and  accommodate  his  temptations  thereunto. 

3.  The  tl-ird  stratagem,  policy,  or  device  of  Satan  is  to  accommodate  his  tempta- 
tion to  men's  outward  estate,  condition,  and  place,  which  much  swayeth  either  way. 

4.  The  fourth  stratagem,  policy,  or  device  is  to  tempt  us  by  method,  beginning 
with  questionable  actions,  thence  proceeding  to  sins  of  infirmity,  from  them  to 
wilful  transgressions,  after  to  heinous  crimes,  and  last  of  all  to  obstinacy  and  final 
impenitency.  No  wool  or  cloth  is  dyed  purple  or  scarlet  at  the  first,  but  after  divers 
tinctures  at  the  last  taketh  that  deepest  dye.  He  that  hastily  turns  the  peg  to  wind 
up  a  treble  to  his  pitch  will  sooner  break  the  string  than  tune  it,  but  if  he  strain  it 
up  by  little  and  httle,  he  bringeth  it  without  danger  to  the  height.  5.  The  fifth 
stratagem,  policy,  or  device  of  Satan  is  to  bring  us  from  one  extreme  to  another. 
6.  The  sixth  stratagem,  policy,  or  device  of  Satan  is  to  turn  himself  into  an  angel 
of  light,  and  thereby  to  persuade  the  children  of  light  that  his  suggestions  are  the 
motions  of  God's  Holy  Spirit.  7.  The  seventh  stratagem,  policy  or  device  of  Satan 
is  to  make  advantage  of  time,  not  only  by  alluring  every  age  to  the  peculiar  vices 


«HAP.  n.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  53 

thereof,  as  children  to  idleness  and  vanity,  youth  to  lust,  perfect  age  and  strength  to 
violence  and  audacious  attempts,  old  age  to  covetousness,  and  every  one  to  the  sins 
of  the  time,  but  making  use  of  the  present  opportunity  to  thrust  a  man  suddenly 
into  the  next  sin.     Instruct  you  how  to  employ  his  own  engines,  and  turn  his  own 
ordnance  upon  himself.     1.  First,  doth  Satan  play  the  physiognomer,  and  observing 
our  natural   temper   fit    his  temptations  thereunto?     Let   us   also   make   use   of 
physiognomy,  and  take  advantage  of  our  natural  inclinations  to  further  the  works 
of  grace  in  us.      If  we  find  ourselves  by  nature   timorous,  let   us   endeavour   to 
improve  this  fear  into  awful  reverence  ;  if  audacious,  to  improve  this  boldness  into 
spiritual  confidence.  2.  Secondly,  doth  Satan  play  the  poet,  and  fit  every  player  with 
a  part  that  he  is  best  able  to  act  ?  Let  us  also  make  use  of  poetry,  and  observing  our 
natural  abilities  of  mind  and  body  to  fit  our  spiritual  exercises  accordingly.     If  we 
are  endued  with  pregnancy  of  wit,  to  employ  it  in  the  study  of  heavenly  mysteries  ; 
if  with  maturity  of  judgment,  employ  it  in  discerning  between  the  true  and  false 
religion.     3.  Thirdly,  doth  Satan  play  the  politician,  and  inquire  into  every  man's 
estate  and  condition  of  life,  and  accommodate  his  temptations  thereunto  ?    Let  us 
also  make  use  of  policy,  and  by  our  outward  estate  better  our  inward,  labouring  for 
those  graces  which  are  most  proper  for  our  place  and  condition.     If  we  are  in 
authority,  let  us  strive  for  gravity  and  integrity ;  if  under  the  command  of  others, 
for   obedience  and  faithfulness.     4.  Fourthly,  does   Satan  play  the   logician    and 
tempt  us  by  method  ?     Let  us  also  make  use  of  logic,  and  observe  method  in  the 
science  of  salvation.     5.  Fifthly,  doth  Satan  play  the  false  pilot,  and  by  persuading 
us  to  decline  from  a  rock  on  the  right  hand,  carry  us  so  far  the  contrary  way  that 
we  split  our  ship  upon  a  rock  on  the  left  hand  ?    Let  us  also  make  use  of  the  art  of 
navigation  in  our  course  to  the  fair  havens  in  heaven.     6.  Sixthly,  doth  Satan  play 
the  crafty  merchant,  and  cheat  us  with  counterfeit  stones  for  jewels,  with  shows  of 
virtues  for  true  graces  ?     Let  us  also  imitate  the  wisdom  of  merchants,  who  will 
be  perfect  lapidaries  before  they  deal  in  pearls  and  precious  stones.     Let  us  study 
the  difference  between  true  and  seeming  gi'aces.     7.  Lastly,  doth   Satan  play  the 
temporiser,  and  time  all  his  suggestions?     Let  us  also  in  a  pious  sense  be  time- 
servers,  let   us   perform   all   holy  duties  in  the  fittest  season.     {D.  Featly,  D.D.) 
Satan's  devices : — I.  To  draw  the  believek  into  sin.     1.  He  takes  advantage  of 
his  peculiar  temperament.  Does  he  see  David  inclining  to  pride  and  vain  confidence, 
he  tempts  him  to  number  the  people,  well  knowing  the  judgment  that  would  follow 
{2  Chron.  xxi.  1).     Did  Satan  behold  in  Peter  the  fear  of  man  ?     He  instigates  a 
maid  to  accuse  him  of  being  a  follower  of  Christ,  and  thereby  causes  him  to  deny 
his  Lord.     Did  he  see  in  Lot  too  much  leaning  to  the  world  ?     He  takes  advantage 
of  it  to  make  him  linger  in  Sodom.     Just  so  now.     Satan  knows  our  besetments. 
It  may  be  irritabiUty  of  temper,  or  over-sensitiveness,  taking  offence  quickly  at  the 
shghtest  cause,  or  spiritual  pride,  or  too  much  chnging  to  the  world,  &c.     Of  all 
these  he  takes  advantage.     2.  He  chooses  fitting  instruments.     He  employed  Eve  to 
seduce  Adam,  and  Job's  wife  to  tempt  the  patriarch  to  "  curse  God  and  die."     He 
will  tempt  a  parent  to  do  wrong  in  order  to  gratify  the  caprices  of  a  favourite  child ; 
he  will  tempt  a  child  to  act  contrary  to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience  through  fear 
of  disobeymg  a  [parent ;  he  will  tempt  a  Christian  to  wound  his  conscience  rather 
than  offend  another  on  whose  support  he  may  entirely  depend.     3.  He  presents  the 
same  temptation  under  diiJerent  forms.     This  was  the  device  which  he  employed 
against  the  Saviour.     He  tempted  Him  personally  and  then  by  Peter.     Foiled  in  his 
■designs  upon  us  he  departs,  but  only  until  a  feeling  of  security  has  stolen  over  us, 
then   he   creeps  back  again  more  wilily  than  ever.     II.  To  keep  believers  in  a 
SORROWFUL  AND  DOUBTING  STATE.     He  docs  SO — 1.  By  making  them  look  at  their  sins 
instead  of  away  from  them  to  Christ.     2.  By  inclining  them  to  misinterpret  God's 
providential  dealings.     3.  By  making  them  confound  faith  with  assurance.     III. 
To  KEEP  BELIEVERS  FROM  HOLT  DUTIES.     He  docs  SO — 1.  By  presenting  the  world  in 
a  false  light.     2.  By  suggesting  a  multitude  of  vain  thoughts.     3.  By  striving  to 
make  them  content  with  a  low  state  of  religion,  instead  of  seeking  higher  degrees 
of  personal  holiness,  "growing  in  grace,"  &c.     (A.  W.  Snape,  M.A.)         The  devil's 
devices : — I.  To  occupy  our  minds  with  worldly  things,  so  that  no  time  may  be 

lEFT  TO  care  for  OUR  SOULS.  II.  To  DISCOURAGE  THOSE  WHO  SHOW  ANY  DISPOSITION 
TO  DO  RIGHT.      III.    To    MISREPRESENT    RELIGION    ITSELF.       IV.    To    MAKE    USE    OF    THE 

ACHIEVEMENTS  OF  SCIENCE  TO  FURTHER  HIS  OWN  PURPOSES.  Hcuce  the  idea  that  there 
is  no  limit  to  human  investigations  ;  that  the  utterances  of  reason  are  supreme  ;  that 
faith  in  the  unseen  is  but  the  pitiable  weakness  of  superstition  and  ignorance. 
{J.  N.  Norton,  D.D.)        Satan's  devices  : — The  justice  of  God  in  suffering  us  to  be 


54  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  n.. 

tempted  is  vindicated  from  the  following  considerations — that  we  are  here  in  & 
state  of  disorder  ;  that  He  has  promised  not  to  suffer  us  to  be  tempted  above  what 
we  are  able  to  bear,  and  not  only  so,  but  to  him  that  overcometh  He  will  give  a 
crown  of  life.  As  to  the  first  question,  what  time  of  life  ?  I  answer,  we  must 
expect  to  be  tempted  by  him,  in  some  degree  or  other,  all  our  lives  long.  Second, 
point  out  some  of  those  devices  which  Satan  generally  makes  use  of  at  out 
first  conversion,  in  order  to  get  an  advantage  over  us.  1.  First  device  I  shall 
mention,  which  Satan  makes  use  of,  is  to  drive  us  to  despair.  2.  A  second 
device  that  Satan  generally  makes  use  of  to  get  an  advantage  over  young  converts 
is  to  tempt  them  to  presume  or  to  think  more  highly  of  themselves  than  they 
ought  to  think.  3.  A  third  device  I  shall  mention  which  Satan  generally 
makes  use  of,  "  to  get  an  advantage  over  us,"  is,  to  tempt  us  to  uneasiness  and  to 
have  hard  thoughts  of  God,  when  we  are  dead  and  barren  in  prayer.  4.  Fourth 
device  I  am  going  to  mention — his  troubling  you  with  blasphemous,  profane, 
unbelieving  thoughts,  and  sometimes  to  such  a  degree  that  they  are  as  tormenting 
as  the  rack.  5.  Fifth  I  shall  mention,  which  is  not  the  least,  tempting  us  by  our 
carnal  friends  and  relations.  6.  Sixth  device,  which  is  as  dangerous  as  any  of  the 
former,  by  not  tempting  us  at  all,  or,  rather,  by  withdrawing  himself  for  a  while  in 
order  to  come  upon  us  at  an  hour  when  we  think  not  of  it.  (G.  Whitfield,  M.A.) 
Satan's  devices  : — The  important  words  in  the  text  are  of  the  same  root—"  Satan  is 
very  knowini,',  and  always  on  the  alert  to  get  the  better  of  us  ;  but  we  are  not 
without  knowledge  of  his  knowing  ways."  It  was  Paul's  acquaintance  with  the 
wiles  of  the  devil  which  made  him  anxious  to  see  the  restoration  of  the  penitent 
sinner  duly  carried  through.  I.  A  scandal  in  the  Church  gives  the  devil  an 
OPPORTUNITY.  When  a  Christian  falls  into  open  sin  it  is  a  chance  offered  to  the 
enemy  which  he  is  not  slow  to  improve.  He  uses  it  to  discredit  the  very  name  of 
Christ ;  to  turn  that  which  ought  to  be  the  symbol  of  the  purest  goodness  into  a 
synonym  of  hypocrisy.  Christ  has  committed  His  honour  to  our  keeping,  and 
every  lapse  into  vice  gives  Satan  an  advantage  over  Him.     II.  The  devil  finds  his 

GAIN    IN    the    INCOJIPETENCE    OF    THE    ChURCH    TO    DEAL    WITH    EVIL    IN    THE    SPIRIT    OF 

Christ.  It  is  a  fine  thing  for  him  if  he  can  drive  the  convicted  sinner  to  despair, 
and  if  he  can  prompt  those  who  know  little  of  God's  love  to  implacability.  If  the 
disciples  of  Him  who  received  sinners  look  askance  on  the  lapsed  and  chill  their 
hope  of  restoration,  there  will  be  joy  over  it,  not  in  heaven  but  in  hell.  And  not 
only  this,  but  the  opposite  is  a  device  of  the  devil  of  which  we  ought  not  to  be 
ignorant.  There  is  hardly  a  sin  which  some  one  has  not  an  interest  in  extenuating. 
Even  the  incestuous  person  had  his  defenders  who  gloried  in  what  he  had  done  as 
an  assertion  of  Christian  Uberty.  The  devil  takes  advantage  of  Church  scandals  to 
bribe  and  debauch  men's  consciences  ;  indulgent  words  are  spoken,  which  are  not  the 
voice  of  Christ's  awful  mercy,  but  of  a  miserable  self-pity,  and  could  any  one 
imagine  what  would  suit  the  devil  better  than  the  absolutely  unfeehng  but  extremely 
interesting  gossip  which  resounds  over  every  exposure  of  sin  ?  IH.  The  devil 
finds  his  advantage  in  the  dissensions  of  Christians.  What  an  opportunity  he 
would  have  had  in  Corinth  had  strained  relations  continued  between  the  apostle 
and  the  Church !  What  opportunities  he  has  everywhere,  when  tempers  are  on 
edge,  and  every  movement  means  friction,  and  every  proposal  rouses  suspicion  1 
The  last  prayer  of  Christ  was  that  all  His  disciples  might  be  one  ;  to  be  one  in  Him 
is  the  final  security  against  the  devices  of  Satan.  What  a  frightful  commentary 
the  history  of  the  Church  is  on  this  prayer.  It  is  giving  ourselves  away  to  the 
enemy,  if  we  do  not  at  all  costs,  "  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of 
peace."     (J.  Denney,  B.D.) 

Vers.  12-17.  Furthermore,  when  I  came  to  Troas. — The  effect  of  the  gospel 
ministry : — I.  The  work  which  the  minister  undertakes.  "  I  came  to  Troas  to 
preach  Christ's  gospel "  ;  "God  maketh  manifest  the  savour  of  His  knowledge  by 
us";  "For  we  are  not  as  many  which  corrupt  the  Word  of  God."  According, 
then,  to  the  apostle,  the  minister's  work  consists  in  the  faithful  exposition  of  that 
Word  which  contains  the  knowledge  of  Christ's  gospel.  In  nature  we  mark  the 
footprints  of  the  Creator,  but  God's  Word  gives  us  the  marvellous  embodiment  of 
His  providential  and  redemptive  thoughts.  II.  The  mrLUENCE  he  exerts  (vers. 
15,  16).  Eelationship  increases  responsibility.  Who  can  define  the  responsibility 
of  the  parent?  The  teacher  also  assumes  mighty  responsibilities.  HI.  The  source  . 
or  THE  minister's  qualifications  fob  his  work.  "He  causeth  us  to  triumph  in-. 
Christ."     (T.  Moir,  M.A.) 


CHAP.  II.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  55 

Vers.  14-16.  Now  thanks  be  to  God,  wMch  always  causeth  us  to  triumph  in 
Christ. — GoiVs  triiimjih  and  PauVs  : — The  authorised  translation  at  first  sight 
strikes  us  as  most  suitable.  Practically  Paul  had  been  engaged  in  a  conflict  with 
the  Corinthians,  and  for  a  time  it  seemed  not  improbable  that  he  might  be  beaten  ; 
but  God  caused  him  to  triumph  in  Christ — i.e.,  acting  in  Christ's  interests,  in 
matters  in  which  Christ's  name  and  honour  were  at  stake,  the  victory,  as  always, 
had  remained  with  him.  But  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  Revisers  were  right 
in  translating  "  leadeth  us  in  triumph."  The  triumph  is  God's,  not  the  apostle's. 
Paul  is  not  the  soldier  who  wins  the  battle  and  shouts  for  victory  as  he  marches 
in  the  triumphal  procession  ;  he  is  the  captive  who  is  led  in  the  conqueror's  train, 
and  in  whom  men  see  the  trophy  of  the  conqueror's  power.  When  he  says  that 
God  always  leads  him  in  triumph  in  Christ,  the  meaning  is  not  perfectly  obvious. 
He  may  intend  to  define,  as  it  were,  the  area  over  which  God's  victory  extends. 
In  everything  which  is  covered  by  the  name  and  authority  of  Christ,  God  trium- 
phantly asserts  His  power  over  the  apostle.  Or  he  may  mean  that  it  is  through 
Christ  that  God's  victorious  power  is  put  forth.  These  two  meanings,  of  course, 
are  not  inconsistent,  and  practically  they  coincide.  It  cannot  be  denied,  I  think, 
if  this  is  taken  rigoi'ously,  that  there  is  a  certain  air  of  irrelevance  about  it.  It 
does  not  seem  to  be  the  purpose  of  the  passage  to  say  that  God  always  triumphs 
over  Paul  and  those  for  whom  he  speaks,  or  even  that  He  always  leads  them  in 
triumph.  It  is  this  feeling  which  mainly  influences  those  who  keep  to  A.V.,  and 
regard  Paul  as  the  victor.  But  the  meaning  of  the  original  is  not  really  open  to 
doubt,  and  the  semblance  of  the  irrelevance  disappears  if  we  remember  that  we  are 
dealing  with  a  figure,  and  a  figure  which  the  apostle  himself  does  not  press.  Of 
course,  in  an  ordinary  triumph,  such  as  that  of  Claudius  over  Caractacus,  of  which 
Paul  may  easily  have  heard,  the  captives  had  no  share  in  the  victory ;  it  was  not 
only  a  victory  over  them,  but  against  them.  But  when  God  wins  a  victory  over 
man,  and  leads  his  captive  in  triumph,  the  captive  too  has  an  interest  in  what 
happens ;  it  is  the  beginning  of  all  triumphs,  in  any  true  sense,  for  him.  If  we 
apply  this  to  the  case  before  us,  we  shall  see  that  the  true  meaning  is  not  irrelevant. 
Paul  had  once  been  the  enemy  of  God  in  Christ ;  he  had  fought  against  Him  in 
his  own  soul,  and  in  the  Church  which  he  persecuted  and  wasted.  The  battle  had 
been  long  and  strong,  but  not  far  from  Damascus  it  had  terminated  in  a  mighty 
victory  for  God.  There  the  mighty  man  fell,  and  the  weapons  of  his  warfare 
perished.  His  pride,  his  self-righteousness,  his  sense  of  superiority  to  others  and 
of  competence  to  attain  to  the  righteousness  of  God,  collapsed  for  ever,  and  he 
rose  from  the  earth  to  be  the  slave  of  Jesus  Christ.  That  was  the  beginning  of 
God's  triumph  over  him ;  from  that  hour  God  led  him  in  triumph  in  Christ.  But 
it  was  the  beginning  also  of  all  that  made  the  apostle's  life  itself  a  triumph — not 
a  career  of  hopeless  internal  strife,  such  as  it  had  been,  but  of  unbroken  Christian 
victory.  So  the  only  triumphs  we  can  ever  have,  deserving  the  name,  must  begin 
with  Christ's  triumph  over  us.  This  is  the  one  possible  source  of  joy  untroubled. 
We  may  be  as  selfish  as  we  please,  and  as  successful  in  our  selfishness ;  we  may 
distance  all  our  rivals  in  the  race  for  the  world's  prizes ;  we  may  appropriate  and 
engross  pleasure,  wealth,  knowledge,  influence ;  and  after  all  there  will  be  one 
thing  we  must  do  without — the  power  and  happiness  of  thanking  God.  No  one 
will  ever  be  able  to  thank  God  because  he  has  succeeded  in  pleasing  himself, 
be  the  mode  of  his  self-pleasing  as  respectable  as  you  will ;  and  he  who  has  not 
thanked  God  with  a  whole  heart,  without  misgiving  or  reserve,  does  not  know 
what  joy  is.  Such  thanksgiving  and  its  joy  have  one  condition  :  they  rise  up 
spontaneously  in  the  soul  when  it  allows  God  to  triumph  over  it.  When  God 
appears  in  Christ,  when,  in  the  omnipotence  of  His  love  and  purity  and  truth,  He 
makes  war  on  our  pride  and  falsehood  and  lusts,  and  prevails  against  them,  and 
brings  us  low,  then  we  are  admitted  to  the  secret  of  this  apparently  perplexing 
passage ;  we  know  how  natural  it  is  to  cry,  "  Thanks  be  unto  God,  who  in  His 
victory  over  us  giveth  us  the  victory !  Thanks  be  to  Him  who  always  leadeth  us 
in  triumph !  "  It  is  out  of  an  experience  like  this  that  Paul  speaks ;  it  is  the  key 
to  his  whole  life,  and  it  has  been  illustrated  anew  by  what  has  just  happened  at 
Corinth.  (J.  Denney,  B.D.)  The  triumph  of  the  Christian  minister  : — The  im- 
mediate occasion  of  St.  Paul's  expressing  this  sentiment  was  the  glad  tidings  which 
he  had  received  of  the  Church  at  Corinth,  together  with  the  door  opened  to  him 
of  the  Lord  at  Troas.  I.  The  Christian  minister's  teiumph.  1.  The  idea  of  a 
triumph  implies  that  there  has  been  a  conquest  achieved ;  surely  the  success  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ  has  now,  as  well  as  in  the  days  of  St.  Paul,  the  best  title  to  this 


56  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  n. 

distinction.  We  have  not  now,  indeed,  like  the  apostles,  to  resist  the  authority  of 
learning  and  rank,  but  we  have  still  the  ignorant  and  obdurate  heart  of  man  to 
conquer ;  we  have  still  to  cope  with  the  love  of  the  world,  the  dominion  of  passion, 
and  the  force  of  evil  customs  ;  we  have  still  to  subdue  the  pride  and  presumption 
of  men,  and  to  induce  them  to  be  saved  by  faith  in  the  death  and  sacrifice  of  Christ. 
The  drunkard  is  to  be  made  sober,  the  unjust  righteous.  And  is  there  no  triumph 
in  accomplishing  this  ?  2.  We  admit,  indeed,  that  to  the  eye  of  sense  there  appears 
no  splendour  in  achieving  these  victories.  3.  But  still,  to  the  eye  of  piety  and  faith, 
there  was,  amidst  all,  a  triumph.  The  very  external  ignominy,  sufferings,  and 
infirmities  of  the  apostle,  contrasted  with  the  effects  of  his  preaching  on  the  hearts 
and  lives  of  men,  would  only  the  more  illustrate  the  surprising  victory  of  the  grace 
of  God.  4.  And  in  cases  of  remarkable  revivals  of  religion,  when  the  Word  of  God 
runs  more  rapidly  and  is  glorified,  may  not  the  language  of  the  text  be  applied  in 
a  still  more  full  and  appropriate  sense  ?  Is  not  this  a  magnificent  ti-iumph  ?  5. 
This  triumph  is  described  in  the  text  to  be  in  Christ,  and  that  because  it  is  gained 
entirely  by  His  grace.  It  is  not  natural  reason  or  the  power  or  skill  of  the  minister 
which  can  change  a  single  heart.  6.  It  is  also  in  Him  because  it  is  gained  by  His 
doctrine,  and  by  that  only.  It  is  not  by  enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom,  but  by 
plainly  exhibiting  the  simple  truths  of  redemption,  that  men  are  converted  unto 
God.  7.  It  is  likewise  a  triumph  in  Christ  because  it  is  effected  by  the  means  of 
God's  appointment ;  not  by  force  or  persecution,  but  by  a  holy  example  and  con- 
tinual efforts  and  affectionate  warnings  and  invitations  addressed  to  the  heart.  8. 
How  superior  is  this  triumph  to  every  other !  II.  The  special  blessings  which 
THE  Chkistian  MINISTER  COMMUNICATES.  "  And  makcth  manifest  the  savour  of  His 
knowledge  by  us  in  every  place."  There  is  always  a  proportion  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
ture between  the  description  and  the  importance  of  the  thing  described.  No  triumph, 
no  glorying  is  spoken  of,  except  the  occasion  justly  demands  it.  Thus,  wherever 
the  spiritual  triumph  of  the  apostle  advanced,  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  like  a  reviving 
odour,  was  diffused  around,  and  men  were  refreshed  and  invigorated.  1.  The  know- 
ledge of  Christ  is  the  leading  blessing  which  the  gospel  confers.  Other  truths  may 
be  necessary  as  introductory  to  it  or  consequent  upon  it,  but  Christ,  as  the  Saviour 
of  sinners,  is  the  basis  and  the  substance  of  Christian  doctrine.  2.  The  knowledge 
of  Christ,  strictly  taken,  more  immediately  regards  the  Divine  person  and  grace  of 
Jesus  Christ,  His  glory  as  the  eternal,  incommunicable  Word,  His  incarnation  for 
our  redemption.  His  obedience,  sufferings,  and  death.  3.  But  who  can  describe 
fitly  the  savour  of  this  knowledge?  The  mystery  of  redemption  is  not  a  cold 
abstract  truth,  like  a  subtle  question  in  metaphysics,  an  obscure  point  in  chronology, 
or  a  probable  fact  in  history.  It  is  something  infinitely  greater  and  more  interesting 
than  all  these.  There  is,  therefore,  a  savour,  a  fragrance,  an  unction,  so  to  speak, 
in  the  knowledge  of  Christ.  These  expressions  imply  something  of  delight  and 
refreshment  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Saviour  which  it  is  difficult  adequately  to 
describe.  As  a  proof  of  this,  ask  only  the  guilty  and  self-condemned  penitent.  He 
will  tell  you  there  was  a  savour  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ  which  no  words  can 
express.  Inquire,  again,  of  the  afflicted,  tempted,  and  perplexed  Christian.  He 
will  rejoice  to  acknowledge,  because  he  wiU  have  deeply  felt,  its  unspeakable 
blessedness.  Or  ask  the  expiring  Christian,  as  he  lies  on  the  bed  of  death.  The 
name  of  Christ  is  to  such  persons  as  a  reviving  fragrance  to  the  faint.  This  lan- 
guage may  be  regarded  as  tinctured  with  enthusiasm.  We  admit  that  the  corrupt 
moral  taste  of  men  who  have  never  so  repented  of  sin  as  to  abhor  it,  and  therefore 
have  never  comprehended  this  doctrine  aright,  can  find  no  sweetness  or  refreshment 
in  it ;  but  the  holy  and  enlightened  mind  is  not  to  be  measured  by  the  low,  defective 
standard  which  is  adapted  to  the  sensual  and  immoral.  Thus,  in  natural  things, 
disease,  it  is  true,  may  vitiate  the  organs,  and  the  most  exquisite  perfumes  may 
become  in  such  cases  offensive.  III.  The  gratitude  which  the  apostle  offers 
TO  God  for  this  triumph.  The  language  of  the  text  is  that  of  impassioned  trans- 
port— "Now  thanks  be  unto  God,"  &c.  God,  in  the  dispensation  of  His  grace, 
uses  such  instruments  as  may  best  illustrate  His  own  glory.  And,  indeed,  if  the 
Eoman  conqueror  in  his  triumph  is  said  to  have  deposited  his  golden  crown  in  the 
lap  of  Jupiter  when  he  arrived  at  the  Capitol,  and  to  have  dedicated  to  him  a  part 
of  the  spoils  which  he  had  won,  much  more  should  the  apostle  of  Christ  cast  his 
crown  at  the  feet  of  his  gracious  Saviour,  and  devote  all  his  acquisitions  to  His 
honour.  The  moment  the  minister  of  Christ,  unfaithful  to  his  trust,  begins  to  glory 
in  himself,  and  to  ascribe  his  success  to  the  might  of  his  own  power,  he  may  expect 
to  be  deserted  by  his  Lord.     In  comparison  with  such  a  triumph  he  will  think 


CHAP.  II.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  57 

nothing  of  his  labours  and  anxieties.  1.  Let  us  inquire,  in  the  first  place,  whether 
we  have  in:leed  for  ourselves  obeyed  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Have  we  considered  the 
gospel  in  the  manner  in  which  the  text  represents  it  ?  Have  we  understood  the 
triumph  connected  with  it  ?  Have  we  received  the  knowledge  of  Christ  which  it 
exhibits?  2.  But,  further,  if,  as  I  trust  is  the  case  with  many  of  us,  we  have 
obeyed  the  gospel,  let  us  inquire  whether  we  are  habitually  acting  agreeably  to  it. 
Are  the  effects  of  the  victory  evident?  (D.  Wilson,  M.A.)  Gratitude  presented  : — 
■"Now  thanks  be  to  God."  These  thanksgivings  should  be — 1.  Ardent.  2.  Con- 
stant. 3.  Practical.  4.  Indispensable  to  our  happiness.  5.  These  thanksgivings 
will  be  eternal.  Hence  these  thanksgivings  are — 1.  Spiritual.  2.  Pubhc.  3.  Private. 
4.  Costly.  5.  Fiducial.  6.  And  Scriptural  and  holy.  (T.  B.  Baker.)  The  triumphal 
procession  of  the  Christ : — The  Revised  Version  correctly  alters  the  translation  into 
"  Thanks  be  unto  God,  which  always  leadeth  us  in  triumph  in  Christ."  Paul  thinks 
of  himself  and  of  his  coadjutors  in  Christian  work  as  being  conquered  captives, 
made  to  follow  their  Conqueror  and  to  swell  His  triumph.  He  is  thankful  to  be 
so  overcome.  What  was  deepest  degradation  is  to  him  supreme  honour.  "  He 
maketh  manifest " — that  is,  visible — the  savour  of  His  knowledge.  From  a  heart 
kindled  by  the  flame  of  the  Divine  love  there  will  go  up  the  odour  of  a  holy  life. 
I.  First,  tbten,  let  us  Look  at  that  thought  of  all  Chbisti.vns  being  in  the 

TRUEST  SENSE  CONQUEBED  CAPTIVES,  BOUND    TO    THE    CHARIOT  WHEELS    OF   OnE  WHO    HAS 

OVERCOME  THEM.  The  image  implies  prior  state  of  hostility  and  alienation.  Paul 
is  speaking  about  himself  here ;  he  says,  "  I  was  an  enemy,  and  I  have  been  con- 
quered." What  sort  of  an  enemy  was  he  ?  Well,  he  says  that  before  he  became 
a  Christian  he  lived  a  pure,  virtuous,  respectable  life.  He  was  a  man.  "  as  touching 
the  righteousness  which  is  in  the  law,  blameless."  His  conscience  acquitted  him 
of  wrong,  and  yet  he  says,  "Notwithstanding  all  that,  I  was  an  enemy."  Why? 
Because  the  retrospect  let  him  see  that  his  life  was  barren  of  the  deepest  faith  and 
the  purest  love.  That  is  the  basis  of  the  representation  of  my  text.  It  suggests 
the  wonderful  struggle  and  victory  of  weaponless  love.  As  was  said  about  the  first 
Christian  emperor,  so  it  may  be  said  about  the  great  Emperor  in  the  heavens,  "In 
hoc  signo  vinces"  ("By  this  sign  thou  shalt  conquer!").  For  His  only  weapon  is  the 
Cross  of  His  Son,  and  He  fights  only  by  the  manifestation  of  infinite  love,  sacrifice, 
suffering,  and  pity.  He  conquers  as  the  sun  conquers  the  thick-ribbed  ice  by  raying 
down  its  heat  upon  it,  and  melting  it  into  sweet  water.  And  what  more  does  this 
first  part  of  my  text  say  to  us  ?  It  tells  us,  too,  of  the  true  submission  of  the  con- 
quered captive.  This  picture  of  the  triumph  comes  with  a  solemn  appeal  to  every 
professing  Christian.  Think  of  these  men,  dragged  at  the  conqueror's  chariot- 
wheels,  abject,  with  their  weapons  broken,  with  their  resistance  quelled,  chained, 
haled  away  from  their  own  land,  dependent  for  life  or  death  on  the  caprice  of  the 
general  that  rode  before  them  there.  It  is  a  picture  of  what  you  Christian  men 
and  women  are  bound  to  be  if  you  believe  that  God  in  Christ  has  loved  you. 
If  we  are  thus  won  by  infinite  love,  and  not  our  own,  but  bought  with  a  price,  no 
conquered  king,  dragged  at  an  emperor's  chariot- wheels,  was  ever  half  as  absolutely 
bound  to  be  his  slave,  and  to  live  or  die  by  his  breath,  as  you  are  bound  to  your 
Master.     II.   Now  we  have  here,  as  part  of   the  ideal  of  the  Christian  life,  the 

CONQUERED    CAPTIVES    PARTAKING   IN    THE    TRIUMPH    OF   THEIR    GENERAL.       TwO    groUpS 

made  up  the  triumphal  procession— the  one  that  of  the  soldiers  who  had  fought 
for,  the  other  that  of  the  prisoners  who  had  fought  against,  the  leader.  And  some 
commentators  are  inclined  to  believe  that  the  apostle  is  here  thinking  of  himself 
and  his  fellows  as  belonging  to  the  conquering  army,  and  not  to  the  conquered 
enemy.  But  be  that  as  it  may,  it  suggests  to  us  this  thought — that  they  who  are 
conquered  foes  become  conquering  allies.  Or,  to  put  it  into  other  words,  to  be 
triumphed  over  by  Christ  is  to  triumph  with  Christ.  We  may  illustrate  that 
thought — that  to  be  triumphed  over  by  Christ  is  to  triumph  with  Christ — by  such 
considerations  as  these.  This  submission,  abject  and  unconditional,  extending  to 
life  and  death,  is  but  another  name  for  Uberty.  The  man  who  is  absolutely  depen- 
dent upon  Jesus  Christ  is  absolutely  independent  of  everything  and  everybody 
besides,  himself  included.  If  you  give  yourselves  up  to  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  measure 
in  which  you  give  yourselves  up  to  Him  you  will  be  set  at  liberty  from  the  worst 
of  all  slaveries — that  is,  the  slavery  of  your  own  will  and  your  own  weakness,  and 
your  own  tastes  and  fancies.  You  will  be  set  at  liberty  from  the  dependence  upon 
men,  from  thinking  about  their  opinion.  You  will  be  set  at  liberty  from  your 
dependence  upon  externals,  from  feeling  as  if  you  could  not  live  unless  you  had 
this,  that,  or  the  other  person  or  thing.     If  you  have  Christ  for  your  Master  you 


58  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  n, 

will  be  the  masters  of  the  world,  and  of  time  and  sense  and  men  and  all  besides ;, 
and  so,  being  triumphed  over  by  Him,  you  will  share  in  His  triumph.  And,  again, 
we  may  illustrate  the  same  principle  in  yet  another  way.  Such  absolute  submission 
of  will  and  love  is  the  highest  honour  of  a  man.  It  was  a  degradation  to  be  dragged 
at  the  chariot-wheels  of  conquering  general.  But  it  is  the  highest  ennobling  of 
humanity  that  it  shall  lay  itseK  down  at  Christ's  feet,  and  let  Him  put  His  foot 
upon  its  neck.  And  the  same  thought  may  be  yet  further  illustrated.  That 
submission  so  unites  us  to  our  Lord  that  we  share  in  all  that  belongs  to  Him,  and 
thus  partake  in  His  triumph.  HI.  Lastly,  a  further  picture  of  the  ideal  of  the 
Christian  hfe  is  set  before  us  here  in  the  thought  of  these  conquered  captives 

BEING    LED   AS    THE    TBOPHIES   AND   THE    WITNESSES    OF    HiS  OVEECOMING  POWER.       That 

idea  is  suggested  by  both  halves  of  our  verse.  Both  the  emblem  of  the  apostle  as^ 
marching  in  the  triumphal  procession,  and  the  emblem  of  the  apostle  as  yielding 
from  his  burning  heart  the  fragrant  visible  odour  of  the  ascending  incense,  convey 
the  same  idea — viz.,  that  one  great  purpose  which  Jesus  Christ  has  in  conquering 
men  for  Himself  is  that  from  them  may  go  forth  the  witness  of  His  power  and  the 
knowledge  of  His  name.  First,  the  fact  that  Jesus  Christ,  by  His  Cross  and 
Passion,  is  able  to  conquer  men's  will,  and  to  bind  men's  hearts  to  Him,  is  the 
highest  proof  of  His  power.  It  is  an  entirely  unique  thing  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  It  stands  as  an  unique  fact  in  the  history  of  the  world  that  from  Christ 
of  Nazareth  there  rays  out  through  all  the  ages  the  spiritual  power  which  absolutely 
takes  possession  of  men,  dominates  them,  and  turns  them  into  His  organs  and 
instruments.  Christ  leads  through  the  world  the  train  of  His  captives,  the  evidence 
of  His  conquests.  And  then,  further,  let  me  remind  you  that  out  of  this  represen- 
tation there  comes  a  very  solemn  suggestion  of  duty  for  us  Christian  people.  We 
are  bound  to  live,  setting  forth  whose  we  are,  and  what  He  has  done  for  us.  StUl 
further,  Paul's  thanksgiving  teaches  us  that  we  should  be  thankful  for  all  oppor- 
tunities of  doing  such  work.  So  it  comes  to  be  a  very  solemn  question  for  us — 
What  part  are  we  playing  in  that  great  triumphal  procession  ?  We  are  all  of  us 
marching  at  His  chariot-wheels,  whether  we  know  it  or  not.  But  there  were  two- 
sets  of  people  in  the  old  triumph.  There  were  those  who  were  conquered  by  force 
and  unconquered  in  heart,  and  out  of  their  eyes  gleamed  unquenchable  malice  and 
hatred,  though  their  weapons  were  broken  and  their  arms  fettered.  And  there  were 
those  who,  having  yielded  to  become  His  soldiers,  shared  in  His  triumph  and  re- 
joiced in  His  rule.  Which  of  the  two  parts  of  the  procession  do  you  belong  to  ? 
The  one  live,  the  other  perish.  {A.  Maclaren,  D.D.)  The  triumph  of  the  gospel : — 
I.  The  triumphs  of  the  gospel  by  the  apostles.  They  were  triumphs — 1.  Of  truth 
over  error.  2.  Over  persecution.  3.  Over  principles  which  dissocialised  and 
oppressed  society.  I  select  one — selfishness.  (1)  See  how  this  fatal  principle  operated 
among  the  heathen.  Look  at — (a)  Their  poor.  They  had  no  almshouses  or  asylums. 
(b)  Their  slaves,  whose  number  was  almost  incredible.  No  laws  were  enacted  for 
their  protection,  for  they  were  hardly  considered  human  beings,  (c)  Their  religion 
— no  precepts  of  forgiveness  or  charity.  (2)  Now  look  at  the  triumphs  of  Chris- 
tianity over  selfishness,  (a)  The  first  general  collection  among  the  Gentile  churches 
was  for  the  relief  of  poor  strangers.  And  I  need  not  dwell  upon  the  many  affec- 
tionate precepts  of  our  religion,  [b)  As  to  slavery,  Christianity  teaches,  "  As  ye 
would  that  others  should  do  unto  you,  do  ye  even  so  unto  them."  And  so,  when 
Onesimus  was  converted,  the  apostle  exhorted  Philemon  to  receive  him,  "  not  now 
as  a  slave,  but  as  a  brother  beloved."  (c)  Look  at  Christian  charity.  "  If  thy 
brother  sin  against  thee  seven  times,"  &c. ;  "  In  malice  be  ye  children."  4.  In  the 
salvation  of  men.  This  was  its  noblest  triumph ;  and  in  this  it  triumphed  "  in 
every  place."  (1)  Over  the  ignorance  and  obduracy  of  men  (1  Cor.  xiv.  24,  25). 
(2)  Over  their  gloomy  apprehensions  of  futurity.  Christ  came  to  "  deliver  those 
who  through  fear  of  death  were  all  their  Ufetime  subject  to  bondage."  (3)  Over 
their  vices  (1  Cor.  vi.  9-11).  (4)  Over  death  itself.  II.  The  agency  by  which 
they  were  effected.  All  is  ascribed  to  a  Divine  agency,  which  was  marked — 1. 
In  the  selection  of  the  instruments.  It  belongs  to  God  to  send  forth  His  labourers, 
and  this  supposes  selection.  There  was  the  bold  simplicity  of  Peter,  the  soft  per- 
suasiveness of  John,  the  fire  of  Stephen,  the  pointed,  searching,  epigrammatic  turn 
of  James,  the  ardour,  learning,  and  strength  of  Paul.  "  I  clear  the  ground,"  says 
Luther,  "  and  Melanethon  scatters  the  seed."  The  learning  and  moderation  of 
Cranmer,  the  judgment  of  Kidley,  and  the  popular  eloquence,  the  searching  wit, 
and  the  downright  honesty  of  Latimer,  admirably  qualified  them  to  co-operate. 
The  ordinary  ministry.     There  are  sons  of  thunder  and  sons  of  consolation,  &c. 


CHAP.  II.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  59 

2.  In  their  personal  experience.  The  gospel  triumphed  over  the  early  ministers 
of  Christ  before  they  triumphed  over  the  world.  So  necessary  is  personal  experience 
that  neither  preacher  nor  people  can  understand  the  gospel  efiiciently  without  it. 
Who  can  know  what  true  repentance  is  but  by  his  own  brokenness  of  heart  ? 
"Who  can  know  what  faith  is  but  by  the  personal  possession  and  exercise  of  that 
principle?  In  the  same  manner  only  can  any  man  understand  the  nature  of  a 
holy  walk  with  God,  of  spiritual  conflicts,  and  the  renewal  of  the  heart.  Here, 
then,  was  the  agency  of  God.  "  He  hath  reconciled  us  to  Himself  by  Jesus  Christ, 
and  hath  committed  unto  us  the  ministry  of  reconciliation."  3.  In  the  effects 
produced — the  salvation  of  men ;  and  we  need  only  fix  upon  the  salvation  of  one 
individual  to  prove  the  direct  agency  of  God.  III.  The  insteument  by  which  all 
THIS  IS  EFFECTED :  the  preaching  of  the  gospel ;  the  manifestation  of  the  odour  of 
the  knowledge  of  Christ.  Odours,  much  used  in  the  east,  revived  the  languid  and 
refreshed  the  weary  in  those  hot  climates,  and  hence  they  afforded  a  natural  and 
elegant  figure  to  express  whatever  was  grateful  and  reviving  to  the  mind.  What, 
then,  was  there  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ  to  warrant  this  representation  of  it  ? 
1.  Its  authority.  That  which  has  no  authority  from  God  is  not  religion,  properly 
speaking ;  but  here  comes  a  religion  from  God,  stamped  and  sealed  as  such,  visibly, 
and  in  sight  of  all.  Behold,  then,  the  reason  of  its  reviving  and  grateful  odour  to 
"the  saved."  Want  they  truth?  It  is  here  assured  to  them;  for  what  is  from 
God  is  light,  and  no  darkness  at  all.  Inquire  they  for  the  will  of  their  Maker  ? 
Here  He  had  prescribed  it  Himself.  Feel  they  the  need  of  an  atonement  ?  Here 
God  Himself  had  provided  the  Lamb  for  a  burnt-offering.  Need  they  the  comfort 
of  promises  ?  Here  they  were  found  proceeding  from  lips  which  could  not  lie. 
Inquire  they  after  future  being?  The  resurrection  and  ascension  of  Christ  had 
deprived  death  of  its  sting,  and  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light.  2.  Its 
adaptation.  There  was  nothing  here  but  what  the  case  of  man  required,  and  there 
was  everything  that  it  did  require.  {R.  Watson.)  The  triumph  of  the  gospel : — 
I.  Gospel  successes  set  forth  under  the  image  of  a  triumph.  Paul's  eye  was 
resting  upon  a  great  future  of  moral  conquest ;  truth  making  victorious  way  against 
all  the  powers  that  could  oppose  its  progress.  In  this  light  let  us  investigate  the 
fitness  of  the  apostle's  allusion.  1.  Was  not  the  first  planting  of  Christianity  a 
:great  triumph  ?  The  religion  which  Christianity  had  to  overthrow  was  sanctioned 
by  antiquity,  supported  by  power,  defended  by  talent,  nourished  by  rank  and  in- 
fluence, and  loved  by  its  votaries,  by  reason  of  the  sanction  it  gave  to  their  crimes. 
Yet  all  this  magnificent  system  crumbled  into  dust  before  the  mighty  power  of  the 
gospel.  2.  The  gospel  triumphed  over  bigotry  and  persecution  and  pride.  Ten 
~  persecutions  wasted  the  infant  Church,  yet  it  spread  further  and  wider  for  the 
mighty  desolation.  3.  The  gospel  was  victorious  over  the  selfishness,  oppression, 
a,nd  all  the  social  miseries  of  the  heathen.  The  heathen  lived  only  to  themselves  ; 
of  blessing  and  benefiting  others  they  had  not  the  slightest  notion.  4.  The  gospel 
won  its  victories  over  the  spiritual  wretchedness  of  the  heathen,  over  their  gloomy 
apprehensions  of  futurity,  over  the  wretched  feeling  of  moral  alienation.  II.  The 
agency  by  which  these  triumphs  were  achieved.  1.  The  originating  cause  is  mani- 
festly God  HimseK.  Not  "  thanks  "  to  ministers,  that  they  preach  so  zealously ;  to 
the  people,  that  they  hear  so  willingly ;  but  unto  God,  which  hath  put  such  a 
victorious  energy  into  His  Word.  In  nothing  does  the  apostle's  humility  shine 
more  beautifully  than  in  this.  And  if  we  look  at  the  nature  of  conversion  we  must 
see  in  it  a  Divine  agency.  We  need  not  take  the  case  of  a  continent  or  of  a  city ; 
enough  that  we  take  the  instance  of  one  solitary  soul.  For  what  is  the  condition 
of  that  soul  by  nature  ?  What  are  the  moral  requirements  to  be  found  in  us  before 
the  gospel  can  triumph  over  our  natural  reluctance,  and  the  savour  of  the  knowledge 
of  Christ  be  made  manifest  to  our  souls  ?  Is  it  intellectual  light  only  that  a  man 
wants  ?  If  it  be,  then  Paul  or  Apollos  were  of  themselves  adequate  to  the  task. 
But  the  unconverted  soul  wants  changed  affections ;  it  wants  to  have  its  carnal 
enmity  destroyed ;  it  wants  to  have  all  its  inborn  antipathies  transformed  into  the 
love  of  God;  and  all  this  is  to  be  accomplished,  "not  by  might,  not  by  power,  but 
by  My  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  2.  Though  God  is  the  sole  and  efficient 
cause  of  all  missionary  triumphs,  He  disdains  not  to  employ  under  Him  secondary 
and  subordinate  agencies.  III.  The  outward  means  by  which  these  gospel 
TRIUMPHS  ARE  TO  BE  ACHIEVED.  The  image  suggests  how  gi-ateful  it  is  to  men 
once  fainting  under  the  apprehension  of  deserved  condemnation,  and  weary  with 
attempts  to  make  a  righteousness  for  themselves,  to  have  their  eyes  opened  to  a 
knowledge  of  Christ  and  all  the  abounding  consolation  of  His  gospel.     Once  they 


60  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  n. 

were  blind,  now  they  see ;  once  they  were  under  bondage  and  fear,  now  they  have 
a  good  conscience;   once  they  were  "children  of  the  wicked  one,"  now  are  they 
"the  sons  of  God."     {D.  Moore,  M.A.)         The  course  of  truth  : — I.  The  glorious 
PROGRESS  OF  THE  GOSPEL  IN  APOSTOLIC  TIMES.     1.  It  was  triumphant.     The  apostle 
did  not  find  the  hearts  of  men  easy  of  access,  so  that  he  had  but  to  enter  and  take 
possession.     2.    It  was  intelligent.     The  apostles  did  not  go  forth  demanding  a 
blind  and  unquestioning  acquiescence.     The  progress  of  the  gospel  was  victory  over 
darkness  and  ignorance  ;  the  victory,  not  of  the  secular  sword,  but  of  the  sacred 
pen  and  the  tongue  of  fire.     3.  It  was  constant.     "  Always  causeth  us  to  triumph," 
"  in  every  place."     Sometimes  it  seemed  doubtful  which  would  win,  truth  or  error; 
but  it  soon  became  decided  that  faith  was  the  stronger,  that  more  was  with  it  than 
all  that  could  be  against  it.     4.  It  was  beneficent.     The  march  of  the  army  of  King 
Jesus  was  not  like  the  march  of  the  conquering  armies  of  Greece  and  Eome.     II. 
The  glorious  secret  of  the  progress  of  the  gospel  in  apostolic  times.     "  Now 
thanks  be  unto  God,"  &c.     1.  The  apostle  acknowledged  that  God  was  the  author 
of  the  progress.     He  felt  it  was  with  God  that  he  had  to  do.     2.   The  apostle 
acknowled ;:;ed  that  Christ  was  the  agent  of  the  progress.     "Triumph  in  Christ.'^ 
Jesus  had  been  the  agent  in  the  great  work  of  human  redemption.     3.  The  apostle 
acknowledged  that  man  was   the   instrument  of  the   progress.     "  Causeth   us  to 
triumph  " ;  "  By  us  in  every  place."     What  a  wonderful  blending  of  workers — 
"  God,"  "  Christ,"  "  us" — the  union  of  Divine  power  and  human  instrumentality  I 
Apostles  did  not  originate  the  gospel,  they  received  it.     Let  every  Christian  worker 
learn  from  tliis  the  source  and  secret  of  success  in  the  work  of  the  Lord.     {F.  W. 
Brown.)         The  ministry  of  the  gospel : — I.  The  absolute  or  real  character  op 
THE  GOSPEL.     1.  What  anything  is,  is  determined  by  what  it  is  to  God.     Things  are 
to  us  what  we  are  to  them.     Light  is  most  pleasant  to  the  healthful  eye,  but  nothing 
is  more  pernicious  when  it  is  diseased ;  food,  in  certain  conditions  of  the  body,  will 
be  as  prejudicial  as  poison,  and  poison  as  beneficial  as  food.     And  there  are  who- 
"call  evil  good  and  good  evil,"  &c.     And,  similarly,  God  is  to  us  what  we  are  to 
Him.     2.  In  itself  the  gospel  is  God's  spell,  a  message  from  God  possessed  of  a. 
charm.     He  that  hath  ears  to  hear  it  will  be  won  by  it;   but  "the  wicked,  who 
are  like  the  deaf  adder,  will  not  hearken  to  the  voice  of  the  charmer,  charm  he 
never  so  wisely."     In  the  gospel  God  appears  in  all  the  attractive  attributes  of  His 
grace,  that  He  may  regain  the  alienated  affections  of  His  rebellious  children.     3.  It 
was  not  only  declared  by,  but  embodied  in,  Jesus,  who  was  "set  forth"  to  reveal 
the  Father  in  His  relations  to  a  sinful  world.     Apart  from  Christ,  man  has  no  true 
knowledge  of  God,  and  is  "  without  hope."     In  Christ  God  is  personally  manifested, 
and  personally  present.     His  message  in  the  gospel  is  embodied  in  His  messenger. 
Christ  not  only  proclaims,  but  is  the  gospel.      "  His  name  is  as  perfume  poured 
forth" — the  diffusion  of  "the  sweet  savour  of  the  knowledge  of  God."     4.  He  ia 
this  because  He  is  the  manifestation  of  that  which  is  the  very  soul  of  personality 
— Love.     In  the  wide  circumference  of  things  God  has  gone  forth  in  the  division 
of  His  powers,  but  in  Christ  His  deep  central  unity  appears — His  love.     He  who- 
possesses  the  love  of  another  possesses  that  other.     "  God  is  Love,"  and  the  gospel 
is  its  complete  display.     5.  The  gospel  also  reveals  the  depth  of  love  in  its  wisdom. 
There  is  nothing  so  wise  as  love.     God  is  "  the  only  wise  God,"  because  He  is  Love. 
The  restoration  of  alienated  man  is  the  problem  in  the  solution  of  which  the  love 
of  God  displays  the  marvellous  resources  of  its  wisdom.     In  the  gospel  the  practical 
intelligence  of  the  Divine  love  makes  such  a  display  of  the  Divine  character  that 
it  appeals  to  all  the  influential  motives  operative  on  man's  nature,  so  that,  if  he 
is  not  won  by  it,  he  is  left  "without  excuse,"  and  God  is  left  to  lament,  "  What 
more  could  have  been  done  to  My  vineyard  that  I  have  not  done  in  it  ?  "  &c.     "  O 
Jerusalem,  how  often  would  I  have  gathered,"  &c.     6.  The  gospel  also  taxes  to 
the  utmost  the  resources  of  the  Divine  love  and  wisdom  combined.     Love  takes 
counsel  of  wisdom  how  to  make  the  most  effective  appeal  to  the  sinner's  heart, 
and  wisdom  calls  upon  love  for  that  winning  display  of  the  Divine  goodness  which 
looks  upon  the  sinner  with  mercy  whilst  it  exercises  vengeance  on  his  sin.     It  was 
with  tears  Christ  pronounced  the  doom  of  Jerusalem.    Mercy  is  that  look  of  wisdom 
and  love  which  pities  where  righteousness  blames.     7.  But  the  gospel  is  also  the 
display  of  mercy  in  its  deepest  agony  of  effort !     It  is  the  Divine  tragedy  in  which 
"  the  Good  Shepherd  lays  down  His  life  for  the  sheep,"  in  which  sin  is  judged, 
condemned,  and  slain,  and  the  sinner  justified,  liberated,  and  restored.     (1)  No 
wonder  Paul  felt  the  proclamation  of  its  glad  tidings  to  be  the  celebration  of  a 
triumph  of  God.     The  angels  sang,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,"  as  the  preface 


CH.u>.  II.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  61 

to  their  song  of  "  peace  on  earth,  goodwill  toward  men."  (2)  And  no  wonder  that 
preachers  of  this  gospel  "  were  unto  God  a  sweet  savour  of  Christ."  What  can  be 
60  pleasant  to  love  as  that  of  being  made  known  ?  What  so  fragrant  to  God  as  the 
diffusion  of  the  sweet  mystery  of  the  Cross,  "  to  the  intent  that  now  unto  princi- 
palities and  powers,"  etc.  And  just  as  the  scattered  flowers,  fragrant  shrubs,  and 
sweet  incense  breathed  forth  a  perfume  of  sweet  savour  before  the  advancing  ranks 
in  the  triumphal  procession,  irrespective  of  its  effects  on  victor  and  vanquished, 
so,  irrespective  of  its  consequences  wi  h  respect  to  those  who  hear  the  gospel,  the 
ministry  of  its  glad  tidings  is  unto  God  the  diffusion  of  a  sweet  savour.     II.  Its 

CRITICAL    INFLUENCE    AS     SEEN    IN    ITS     OPPOSITE    EFFECTS    ON    THOSE     TO    WHOM    IT     IS 

PREACHED.  The  gospel  embodies  the  wisdom  and  power  of  the  Divine  love  in  their 
endeavour  to  meet  the  requirements  of  man's  sin,  and  is  in  itself  perfectly  adapted 
as  the  chosen  body  of  truth  to  radiate  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  awaken 
the  mind,  arouse  the  conscience,  subdue  the  heart,  and  reform  the  whole  nature. 
In  it  God  appeals  to  us  by  motives  which  He  knows  to  be  influential,  which  exercise 
a  constraining  power  on  the  thoughts,  affections,  and  will,  and  in  which  "  He  is 
mighty  to  save."  2.  The  effect,  therefore,  on  those  who  listen  to  it  must  be  great. 
We  cannot  come  under  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  and  remain  the  same  as  we  were 
before  we  heard  it.  It  either  subdues  or  hardens,  alienates  or  reconciles,  kills  or 
cures.  What  it  may  be  to  us  is  dependent  on  the  disposition  we  exercise  towards 
it.  We  bring  to  it  what  determines  its  effect.  The  gospel  changes  not ;  it  is  always, 
in  itself  considered,  "  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  "  ;  but  its  effects  on  us  vary 
with  our  varying  dispositions.  To  those  who  seek  peace  God  is  a  "  God  of  peace," 
but  to  those  who  strive  with  Him  "  He  is  a  man  of  war."  3.  "  To  the  one  we  are 
the  savour  of  life  unto  life."  The  ministry  of  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ  is  the 
breathing  forth  of  a  spiritual  essence  fragi-ant  with  life.  It  has  the  power  of  life  ; 
of  the  sweetness,  joy,  beauty  of  life.  4.  To  the  other  the  "savour  of  death  unto 
death."  Paul  felt  acutely  that  he  could  not  be  the  minister  of  the  word  of  life 
to  men  without  increasing  their  responsibility.  For  in  proportion  to  its  quickening 
power  of  life  in  those  who  receive  it  does  it  work  death  in  those  who  refuse  to  accept 
it.  Just  as  the  balmy,  life-giving  breezes  of  spring  bring  life  to  the  constitutionally 
sound,  but  death  to  those  radically  diseased,  so  is  it  with  the  gospel.  To  some  it 
is  life  to  hear  it,  to  others  "  death  unto  death  " — the  death  of  indifference  to  the  death 
of  obduracy ;  the  death  of  ignorance  and  darkness  to  that  of  light  and  knowledge 
having  become  darkness  ;  the  death  of  hopelessness  to  that  of  despair.  The  height 
of  privilege  bestowed  upon  man  in  the  offer  of  the  gospel  is  antithetic  to  the  depth 
of  ignominy  which  its  rejection  involves.  (IF.  Pulsford,  D.D.)  The  miimter's 
manifesto  : — I.  The  ministry  in  its  relation  to  God.  1.  It  is  "  of  God."  (1)  As 
having  been  instituted  by  Him.  (2)  Because  He  called  men  specially  to  occupy  it. 
2.  It  is  under  the  special  inspection  of  God.  "  In  the  sight  of  God  speak  we  in 
Christ."  FeeUng  this,  Paul  was  particularly  careful — (1)  Not  to  corrupt  or  adulterate 
the  Word  of  God,  to  "  make  merchandise  "  of  it— i.^ .,  to  make  it  more  marketable 
by  a  little  poUtic  admixture  of  things  more  to  the  taste  of  the  people.  (2)  To  be 
himself  actuated  in  his  work  by  the  purest  motives.  "But  as  of  sincerity."  This 
sincerity  applies  to  the  preacher  just  as  the  incorruptibility  applies  to  the  gospel. 
Here,  then,  we  have  a  pure  preacher  and  a  pure  gospel.  3.  It  will  be  approved  of 
God,  whatever  be  its  effects  upon  men  (ver.  1-5).  "  Sweet  savour  "  always  indicates 
approval.  This  is  the  expression  generally  used  to  denote  the  acceptableness  of  an 
offering.  II.  The  different  effects  of  this  ministry  upon  men  (ver.  16).  1.  To 
the  saved — hfe.  The  savour  of  life  means  that  which  produces  life  and  nurtures 
it.  2.  To  the  lost  or  perishing — death  (chap.  iv.  3  ;  1  Pet.  iii.  7,  8).  There  are 
certain  conditions  pertaining  to  certain  men  which  convert  the  means  of  life  into 
an  instrument  of  death.  The  sun,  which  converts  the  generous  soil  into  a  fruitful 
garden,  reduces  the  clay  to  the  hardness  of  a  stone.  So  is  it  morally,  only  with  a 
great  difference.  The  clay  is  not  responsible,  but  men  are  responsible.  One  thing, 
then,  is  clear — no  one  will  escape  without  some  effects  from  the  ministry.  What 
is  there  more  beautiful  than  the  sunbeams  ?  Yet  there  are  some  objects  which  can 
convert  them  into  a  consuming  fire.  So  there  are  moral  characters  which  trans- 
form the  loving,  life-giving  gospel  into  an  instrument  of  destruction ;  in  short,  cause 
the  God  of  love  to  become  to  them  a  consuming  fire.  HI.  The  demand  of  the 
MINISTRY  upon  THE  MINISTER.  1.  The  Unspeakably  solemn  character  of  the  results 
of  the  ministry  demands  the  gravest  and  most  prayerful  thought,  and  the  greatest 
anxiety  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  Note,  for  example,  the  surgeon  when  performing 
some  critical  surgical  operation  that  might  be  for  life  or  death  to  the  patient.     So 


62  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  ii. 

careful  and  deeply  anxious  is  he  that  he  wiU  not  operate  except  in  association  with 
others.  The  preaching  of  the  gospel  is  an  inexpressibly  solemn  operation  that  may 
affect  men  for  weal  or  for  woe  to  eternity.  And,  knowing  this,  how  natural  to  ask, 
"  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?  "  2.  But  this  sense  of  insufficiency  ought  not 
to  be  confounded  with  helplessness ;  on  the  contrary,  it  makes  a  minister  all  the 
more  strenuous  and  unsparing  in  applying  his  entire  energies  to  the  work  (Col.  i.  29). 
IV.  The  ministry's  encouragements  and  source  of  confidence  (ver.  14).  Whatever 
be  the  difficulties  of  the  work,  however  great  our  fears  and  deep  our  sense  of  in- 
sufficiency, over  against  them  we  have  God  assuring  us  the  victory.  Through  God 
the  gospel  is  always  having  the  victory.  Much  as  it  has  been  opposed  and  per- 
secuted, yet  God.  has  always  caused  it  to  triumph.  {A.  J.  Parry.)  And  maketli 
manifest  the  savour  of  His  knowledge  by  us  in  everj'  place. — The  savour  of  Divine 
knowledge  : — The  expression  was  suggested  by  the  figure  of  the  triumph  which  was 
present  to  his  mind  in  all  its  details.  Incense  smoked  on  every  altar  as  the  victors 
passed  through  the  streets  of  Kome ;  the  fragrant  steam  floated  over  the  procession, 
a  silent  proclamation  of  victory  and  joy.  So  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  the  apostle 
tells  us,  was  a  fragrant  thing.  True,  he  was  not  a  free  man,  but  Christ's  captive. 
Necessity  was  laid  upon  him,  but  what  a  gracious  necessity  it  was !  "  The  love  of 
Christ  constraineth  us."  The  Eoman  captives  made  manifest  the  knowledge  of 
their  conqueror ;  they  declared  to  all  his  power ;  there  was  nothing  in  that  knowledge 
to  suggest  the  idea  of  fragrance.  But  as  Paul  moved  through  the  world,  all  who 
had  eyes  to  see  saw  in  him,  not  only  the  power,  but  the  sweetness  of  God's  redeeming 
love.  The  mighty  Victor  made  manifest  through  him,  not  only  His  might,  but  His 
charm  ;  not  only  His  greatness,  but  His  grace.  It  was  a  good  thing  men  felt  to  be 
subdued  and  led  in  triumph  like  Paul ;  it  was  to  move  in  an  atmosphere  perfumed 
by  the  love  of  Christ,  as  the  air  around  the  Eoman  conqueror  was  perfumed  with 
incense.  "  Savour,"  in  connection  with  the  "  knowledge  "  of  God  in  Christ,  has 
its  most  direct  application,  of  course,  to  preaching.  When  we  proclaim  the  gospel, 
do  we  always  succeed  in  manifesting  it  as  a  savour  ?  Or  is  not  the  savour — the 
sweetness  and  charm  of  it — the  very  thing  that  is  left  out  ?  We  miss  what  is  most 
characteristic  in  the  knowledge  of  God  if  we  miss  this.  We  leave  out  the  very 
element  which  makes  the  gospel  evangelic,  and  gives  it  its  power  to  subdue  and 
enchain  the  souls  of  men.  But,  wherever  Christ  is  leading  a  single  soul  in  triumph, 
the  fragrance  of  the  gospel  goes  forth  in  proportion  as  His  triumph  is  complete. 
There  is  sure  to  be  that  in  the  hfe  which  will  reveal  the  graciousness,  as  well  as  the 
omnipotence,  of  the  Saviour.  And  it  is  this  virtue  which  God  uses  as  His  main 
witness.  His  chief  instrument,  to  evangelise  the  world.  In  every  relation  of  life  it 
should  tell.  Nothing  is  so  insuppressible,  so  pervasive,  as  fragrance.  The  lowliest 
life  which  Christ  is  really  leading  in  triumph  will  speak  infallibly  and  pervasively 
for  Him.     {J.  Denney,  B.D.) 

Vers.  15,  16.  For  we  are  unto  God  a  sweet  savour  of  Christ,  in  them  that  are 
saved  and  in  them  that  perish. — Dissimilar  effects  of  the  same  thing  : — Consider  the 
totally  different  effects  which  the  same  thing  has  on  different  people.  An  act, 
simple  in  itself,  will  rouse  the  joys  of  one  and  the  rage  of  another.  A  substance 
which  is  food  to  one  man  is  poison  to  another.  The  same  medicine  which  effects 
a  cure  in  one  case  will  in  a  similar  case  in  another  man  aggravate  the  malady  and 
enhance  his  sufferings.  Look  again  at  the  effects  of  the  tempest  on  creation.  A 
large  number  of  the  existences  on  the  globe  are  terrified.  But  the  seals  love  above  all 
the  tempest,  the  roaring  of  the  waves,  the  whistling  of  the  wind,  the  mighty  voice 
of  the  thunder,  and  the  vivid  flashings  of  the  lightning.  They  delight  to  see,  rolling 
along  in  a  sombre  sky,  the  great  black  clouds  which  predict  torrents  of  rain. 
Then  it  is  that  they  leave  the  sea  in  crowds  and  come  and  play  about  on  the  shore, 
in  the  midst  of  the  fury  of  the  elements.  They  are  at  home  in  the  tempests.  It  is 
in  these  crises  of  nature  that  they  give  full  play  to  aU  their  faculties,  and  to  aU  the 
activity  of  which  they  are  capable.  When  the  weather  is  fine  and  the  rest  of 
creation  is  full  of  enjoyment  they  fall  asleep,  and  resign  themselves  lazily  to  the 
dolce  far  niente.  (Scientific  Illustrations  and  Symbols.)  The  fragrance  of 
Christian  life  : — The  life  of  every  Christian  should  be  like  the  fragrant  breeze 
which,  in  tropical  waters,  tells  the  mariner,  while  stiU  far  out  at  sea,  that  the  land 
from  which  it  comes  is  a  land  of  pleasant  forests  and  gardens,  where  "  the  spices 
flow  forth."  It  should  testify,  truthfully  and  clearly,  of  the  sweetness  and  grace  of 
heaven.  (R.  Johnstone,  LL.B.)  Gospel  a  savour  to  God  in  them  that  perish. 
Bound  about  the  very  perdition  of  the  impenitent  there  is  a  circle  and  influences 


rm 


CHAP.  II.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  63 

and  associations  that  are  acceptable  to  God.  If  you  have  lost  a  child  by  death,  you 
know  what  a  satisfaction  it  is  to  you  to  remember  that  all  the  medical  skill  that 
money  could  command  was  brought  to  bear,  all  that  kind  and  unceasing  ministra- 
tions of  tenderness  could  do  to  save  the  precious  life  was  done.  Friends  were  hour 
by  hour  coming  to  the  door  ready  to  help,  to  sympathise,  to  pray ;  by  and  by 
thoughts  of  these  things  became  a  great  solace  to  you,  and  you  could  bow  yourself 
to  the  inevitable.  Your  life  might  have  been  shadowed  to  the  very  end,  if  there  had 
been  carelessness,  neglect,  indifference  at  any  single  point ;  if  friends  had  been  slow 
to  help,  advise,  condole  ;  if  expedients  for  the  salvation  of  the  child  could  have  been 
afterwards  devised  that  you  never  thought  of  at  the  time.  And  so  with  God,  as  He 
looks  upon  the  second  death  of  those  created  in  His  own  image.  There  is  no 
sting  of  regretful  reflection.  The  possible  was  done  to  its  very  last  detail.  All  is 
quiet  contentment  and  satisfaction.  God  did  more  than  He  had  ever  done  for  His 
universe  before.  The  Son  thought  no  sacrifice  too  great.  The  servants  and 
■disciples  of  the  Son  forgot  all  thoughts  of  self  in  their  endeavours  to  save  men.  The 
perdition  of  the  impenitent  man  is  a  terrible  fact,  but  round  about  that  fact  there 
ever  gather  unselfish  ministries  and  services  upon  which  God  looks  with  content- 
ment, and  which  maintain  the  unbroken  tenor  of  His  blessedness.  (T.  G.  Selhy.) 
God  glorified  in  the  preaching  of  the  gospel : — If  you  consult  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
you  will  perceive  that  St.  Paul's  course,  as  a  preacher  of  Christianity,  was  very 
diversified ;  that  in  some  places  he  rapidly  formed  a  flourishing  Church,  while  in 
others  he  encountered  fierce  persecution,  or  could  make  little  or  no  impression  on 
the  reigning  idolatry.  It  is  very  remarkable  that,  although  defeat  was  thus 
mingled  with  success,  the  apostle  could  nevertheless  break  into  the  exclamation, 
"  Now  thanks  be  unto  God,  which  always  causes  us  to  triumph  in  Christ,  and 
maketh  manifest  the  savour  of  His  knowledge  by  us  in  every  place."  You  would 
think  from  his  tone  that  he  had  only  to  enter  a  city  and  its  idols  trembled  and  false- 
hood gave  place  to  truth.  There  is  no  great  ditliculty  in  understanding  what  St. 
Paul  means  when  he  describes  himself  and  his  fellow-labourers  as  being  "  unto  God 
a  sweetsavourof  Christ."  He  alludes  to  a  notion  common  among  the  heathen,  that 
God  was  pleased  with  the  smoke  which  ascended  from  the  sacrifice  burnt  on  His 
altars.  Indeed,  the  Scriptures  frequently  speak  of  Jehovah  in  language  borrowed 
from  this  prevalent  opinion.  Thus  when  the  waters  of  the  Deluge  had  subsided, 
and  Noah  standing  on  a  baptized  earth,  had  offered  burnt-offerings  of  every  clean 
beast  and  fowl,  we  read — "  And  the  Lord  smelled  a  sweet  savour ;  and  the  Lord 
said  in  His  heart,  I  will  not  again  curse  the  ground  any  more  for  man's  sake." 
When,  therefore,  St.  Paul  speaks  of  a  "  sweet  savour  of  Christ,"  we  should  understand 
him  as  referring  to  the  acceptableness  of  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  and  to  its  prevalence 
with  God  as  a  propitiatory  offering.  And  when  he  speaks  of  preaching  as  being 
*'  unto  God  a  sweet  savour  of  Christ,"  he  means  that  by  setting  forth  the  sacrifice 
and  causing  it  to  be  known,  he  was  instrumental  in  bringing  to  God  more  and  more 
of  that  glory  which  arises  from  the  sin-offering  which  He  provided  for  the  world. 
He  knew  that  he  preached  the  gospel  to  many  who  would  perish,  as  well  as  to  many 
who  would  be  saved ;  but,  nevertheless,  he  would  not  admit  that  in  any  case  he 
preached  in  vain.  He  contended,  on  the  contrary,  that  wherever  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ  was  made  known,  there  ascended  fragrant  incense  unto  God ;  that  God 
obtained  honour  from  the  display  of  His  attributes,  whether  men  received  or 
whether  they  rejected  the  Kedeemer.  Now,  we  may  observe  to  you,  of  the  gospel  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  it  is  a  revelation  of  all  which  is  most  illustrious  in  God- 
head, and  of  all  that  as  sinful  creatures  we  are  most  concerned  in  ascertaining.  It 
is  a  revelation  of  those  attributes  and  properties  of  God  which  natural  theology  could 
but  dimly  conjecture,  or  which  it  could  not  at  all  satisfactorily  combine.  He  would 
not  allow  that  it  could  at  all  depend  upon  the  reception  with  which  the  gospel  may 
meet,  whether  or  not  God  could  be  glorified  by  its  publication.  Why  should  it  ? 
Suppose  it  were  the  pleasure  of  the  Almighty  to  give  some  new  and  striking  exhibition 
of  His  existence  and  majesty  to  a  people  that  had  been  indifferent  to  those  previously 
and  uniformly  furnished ;  suppose  that  the  vault  of  heaven  were  to  be  spangled  with 
fresh  characters  of  the  handwriting  of  the  everlasting  God,  far  outshining  in  their 
brilliancy  and  beauty  the  already  magnificent  tracery  of  a  thousand  constellations, 
would  not  God  have  splendidly  shown  forth  His  being  and  His  power  ?  Would  He 
not  have  given  such  a  demonstration  of  His  greatness  as  must  triumphantly  con- 
tribute to  His  own  glory,  even  if  the  people  for  whose  sake  the  overhead  canopy  had 
been  thus  gorgeously  decked  were  to  close  their  eyes  against  it.  We  read,  that  when 
God  rested  from  the  work  of  creation,  He  saw  everything  that  He  had  made,  and  Ha 


64  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [cn.u>.  ii. 

beheld  that  it  was  very  good  ;  and  He  surveyed  His  own  work  with  unspeakable 
pleasure.  He  saw,  He  knew  it  to  be  good ;  and  if  no  anthem  of  lofty  gratulatioix 
had  ascended  to  His  throne  from  intelligent  creatures,  He  would  have  reposed  in 
majestic  contentment  in  His  vast  performances,  and  have  felt  Himself  so  praised  in 
His  deeds,  that  neither  angel  nor  man  could  break  the  mighty  chorus.  And  why 
should  we  not  hold  the  same  in  regard  of  the  gospel  ?  We  may  acknowledge  or 
despise  a  manifestation  of  God  ;  but  this  is  the  utmost  we  have  in  our  power ;  we 
cannot  obscure  that  manifestation  ;  we  cannot  despoil  it  of  one  of  its  beams.  But 
St.  Paul  wished  to  put  his  meaning  somewhat  more  explicitly,  and  therefore  he 
went  on  to  speak  of  two  separate  classes,  or  to  show  with  greater  precision  how  his 
position  held  good  in  regard  equally  of  the  saved  and  the  lost.  To  the  one,  saith 
he,  "  we  are  a  savour  of  death  unto  death,"  to  the  other  "  a  savour  of  life  unta 
life."  We  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  speak  at  any  length  of  the  preacher  as  a 
"  savour  of  life  unto  life,"  to  those  who  flee  at  his  warning  from  the  wrath 
which  is  to  come.  But  what  are  we  to  say  to  the  preacher  being  "  a  savour  of 
death  unto  death "  to  those  who  perish  in  their  sins  ?  It  is  implied  in  such 
saying,  that  the  gospel  did  but  in  some  way  or  another  prove  injurious — "  a  savour 
of  death  "  unto  those  by  whom  it  is  heard  and  rejected ;  and,  nevertheless,  that 
this  proclamation,  even  when  thus  injurious,  brought  glory  to  Christ,  or  con- 
tributed to  the  display  of  His  perfections.  Now,  are  these  things  so  ?  Is  the  gospel 
indeed  ever  injurious  to  the  hearer  ?  and  if  injurious,  can  those  who  proclaim  it 
be  indeed  unto  God  "  a  sweet  savour  of  Christ"?  Yes,  the  gospel  may  prove 
injurious  to  the  hearer  ;  but  it  cannot  prove  otherwise  than  glorious  to  its  Author, 
You  are  not  to  think  that  the  gospel  can  be  a  neutral  thing,  operating  neither  for 
evil  nor  for  good.  It  is  easy  to  come  to  regard  that  as  an  ordinary  or  unimportant 
thing,  which  is  of  such  frequent  occuiTence,  and  to  attach  no  solemn,  no 
responsible  character  to  these  our  weekly  assemblings.  But  we  have  eYetj 
warrant  for  asserting  that  the  gospel  which  he  is  permitted  to  hear  either 
improves  a  man  or  makes  him  worse,  so  that  none  of  you  can  go  away  from  God's 
house  precisely  what  you  were  when  you  entered  it.  You  have  had  a  fresh  call 
from  God,  and  if  you  have  again  refused,  you  have  made  yourselves  less  acces- 
sible than  ever  to  the  message.  There  is  a  self-propagating  power  in  all  kinds 
of  evil ;  and  every  resistance  to  God's  Spirit,  operating  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  the  Word,  makes  resistance  easier.  This  is  not  the  only  case  in  which 
the  gospel  is  "  a  savour  of  death  unto  death."  It  is  so  whenever  men  abuse 
Scripture  doctrines,  whenever  they  pervert  them,  whenever  they  wrest  them  to 
the  giving  encoui-agement  to  unrighteousness,  or  use  them  as  an  argument 
for  procrastination.  It  was  this  view  of  the  office  of  the  preacher  which 
eytorted  from  the  apostle  those  words,  "Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ?  "■ 
We  are  sure  that  it  ought  to  be  perfectly  overcoming  to  a  man,  to  see  himself 
with  an  oifice,  in  performing  which  he  thus  makes  himself  a  witness  against 
multitudes.  {H.  Melvill,  B.D.)  The  two  effects  of  the  gospel : — I.  The  gospel 
PKODUCES  DIFFERENT  EFFECTS.  There  is  scarcely  ever  a  good  thing  in  the 
world  of  which  some  little  evil  is  not  the  consequence.  Let  the  sun  pour  down 
floods  of  light  on  the  tropics,  and  the  choicest  fruits  shall  ripen,  and  the  fairest 
flowers  shall  bloom,  but  who  does  not  know  that  there  the  most  venomous  reptiles 
are  also  brought  forth?  So  the  gospel,  although  it  is  God's  best  gift.  1.  The 
gospel  is  to  some  men  "  a  savour  of  death  unto  death."  (1)  Many  men  are 
hardened  in  their  sins  by  hearing  it.  Those  who  can  dive  deepest  into  sin,  and  have 
the  most  quiet  consciences,  are  some  who  are  to  be  found  in  God's  own  house. 
There  are  many  who  make  even  God's  truth  a  stalking-horse  for  the  devil,  and 
abuse  God's  grace  to  palliate  their  sin.  There  is  nothing  more  liable  to  lead  men 
astray  than  a  perverted  gospel.  A  truth  perverted  is  generally  worse  than  a 
doctrine  which  all  know  to  be  false.  (2)  It  will  increase  some  men's  damnation  at 
the  last  great  day.  (a)  Because  men  sin  against  greater  light ;  and  the  light  we 
have  is  an  excellent  measure  of  our  guilt.  What  a  Hottentot  might  do  without  a 
crime  would  be  the  greatest  sin  to  me,  because  I  am  taught  better.  If  he  who  is 
blind  falls  into  the  ditch  we  can  pity  him,  but  if  a  man  with  the  light  on  his  eye- 
balls dashes  himself  from  the  precipice  and  loses  his  own  soul,  is  not  pity  out  of  the 
question  ?  (b)  It  must  increase  your  condemnation  if  you  oppose  the  gospel.  If 
God  devises  a  scheme  of  mercy  and  man  rises  up  against  it,  how  great  must  be  his 
sin !  (3)  It  makes  some  men  in  this  world  more  miserable  than  they  would  be. 
How  happily  could  the  libertine  drive  on  his  mad  career,  if  he  were  not  told,  "  The 
wages  of  sin  is  death,  and  after  death  the  judgment !  "     The  gospel  is  to  others  "  a 


CHAP,  n.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  G5 

savour  of  life  unto  life."  (1)  Here  it  confers  spiritual  life  on  the  dead  in  trespasses 
and  sins.  (2)  In  heaven  it  issues  in  eternal  life.  II.  The  minister  is  not  eesponsible 
FOK  HIS  SUCCESS.  He  is  responsible  for  what  he  preaches  ;  he  is  accountable  for  his 
life  and  actions,  but  he  is  not  responsible  for  other  people.  "  We  are  unto  God  a 
sweet  savour  of  Christ,  as  well  in  them  that  perish  as  in  the  saved."  An  ambassador 
is  not  responsible  for  the  failure  of  his  embassy  of  peace,  nor  a  fisherman  for  the 
quantity  of  fish  he  catches,  nor  a  sower  for  the  harvest,  but  only  for  the  faithful 
discharge  of  their  respective  duties.  So  the  gospel  minister  is  only  responsible  for 
the  faithful  delivery  of  his  message,  for  the  due  lowering  of  the  gospel  net,  for  the 
industrious  sowing  of  the  gospel  seed.  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  The  oppoiiitc  effects  of' 
the  ministry  of  the  gospel  .-—In  the  language  of  the  text  we  have  a  description  of  the 
very  opposite  effects  of  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  and  of  the  consequences  to  which 
they  lead.  The  same  cloud  which  was  dark  to  the  Egyptians  was  bright  to  the 
Israelites.  1.  As  ministers,  we  are  ordained  to  be  unto  God  "a  sweet  savour  of 
Christ,"  in  duly  administering  His  sacraments,  faithfully  preaching  His  gospel,  and 
in  exemplifying  it  in  our  conduct.  2.  It  is  then,  instrumentally,  by  our  life  and 
doctrine,  that  we  must  diffuse  in  our  respective  spheres  of  duty  the  savour  of  the 
knowledge  of  Christ.  In  doctrine  we  must  show  incorruptness,  gravity,  sincerity. 
3.  It  is  by  our  manner  of  life  also  that  we  must  spread  the  savour  of  His  name 
and  truth  among  those  who  are  within  the  sphere  of  our  influence.  {W.  Chambers, 
D.D.)  The  gospel  ininistry  : — I.  Its  manwaed  aspect.  Consider — 1.  Its  vivifying 
influence.  It  produces  new  spiritual  life  in  the  souls  of  men.  2.  Its  deadly  in- 
fluence. There  are  principles  which  render  it  certain  that  the  men  who  reject  it 
will  be  injured  by  it.  One  is  founded  in  eternal  justice,  and  the  other  two  in  the 
moral  constitution  of  man.  (1)  The  greater  the  mercy  abused  the  greater  the  con- 
demnation. The  Bible  is  fuU  of  this  truth.  "  Unto  whomsoever  much  is  given," 
&c.  "  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  unto  them,"  &c.  "  Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin," 
&c.  "  And  thou  Capernaum,"  &c.  "  He  that  despised  Moses'  law,"  &c.  (2)  Man's 
susceptibility  of  virtuous  impressions  decreases  in  proportion  to  his  resistance  of 
them.  (3)  Man's  moral  suffering  will  always  be  increased  in  proportion  to  the 
consciousness  he  has  that  he  once  had  the  means  of  being  happy.  From  these 
principles  the  gospel  must  prove  "  the  savour  of  death  unto  death  "  to  those  who 
reject  it.  The  hearing  of  the  gospel  puts  a  man  on  a  new  level  in  the  universe.  To 
have  heard  its  accents  is  the  most  momentous  fact  in  the  history  of  man.  Do  you 
say  you  will  hear  it  no  more  ?  But  you  have  heard  it.  This  is  a  fact  which  you 
will  ever  remember  and  feel.  If  the  gospel  does  not  save  you,  better  you  had  never 
been  born.  II.  Its  Godwaed  aspect.  In  both  cases,  if  we  are  true  to  it,  "we  are 
unto  God  a  sweet  savour  of  Christ."  The  true  ministry  is  pleasing  to  God,  what- 
ever may  be  its  results  on  humanity.  If  this  be  so,  two  inferences  seem  irresistible. 
1.  If  the  gospel  ministry  is  in  itself  grateful  to  God,  it  must  be  in  itself  an  institution 
for  good,  and  for  good  exclusively.  Never  could  an  institution  in  itself  calculated 
to  deaden  and  destroy  the  soul  of  men  be  grateful  to  the  heart  of  infinite  love.  (1) 
While  the  true  gospel  ministiy  saves  by  design,  it  destroys  in  spite  of  its  design. 
That  it  is  designed  to  save,  who  can  doubt?  "  God  so  loved  the  world,"  Ac.  Men 
can,  men  do,  pervert  Divine  things.  Did  God  give  steel  to  be  brought  into  weapons  for 
the  destruction  of  human  life?  Did  He  give  corn  to  be  transmuted  into  a  substance  to 
drown  the  reason  and  to  brutalise  the  man  ?  No !  But  man,  by  his  perverting 
power,  turns  God's  blessings  to  an  improper  and  pernicious  use.  So  it  is  with  the 
gospel.  He  wrests  it  to  his  own  destruction.  (2)  The  true  gospel  ministry  saves 
by  its  inherent  tendency  ;  it  injures  in  spite  of  that  tendency.  Is  there  anything  in 
the  doctrines,  precepts,  provisions,  promises,  and  warnings,  of  the  gospel  adapted  to 
destroy  souls?  Was  the  ocean  made  to  injure  man,  because  it  has  terrified  many 
a  mariner  and  engulfed  many  a  barque  ?  Was  the  sun  created  to  injure  man, 
because  by  leading  to  the  discovery  of  the  robber  and  the  assassin,  it  has  proved  their 
ruin  ?  Was  food  created  to  injure  health,  because  by  intemperance  and  gluttony, 
it  has  brought  on  disease  and  death?  (3)  That  the  gospel  ministry  saves  by 
Divine  agency  ;  it  destroys  in  spite  of  that  agency.  "  Ye  do  always  resist  the  Holy 
Ghost."  2.  If  the  gospel  ministry  is  in  itself  grateful  to  God,  it  must  be  an 
institution  from  which  a  much  larger  amount  of  good  than  of  evil  will  result.  If 
greater  evil  resulted  from  it  than  good,  I  cannot  believe  that  it  would  be  grateful  to 
infinite  love.  Remember — (1)  That  the  rejection  of  the  gospel  does  not  make  the 
hell  of  the  rejector ;  it  only  modifies  and  aggravates  it.  As  a  sinner  he  would  have 
found  a  hell,  had  the  sound  of  the  gospel  never  greeted  his  ears.  (2)  The  restora- 
tive influence  which  the  gospel  ministry  had  already  exerted  upon  the  race.     It  has. 

5 


66  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  n. 

swept  from  the  world  innumerable  evils ;  it  has  planted  institutions  amongst  us  to 
mitigate  human  woe,  abolish  human  oppression,  heal  human  diseases,  remove 
human  ignorance,  and  correct  human  errors  ;  and  it  has  conducted  millions  to 
heaven.  (3)  That  what  the  gospel  has  done  is  but  a  very  small  instalment  of  the 
good  it  is  destined  to  achieve.  It  is  to  bless  a  nation  in  a  day.  There  are 
millennial  ages  awaiting  it,  and  in  the  coming  centuries  it  wiU  be  found  that  the 
evil  which  the  gospel  ministry  has  occasioned  is  no  more  to  be  compared  with  the 
good  which  it  will  cause  than  the  pain  which  the  light  of  the  sun  gives  to  the  few 
tender  eyes,  with  the  streams  of  blessedness  it  pours  into  every  part  of  nature.  (D. 
Thomas,  D.D.)  Savour  of  death  or  of  life  : — In  thought  stand  near  those  three 
crosses  on  Calvary,  and  see  how  near  to  each  other  are  blessing  and  cursing.  As 
you  gaze  on  that  sacred,  awful  scene,  how  plainly  are  revealed  to  you  life  and  death. 
Now,  wherever  the  gospel  message  is  made  known  the  effect  will  be  the  same  as  on 
Calvary — to  some  it  will  be  the  savour  of  life  unto  life,  and  to  others  the  savour  of 
death  unto  death.  I.  Let  us  look  at  the  two  sides  of  the  gospel  message.  The 
word  gospel  we  associate  with  all  that  is  lovely,  tender,  merciful.  Now,  all  this  is 
quite  true ;  but  it  is  not  the  whole  message.  Honestly  read  your  Bibles,  and  you  will 
find  that  it  makes  known  to  you  salvation  and  damnation — heaven  and  hell.  The 
gospel  message  is,  "  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life  ;  and  he  that 
beUeveth  not  shall  not  see  Ufe,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him."  II.  Now, 
consider  the  double  working  of  the  gospel  message.  The  gift  of  God  must  be 
either  accepted  or  rejected ;  there  is  no  alternative.  Thus  was  it  in  the  days  of  the 
apostles ;  their  preaching  was  either  a  savour  of  life  unto  life,  or  of  death  unto 
death.  But  there  are  some  who  would  raise  objections  to  the  gospel  because  it  is 
thus  the  savour  of  death  as  well  as  of  life.  Better,  say  they,  not  to  preach  the 
gospel  at  all.  To  them  we  reply.  Because  some  abuse  God's  greatest  gift,  would  it 
be  better  that  the  gift  had  never  been  offered  ?  Because  fire  sometimes  destroys,  would 
it  be  better  that  a  fire  never  were  kindled  ?  (Jas.  Aitkeri.)  Who  is  sufficient  for 
these  things? — Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things'}  (Inaugural  Sermon)—!.  St.  Paul 
asked  this  question  with  a  miraculous  conversion  in  memory,  with  all  the  signs  of 
a  chiefest  apostle  in  possession,  with  a  crown  of  righteousness  laid  up  for  him  in 
prospect.  2.  That  which  weighed  upon  St.  Paul  was — (1)  The  recollection  of  the 
issues  for  immortal  souls,  of  having  the  revelation  of  grace  offered  to  them  (vers. 
15,  16).  (2)  The  diificulty  of  fidelity  (ver.  17).  It  would  be  easy,  he  says,  to  dis- 
charge this  great  office,  if  we  might  make  traffic  of  the  Word  of  God ;  if  we  might 
throw  in  here  a  grain  of  flattery,  and  there  a  scruple  of  indulgence ;  adapt  it  to  the 
taste  of  the  audience,  or  take  counsel  concerning  it  of  the  genius  of  the  age.  But 
to  preach  the  gospel  in  its  fourfold  completeness — "  as  of  sincerity,"  "  as  of  God," 
"  in  the  sight  of  God,"  "  in  Christ " — this  demands  of  the  messenger  that  loftiest 
grace  of  an  incorruptible  fidelity.  3.  It  is  easy  to  say,  easier  to  think,  that  the  first 
days  of  the  gospel  were  more  anxious  than  our  own.  We  can  understand  how 
important,  difficult,  and  perilous  it  was  for  the  new  faith  to  gain  a  hearing.  And  so 
men  sympathise  with  the  apostles  as  engaged  in  an  enterprise  disproportioned  to 
their  strength ;  but  they  have  nothing  but  pity  or  ridicule  for  the  ministers  of 
to-day,  especially  if  a  minister  should  bewail  his  insufficiency,  or  recognise  the  need, 
of  Divine  help  to  qualify  him  for  his  work.  Thoughts  such  as  these  throw  a  very 
real  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  the  gospel.  The  minister  himself  has  to  dread 
their  infection.  "Against  these  things,"  he  has  to  ask  himself,  "  who  is  sufficient?" 
4.  The  difficulties  which  faced  St.  Paul  were  open  and  tangible.  On  the  one  side 
there  was  Jewish  bigotry,  and  on  the  other  side  Greek  speculation  ;  here  the  charge 
of  apostasy  from  ancestral  sanctities,  there  of  insubordination  to  existing  authorities; 
here  some  definite  risk  of  persecution,  there  some  insidious  corruption  of  gospel 
simplicity  by  Judaizing  admixture  or  Alexandrian  refinement.  5.  But  St.  Paul  was 
spared  some  experiences,  belonging  to  an  age  not  his.  When  he  wrote  2  Tim.  iii.  1, 
&c.,  he  scarcely  sounded  the  depths  of  our  sea  of  trouble,  and  nowhere  quite 
prepares  us  for  those  developments  which  are  the  phenomena  of  this  latter  part  of 
our  century,  and  which  draw  forth  from  our  hearts  half  the  cry  of  the  text,  viz. — (1) 
The  restless  reckless  impatience  of  the  old,  even  when  the  old  is  God's  truth ;  the 
insolent  disdain  of  Christ's  ordinance  of  preaching,  except  in  so  far  as  the  preacher 
will  fling  away  his  Bible,  and  prophesy  out  of  his  own  spirit ;  the  light  bandying  of 
sacred  subjects  at  every  social  table  ;  the  choosing  and  rejecting  amongst  the  plain 
sayings  of  Scripture,  as  though  each  particular  revelation  were  an  open  question. 
(2)  The  schism  of  thought,  where  not  of  feeling,  between  the  teachers  of  the  Church 
and  those  who  ought  to  be  among  the  taught.     (3)  The  opposite  experience,  the 


CHAP,  n.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  ^57 

surrender  of  all  that  is  distinctive  in  the  ministerial  office,  or  the  abandonment  of 
all  that  is  at  first  sight  difficult  in  the  Divine  revelation.  Not  thus  wiU  the  breach 
between  clergy  and  laity  be  effectually  healed — as  though  the  Church's  commission 
were  a  thing  to  be  ashamed  of,  or  as  though  the  one  object  were  to  show  men  that 
the  Bible  contained  nothing  which  they  might  not  have  known  without  it.  (4)  The 
timidity  of  the  believing  in  the  face  of  free  thought  and  scientific  discovery.  I 
count  it  a  great  evil  when  true  believers  betray  an  uneasiness  in  the  presence  of 
true  seekers.  Truth  and  the  truth  can  never  really  be  at  variance.  Let  not  the 
evangelical  doctrine  ever  fear  lest  the  God  of  creation  should  betray  it,  or  leave  it 
naked  to  its  enemies.  Least  of  all  let  faith  think  that  by  hiding  its  head  in  the  sand 
it  can  elude  pursuit,  or  that  by  a  clamorous  outcry,  "  The  gospel  in  danger,"  it  can 
breathe  either  confidence  into  its  troops  or  panic  into  its  foes.  Let  us  be  brave, 
with  a  courage  at  once  of  man  and  of  God.  Conclusion  :  Men  have  said  to  me,  in 
the  prospect  of  this  ministry — 1.  "  You  must  be  careful  what  you  advance.  Say 
nothing  which  is  not  sound  in  logic,  whatever  it  be  in  rhetoric.  Assume  nothing — 
prove  your  points."  Is  the  gospel  itself  to  be,  as  between  me  and  you,  an  open 
question  ?  Am  I  bound,  every  time  I  mention  the  Incarnation,  the  Eesurrection, 
the  Divinity  of  Christ,  to  prove  each  to  you  by  some  novel  argument  ?  Honestly  do 
I  say  this  to  you,  If  that  was  what  you  wanted,  I  am  not  the  man.  If  you  believe 
not  the  gospel,  I  cannot  hope  to  prove  it  to  you.  I  am  here,  a  steward  of  God's 
mysteries,  to  bring  out  to  you  from  His  storehouse  something  profitable  for 
doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  discipline  in  righteousness.  2.  "  You  will 
have  a  critical  audience.  Everything  will  be  discussed.  'A  fair  field  and  no  favour' 
will  be  the  motto  of  your  congi'egation."  The  caution  falls  chillingly  upon  the  ear. 
I  beheve  not  one  word  of  it.  Not  to  judge  the  preacher,  but  to  hear  the  Word ;  not 
to  say  "  The  sermon  was  long,"  but  to  say,  "  On  this  day  God  has  provided  me  with 
a  sweet  solace  of  heavenly  hope  and  spiritual  communion  ;  and  now  I  depart, 
warmed,  cheered,  edified  for  another  week's  labour,  and  for  the  everlasting  rest 
beyond  " — this  shall  be  the  attitude  of  your  ear  and  heart  as  you  listen  to  the  voice 
of  your  minister.  {Dean  Vaughan.)  Difficulties  of  the  pastoral  office : — I.  I 
shall  briefly  survey  some  of  the  m.«jt  and  important  duties  op  the  pastoral 
OFFICE.  Christ  crucified,  and  salvation  through  Him ;  the  law,  as  a  school- 
master, to  bring  men  to  Christ ;  and  exhorting  the  disciples  of  Jesus  to  adorn 
His  doctrine  ought  to  be  our  chief  themes.  A  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
Christian  faith  and  practice.  Great  skill  is  requisite  to  explain  the  subhme 
mysteries  of  our  holy  faith,  to  unfold  their  mutual  connections  and  dependencies, 
and  so  to  demonstrate  their  certainty,  that  the  sincere  lover  of  truth  may 
be  convinced,  and  even  the  captious  silenced.  Our  task,  however,  would  be 
comparatively  easy  were  men  lovers  of  truth  and  holiness.  Add  to  all  this  that 
the  genius,  spiritual  condition,  and  outward  circumstances  of  our  hearers  are 
various  ;  and  a  manner  of  address  proper  for  some  would  be  improper  for  others. 
But  our  services  are  not  confined  to  the  pulpit,  or  to  closet  preparation  for  it.  It  is 
one  important  branch  of  our  work,  to  instruct  and  catechise  the  young  and  ignorant 
in  the  first  principles  of  reUgion.  Parochial  visitation,  if  managed  in  a  way  easy 
to  plan,  I  will  not  say  easy  to  execute,  would  be  equally  useful.  Eeconciling 
differences  is  a  work  highly  suitable  to  the  character  of  ambassadors  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace.  In  private  reproof,  what  zeal  for  God,  and  what  tender  compassion  for 
perishing  souls  are  needful  to  overcome  that  aversion  every  good-natured  man  must 
feel,  to  tell  another  he  has  done  amiss.  There  is  another  duty  incumbent  on 
ministers  as  such,  more  difficult  than  any  I  have  yet  mentioned,  and  that  is,  to 
show  themselves  patterns  of  good  works  (Titus  ii.  7).  H.  I  shall  now  complete  the 
argument  by  considering  the   temptations   and  opposition  which  mat  probably 

ARISE    to    divert    US    FROM    THE    RIGHT    DISCHARGE    OF    THE    DUTIES    OF    OXm    OFFICE. 

Ministers,  though  bound  to  exemplary  holiness,  are  men  of  like  passions  and 
infirmities  with  others,  and  equally  exposed  to  be  seduced  by  Satan,  the  world,  and 
the  flesh.  But  our  chief  danger  arises  from  indwelling  corruption.  Our  office 
obHges  us  to  preach  and  pray  on  many  occasions  when  our  frames  are  duU  and 
languid.  Discouragement  may  have  a  fatal  influence.  Once  more.  As  we  grow 
older  aversion  to  fatigue  and  love  of  ease  grow  upon  us.  Judge  from  the  whole  of 
what  has  been  said,  if  the  work  of  the  ministry  is  so  easy,  as  many,  through 
ignorance  or  inadvertency,  are  apt  to  imagine.     {R.  Erskine,  D.D.) 

Ver.  17.  For  we  are  not  as  many,  which  corrupt  the  Word  of  God. — Corrupting 
the  Word  of  God : — The  expression  has  the  idea  of  seK-interest,  and  especially  of 


C8  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  m. 

petty  gain,  at  its  basis.  It  means  literally  to  sell  in  small  quantities,  to  retail  for 
profit.  But  it  was  specially  applied  to  tavern  keei)ing,  and  extended  to  cover  all  the 
devices  by  which  the  wine-sellers  in  ancient  times  deceived  their  customers.  Then 
it  was  used  figuratively  as  here ;  and  Lucian  speaks  of  philosophers  as  selling  the 
sciences,  and  in  most  cases  (oi  ttoXXoi  a  curious  parallel  to  St.  Paul),  like  tavern 
keepers  "  blendtng,  adulterating,  and  giving  bad  measure."  There  are  two  separ- 
able ideas  here.  One  is  that  of  men  qualifying  the  gospel,  infiltrating  their  own 
ideas  into  the  Word  of  God,  tempering  its  severity,  or  perhaps  its  goodness,  veiling 
its  inexorableness,  dealing  in  compromise.  The  other  is  that  all  such  proceedings 
are  faithless  and  dishonest  because  some  private  interest  underlies  them.  It  need 
not  be  avarice,  though  it  is  as  likely  to  be  this  as  anything  else.  A  man  corrupts  the 
Word  of  God,  makes  it  the  stock  in  trade  of  a  paltry  business  of  his  own,  in  many 
other  ways  than  by  subordinating  it  to  the  need  of  a  livelihood.  When  he  exercises 
his  calling  as  minister  for  the  gratification  of  his  vanity,  or  when  he  preaches  not 
that  awful  message  in  which  life  and  death  are  bound  up,  but  himself,  his  clever- 
ness, his  learning,  humour,  fine  voice  or  gestures,  he  does  so.  He  makes  the 
Word  minister  to  him,  instead  of  being  a  minister  of  the  Word ;  and  that  is  the 
essence  of  the  sin.  It  is  the  same  if  ambition  be  his  motive,  if  he  preaches  to  win 
disciples  to  himself,  to  gain  an  ascendency  over  souls,  to  become  the  head  of  a  party 
which  will  bear  the  impress  of  his  mind.  (J.  Denney,  B.D.)  The  u-ay  to  preach 
the  yospel : — I.  With  conscious  honesty.  "  As  of  sincerity  "  in  direct  antagonism 
to  all  duplicity  and  hypocrisy.  No  man  can  preach  the  gospel  effectively  who  is 
not  a  true  man — true  to  himself  and  to  the  doctrines  he  j)roelaims.  He  must  be 
uninfluenced  by  prepossessions,  by  sectarian  bias,  by  worldly  interests  or  fame. 
No  man  can  have  this  conscious  honesty — 1.  Unless  he  preaches  his  own  personal 
convictions  of  the  gospel.  Not  the  opinions  of  othex's,  nor  even  his  own  opinions, 
but  convictions  self-formed,  vital,  and  profound.  2.  Unless  his  own  convictions 
have  been  reached  by  impartial,  earnest,  and  devout  study.  The  man  who  thus 
preaches,  preaches  a  fresh,  living,  mighty  gospel.  II.  With  conscious  divinity. 
"  Of  God,  in  the  sight  of  God,"  i.e. — 1.  From  God.  He  must  feel  that  he  has  a 
Divine  commission.  2.  Before  God.  "  In  the  sight  of  God."  He  must  feel  that 
the  God  who  hath  sent  him  confronts  him.  This  consciousness  will  make  him — (1) 
Earnestly  hving.  His  soul  will  be  all  excitement.  (2)  Utterly  fearless  of  man. 
III.  With  conscious  Christliness.  "  In  Christ."  There  are  two  senses  in  which 
we  are  said  to  be  in  another.  1.  In  their  aifections.  Without  poetry  or  figure  we 
are  in  those,  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  love  us.  The  child  is  in  the  heart  of  the 
loving  parent,  &c.  Thus  all  Christ's  disciples  are  in  His  heart,  in  His  affections. 
They  live  in  Him.  2.  In  their  character  and  spirit.  Thus  the  admiring  student 
lives  in  the  character  and  spirit  of  his  loved  teacher,  the  admiring  reader  in  the 
thoughts  and  genius  of  his  favourite  author,  &c.  This  is  the  sense  that  is 
specially  imphed  in  the  text.  What  is  the  spirit  of  Christ  ?  It  is  that  of  supreme 
love  to  the  Great  Father  and  self-sacrificing  love  for  humanity.     (D.  Thomas  D.D.) 


CHAPTER  m. 

Yjbs.  1-5.  Do  we  begin  again  to  commend  ourselves  ?  or  need  we  .  .  .  epistles 
of  commendation  ? — A  pastor^s  claim : — 1.  The  voluntary  relations  of  men  are 
founded  upon  mutual  confidence,  and  even  those  which  are  involuntary  require 
reciprocal  reliance.  The  parent  who  does  not  duly  trust  his  children  will  soon  ruin 
them,  and  the  child  who  does  not  rely  upon  his  parents  will  certainly  become 
prodigal.  Distrust  in  a  master  will  make  him  a  tyiant,  and  want  of  confidence 
in  a  servant  will  produce  miserable  eye-service.  The  suspicious  prince  is  always 
cruel,  and  the  distrustful  subject  is  a  revolutionist ;  and  the  functions  of  the 
ministry  are  nullified  by  distrust  in  the  Churches  and  in  the  world.  2.  This  con- 
fidence is  easily  disturbed  and  soon  destroyed.  A  whisper  "on  'Change"  against 
the  credit  of  the  successful  merchant  will  sometimes  gather  force  and  sweep  him 
into  ruin.  A  question  addressed  in  an  incredulous  tone  to  a  master  about  the 
fidelity  of  an  honest  servant  will  make  him  watch  that  servant  with  an  eagle's  eye. 
In  like  manner  may  the  confidence  of  the  Churches  of  Christ  in  their  chosen  pastors 


CHAP.  III.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  69 

be  impaired  or  crushed.  Of  the  danger  to  which  confidence  in  this  case  is  exposed, 
these  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians  afford  illustration.  Note— I.  The  grounds  of  a 
Christian  pastor's  claim  upon  the  confidence  of  the  Churches.  1.  There  is  a 
peculiar  writing  on  the  tablet  of  the  Christian's  soul.  The  old  covenant  was 
engraven  upon  slabs  of  stone,  but  the  new  covenant  is  written  upon  the  sensitive 
and  everlasting  tablet  of  the  heart.  On  this  is  written  the  good  news  that  God  so 
loved  the  world  and  spared  not  His  own  Son.  There  is  other  writing.  Science 
writes.  But  science,  beautiful  writer  though  she  be,  and  wise  and  useful,  cannot 
write  about  the  highest  subjects,  nor  can  she  reach  by  her  pen  the  fairest  tablets 
of  the  human  soul.  2.  The  writing  on  the  tablets  of  the  true  Christian's  soul  is 
effected  for  Christ  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  3.  In  writing,  the  Spirit  employs  men — 
pastors  and  teachers — as  pens.  4.  Those  upon  whose  hearts  Christ  has  written  are 
Christ's  chief  means  of  communicating  with  the  outlying  world.  In  plain  language, 
the  works  of  the  true  pastor  bear  witness  of  him,  and  establish  his  claim  to  loving 
confidence.  We  ask,  then,  firm  and  loving  confidence  for  the  proved  ministers  of 
Christ.  To  require  this  from  their  own  converts  is  to  ask  a  small  thing.  To  no 
creature  on  earth  or  in  heaven  is  a  man  so  largely  indebted  as  to  the  instrument  of 
his  conversion.  But  say  that  you  have  no  such  personal  obligations  to  the  true 
ministers  of  Christ,  they  may  claim  confidence  for  their  work's  sake.  Give  us  your 
confidence  for  your  own  sake,  for  without  it  we  cannot  minister  to  your  profit ;  for 
your  children's  sake,  for,  if  they  detect  distrust,  in  vain  do  we  try  to  help  you  bring 
them  up ;  for  our  work's  sake  among  the  ungodly.  I  do  not  say  that  we  cannot 
work  without  it,  but  I  do  say  that  we  can  work  more  hopefully  with  it.  II.  The 
GROUND  OF  A  pastor's  o\vn  CONFIDENCE  WITH  RESPECT  TO  HIS  WORK.  1.  The  Confidence 
of  any  worker  with  respect  to  his  work  is  essential  to  his  success.  The  basis  of  such 
confidence  may  be  either  his  own  independent  resources  or  the  help  which  he  obtains 
from  those  stronger  than  himself.  The  latter  is  the  foundation  of  the  confidence 
of  Christ's  ministers.  Their  sufficiency  is  of  God.  To  say  God  is  sufficient  is  only 
like  saying  God  is  God,  but  to  declare  our  sufficiency  is  of  God  is  to  exhibit  a  spiritual 
fact  which  among  the  children  of  men  is  exceedingly  rare.  This  is  not  to  sit  talking 
of  the  Almighty  God,  but  to  walk  leaning  upon  God's  arm,  and  to  work,  God  working 
with  us.  This  is  to  take  such  advantage  of  the  Divine  resources  as  this  special  work 
demands.  Without  this,  a  man  may  be  scholarly,  eloquent,  and  popular,  but  in 
the  sight  of  God  he  must  be  a  failure.  The  work  of  the  true  pastor  can  only  be 
done  as  God  would  have  it  be  done,  as  our  sufficiency  is  of  God.  2.  Why,  then, 
are  we  not  filled  with  the  fulness  of  God  ?  It  may  be  that  we  prefer  the  cistern  to 
the  fountain,  and  that  we  cleave  to  it  after  it  has  become  leaky,  and  it  may  be 
because  of  our  many  false  gods.  One  thing  is  certain — we  are  always  half  mad 
about  something  which,  however  good,  is  not  God.  The  organisations  and  associa- 
tions, better  psalmody,  more  ornate  architecture,  a  denominational  press,  wealth, 
are  the  false  gods  after  which  we  too  often  have  gone  a-whoring.  Why  are  we  not 
filled  with  the  fulness  of  God  ?  It  may  be  that  we  do  not  sufficiently  recognise  the 
mediation  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  ministry  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  it  may  be  because 
our  sins  have  separated  us  from  God.  One  thing  is  certain — we  could  do  our  work 
with  God  if  everything  external  and  circumstantial  which  now  we  have  were  taken 
clean  away.  The  first  preachers  and  teachers  had  none  of  our  appliances,  and  yet 
succeeded,  because  their  sufficiency  was  of  God.  3.  And  now  let  me  entreat  you 
to  commend  your  pastors  in  ceaseless  prayer  to  the  help  of  God.  4.  Our  sufficiency 
is  also  yours.  {S.  Martin,  D.D.)  Ye  are  our  epistle  written  in  our  hearts,  known 
and  read  of  all  men. — Sacred  penmanship  : — "  Self-praise  is  no  recommendation," 
and  the  "  sounding  of  one's  own  trumpet"  is  not  to  be  applauded.  False  teachers 
had  entered  into  the  Corinthian  Church,  and  they  had  found  it  necessary  to  have 
letters  of  recommendation,  but  Paul  needed  no  such  introduction.  Truth  and 
righteousness  recommend  themselves  in  the  work  they  accomplish.  Our  translation 
admits  of  another  rendering — namely,  "  Ye  are  our  epistles  written  in  your  hearts," 
and  this  would  imply  that  Paul  had  been  enabled  to  pencil  something  in  the  hearts 
of  others  which  could  be  read  by  all  men ;  and  it  is  with  this  idea  I  shall  deal  in 
speaking  about  sacred  penmanship.  I.  Observe  the  requisites  for  writing.  The 
accessories  must  be  provided,  however,  for  a  letter  to  be  written,  and  let  us  briefly 
notice  these — pen,  ink,  and  paper.  1.  In  the  third  verse  we  have  the  pen  : 
"  Forasmuch  as  ye  are  declared  to  be  the  epistle  of  Christ  ministered  by  us."  Here 
is  the  instrument  in  the  hand  of  God.  The  Church  was  divided,  for  one  said, 
"I  am  of  Paul,"  another,  "I  am  of  Cephas"  ;  but  these  good  men  were  only  the 
pens  whereby  God,  through  His  Spirit,  had  written  upon  the  fleshy  tables  of  their 


.c.f 


70  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  hi. 

hearts.  Among  these  instruments  there  must  ever  be  a  variety.  The  rough  and 
rude  can,  however,  be  made  to  write  well.  Paul,  though  he  was  not  eloquent  of 
speech,  but  somewhat  blunt,  had  power  to  get  hold  of  men's  hearts,  and  he  wrote 
upon  them,  with  dark,  indelible  lines,  great  truths.  Apollos  could  speak  with 
eloquence  of  diction,  and  finely  pencil  the  Scripture,  so  that  the  Jews  were  mightily 
convinced  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ.  John  was  another  such  instrument.  Soft  in 
love,  sketching  in  poetry  the  wonderful  revelations  he  had  of  "  the  better  land,"  he 
would  win  hearts  for  Jesus.  2.  Then  there  must  be  the  ink.  The  sacred  fluid  is 
the  Spirit  of  God.  "  Written,  not  with  ink,  but  with  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God.'* 
The  mysterious  influence  that  flows  through  us  is  not  of  earthly  manufacture.  3. 
The  next  requisite  is  the  paper.  It  is  not  written  upon  stone,  but  "  in  fleshy  tables 
of  the  heart."  A  soft  heart  best  absorbs  the  ink,  a  living  tablet  best  retains  im- 
pressions. Lord,  write  flrst  in  us,  and  then  make  us  as  the  "  pen  of  the  ready 
writer,"  to  make  our  mark  on  others.  II.. The  eeadehs  or  the  writing.  "  Known 
and  read  of  all  men."  The  writing  is  re^ — no  fiction,  for  the  author  is  Christ. 
We  are  the  autograph  letters  of  our  Lord,  and  bear  His  signature.  The  writing  is 
clear,  for  we  are  "  manifestly  declared  to  be  the  epistle  of  Christ."  Now,  this  docu- 
ment is  a  public  one.  Believers  are  the  library  for  the  world ;  they  are  a  Christian 
literature  ;  each  saint  is  a  volume  to  expound  the  grace  of  God.  "Known  and  read 
of  all  men."  We  may  consider  the  readers  of  this  writing  to  be  of  three  classes — 
1.  The  intelligent.  Many  are  real  students  of  Christian  character,  desirous  of 
gaining  knowledge  for  their  own  good  in  spiritual  attainments.  2.  Then  there  are 
the  interested  readers — our  friends  who  like  to  see  if  we  make  progress  in  Divine 
things.  The  "  first  series  "  of  Christian  experiences  are  interesting,  and  are  studied 
with  deep  anxiety  by  those  who  love  young  converts.  3.  The  last  class  I  have 
called  the  inquisitive.  They  only  peruse  to  find  fault.  Ours  must  be  so  correct  an 
epistle  that  fault-finders  shall  find  it  difficult  to  gratify  their  morbid  taste.  The 
schoolmaster  says  to  his  boys,  "  Be  sure  you  dot  your  i's  and  cross  your  t's  ";  anSl 
we  too  must  be  mindful  of  little  things.  {Charles  Spurgeon.)  PduVs  testimonials : 
their  publicity  : — The  conversion  and  new  life  of  the  Corinthians  were  Paul's  cer- 
tificate as  an  apostle.  They  were  a  certificate,  he  says,  known  and  read  by  aU 
men.  Often  there  is  a  certain  awkwardness  in  the  presenting  of  credentials.  It 
embarrasses  a  man  when  he  has  to  put  his  hand  into  his  heart  pocket,  and  take  out 
his  character,  and  submit  it  for  inspection.  Paul  was  saved  this  embarrassment. 
There  was  a  fine  unsought  publicity  about  his  testimonials.  Everybody  knew 
what  the  Corinthians  had  been ;  everybody  knew  what  they  were ;  and  the  man 
to  whom  the  change  was  due  needed  no  other  recommendation  to  a  Christian 
society.  (J.  Denney,  B.D.)  Forasmuch  as  ye  axe  manifestly  declared  to  be 
the  epistle  of  Christ. — Soul  literature : — Christianity  written  on  the  soul  is  Chris- 
tianity— I.  In  the  most  legible  fokm.  II.  In  the  most  convincing  form.  Books 
have  been  wi-itten  on  the  evidences  of  Christianity ;  but  one  life  permeated  by  the 
Christian  spirit  furnishes  an  argument  that  baffles  all  controversy.  III.  In  the 
MOST  persuasive  FORM.  There  is  a  magnetism  in  gospel  truth  embodied  which  you 
seek  for  in  vain  in  any  written  work.  When  the  "  Word  is  made  flesh  "  it  is  made 
"  mighty  through  God."  IV.  In  the  most  enduring  form.  The  tablet  is  im- 
perishable. Paper  will  moulder,  institutions  will  dissolve,  marble  or  brass  are 
corruptible.  V.  In  the  divinest  form.  The  hand  can  inscribe  it  on  parchment 
or  stone,  but  only  God  can  write  it  on  the  heart.  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  The  epistle 
of  Christ : — I.  The  designation  of  Christian  people.  1.  Aji  epistle  is  a  fact  of 
production.  No  epistle  is  self-produced.  It  must  have  a  writer.  Nor  is  it  a 
creation ;  all  the  elements  existed  before.  So  with  the  epistle  of  Christ.  2.  An 
epistle  is  a  production  of  intelligence.  An  epistle  must  have  a  direct  intelligent 
end,  must  be  worth  reading  and  knowing.  3.  A  letter  is  the  expression  of  the 
thoughts  and  purposes  of  the  writer.  So  Christians  are  the  transcript  of  Christ's 
design,  morally  impressed  with  the  counterpart  of  His  principles  and  character  as 
their  Exemplar.  4.  A  letter  is  a  medium  of  communication.  So  what  is  com- 
municated to  Christians  must  be  communicated  by  them  to  others.  It  must  be 
communicated  as  it  is ;   it  must  not  be  obliterated  or  shown  partially.     II.    The 

WRITING  agent,  AND   THE    MANNER  IN  WHICH    THE    EPISTLE    IS    COMPOSED.       "  The  Spirit 

of  the  living  God,"  &c.,  who — I.  Works  according  to  His  own  plan.  2.  By  the  use 
of  suitable  means,  and  according  to  established  laws.  The  act  is  not  a  thing  done 
in  some  rare  instances,  but  in  the  heart  of  all  good  people.  3.  By  the  concurrence 
and  co-operation  of  man  himself — the  object  of  His  work.  Man  is  an  agent  of  his 
own  culture  and  all  which  belongs  to  him  in  life.     He  is  also  the  agent  of  his  own 


CHAP,  ni.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  71 

salvation.  If  he  neglects  his  work,  no  one  can  do  it  for  him.  III.  The  instrumentaii 
MEANS  "ministered  by  us."  The  ministry  of  the  gospel — 1.  Brings  the  materials  of 
truth  and  salvation  to  men.  2.  Prepares  also  the  pages  of  the  soul  to  receive  true 
impressions  and  the  blessings  offered  in  the  gospel.  There  are  stains  to  be  erased, 
misconceptions  to  be  corrected,  habits  and  prejudices  to  be  destroyed,  before  clear 
and  true  writing  can  be  made.  3.  Brings  the  human  soul  and  Divine  truth  face  to 
face,  so  by  Divine  light  and  love  a  photographic  image  is  printed  upon  the  whole 
soul.  Whilst  it  is  a  Divine  power  it  is  a  Divine  art,  printing  upon  the  human  heart 
and  life  a  true  image  and  right  language.  4.  Perpetuates  the  means  of  truth  and 
right  life.  IV.  The  tablet  of  becord,  "the  fleshy  tables  of  the  heart."  As  the 
heart  is  the  centre  of  our  natural  life,  it  is  also,  in  a  moral  sense,  the  centre  and 
base  of  our  spiritual  life.  1.  The  work  of  God  in  the  heart  is  carried  on  quietly 
and  secretly,  but  is  powerful  m  its  results,  like  the  forces  of  God  in  nature.  What 
more  secret  than  thought,  love,  faith  ?  but  what  more  powerful  and  clear  in  their 
results?  The  letter  is  secret  in  the  writing,  but  known  in  the  reading.  2.  Though 
unseen  to  sense,  it  is  nevertheless  a  matter  of  consciousness  to  the  subject  of  it. 
3.  It  is  a  process  which  purifies  and  develops  human  affection.  The  end  is  to  make 
the  heart  better  and  larger.  4.  It  is  a  process  intended  to  govern  the  springs  of 
human  Hfe.  Mankind  is  governed  through  its  heart.  It  is  a  happy  and  high  state 
when  the  sentiment  of  the  heart  is  one  with  reason.  5.  Whatever  is  good  and 
happy,  if  written  on  the  heart,  is  an  immediate  source  of  life  and  comfort.  6.  It  is 
a  thing  to  be  highly  estimated  and  remembered.  When  we  wish  to  gain  esteem, 
we  try  to  reach  the  heart ;  when  we  desire  not  to  be  forgotten,  we  try  to  print  our  ,- 
name  on  the  tablet  of  the  heart.  (T.  Hughes.)  The  epistle  of  Christ : — I.  The 
Christian  is  an  epistle  of  Christ.  1.  Its  writer.  "  Christ."  2.  Its  purport,  i"**^ 
Christ  has  blotted  out  "  guilty  "  and  written  in  "no  condemnation."  He  has  eraseA'"*^ 
"earthly"  and  supphed  "heavenly."  Licentiousness  has  given  place  to  purity, 
profanity  to  prayerfulness,  selfishness  to  love,  &c.  We  judge  of  the  authorship  of 
an  epistle,  not  merely  by  the  penmanship  and  signature,  which  a  clever  forger 
might  imitate,  but  also  by  its  contents.  A  hypocrite,  a  false  professor,  is  like  a 
forged  letter.  3.  Its  design.  To  convey  the  mind  of  Christ  to  men.  Men  may^ 
refuse  to  listen  to  the  gospel,  but  they  cannot  ignore  the  testimony  of  a  consistent! 
Christian  life.  11.  The  responsibility  devolving  on  the  Christian  as  an  epistle 
OF  Christ.  1.  As  a  letter  is  written  for  the  purpose  of  being  seen,  a  Christian'^^ 
should  let  his  Christianity  be  visible.     We  do  not  write  letters  merely  for  the  sake  i  ^  ^ 

of  writing  them,  but  that  they  may  be  read.  So,  if  Christians  do  not  let  their'  -tlJlA'^'-' 
Christianity  be  seen  in  their  lives,  they  defeat  one  chief  end  which  Christ  had  in 
view  in  making  them  what  they  are.  Those  who  are  Christians  in  name  only  are^ 
in  no  sense  of  the  term  epistles  of  Christ ;  it  were  vain  to  exhort  such  to  let  what' 
Christ  has  written  in  them  be  seen  by  men,  for  they  have  nothing  to  show.  2.  A 
letter  being  written  for  the  purpose  of  being  read  should  be  legible.  A  letter  may 
be  so  written  that  it  is  impossible  to  make  out  the  writer's  meaning.  Such  a  letter 
may  be  worse  than  useless,  for,  owing  to  its  illegibility,  it  may  convey  a  wrong 
meaning.  When  the  letters  of  men  are  illegible  it  is  the  fault  of  the  writers,  but 
this  is  not  the  case  with  Christ's  epistles.  He  never  writes  illegibly.  The  fault 
lies  on  the  side  of  the  epistles  themselves.  Note  one  or  two  things  which  render 
writing  illegible.  (1)  Indistinctness  of  character.  One  word  may  be  mistaken  for 
another,  and  thus  the  whole  meaning  of  a  sentence  may  be  altered.  And  Christians 
may  be  illegible  as  epistles  of  Christ  through  the  wavering,  unsteady  character  im- 
parted to  the  writing  that  is  in  them  by  their  want  of  decision  for  Christ  and  their 
compromises  with  the  world.  What  we  want  is  boldness  on  the  part  of  Christians 
in  testifying  for  Christ  in  their  everyday  lives.  (2)  Blots.  Perhaps  the  most 
important  word  in  a  sentence  is  completely  hidden  by  a  blot.  Alas !  in  how  many 
cases  is  the  testimony  of  a  Christian  for  Christ  made  of  none  effect  by  the  unsightly 
blot  of  some  gross  inconsistency,  some  dark  sin,  which  the  eye  of  the  world  rests 
continually  on,  and  refuses  to  see  anything  else.  3.  A  letter  is  written  that  it  may 
be  understood.  What  prevents  letters  from  being  intelligible?  (1)  Omissions. 
Were  the  little  word  "  not,"  e.g.,  left  out,  the  meaning  of  a  sentence  would  be 
entirely  reversed.  In  like  manner,  the  lack  of  one  essential  Christian  grace — 
charity,  e.g. — if  it  do  not  render  the  character  of  a  Christian  unintelligible,  makes 
it  less  easily  understood.  (2)  Contradictions.  We  cannot  possibly  make  out  the 
meaning  if  one  sentence  says  one  thing  and  the  next  the  opposite.  And  how  can 
men  understand  our  testimony  for  Christ  if  we  have  one  kind  of  conduct  for  the 
Church  and  another  for  the  world?     {J.  Bogue,  M.A.)        Epistles  of  Christ: — I. 


J,^P'^ 


72  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  hi. 

The  epistle.  1.  How  it  is  written.  (1)  The  apostle  does  not  speak  of  a  vague 
oral  tradition,  or  of  shifting  impressions,  but  of  a  written  epistle.  The  material 
on  which  this  epistle  is  wiitten  is  the  heart  of  man.  Not  merely  in  his  under- 
standing, for  he  may  know  what  is  right  and  yet  not  do  it ;  not  merely  in  his 
conscience,  for  he  may  acknowledge  his  duty,  yet  neglect  it ;  but  in  his  heart, 
that  it  may  be  his  desire  and  his  delight,  the  very  law  and  tendency  of  his  being. 
(2)  Like  the  pages  of  this  book  when  they  came  from  the  hands  of  the  manufacturer, 
the  mind  of  man  by  nature  is  a  perfect  blank  in  regard  to  Christ,  or  rather  like  the 
material  from  which  these  pages  were  manufactured — filthy  rags,  foul,  tattered,  and 
discoloured.  To  become  an  epistle  of  Christ  it  must  be  prepared  and  written  on. 
It  must  be  purified,  and  characters  traced  on  it.  2.  Its  contents.  Christ  is  its 
grand  and  all-pervading  theme.  Observe — (1)  Paul  did  not  say  of  all  the  disciples, 
"  Ye  are  epistles  of  Christ,"  but,  "  Ye  are  the  epistle  of  Christ."  Collectively  you 
constitute  the  one  epistle,  just  as  there  are  many  copies  of  the  Bible  in  many  foreign 
languages,  but  only  one  Bible.  Different  as  the  Laplander  and  the  Indian  may  be, 
yet,  when  taught  by  the  Spirit,  they  testify  the  same  things  of  Christ.  (2)  Nor  did 
Paul  say  of  any  individual,  "  Thou  art  the  epistle  of  Christ."  As  there  are  many 
imperfect  or  mutilated  MSS.  of  the  Bible,  and  as  in  all  there  are  errors  of  the  pen 
or  the  translator,  so  also  there  are  imperfect  and  unfinished  copies  of  the  epistle 
of  Christ.  And  as  it  is  only  by  collating  and  comparing  many  versions  that  we 
can  say,  "  This  is  the  Word  of  God,"  so  also  we  must  collate  and  compare  many 
Christians  ere  we  can  say,  "  This  is  the  epistle,  the  image,  of  Christ."  3.  Its 
purpose.  (1)  The  salvation  of  those  in  whose  hearts  it  is  written.  (2)  To  recommend 
Christ  to  men.  As  samples  of  His  work,  you  will  be  either  letters  of  commendation 
or  of  condemnation  to  Him.  II.  How  we  may  so  use  this  epistle  that  it  mat 
SEKVE  the  puepose  FOR  WHICH  IT  WAS  WRITTEN.  We  may  commend  Christ — 1.  With, 
our  lips.  Our  conversation  may  be  an  epistle  to  make  known  His  praises.  The 
■circulation  of  the  epistle  written  with  ink — the  printed  Bible — is  our  duty.  Even 
,  so  it  is  our  duty  to  publish  the  living  epistle.  It  was  intended  to  be  an  open  letter, 
f  known  and  read  of  all  men.  How  many  are  there  with  whom  we  daily  associate 
\  who  never  read  the  written  Bible,  the  only  hope  of  whose  salvation  is  that  they 
V  may  read  or  hear  the  living  epistle  !  By  our  silence  we  conceal  that  epistle  from 
rthem,  and  leave  them  to  perish.  2.  By  our  lives.  It  is  in  vain  that  we  speak  of 
1  Christ  with  our  lips  if  our  lives  belie  our  words.  Our  actions,  like  a  pen  full  of 
^  ink,  trace  certain  characters,  leave  certain  impressions  on  the  mind  and  memory 
of  those  who  see  them.  In  beholding  our  actions,  have  men  been  led  to  say  of  us, 
"  These  men  have  been  with  Jesus  "  ?  3.  By  our  character.  A  man's  outward 
manner  may  be  in  direct  opposition  to  his  inward  character.  To  be  true  epistles 
of  Christ  we  must  reflect  His  image,  not  in  word  only,  or  in  action,  but  in  our 
dispositions  and  desires.  (W.  Grant.)  Epistles  of  Christ: — From  the  example 
of  the  Master  Paul  had  acquired  the  habit  of  gliding  softly  and  quickly  from  a 
common  object  of  nature  to  the  deep  things  of  grace.  The  practice  of  asking  and 
obtaining  certificates  seems  to  have  been  introduced  at  a  very  early  period  into  the 
Christian  Church,  and  already  some  abuses  had  crept  in  along  with  it.  We  gather 
from  this  epistle  that  some  very  well  recommended  missionaries  had  been  spoiling 
Paul's  work  at  Corinth.  Virtually  challenged  to  exhibit  his  own  certificates,  he 
boldly  appeals  to  those  who  had  been  converted  through  his  ministry,  and  now  he 
glides  into  a  greater  thing — Christians  are  an  epistle  of  Christ.  Eegarding  these 
epistles,  consider — I.  The  material  written  on.  1.  Many  different  substances 
/  have  been  employed  in  writing ;  but  one  feature  is  common  to  all — in  their  natural 
/  state  they  are  not  fit  to  be  used  as  writing  materials.  They  must  undergo  a  process 
/  of  preparation.  Even  the  primitive  material  of  stone  must  be  polished  ere  the 
engraving  begin.  The  reeds,  and  leaves,  and  skins,  too,  which  were  used  by  the 
ancients,  all  needed  preparation.  So  with  modern  paper,  of  which  rags  are  the 
raw  material.  These  are  torn  into  small  pieces,  washed,  cast  into  a  new  form,  and 
become  a  "  new  creature."  A  similar  process  takes  place  in  the  preparation  of  the 
material  for  an  epistle  of  Christ.  You  might  as  well  try  to  write  upon  the  rubbish 
from  which  paper  is  made  as  to  impress  legible  evidence  for  the  truth  and  divinity 
of  the  gospel  on  the  life  of  one  who  is  still  "  of  the  earth,  earthy."  2.  The  paper 
manufacturer  is  not  nice  in  the  choice  of  his  materials.  The  clean  cannot  be 
serviceable  without  passing  through  the  process,  and  the  unclean  can  be  made 
serviceable  with  it.  Let  no  man  think  he  can  go  into  heaven  because  he  is  good  ; 
but  neither  let  any  one  fear  he  will  be  kept  out  of  it  because  he  is  evil.  II.  The 
•writing.     It  is  not  Christianity  printed  in  the  creed,  but  Christ  written  in  the  heart. 


CHAP,  in.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  73 

A  person's  character  may  be  gathered  from  his  letters.  How  eagerly  the  public 
read  those  of  a  great  man  printed  after  his  death !  Our  Lord  left  no  letters,  yet 
He  has  not  left  Himself  without  a  witness.  When  He  desires  to  let  the  world  know  ) 
•what  He  is,  He  points  to  Christians.  Nay,  when  He  would  have  the  Father  to  ./ 
behold  His  glory.  He  refers  Him  to  the  saved:  "I  am  glorified  in  them."  A 
Christian  merchant  goes  to  India  or  China.  He  sells  manufactured  goods ;  he  buys 
silk  and  tea.  But  all  the  time  he  is  a  living  epistle,  sent  by  Christ  to  the  heathen. 
A  Christian  boy  becomes  an  apprentice,  and  is  now,  therefore,  a  letter  from  the 
Lord  to  all  his  shopmates.  III.  The  writer.  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Uving  God." 
Some  writings  are  easily  rubbed  off  by  rough  usage  or  with  age.  Only  fast  colours 
are  truly  valuable.  The  flowers  and  figures  painted  upon  porcelain  are  burned  in, 
and  thei'efore  cannot  be  blotted  out.  No  writing  on  a  human  spirit  is  certainly 
durable  except  that  which  the  Spirit  of  God  lays  on.  In  conversion  there  is  a  sort 
of  furnace  through  which  the  new-born  pass.  In  the  widespread  religious  activity 
of  the  day  some  marks  are  made  on  the  people — not  made  by  the  Spirit  of  God — 
shown  by  the  event  to  have  been  only  marks  on  the  surface  made  by  some  passing 
fear  or  nervous  sympathy.  IV.  The  pen.  In  photography  it  is  the  sun  that  makes 
the  poi'trait ;  yet  a  human  hand  pi'epares  the  plate  and  adjusts  the  lens.  A  similar 
place  is  assigned  to  the  ministry  of  men  in  the  work  of  the  Spirit.  Printing  nowadays 
is  done  by  machines  which  work  with  a  strength  and  regularity  and  silence  that  are 
€nough  to  strike  an  onlooker  with  dismay.  Yet  even  there  a  watchful  human 
eye  and  alert  human  hand  are  needed  to  introduce  the  paper  into  the  proper  place. 
Agents  are  needed  even  under  the  ministry  of  the  Spirit — needed  to  watch  for  souls. 
V.  The  readers.  1.  The  writing  is  not  sealed  or  locked  up  in  a  desk,  but  exposed 
all  the  day  to  public  view.  Some  who  look  on  the  letters  are  enemies,  and  some 
are  friends.  If  an  alien  see  Christ  represented  in  a  Christian,  he  may  thereby  be 
turned  from  darkness  to  light ;  but,  if  he  see  sin,  self,  and  the  world,  he  will  probably 
be  more  hardened  in  his  unbelief.  Those  who  already  know  and  love  ihe  truth  are 
glad  when  they  read  it  clearly  written  in  a  neighbour's  life,  are  grieved  when  they  see 
a  false  image  of  the  Lord  held  up  before  the  eyes  of  men.  2.  Many  readers,  how- 
ever, fail  to  see  the  meaning  of  the  plainest  letters.  None  so  blind  as  those  who 
will  not  see.  Considering  how  defective  most  readers  are  either  in  will  or  skill,  or 
both,  the  living  epistles  should  be  written  in  characters  both  large  and  fair.  Some 
MSS.  are  so  defectively  written  that  none  but  experts  can  decipher  them.  Skilled 
and  practised  men  can  piece  them  together,  and  gather  the  sense  where,  to  ordinary 
eyes,  only  unconnected  scrawls  appear.  Benevolent  ingenuity  has  produced  a  kind 
of  writing  that  even  the  bUnd  can  read.  Such  should  be  the  writing  of  Christ's 
mind  on  a  Christian's  conversation.  It  should  be  raised  in  characters  so  large  that 
even  the  blind,  who  cannot  see,  may  be  compelled,  by  contact  with  Christians,  to 
feel  that  Christ  is  passing  by.  {JV.  Arnot,  D.D.)  Epistles  of  Christ :  i)iiperfect , 
and  sjmrious : — The  Bible  is  God's  book  for  the  world,  only  it  shuts  it.  But  the 
world  will  read  yo2i.  Masters,  your  servants  read  you  f  1eTvaiits,"yoTiniiaster's  r'eaH 
"yBrr^;  se  will  pareTtlts  children,  &c.  Do  they  read  in  you  what  they  ought  to  read  ? 
A  Christian  should  be  a  Bible  alive.  Never  mind  though  a  man  has  not  learned 
his  letters ;  he  will  be  able  to  read  you  fast  enough.  All  men  can  read  justice, 
mercy,  and  truth,  or  the  opposite  of  them.  1.  One  day  a  thought  flashed  into  my 
mind  that  I  did  not  want  to  lose,  and,  having  no  paper  at  hand  except  a  letter  from 
a  friend,  I  just  wrote  between  the  lines  of  it ;  and  when  I  had  done  that  the  fancy 
struck  me  to  read  through  the  writing  as  it  stood,  one  line  of  my  friends  and  one 
of  my  own,  and  you  cannot  think  what  nonsense  it  was !  Ah !  there  are  some 
characters  like  that.  I  dare  not  say  there  was  nothing  about  them  that  Christ  had 
written,  but  they  have  sadly  allowed  the  devil  and  the  world  to  underline  them ; 
there  is  no  coherency  or  consistency  in  them.  2.  I  remember,  when  I  was  a  little 
boy  at  school,  if  I  by  any  chance  managed  to  make  the  smallest  blot,  as  sure  as  I 
took  the  book  up  to  my  master,  the  first  thing  he  looked  at  was  the  blot ;  and,  as 
sure  as  I  took  it  home,  the  first  tEng-SBiybody  looked  at  was  the  blot.  My  letters 
may  have  been  made  very  gracefully,  but  nobody  said  a  word  about  them ;  but 
everybody  said  something  about  the  blot.  Ah !  I  have  known  some  people  very 
good  on  the  whole,  but  they  have  had  sad  blots — blots  of  temper,  vanity,  and 
worldliness.  The  sun  himself  is  looked  at  more  during  the  few  minutes  he  has 
a  black  spot  on  his  face  than  on  all  the  days  of  the  year  besides.  The  world  has 
an  eagle  glance  for  your  spots,  and  if  you  have  a  spot  on  your  character  people 
will  look  more  at  it  than  at  all  the  beautiful  things  that  are  there.  3.  I  got  a  letter 
one  day  which  had  been  sent  to  a  committee.    For  the  life  of  them  they  could  not 


74  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  m. 

read  it,  and  they  sent  it  to  me  to  try  to  make  it  out.  It  was  a  difficult  task,  and 
when  I  had  made  out  the  words  I  could  scarcely  make  out  the  sense.  It  was  a  letter, 
but  a  very  unintelligible  one.  I  have  known  some  characters  hke  that,  and  if  I 
preached  to  such  I  should  have  to  take  the  text,  "  I  stand  in  doubt  of  you."  These 
are  not  like  the  epistles  spoken  of  in  the  text,  "  known  and  read  of  all  men." 
Endeavour  to  keep  clear  of  such  a  character  that  nobody  can  tell  what  Ust  to  put 
you  in :  avoid  being  so  quaint  and  difficult  that  nobody  can  tell  what  to  make  of 
you.  May  it  be  said  of  you,  as  it  was  said  as  I  passed  the  door  of  a  godly  man 
who  had  lately  died,  "  If  ever  there  was  a  Christian,  that  man  was  one."  4.  I 
remember,  just  before  I  left  my  last  circuit,  that  I  looked  over  a  great  number  of 
old  letters,  some  of  which,  at  the  time  I  received  them,  were  so  precious  that  I 
put  them  away  to  preserve  them,  and  several  of  these  had  become  so  creased  and 
dirty  and  illegible  that  I  was  obliged  to  throw  them  into  the  fire,  though  once  they 
were  so  precious  to  me.  I  should  not  like  that  any  of  you  who  had  been  real  letters 
of  Christ's  own  writing  should  become  so  careless  and  worldly  that  the  writing 
became  marred.  I  should  not  like  that  you  should  get  into  such  a  cold,  backshding 
state  that  all  the  beautiful  letters  that  once  were  put  upon  you  should  become 
illegible,  and  that  at  the  last  Christ  should  say,  "  Cast  them  into  the  fire."  5.  I 
was  once  in  an  assize  court  where  a  man  was  being  tried  for  forgery.  The  individual 
whose  writing,  it  was  suspected,  had  been  imitated,  was  dead,  and  so  a  large  letter- 
book,  full  of  what  was  known  to  be  the  writing  of  the  deceased,  was  produced  in 
court,  to  test  the  alleged  forgery  by  it.  If  you  are  letters  of  Christ  you  will  resemble 
His  writing.  The  very  name  Christian  implies  that  you  profess  to  have  Christ's 
name  written  upon  you.  But  it  is  no  use  to  profess  to  be  Christ's  epistle  if  you  are 
not  hke  Him.  Suppose  I  picked  up  a  letter  which  professed  on  the  face  of  it  to 
be  a  letter  from  Jesus  Christ,  but  recommended  this  congregation  to  be  worldly- 
minded,  to  love  gold,  to  be  fretful  and  peevish,  and  to  be  guilty  of  evil-speaking  and 
slander.  Of  course  I  should  know  that  it  was  no  letter  from  Jesus  Christ.  I  wonder 
whether  all  present  who  profess  to  be  Christ's  epistles  ever  do  that  which  Christ 
would  not  put  His  name  to  ?  Are  you  genuine  letters  ?  A  friend  of  mine  went  to 
the  bank  to  pay  in  some  money.  Amongst  it  there  was  a  ten-pound  note.  The  clerk 
looked  at  it  carefully,  and  then  stamped  "  Forged  "  right  across  it.  What  a  sad 
thmg  it  would  be  if  any  of  you  who  profess  to  be  epistles  of  Christ  now  should  at 
the  last  be  disowned  of  Him,  and  He  should  say,  "  You  are  none  of  Mine — forged"! 
(S.  Coley.)  Living  epistles  of  Christ : — I.  "An  epistle  or  Cheist  "  is  the  title 
OF  EVEBY  BELIEVER.  In  the  N.T.  Epistles  we  have  the  promised  further  revelation 
of  Christ.  We  call  them  for  convenience  the  epistles  of  Paul,  or  of  Peter,  &c.  j 
but  they  are  the  epistles  of  Christ,  from  and  concerning  Him.  So  behevers  are 
a  revelation  of  the  Eedeemer  to  the  world  ;  and  as  these  apostolic  letters  carried 
hght  wherever  they  went,  so  the  world  is  to  read  on  the  Christian  the  mind  and 
grace  of  Jesus.  1.  Christ's  work  will  necessarily  witness  to  Him.  The  world 
cannot  look  on  any  true  servant  of  Christ  without  receiving  an  impression  of  the 
Master.  2.  Christ's  purpose  coucernmg  the  world  requires  that  every  Christian  be 
an  epistle  of  Christ.  With  multitudes  the  gospel  will  be  powerless  until  its  truth 
is  proved  by  its  effects.  3.  Christ's  love  to  His  people  affords  this  usefulness  to  aU 
of  them.  For  to  help  others  to  Him  is  to  enter  into  the  joy  of  our  Lord,  and  He 
would  deprive  none  of  His  beloved  of  that.  One  of  the  Florentine  princes  com- 
manded Michael  Angelo  to  fashion  a  statue  from  the  drifted  snow  before  his  palace, 
and  the  great  artist,  ignoring  the  scorn,  wrought  at  the  task  as  though  he  chiselled 
the  enduring  marble  ;  and  when  it  began  to  melt  at  the  sun's  touch,  and  the 
contemptuous  prince  laughed  at  what  he  thought  the  vanity  of  the  toil,  the  sculptor 
solaced  himself  with  the  reflection,  "  The  thought  I  threw  into  that  snow  shall  stir 
this  gazing  people  when  their  gaze  is  done."  Our  common  tasks  are  fleeting,  yet 
we  may  throw  a  piety  into  them  whose  memory  will  abide  for  good  with  those  that 
saw  it  to  distant  years.  II.  Think  of  Cheist  writing  this  epistle.  1.  There 
must  be  the  erasure  of  the  old  writing.  In  ancient  monasteries  the  monks  would 
take  old  parchments,  and,  removing  the  writing  they  bore,  write  sacred  truth  on 
them  instead ;  so  it  happened  that,  where  before  men  read  annals  of  conquest,  or 
heathen  laws,  or  pagan  blasphemies,  then  they  read  the  Word  of  God.  Till  the 
old  heathen  writing  on  us  be  removed,  there  is  no  room  for  the  new,  nor  would  it 
stand  much  chance  of  being  seen.  So  Chiist  removes  it.  We  cannot ;  no  human 
skill  can  cleanse  the  blotted  page  of  an  evil  character.  2.  There  must  be  the 
impression  of  His  will  on  the  character  by  fellowship  with  Him.  In  fellowship' 
with  Christ  a  subtle  influence  is  exerted  on  us  which  must  leave  its  mark ;  we- 


CHAP,  m.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  75 

cannot  be  with  Him  without  acquiring  a  hatred  of  sin,  without  His  peace  possessing 
us,  without  our  love  and  courage  being  inflamed,  which  must  show  themselves 
when  we  pass  out  to  men  again.  3.  When  He  has  done  that  there  may  remain 
the  bringing  out  of  some  of  His  deepest  writings  by  fire.  For  as  great  secrets  have 
been  written  on  that  prepared  surface  which  conceals  the  writing  till  it  is  exposed 
to  heat,  and  then  line  after  line  of  unsuspected  story  appears,  so  some  of  Christ's 
most  sacred  messages  only  steal  out  in  the  lives  of  His  people  in  the  hour  of  trial. 
The  chamber  of  Christian  sorrow  has  many  a  time  been  the  place  of  Divine  reve- 
lation, ni.  Then,  surely,  having  wkitten  His  epistle,  He  sends  it.  To  write 
a  letter  without  sending  it  were  vain.  The  Bible  is  God's  letter  to  the  world ;  we 
may  think  of  His  people  as  supplementary  letters  to  individuals.  1.  Then  He  will 
see  it  comes  to  them.  This  is  the  meaning  of  many  of  His  providential  dealings 
with  us.  2.  We  may  expect  Him  to  call  their  attention  to  us  whom  He  means 
us  to  reach.  He  will  not  suffer  that  to  be  unread  which  He  has  written  ;  His 
Spirit  works  with  His  providence,  and  turns  men's  eyes  where  He  would  have  them 
look.  3.  And  that  shows  God's  special  mercy  to  some.  When  they  have  failed  to 
read  the  Bible  He  has  given  them.  He  is  so  earnest  for  their  redemption  that 
He  sends  a  letter  to  themselves.  IV.  He  who  writes  and  sends  them  waits  the~  '(^ak^  LMua. 
answer!  (C.  Neii\)  Living  epistles: — This  is  one  of  those  felicitous  turns  of  /y,x*LjtJ  ■£ 
expression  which  show   the   true   genius  ;   the  sudden   availing  one's  seK   of  an    \'  ff 

adversary's  argument  against  himself.  "Ask  for  my  letter  of  commendation?  i 
Well,  who  has  such  a  letter  as  I  can  show?  Ye  are  our  epistle."  Demosthenes 
uttered  nothing  finer  than  this,  or  so  convincing.  I.  In  what  respects  mat  men 
RESEMBLE  AN  EPISTLE,  KNOWN  AND  READ  OF  ALL  ?  1.  The  prime  characteristic  of  a 
letter  is  its  containing  the  mind  of  the  writer.  Can  Christians  represent  the  mind 
of  Christ,  as  a  letter  contains  your  mind  ?  (1)  A  perfect  Church  is  not  needed  for 
this  ;  for  the  Corinthian  community,  like  a  defaced  epistle,  was  blotted  with  serious 
imperfections.  Still  their  general  conduct  could  exhibit  such  an  approximation  to 
the  Spirit  of  Christ  that  the  apostle  could  afford  to  spread  it  open  before  all  men, 
asking  them  to  read  and  know  it.  It  is  not,  therefore,  our  infirmities  and  sins 
which  disqualify  us  from  being  epistles  of  Christ.  A  good  writer  can,  when  pressed, 
write  on  very  unpromising  material.  It  is  not  the  kind  of  paper,  but  the  writing, 
which  men  are  anxious  to  see.  (2)  The  great  difficulty  with  us  all  is  the  obstinate 
restlessness  which  keeps  us  from  being  written  upon.  But  where  this  is  overcome, 
and  we  present  ourselves  to  the  Lord,  He  will  write  His  will  concerning  us  so 
legibly  that  all  shall  acknowledge  the  finger  of  God — like  the  Pharisees,  who  "  took 
knowledge  of  Peter  and  John,  that  they  had  been  with  Jesus."  2.  When  our  Lord 
said,  "  I  call  you  not  servants  but  friends,"  He  implied  that  they  would  be  an 
epistle,  the  contents  of  which  would  command  their  intelligent  sympathy.  Not 
like  a  letter-carrier,  who  knows  nothing  of  what  he  carries,  but  like  a  friend  charged 
with  a  message  of  reconciliation  in  which  he  is  warmly  interested.  3.  The  great 
requisite  of  the  epistle  which  we  are  considering  is  that  it  be  manifestly  from  a 
living  Writer.  There  are  good  letters  whose  authors  are  dead.  Valuable ;  you 
keep  them  as  curiosities.  The  religious  life  may  present  a  faultless  epistle  of  this 
kind — an  evident  regard  to  the  will  of  Christ,  but  not  to  a  living  will.  A  con- 
scientious executorship,  but  it  is  fulfilling  the  wishes  of  the  dead  !  The  life  shows 
what  Christ  was,  not  what  He  is ;  what  He  said,  not  what  He  says.  But  we  want 
to  show  letters  of  Christ  of  to-day.  How  different  your  manner  when  you  bring 
me  a  letter  on  pressing  business,  and  when  you  open  a  cabinet  and  produce  a  letter 
of  Milton's !  Now  the  former  letter  on  business  is  what  we  want.  Can  I  be  the 
manifest  epistle  to  others  of  a  living  Saviour  ?  I  know  whether  a  man  speaks  to 
me  as  an  antiquarian  or  as  a  believer,  whether  he  comes  to  me  with  good  news  or 
to  amuse  me  with  information.  You  all  know  the  difference  between  a  lecture  on 
Christianity  and  faith  in  a  personal  Piedeemer ;  between  a  lecture  on  fire-escapes 
and  making  use  of  one  when  the  house  is  burning.  Let  us  speak,  then,  less  of 
Christianity  and  more  of  Christ.  Let  Him  show  in  us  what  He  is.  All  sacrifice, 
all  self-denial  for  His  sake,  is  a  most  legible  epistle  of  Christ.  You  know  whether 
any  one  is  repeating  a  lesson  or  speaking  from  his  heart ;  whether  he  talks  about 
business,  or  art,  or  science  as  from  books  or  from  experience  or  affection.     Thus  a  ^    n 

we  shall  show  the  hardly  dry  letter  of  Christ  to  men,  or  we  shall  show  an  old  dry       ■  -W^   f 
parchment  copy,  as  we  live  day  by  day  under  the  eye  of  our  Lord  and  dwell  in 
"fellowship  with  Him  by  prayer  and  duty.     II.  The  recommendation  of  things  and 
PERSONS  CONTAINED  IN  THESE  LIVING  EPISTLES.     "  Yc  are  our  epistlc."     Your  conduct 
serves  as  a  letter  of  commendation — yea,  better  than  a  thousand !     "Ye  are  my 


76  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  m. 

letter  wi-itten  in  my  heart."  "  We  can  prove  this  man  to  have  been  sent  of  God; 
our  lives  show  what  God  has  wrought  through  him.  Eeceive  him."  Every  Chris- 
tian, every  Church,  is  intended  to  be  a  letter  of  commendation.  Certainly  a  minister 
is  highly  honoured  with  a  good  letter  of  introduction  of  this  kind.  An  ignorant  or 
wicked  man  hears  a  minister  preaching  the  gospel.  He  says,  "  Why  should  I  Usten 
to  that  man  ?  What  recommends  him  to  my  confidence  ?  "  Now  it  is  a  great  thing 
for  him  to  read  of  holiness,  purity,  and  love  in  the  people  who  are  associated  with 
that  minister.  On  the  other  hand,  every  inconsistent  hearer  cripples  the  minister, 
and  resembles  one  of  those  Bellerophon's  letters,  where  a  person  carries  a  letter 
of  introduction  containing  a  caution  to  beware  of  him.  He  is  a  public  refutation 
of  the  preacher.  He  is  a  letter  containing,  "  Do  not  believe  a  word  he  says." 
Conclusion  :  1.  The  apostle  does  not  say  that  the  individual  Christian  is  an  epistle 
of  Christ,  but  they  are  collectively  declared  to  be  so.  Each  is  a  word  or  sentence  ; 
all  make  up  the  letter.  Sentences  which  are  unmeaning,  often  in  their  connec- 
tion make  a  grand  meaning.  Christ  often  makes  great  use  of  one  person,  as 
He  often  uses  one  word  or  verse  to  console  or  teach.  But  the  force  of  that  word 
depends  very  much  on  its  being  known  to  be  part  of  an  inspired  book.  Let  us  all 
try  together  to  form  "the  epistle  of  Christ."  2.  Let  people  see  and  read  the  whole. 
Do  not  our  passions,  our  selfishness,  our  indolence  make  us  withhold  it  ?  Let  us 
not  incur  the  great  sin  of  preventing  poor  sinners  from  seeing  their  Friend's  own 
handwriting !  Who  can  tell  the  effect  it  might  have  upon  them  ?  3.  But  for  this 
end  we  must  all  be  in  our  place,  like  the  separate  words  of  a  letter;  one  word  blotted 
or  missing  often  makes  a  great  difference  to  the  meaning.  Keep  the  end  of  Church 
life  in  view;  not  comfort,  but  the  exhibition  of  the  letter.     (B.  Kent,  M.A.)  The 

living  epistle : — A  letter  implies — I.  An  absent  person  who  sends  it  ;  for  in  the 
actual  presence  of  friend  with  friend  letters  become  unnecessary.  Now  Christ  is 
for  a  time  absent,  having  gone  into  the  heavens.  In  His  absence  He  does  not 
forget  the  world,  but  communicates  with  it  by  letters  written  on  the  hearts  of  His 
'saints.  H.  A  person  or  persons  to  whom  it  is  sent.  There  is  no  class  to  whom 
Christ's  message  is  not  addressed.  It  may  be  a  message  of  warning  to  the  unconverted, 
of  caution  to  the  careless,  of  guidance  to  the  perplexed,  of  comfort  to  the  saddened, 
of  hope  to  the  desponding.  Shall  we  not  take  care  that  it  is  a  full  letter  that  Christ 
sends  by  us,  written  all  over,  and  rich  in  instruction  and  encouragement  ?  Shall 
we  not  see  that  it  is  a  well-written  and  legible  letter  ?  Let  the  life,  the  character, 
the  conduct,  all  be  so  plain  and  consistent  that  none  shall  doubt  whose  we  are, 
and  to  whose  grace  we  bear  witness.  III.  Messages.  What  are  those  which  should 
be  read  in  the  heart  and  life  of  a  Christian  ?  1.  The  freedom  of  the  Saviour's  love 
towards  a  sinner.  The  characters  of  converted  men,  and  their  histories  before  they 
were  converted,  may  be  infinitely  various.  But  they  are  aU  ahke  in  that  they  are 
sinners,  and  sinners  saved,  and  all  of  grace,  from  the  first  moment  of  solemn  con- 
viction till  the  time  that  they  found  peace.  Would  we  see  Christ's  love  to  the 
sinner  and  His  power  to  save  ? — Look  at  them.  May  it  not  be  with  many  of  them, 
as  with  St.  Paul,  that  for  this  cause  they  obtained  mercy,  that  in  them  first  Christ 
Jesus  might  show  forth  a  pattern  of  all  long-suffering?  Would  we  know  that  the 
love  of  Christ  is  free  as  the  air  we  breathe,  and  broad  as  universal  man  ?  Would 
we  know  that  there  is  no  sin  so  deep  as  to  be  beyond  the  merits  of  the  atonement, 
no  spiritual  ruin  so  absolute  as  to  be  beyond  the  power  of  grace  ?  Learn  it  all  here 
in  these  saved  sinners  ;  read  the  message  of  the  Saviour  in  these  loving  epistles  of 
Christ,  "  written  with  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God."  2.  The  sufficiency  of  Divine 
grace — the  power  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  to  regenerate  the  heart,  and  to  turn  the 
proud  and  stubborn  will  to  God.  What  the  strength  of  sin  is  we  know  in  our 
personal  experience  only  too  well;  but  we  never  really  know  till  we  know  it  by 
experience,  just  as  a  man  may  gaze  long  on  a  swollen  river  as  it  rolls  its  full  waters 
towards  the  cataract  below,  and  yet  may  never  know  its  fatal  strength  till  he  is 
himself  upon  the  current,  vainly  struggling  with  all  his  might  to  stem  the  fatal 
force  which  is  hurrying  him  onwards  to  his  death.  I  fancy  that  there  are  none, 
not  excepting  the  most  reckless  of  men,  without  some  experience  of  the  power  of 
evil  over  them.  Where,  then,  shall  be  your  hope  but  in  the  Spirit  of  God  ?  But 
how  shalt  thou  know  that  the  unseen  Spirit  is  willing  to  help  thee,  or,  if  willing, 
competent  to  make  thee  a  conqueror  ?  Why,  here  is  the  epistle  of  Christ  to  assure 
thee  of  it.  Look  at  this  saved  man.  The  whole  course  of  his  nature  is  changed, 
and  flows  towards  God.  He  now  loves  what  once  he  hated,  hates  what  once  he 
loved.  He  was  once  just  like  thyself.  3.  The  certainty  of  the  promises  and  the 
deep  inward  peace  and  joy  which  are  the  inheritance  of  the  children  of  God.    Who 


CHAP,  m.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  77 

has  ever  heard  a  Christian  man  say  that  he  was  disappointed  in  Christ,  or  did  not 
find  Him  the  precious  and  perfect  Saviour  he  had  believed  Him  to  be  ?     Ask  the 
man  of  the  world  if  he  has  found  happiness  in  excitement,  in  wealth,  in  honour 
and  ambition,  and  he  will  frankly  tell  you,  with  a  sigh,  "  Vanity  of  vanities,  all 
is  vanity."     {Ca7i07i  Garbett.)         The  postal  system  in  its  beneficent  and  religious 
aspect: — An  "epistle"  is  a  letter.     "Epistle"  is  a  word  formed  from  the  Greek; 
" letter  "  from  the  Latin.     "Epistle"  does  not  occur  in  the  English  Old  Testament ; 
there  is  always  "letter,"  or  (quite  as  often  and  quite  as  correctly),  in  the  plural 
form,  "  letters."     "  An  epistle  of  Christ,"  then,  is  "  a  letter  of  (from)  Christ."     We 
do  not  possess  any  letter  of  Jesus  Christ's.     There  was  a  spurious  correspondence, 
known  to  the  early  Church,  between  Christ  and  a  prince  of  Mesopotamia,  who 
applied  to  Him  for  help  in  sickness,  but  it  was  a  forgery.     Indeed,  by  the  nature 
of  the  case  it  must  have  been  so,  for  there  were  no  Christians  in  Mesopotamia 
till  Christ  Himself  was  gone  back  to  heaven.     The  nearest  approach  to  an  actual 
epistle  of  Christ  is  found  in  the  addresses  to  the  seven  Churches  in  the  Book  of 
Revelation.     The  text  was  suggested  to  me  by  the  occasion.     We  are  welcoming 
this  afternoon  to  the  mother  church  of  the  diocese  a  large  company  of  men  whose 
every-day  life  connects  them  with  the  postal  service  of  the  country.     It   seems 
natural  to  inquire  whether  there  is  anything  about  your  work  in  the  Bible.     There 
is  more  about  it  there  than  you  might  suppose.     A  Concordance  will  present  a 
somewhat  full  record  under  the  heads  of  Epistle,  Letter,  and  Letters.     Many  of  the 
entries  are  sad  and  sorrowful  ones.     The  first  (I  think)  of  all  is  that  fatal  letter  of 
King  David  to  his  unworthy  confidant,  Joab,  about  Uriah.     See  there  what  a  letter 
may  have  in  it — a  cruel  and  treacherous  edict  of  murder.     And  the  next  in  order 
is  like  it.     It  is  the  letter  of  the  wicked  queen  Jezebel  to  the  elders  of  Jezreel  about 
Naboth.     But  let  it  just  show  us  what  you  may  be  carrying  in  that  sacred  budget 
of  the  daily  letters.    Let  it  give  an  element  of  awe,  of  solemnity,  to  the  daily 
ministration.     There  may  be  corruption  in  that  bundle,  and  you  may  be  innocent 
of  it.     Soon  after  we  come  to  the  threatening  letter  of  Sennacherib.     Momentous 
issues  hang  upon  that  daily  stamping,  sorting,  delivering.     Issues,  not  all  of  evil — 
some  of  eternal  good,  to  give  an  expected,  a  blessed  end.     Three  centuries  ago  there 
was  no  post-office  in  England.     Why,  indeed,  should  there  be,  when  so  few  people 
could  write  ?     People  dwelt  apart,  managed  their  own  little  dwellings,  cared  not 
for  news  of  their  country's  welfare  or  their  country's  relations  with  foreign  countries, 
bought  and  sold  in  their  own  Uttle  hamlets.     London  and  Edinburgh  were  a  week 
apart  as  to  tidings  of  battles  or  revolutions.     Thus  the  world  vegetated,  thus  the 
world  slept.     I  will  bid  you  to  think  but  of  three  of  the  departments  of  life  to  which 
you,  in  the  exercise  of  a  laborious  and  often  depressing  service,  minister.     1.  Think 
of  it  in  its  business  aspect.     What  would  happen  if  that  daUy  sorting  and  stamping 
and  carrying  were  but  for  one  day  intermitted  ?     Why,  the  wheels  of  the  world 
would  be  stopped  by  its  stoppage.    2.  Think  of  it  in  its  family  aspect.     Communica- 
tions passing  week  by  week  between  the  home  and  the  schoolboy  son,  or  the  servant 
son,  or  the  sailor  or  soldier  son,  or  the  colonist  son,  or  the  exile  son  for  fault  or  no 
fault  of  his.    You,  you  are  ministering  to  these  sweetest  and  most  beautiful  instincts 
of  nature  as  you  tread  your  weary  round.     3.  Its  business  aspect  and  its  family 
aspect.     Has  not  your  work  yet  one  more — its  religious,  its  Christian,  its  Christlike 
aspect?     Oh,  the  influence   breathed  by  letters   upon  solitary,  straying,  tempted 
lives !     I  do  not  think  it  is  always  the  religious  letter — strictly  so  called  and  osten- 
tatiously so  labelled — which  does  this  work  of  works.     No ;  there  are  letters — from 
mother,  from  sister,  from  brother,  from  friend — which  even  name  not  the  name 
of  God,  and  yet  do  Him  service  in  the  heart's  heart  of  the  receiver.     I  need  not 
here  warn  any  one  against  corrupting  by  letters.     "  A  curious  thought  strikes  me," 
Dr.  Johnson  said,  a  century  and  more  ago,  to  his  biographer — "  a  curious  thought 
strikes  me — we  shall  receive  no  letters  in  the  grave."     Yes,  this  is  one  of  the 
thoughts  which  make  the  state  beyond  death  so  bare  and  blank  to  our  conception. 
"  No  letters?"     Then  no  information  (is  it  so?)  as  to  the  state  of  the  survivors — 
their  health  and  wealth,  their  prosperity  or  adversity,  their  marriages  and  deaths, 
their  joys  and  sorrows,  their  falls  and  risings  again.     "  We  shall  receive  no  letters 
in  the  grave."     Then  let  us  so  Uve  as  not  to  miss  them.     Let  us  have  a  life  quite 
within  and  above,  quite  independent  of,  and  extraneous  to,  the  life  of  earth  and 
time.     Let  us  have  so  read  and  so  written  our  letters,  while  we  can,  as  to  have  no 
remorse  for  them  in  the  world  beyond  death.     {Dean  Vaughan.)         An  epistle  of, 
Christ : — A  missionary  in  India  was  so  feeble  mentally  that  he  could  not  learn  the', 
language.     After  some  years  he  asked  to  be  recalled,  frankly  saying  that  he  hadl 


78  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  m. 

i     not  suf35cient  intellect  for  the  work.     A  dozen  missionaries,  however,  petitioned  his 

(Board  not  to  grant  his  request,  saying  that  his  goodness  gave  him  a  wider  influence 
among  the  heathen  than  any  other  missionary  at  the  station.     A  convert,  when 

■     asked,  "  What  is  it  to  be  a  Christian  ?  "  replied,  "  It  is  to  be  like  Mr. ,"  naming 

the  good  missionary.  He  was  kept  in  India.  He  never  preached  a  sermon,  but 
\  when  he  died  hundreds  of  heathen,  as  well  as  many  Christians,  mourned  him,  and 
i    testified  to  his  holy  life  and  character.     {S.  S.  Chronicle.) 

Vers.  5,  6.  Not  that  we  are  sufiacient  of  ourselves  . . .  our  sufficiency  is  of  God. — 

The  sufficiency  of  God  : — The  aU-sufficiency  of  God  is  the  essence  of  aU  Christian 
experience ;  it  has  been  the  support  of  the  faithful  in  all  ages  of  the  Church ;  it 
gives  strength  to  patience,  soUdity  to  hope,  constancy  to  endurance,  nerve  and 
vitality  to  effort.  I.  The  nature  of  this  sufficienct.  The  sufficiency  of  God 
may  be  considered  either  as  proper  or  communicative.  By  His  proper  sufficiency 
we  mean  that  He  is  self-existent,  self-sufficient,  independently  happy.  It  is, 
however,  of  the  sufficiency  of  God  in  relation  to  His  creatures  that  we  have 
now  to  speak.  He  is  sufficient — 1.  For  the  preservation  of  the  universe.  "  The 
heavens  were  made  by  Him,  and  all  the  host  of  them  by  the  breath  of  His 
mouth."  And  as  nothing  earthly  has  within  it  the  power  to  sustain  itself. 
He  upholdeth  all  things  by  the  word  of  His  power.  Keason  refers  all  this  to 
the  operation  of  second  causes ;  piety  looks  through  the  complications  of  the 
mechanism  to  the  hand  that  formed  it.  The  whole  universe  is  one  vast  labora- 
tory of  benevolent  art,  over  every  department  of  which  Deity  presides;  a 
sanctuary,  every  part  of  which  Deity  inhabits — a  circle,  whose  circumference 
is  unfathomed,  but  whose  every  section  is  fiUed  with  God.  2.  For  the  pre- 
servation and  for  the  perpetuity  of  the  gospel  plan  is  the  salvation  and  ultimate 
happiness  of  every  individual  behever.  (1)  Christianity  is  not  to  be  viewed  by  us 
merely  as  a  moral  system ;  it  is  a  course  of  Divine  operations.  We  are  not  to 
regard  it  as  a  mere  statement  of  doctrine,  we  must  remember  the  Divine  agency  by 
which  it  is  always  conducted  and  inspired.  Human  eloquence  and  reasoning  are 
persuasive  and  powerful  things  ;  they  can  charm  a  Herod,  make  a  Felix  tremble ; 
but  they  can  do  no  more.  Inanimate  truth  can  produce  no  abiding  change. 
Pardon  and  sanctification  are  not  the  necessary  consequences  of  statement  of 
doctrine.  Scripture  cannot  produce  them.  But  let  the  Spirit  animate  it,  and  it  has 
the  power  of  God.  Hearers  who  sit  under  the  ministration  of  the  truth  without 
the  Spirit  may  be  hkened  to  a  man  standing  upon  the  brow  of  a  hill,  which 
commands  the  prospect  of  an  extensive  landscape.  The  varied  beauties  of  field 
and  dell  are  before  him,  but  there  is  one  drawback — the  man  is  bUnd.  So  the 
truth  is  in  the  Bible,  but  the  man  has  no  eyee  to  see  it.  Prevailing  truth  is  not  of  the 
letter,  but  of  the  Spirit  (ver.  6).  (2)  There  wUl  be  considerable  difficulties  about  the 
mode  of  procedure.  Man  is  a  moral  agent,  and  God  has  endowed  him  with  talents, 
and  invested  him  with  an  immense  delegation  of  power  in  the  distribution  of  those 
talents,  in  the  exercise  of  that  power.  He  has  got  such  a  respect  for  the  wiH 
that  He  has  placed  within  us,  that  He  wUl  never  force  an  entrance.  He 
wiU  do  everything  else.  But  notwithstanding  opposition,  the  gospel  shall 
triumph.  We  can  conceive  of  no  enemies  more  powerful  than  those  it  has  already 
■  vanquished.  God  is  with  the  gospel — that  is  the  great  secret  of  its  success. 
She  does  not  trust  in  her  inherent  energy ;  she  does  not  trust  in  her  exquisite 
adaptation  to  the  wants  of  men ;  she  does  not  trust  in  the  indefatigable  and  self- 
denying  labours  of  her  ministers.  God  is  with  the  gospel,  and  under  His  guidance 
she  shall  march  triumphantly  forward  reclaiming  the  world  unto  herself.  And, 
oh,  what  a  comfortable  doctrine  is  this !  If  this  gospel  is  thus  to  be  conducted 
from  step  to  step  in  its  progressive  march  to  triumph,  I  shaU  share,  sm-ely, 
in  its  succours  and  salvation  by  the  way.  It  guarantees  individual  salvation 
and  individual  defence.  Thy  sufficiency  is  of  God.  What  frightens  thee — 
affliction  ?  God  is  thy  health.  Persecution  ?  God  is  thy  crown.  Perplexity  ? 
God  is  thy  counsel.  Death  ?  God  is  thine  everlasting  life.  Only  trust  in  God,  and 
all  shaU  be  well ;  hfe  shall  glide  thee  into  death,  and  death  shall  glide  thee  into 
lieaven.  II.  The  authority  which  believers  have  to  expect  this  sufficiency 
FOR  THEMSELVES.  We  have  a  right  to  expect  it,  because  it  is  found  and  promised  in 
the  Bible.  It  is  not  my  Bible,  your  Bible,  it  is  common  property,  it  belongs  to  the 
universal  Church.  1.  Listen,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  who  created  thee,  0  Jacob, 
and  formed  thee,  0  Israel ;  fear  not,  for  I  have  redeemed  thee ;  I  have  called  thee 
by  thy  name."     Now  think  of  all  this,  believers,  past,  present,  and  future,  and  then 


CHAP.  HI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  79 

come  and  hear  God  saying,  "  I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name,"  to  every  one  out  of 
that  mass;  "Thou  art  not  lost  in  the  crowd.  Thou  art  mine.  When  thou  passest 
through  the  waters  I  will  be  with  thee ;  through  the  rivers — deeper  than  the  waters 
— they  shall  not  overflow  thee,"  &c.  "  The  Lord  God  is  a  sun  and  a  shield,"  light 
and  defence  ;  we  do  not  want  much  more  in  our  passage.  "  He  will  give  grace  and 
glory  "  ;  and  if  any  of  you  are  so  perversely  clever  that  you  can  think  of  some  blessing 
that  is  not  wrapped  up  either  in  grace  or  glory,  "  No  good  thing  shall  He  with- 
hold from  them  that  walk  uprightly."  2.  Are  you  still  dissatisfied  ?  God 
condescends  to  expostulate  with  you  upon  your  unbelief.  "  Why  sayest  thou,  O 
Jacob,  and  speaketh,  0  Israel,  My  way  is  hidden  from  the  Lord  ?  "  How  often 
have  you  said  that !  Are  you  still  distrustful  ?  Then  ponder  Scripture  examples — 
Abraham  on  Moriah,  Israel  at  the  Eed  Sea,  Nehemiah  building  the  wall.  S.  But 
jou  are  not  satisfied  yet.  You  say,  "  Those  are  all  instances  taken  from  the  Old 
Testament  times."  Well,  come  into  common  life.  In  that  house  a  man  is  dying. 
He  is  a  Christian,  and  knowing  whom  he  has  believed,  he  is  not  afraid  to  die.  But 
the  thought  that  he  will  leave  his  family  without  a  protector  pressed  upon  his  spirit 
somewhat,  and  when  you  look  at  him  there  is  a  shade  of  sadness  upon  his 
countenance.  But  you  gaze  awhile,  and  you  see  that  shade  is  chased  away  by  a 
smile.  What  has  wrought  the  change  ?  What !  why,  a  ministering  angel 
•whispered  him,  "  Leave  thy  fatherless  children,  I  will  preserve  them  alive."  You 
call  the  next  morning  ;  the  widow  is  sitting  in  sorrow.  But  she  too  is  a  Christian, 
and  flies  to  the  Christian  refuge,  and  her  eye  traces  these  comfortable  words,  "  Thy 
Maker  is  thy  husband,  the  Lord  of  Hosts  is  His  name.V  (W.  M.  Punsho7i,  LL.D.) 
God  the  iiufficiency  of  man  : — Self-confidence  is  the  great  outstanding  feature  of  the 
natural  character.  Almost  all  its  words  and  actions  bear  this  impress — "  I  am 
sufficient  of  myseK."  You  will  wait  in  vain  for  any  recognition  of  the  hand  of 
God.  But  the  seK-sulficiency  of  fallen  man  is  perhaps  most  strikingly  displayed  in 
the  way  in  which  he  deals  with  those  truths  which  affect  the  salvation  of  his  soul 
and  his  hopes  for  eternity.  He  has  his  own  notions  of  God's  character  and  law 
land  arrangements,  and  has  adopted  a  plan  of  his  own,  which  he  imagines 
suits  his  case  better  than  the  one  which  Infinite  Wisdom  has  appointed.  Thus, 
self-sufticient  is  every  one  who  has  not  been  enlightened  by  the, Spirit  of  God.  But 
how  different  is  it  with  Paul  in  the  passage  before  us  !  I.  And  I  remark  in  the 
first  place  that  ouk  sufficiency  is  of  God  in  respect  to  oue  temporal  blessings 
AND  everyday  MERCIES.  We  are  wholly  indebted  to  Him  for  the  past,  and  wholly 
dependent  on  Him  for  the  future.  Have  we  a  comfortable  home  to  live  in,  and 
does  not  peace  reign  in  our  household?  These  blessings  are  of  the  Lord's 
bestowing.  Nor  should  we  imagine  that  our  sufficiency  in  temporal  blessing  is  less 
of  God  in  ordinary  circumstances  than  in  extraordinary  occasions.  II.  But  I 
remark  secondly  that  our  sufficiency  is  of  God  in  respect  of  our  spiritual 
FRiviLEGES.  1.  In  rcspcct  of  justifying  righteousness.  We  are  not  sufficient  to 
work  out  a  righteousness  for  ourselves.  2.  Our  sufficiency  for  holiness  is  of  God. 
Old  principles  must  be  forsaken,  and  new  ones  adopted.  Old  habits  must  be  given 
up  and  new  ones  formed.  New  tastes  are  to  be  cultivated  and  new  desires 
cherished.  But  are  we  able  to  perform  these  duties  of  ourselves  ?  Assuredly  not. 
But  what  then?  Does  our  inability  excuse  unbelief,  impenitence,  or  indolence? 
No,  verily ;  for  while  we  are  without  strength  in  ourselves,  there  is  strength  in  God 
if  we  will  take  hold  of  it.  3.  Our  sufficiency  is  of  God  in  respect  of  usefulness. 
iJ.  G.  Dalglieah.) 

Ver.  6.  Who  hath  made  us  able  ministers  of  the  New  Testament. — An  able 
minister  of  the  New  Testament : — Two  things  are  implied.  I.  First,  gifts — natural 
•endowments.  A  minister  of  the  New  Testament  ought  to  have  intellectual 
qualifications.  II.  But  now,  in  the  second  place,  there  are  spiritu.\l  qualities 
which  are  higher,  more  wonderful,  and  even  more  essential.  One  would  rather 
have  a  feeble  intellect  with  a  pure  and  devout  heart  than  the  brightest  intellect 
without  these  glorifications  of  the  soul.  What  are  these  spiritual  qualities  which 
unite  to  make  an  able  minister  of  the  New  Testament  ?  1.  First  and  most  manifest 
is  that  which  Paul  himself  indicates  in  the  account  of  his  own  mission.  The  man 
who  is  to  preach  so  as  to  move  men's  hearts  must  preach  out  of  the  depth  of  the 
faith  that  is  in  his  own  heart ;  he  must  be  a  man  of  faith.  How  can  a  man  preach 
the  New  Testament  unless  he  believes  it  ?  2.  Yet,  again,  a  man  who  would  be  an 
able  minister  of  the  New  Testament  must  be  one  who  is  emphatically  true.  What 
a  mighty  force  is  the  man  to  whom,  as  we  listen,  our  secret  heart  says,  "  We  know 


80  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  m, 

that  he  believes  and  feels  all  that."  The  transparency  of  truth  is  one  of  the 
grandest  qualifications  for  a  New  Testament  preacher.  3.  Yet,  again,  another 
qualification  for  such  work  is  courage.  If  he  sees  error  he  must  point  it  out,  even 
though  he  may  wound  some  in  doing  it ;  if  he  sees  fashionable  folly  and  sins 
drawing  men  away  from  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ,  he  must  expose  them. 
4.  And  then,  finally,  an  able  minister  of  the  New  Testament  will  think  only 
of  Christ  and  not  of  himseK.  {J.  G.  Rogers,  B.A.)  For  the  letter  Mlleth,. 
but  the  spirit  giveth  life. — The  "letter"  and  the  "spirit"  in  the  7Hinistry  of 
Chriftimiity . — 1.  The  New  Testament  means  God's  revelation  through  Christ,, 
in  contradistinction  to  His  revelation  through  Moses.  Though  both  are  admitted 
to  be  "  glorious,"  the  latter  is  shown  to  be  "  more  glorious  "  ;  for  the  one  is  the- 
dispensation  of  "righteousness,"  the  other  of  "condemnation";  the  one  is  per- 
manent, the  other  is  "done  away"  ;  the  one  so  opens  the  spiritual  faculties  that 
the  mind  can  look  at  it  "  with  open  face,"  the  other  through  the  prejudices  of 
the  Jewish  people  was  concealed  by  a  "  veil."  2.  This  Christianity  is  the  grand 
subject  of  all  true  ministry.  (1)  Not  naturalism.  Had  man  retained  his  primitive 
innocence  nature  would  have  been  his  grand  text.  But  since  the  Fall  men  cannot- 
reach  the  spiritual  significance  of  nature,  and  if  they  could,  it  would  not  meet  their 
spiritual  exigencies.  (2)  Not  Judaism.  Judaism,  it  is  true,  came  to  meet  man's 
fallen  condition ;  it  worked  on  for  centuries  and  rendered  high  services.  But  it  had 
its  day,  and  is  no  more ;  it  is  "  done  away."  Note — I.  The  twofold  ministry. 
I  do  not  think  that  Mosaism  and  Christianity  are  here  contrasted.  It  would 
scarcely  be  fair  to  denominate  Judaism  a  "  letter."  There  was  spirit  in  every  part ; 
think  of  the  revelations  of  Sinai  and  of  the  prophets.  Christianity  itself  has 
"  letter  "  and  "  spirit."  If  it  had  no  "  letter,"  it  would  be  unrevealed,  and  if  it  had 
"  letter "  only,  it  would  be  empty  jargon.  All  essences,  principles,  spirits,  are 
invisible,  they  are  only  revealed  through  letters  or  forms.  The  spirit  of  a  nation 
expresses  itself  in  its  institutions ;  the  spirit  of  the  creation  expresses  itself  in  its 
phenomena ;  the  spirit  of  Jesus  in  His  wonderful  biography.  The  text  therefore 
refers  to  two  methods  of  teaching  Christianity.  1.  The  technical.  The  technical 
teachers  are — (1)  The  verbalisLs,  who  deal  mainly  in  terminologies.  In  the 
Corinthian  Church  there  were  those  who  thought  much  of  the  "  words  of  man's 
wisdom."  (2)  The  theorists.  I  underrate  not  the  importance  of  systematising  the 
ideas  we  derive  from  the  Bible ;  but  he  who  exalts  his  system  of  thought,  and 
makes  it  a  standard  of  truth,  is  a  minister  of  the  "letter."  Can  a  nutshell  contain 
the  Atlantic  ?  (3)  The  Ritualists.  Men  must  have  ritualism  of  some  kind.  What 
is  logic  but  the  ritualism  of  thought  ?  What  is  art  but  the  ritualism  of  beauty  ? 
What  is  rhetorical  imagery  but  the  ritualism  of  ideas  ?  Civilisation  is  but  the 
ritualising  of  the  thoughts  of  ages.  But  when  the  religious  teacher  regards  rites, 
signs,  and  symbols  as  some  mystic  media  of  saving  grace,  he  is  a  minister  of  the 
"  letter."  2.  The  spiritual.  To  be  a  minister  of  the  spirit  is  not  to  neglect  the 
letter.  The  material  universe  is  a  "letter."  Letter  is  the  key  that  lets  you  into  the 
great  empire  of  spiritual  realities.  To  be  a  minister  of  the  spirit  is  to  be  more 
alive  to  the  grace  than  the  grammar,  the  substances  than  the  symbols  of  the  book. 
A  minister  of  the  "spirit"  requires — (1)  A  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  whole 
Scriptures.  To  reach  the  spirit  of  Christianity  it  will  not  do  to  study  isolated 
passages,  or  live  in  detached  portions.  We  must  compare  "  spiritual  things  with 
spiritual,"  and,  by  a  just  induction,  reach  its  universal  truths.  Can  you  get  botany 
from  a  few  flowers,  or  astronomy  from  a  few  stars,  or  geology  from  a  few  fossils  ? 
No  more  can  you  get  the  spirit  of  Christianity  from  a  few  isolated  texts.  (2)  A 
practical  sympathy  with  the  spirit  of  Christ.  We  must  have  love  to  understand 
love.  The  faculty  of  interpreting  the  Bible  is  of  the  heart  rather  than  the  intellect. 
Christianity  must  be  in  us,  not  merely  as  a  system  of  ideas,  but  as  a  life,  if  we 
would  extend  its  empire.  II.  The  twofold  results.  1.  The  result  of  the  technical 
ministry  of  Christianity.  (1)  The  verbalist  "  kills."  "  Words  are  the  counters  of 
wise  men,  but  the  money  of  fools."  Words  in  religion,  when  they  are  taken  for 
things,  kill  inquiry,  freedom,  sensibility,  earnestness,  enthusiasm,  moral  manhood. 

(2)  The  theorist  kills.  The  Jews  formulated  a  theory  of  the  Messiah  ;  He  did  not 
answer  to  their  theory ;  so  they  rejected  Him.  Souls  cannot  feed  upon  our  dogmas. 
The  smallest  seed  requires  all  the  elements  of  nature  to  feed  on  and  grow  to 
perfection ;  and  can  souls  live  and  grow  on  the  few  dogmas  of  an  antiquated  creed  ? 

(3)  The  Eitualist  kills.  The  ceremonial  Church  has  ever  been  a  dead  Church. 
"Letter  teaching"  reduced  the  Jewish  people  to  a  "valley  of  dry  bones."  2.  The 
result  of  the  spiritual  ministry  of  Christianity.   "  It  giveth  life."   "  It  is  the  Spirit," 


CHAP.  III.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  81 

said  Christ,  "  that  quickeneth,"  &c.     He  who  in  his  teaching  and  life  brings  out 
most  of  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  will  be  most  successful  in  giving  life  to  souls.    His 
ministry  will  be  like  the  breath  of  spring,  quickening  all  it  touches  into  life.     Such 
a  ministry  was  that  of  Peter's  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.     Words,  theories,  rites,  to 
him  were  nothing.     Divine  facts  and  their  spirit  were  the  all  in  all  of  his  discourse, 
and  dead  souls  bounded  into  life  as  he  spoke.  ,  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)         Ministry  of 
the  letter  and  of  the  spirit : — I.  The  ministry  of  the  letter.     1.  The  ministry  of 
Moses   was   a   formal   ministry.     It  was   his   business  to  teach  maxims  and  not 
principles  ;  rules  for  ceremonials,  and  not  a  spirit  of  lite.     Thus,  e.i/.,  truth  is  a 
principle  springing  out  of  an  inward  life ;  but  Moses  only  gave  the  rule :  "  Thou 
shalt  not  forswear  thyself,"  and  so  he  who  simply  avoided  perjury  kept  the  letter  of  the 
law.     Love  is  a  principle  ;  but  Moses  said  simply,  "  Thou  shalt  not  kill,  nor  steal, 
nor  injure."     Meekness  and  subduedness  before  God — these  are  of  the  spirit ;  but 
Moses  merely  commanded  fasts.     Unworldliness  arises   from  a  spiritual  life  ;  but 
Moses  only  said,  "  lie  separate — circumcise  yourselves."     It  was  in  consequence  of 
the  superiority  of  the  teaching  of  principles  over  a  mere  teaching  of  maxims  that 
the  ministry  of  the  letter  was  considered  as  nothing.     (1)  Because  of  its  transitori- 
ness — "  it  was  to  be  done  away  with."     All  formal  truth  is  transient.     No  maxim  is 
intended  to  last  for  ever.     No  ceremony,  however  glorious,  can  be  eternal.     Thus 
when  Christ  came,  instead  of  saying,  "Thou  shalt  not  forswear  thyself,"  He  said  ; 
"  Let  your  yea  be  yea,  and  your  nay,  nay  "  ;  and  instead  of  saying,  "  Thou  shalt 
not  say,  Fool,  or  Raca,"  Christ  gave  the  principle  of  love.     (2)  Because  it  killed ; 
partly   because,   being  rigorous   in   its   enactments,   it   condemned   for   any   non- 
fulfilment  (ver.   9).     "He  that  despised  Moses'  law  died  without  mercy."     And 
partly  it  killed,  because  technicalities  and  multipHcities  of  observance  necessarily 
deaden  spiritual  Ufe.     It  was  said  by  Burke  that  "  no  man  comprehends  less  of  the 
majesty  of  the  English  constitution  than  the   Nisi   Frius   lawyer,  who  is  always 
dealing  with  technicalities  and  precedents."     In  the  same  way  none  were  so  dead  to 
the  glory  of  the  law  of  God  as  the  Scribes,  who  were  always  discussing  its  petty 
minutiae.  Could  anything  dull  the  vigour  of  obedience  more  than  frittering  it  away  in 
anxieties  about  the  mode  and  degree  of   fasting  ?     Could  aught  chill  love  more 
than  the  question,  "  How  often  shall  my  brother  offend  and  I  forgive  him  "  ?     Or 
could  anything  break  devotion  more  into  fragments  than  multiplied  changes   of 
posture  ?     2.  Now  observe  :  No  blame  was  attributable  to  Moses  for  teaching  thus. 
St.  Paul  calls  it  a  "glorious  ministry";  and   it  was   surrounded  with    outward 
demonstrations.     Maxims,  rules,  and  ceremonies  have  truth  in  them ;  Moses  taught 
truth  so  far  as  the  Israelites  could  bear  it ;  not  in  substance,  but  in  shadows ;  not 
principles  by  themselves,  but  principles  by  rules,  to  the  end  of  which  the  Church  of 
Israel  could  not  as  yet  see.     A  veil  was  before  the  lawgiver's  face.     These  rules  were 
to  hint  and  lead  up  to  a  spirit,  whose  brightness  v.-ould  have  only  dazzled  the 
Israelites  into  blindness  then.     II.  The  ministry  of  the  New  Testament.    1.  It  was 
a  "  spiritual"  ministry.     The  apostles  were  "  ministers  of  the  spirit,"  of  that  truth 
which  underlies  all  forms  of  the  essence  of  the  law.     Christ  is  the  spirit  of  the  law, 
for  He  is  "  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  beUeveth."   And 
St.  Paul's  ministry  was  freedom  from  the  letter — conversion  to  the  spirit  of  the  law. 
Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  there  is  liberty.  2.  It  was  a  "  life-giving  "  ministry. 
(1)  Note  the  meaning  of  the  word.     It  is  like  a  new  life  to  know  that  God  wills  not 
burnt-offering,  but  rather  desires  to  find  the  spirit  of  one  who  says,  "  Lo !  I  come 
to  do  Thy  will."     It  is  new  life  to  know  that  to  love  God  and  man  is  the  sum  of 
existence.     It  is  new  life  to  know  that  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner!"  is  a 
truer   prayer   in   God's   ears   than   elaborate   liturgies  and  long  ceremonials.     (2) 
Christ  was  the  spirit  of  the  law,    and  He  gave,  and  still  gives,  the  gift  of  life 
(ver.  18).     A  living  character  is  impressed  upon  us  :  we  are  as  the  mirror  which 
reflects  back  a  likeness,  only  it  does  not  pass  away  from  us :  for  Christ  is  not  a  mere 
example,  but  the  Ufe  of  the  world,  and  the  Christian  is  not  a  mere  copy,  but  a 
living  image  of  the  living  God.     He  is  "  changed  into  the  same  image  from  glory  to 
glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord."     3.  Now  such  a  ministry— a  ministry 
which  endeavours  to  reach  the  life  of  things— the  apostle  calls— (1)  An  able— that 
is,  a  powerful — ministry.     He  names  it  thus,  even  amidst  an  apparent  want  of 
success.     (2)  A  bold  ministry.    "  We  use  great  plainness  of  speech."     Ours  should 
be  a  ministry  whose  very  life  is  outspokenness  and  free  fearlessness,  which  scorns  to 
take  a  via  media  because  it  is  safe,  which  shrinks  from  the  weakness  of  a  mere 
cautiousness,  but  which  exults  even  in  failure,  if  the  truth  has  been  spoken,  with  a 
joyful     confidence.     (F.    W.    Robertson,   M.A.)         Letter     and     spirit ;— I.    The 

6 


«2  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  in. 

BELATioN  BETWEEN  LETTER  AND  SPIRIT.  1.  A  letter  is  a  sign  of  a  Certain  sound ;  an 
integral  part  of  a  word,  with  no  meaning  out  of  a  word  ;  and  if  one  should  occupy 
himself  with  any  one  letter,  even  all  the  letters  in  succession,  and  never  form  the 
word,  he  misses  the  purport  for  which  the  letters  exist.  On  the  other  hand,  if  you 
take  away  the  letters  of  a  word,  thinking  them  nothing,  you  find  yourself  at  last 
without  the  word.  The  vocable  is  gone,  and  what  comes  of  the  meaning  ?  2. 
Everything  that  God  has  made  has  a  letter  and  a  spirit.  The  sun,  stars,  flowers, 
hrooks,  and  the  great  sea  itself  are  letters.  And  God  has  taken  care  to  keep  us 
from  looking  at  these  things  as  only  letters.  He  has  surrounded  them  with  a 
certain  glory  which  is  continually  reminding  us  that  they  are  intended  to  be  formed 
into  words  and  sentences  to  express  great  truths  regarding  God.  What  idea  would 
infinitude  convey  to  me  unless  I  had  the  picture  in  the  great  vault  of  heaven  or  the 
wide  sea  ?  Yet  there  are  some  who  go  through  the  world  and  recognise  only  one 
letter  and  another.  To  them  a  tree  is  only  a  tree,  the  sea  only  a  body  of  water, 
and  the  sky  a  great  concave  in  which  the  stars  appear  to  be.  Others  perceive  a 
connection  between  the  different  facts.  Others  go  farther  and  observe  law.  Others, 
however,  see  the  grand  truth  which  the  whole  was  made  to  teach  regarding  the 
character  of  God  and  His  will,  and  the  natural  and  moral  history  of  man.  He 
only  sees  the  spirit  who  sees  this.  3.  As  opposed  to  spirit,  then,  the  letter  means — 
(1)  Outwardness.  He  who  confines  himself  to  form,  whether  as  to  the  world,  the 
Bible,  worship  or  conduct,  is  a  man  of  the  letter.  The  Pharisees  were  such,  and 
failed  utterly  to  see  the  spirit,  and  lost  all  wish  for  it.  All  0.  T.  worshippers  who 
saw  nothing  in  the  ceremonial  higher  than  the  ceremony ;  those  who  imagine  that 
a  mere  outward  observance  of  God's  laws  is  all ;  those  who  think  their  presence 
in  the  church,  or  their  bodily  communicating  at  the  Lord's  table  is  aU  that  is 
required,  all  belong  to  the  letter.  Extreme  partisans  of  the  spirit  are  perhaps  not 
more  exempt  from  this  danger  than  others.  The  cry  for  spirit  may  be  a  phrase  by 
which  painfully  solid  things  are  made  nebulous,  and  little  left  strong  and  certain 
but  self.  The  last  degradation  of  the  word  is  reached  when  it  indicates  a  superfine 
way  of  making  things  that  are  too  real — thin,  hazy,  and  uncertain.  (2)  Isolation. 
{a)  Take  a  letter  of  a  word  and  place  it  out  by  itself.  It  was  more  than  a  letter 
while  in  the  word,  but  now  it  is  only  letter.  So  with  a  word  taken  out  of  a 
sentence,  a  sentence  out  of  a  paragraph  or  a  passage  out  of  a  book.  The  meaning  of 
each  separate  part  is  that  which  is  intended  to  be  expressed  by  the  whole.  (6)  This 
holds  in  the  book  of  nature.  Take  a  tree,  e.g.  Can  it  be  understood  without 
reference  to  air  and  light  and  soil  ?  But  its  meaning  is  visible  when  placed  in  the 
general  economy  of  nature.  So  it  is  with  the  stream  that  runs  down  the  hillside, 
the  bird  that  sports  in  the  air,  &c.  There  is  no  object  so  small  that  you  can 
grasp  it  by  itself.  For  the  understanding  of  a  blade  of  grass  you  require  a 
knowledge  of  all  the  sciences,  (c)  The  principle  holds,  too,  as  to  the  Bible.  No 
word,  or  phrase,  or  chapter  of  it  has  its  true  meaning  looked  at  apart  from  the  rest. 
The  spirit  of  the  Bible  is  the  meaning  of  the  whole  Bible.  The  spirit  of 
Christianity  is  its  grand  central  idea  and  purpose  of  bringing  men  to  God's  likeness 
and  fellowship,  and  glorifying  God  in  the  salvation  of  men.  In  this  gospel  there 
are  many  parts,  and  all  are  needed,  but  all  have  only  one  end  and  aim,  and  that 
one  end  and  aim  is  the  spirit ;  and  if  the  separate  parts  are  taken  away  from  this 
one  end  and  aim,  they  become  letter.  Hence,  if  any  one  part  is  contemplated 
habitually  apart  from  the  great  aim,  it  becomes  letter.  If  a  man  take  up 
any  promise,  commandment,  doctrine,  or  ceremony,  and  think  of  it  as  if 
it  were  the  be  aU  and  the  end  all,  he  is  making  it  letter.  Any  attribute  of 
God  by  itself  is  letter,  for  God's  attributes  are  not  separate  existences,  but  each  is 
in  reference  to  all.  It  is  doubtless  to  guard  us  against  this  ever-pressing  danger 
that  the  "Word  of  God  mixes  up  ideas  in  a  way  almost  unparalleled  in  human 
literature.  Doctrines  are  intertwined  with  duties,  and  so  blended  with  facts  that  it 
is  often  a  task  of  difficulty  to  sunder  them  and  look  at  one  by  itself.  4.  The  way 
to  reach  the  spirit  is  not  by  destroying  or  making  light  of  the  letter — or  any  letter. 
It  is  by  the  letter  and  all  the  letters  that  we  reach  the  spirit ;  and  our  concern 
ought  to  be  to  know  what  is  genuine  letter,  and  to  keep  every  letter  in  constant 
connection  with  the  central  spirit.  Suppose  a  scholar  spend  his  time  on  the  mere 
words  of  his  lesson,  without  trying  to  grasp  the  meaning,  would  the  remedy  be  to 
erase  the  words  ?  Or  because  some  might  dwell  exclusively  on  pictui'es  in  the  book, 
meant  to  illustrate  the  text,  and  never  think  of  the  meaning — would  that  be  a  good 
reason  for  taking  out  the  pictures  ?  And  yet  this  minimising  process  forms  nearly 
the  whole  plan  of  many  for  getting  at  spirit.     Their  recipe  is  short  and  simple— 


CHAP,  ra.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  83: 

destroy  the  letter.    Let  them  apply  this  to  the  study  of  human  institutions,  to  the 

study   of  botany  or   astronomy,  and   see   what   wealth   of    insight   into   law   and 

principle   will  accrue.     Do   the  miUions  of    stars,   the  multipUcity  of   herbs  and 

flowers,  seem  intended  for  such  a  formula  ?     5.  All  the  letters  of  a  word  are,  or 

ought  to  be,  needful  to  the  word.     Sometimes  the  only  difference  between  two  words 

that  mean  very  different  things  is  found  in  one  letter  '  And  no  letter,  nor  any 

number  of  letters,  will  ever  be  anything  without  the  grand  spirit  of  the  whole; 

but  no  letter,  however  trivial  it  look,  is  poor  with  the  spirit  in  it.     The  greatest 

truths  shine  in   a  single  rite  or  word  when  filled  with  the  spirit  of   the  whole, 

as  the  laws  of  light  and  gravitation  are  shown  in  a  single  drop   of  dew.     The 

little    creek,    so    insignificant    and    even   unseemly  when    the    sea    has    ebbed, 

is  a  fine   sight  when  it  is  filled   and   brimming   with   the  swelling  tide.     That 

is  the  water  of  the  great   sea  that  floods  it,  and  there,  too,   great    ships   that 

have    crossed    the  ocean    can    float.     II.   The    opposite    influences  of   letter 

AND    SPEBIT.      1.  "  The  letter   killeth,"   not,    of   course,  in  virtue    of    its    being 

letter,  for   God   made   the   letter,  which  was  never  intended   by    Him   to    kill, 

but  to  give  life  by  leading  to  the  spirit.    But — (1)   Letter  kills  when  men  take 

it  as  the  whole  and  never  go  beyond  it,  or  when  they  are  so  much  occupied 

about  it  as  to  have  no  thought  for  the  spirit.     Thus,  the  very  grandeur  of   the 

material  universe  leads  some  men  to  rest  in  it.     Many  are   so  occupied    with 

the  arrangements  and  laws  of  nature  that  they  never  think  of    its  spirit.     And 

many  more   are   so   engrossed   in   the  material  business   of  the  world  that   they 

seldom  think  of  any  significance  in  it  at   all.     Some  are  killed  by  the   beauty 

of  the  letter,   some  by  the  wonderful  shape  and  order  of  the  letters,   others  by 

the  immediate  utility  they  find  in  the  letter.      Do  not  imagine  that  it  is  only 

the  letter  of  God's  Word  that  kills ;  the  letter  of  His  works  kills  also.     And  the 

letter  of  other  books  often  kills  men  mentally.     When  men  read  without  thinking, 

or  for  amusement,  or  for  the  sake  of  reading,   or,   worst  of  all,   of  being   able 

to  say  that  they  have  read ;  they  will  certainly  by  and  by  have  the  capacity  of 

thought  dwarfed  or  quite  killed  out.     It  is  known   even  that  men   have  been 

intellectually  killed  by  a  liberal  education.     The  faculties  are  so  gorged  with  facts 

and  words,  which  remain  only  facts  and  words,  that  they  never  play  spontaneously 

and  naturally  again.     So,  men  are  killed  by  the  letter  in  a  far  more  serious  sense 

■when  they  look  merely  to  the  beauty  of  the  Bible,  or  when  they  dwell  on  some  other 

external  aspects  of  it,  or  when  they  lose  themselves  in  forms  and  ceremonies  and 

outward  observances.     Sometimes  they  cherish  hostihty  to  the  truths  that  dare  to 

seem  to  rival  their  favourite  doctrines,  or  come  in  the  least  competition  with  them. 

Whenever    men  arrive  at    this   they  are  in  process   of    being  killed.     (2)  The 

abundance  of  letter  kills.     It  is  well  known  how  dangerous  to  the  spirit  a  multitude 

of  ceremonies  is.    And  a  great  number  of  doctrines  marked  off  with  minute  logic, 

and  pressed  upon  the  soul,  has  the  like  effect.     (3)  The  letter  kills  with  certainty 

when  formally  installed  in  room  of  the  spirit,  as  it  was  in  our  Lord's  time.     The 

Jews,  as  a  whole,  clung  so  fondly  to  the  letter  that  they  hated  the  spirit.     (4)  The 

letter  kills  by  being  made  hostile  to  the  spirit  through  disproportion  and  caricature, 

as  when  the  doctrine  of  the  Divine  Sovereignty  is  so  held  as  to  be  in  actual 

opposition  to  the  grand  revelation  that  God  "  willeth  not  that  any  should  perish," 

<fec.    If  God  is  love,  what  can  His  Sovereignty  mean,  but  the  reign  of  love  ?     The 

letter  kills,  when  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  is  so  held  as  to  clash  with  the 

imperative  and  absolute  obligation  on  all  to  obey  always  all  the  commandments  of 

God.     2.  The  spirit  gives  life.     (1)  It  alone  mingles  with  our  spirits.     This  is  the 

great  reason.     We  live  on  meaning,  not  on  form  or  husks.    And  it  is  not  any 

partial  sense,  but  the  central  idea  of  the  whole  that  sustains.  The  Spirit  of  God  does 

not  use  the  mere  outward  observance,  but  the  drift  or  object  of  it.     (2)  The  spirit 

of  the  Bible  gives  life,  for  the  spirit  is  Christ.     "  The  Lord  is  that  spirit."     The 

testimony  of  Jesus  is  the  spirit  of  the  Bible ;  and  the  spirit  of  the  Bible  gives  life, 

because  when  one  imbibes  the  spirit  of  the  Bible  he  embraces  Christ.     Let  our  idea 

of  Christ  be  drawn  from  all  parts  of  the  Bible,  and  let  the  idea  of  Christ  in  turn 

illuminate  and  vivify  all ;  thus  only,  and  thus  surely,  shall  we  escape  from  the  letter 

that  killeth  to  the  spirit  that  giveth  Ufe.     (3)  The  spirit  gives  life  by  awakening  love 

to  God,  which  is  life.  (J.  Leckie,  D.D.)         The  letter  killeth,  the  spirit  giveth  life  : — 

The  text  teaches — I.  The  powerlessness  of  Divine  commands  alone  to  produce 

OBEDIENCE.     This  docs  not  prove  any  imperfection  in  the  law,  which,  being  Divine, 

is  perfect.     The  failure  of  obedience  is  due  to  the  imperfection  of  human  nature, 

which  does  not  yield  to  the  obligation.    The  conscience,  indeed,  is  on  the  law's  side. 


84  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  ni. 

but  such  is  the  strength  of  the  lower  nature  that  the  man  is  hurried  by  animal 
impulse  to  sin.  1.  Then  one  of  two  things  happens.  Either  the  habitual  failure 
of  the  conscience  produces  habitual  wretchedness,  in  a  consciousness  of  powerlessness 
against  evil,  which  may  well  be  named  death,  or  the  law  becomes  the  occasion  of 
sin.  The  appearance  of  prohibition  provokes  the  lower  nature  and  irritates  it  to 
impatience  of  restraint.  Now  the  consciousness  of  sin  renders  the  man  reckless, 
and  to  get  rid  of  the  uneasiness,  the  rider  is  thrown.  When  conscience  thus  loses 
dominion  and  ceases  resistance,  the  man  is  given  over  to  the  licence  of  self-will  and 
undergoes  moral  death.  2.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Spirit  which  characterises 
Christianity  has  a  quickening  power.  The  Spirit  of  Christ  quickens — (1)  By  means 
of  a  perfect  and  most  moving  instance  of  obedience.  In  the  Old  Testament  we  do 
not  meet  with  any  such  instance.  Christ  not  only  obeyed  the  law  as  it  was  intended 
to  be  obeyed,  but  opened  it  in  a  new  and  sublimer  meaning,  so  that  the  imitation  of 
Him  is  a  new  command.  His  example  is  presented  in  a  form  most  intimate  and 
intelligible,  and  it  is  the  example  of  One  who,  in  His  very  obedience,  binds  us  to 
Himself  by  the  tie  of  the  tenderest  and  mightiest  gratitude.  And  then,  since  Christ 
is  God,  and  the  revelation  of  the  Father,  the  gratitude  which  He  inspires  becomes 
Divine  love,  and  throws  its  full  strength  into  obedience  to  the  Divine  commands. 
(2)  By  a  secret  influence  on  the  heart.  He  is  the  Creator,  and  His  noblest  creative 
work  is  the  moral  regeneration  of  the  human  soul.  He  renders  the  heart 
perceptive  of  the  beauty  of  Christ's  character,  and  sensitive  of  the  proper 
impressions.  Thus  our  higher  nature  receives  an  incalculable  increase  of  power. 
Conscience  is  re-enthroned  and  governs,  but  the  law  is  obeyed  not  so  much 
because  it  is  obhgatory,  as  because  it  is  loved.     H.  The  intellectual  deficiency 

AND  MISCHIEVOUSNESS  OF    MERE  WRITING  AS  A  MEANS  OF    INSTRUCTION.       1.    As  a    Vehicle 

of  meaning,  writing  is  immeasurably  inferior  to  a  living  presence.  The  corre- 
spondence of  distant  friends  is  but  a  poor  comfort  in  their  separation.  It  is  often 
obscure,  and  is  liable  to  misunderstanding.  If  the  writing  in  question  is  holy 
writing,  the  evil  arising  from  ignorance  or  misunderstanding  is  augmented.  To 
receive  a  falsehood  as  God's  word  is  intellectual  and  moral  death.  Spiritual  death 
is  sometimes  the  effect  of  the  letter  of  theological  system.  Technical  terms  are 
regarded  by  many  with  a  reverence  as  great  as  are  the  words  of  Scripture.  There 
are  congregations  to  whom  a  man  may  preach  with  living  eloquence  the  very  truths 
which  kindled  the  zeal  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  John,  but  his  audience,  not  hearing  the 
familiar  dialect,  are  deaf  to  the  music,  blind  to  the  glory,  and  dead  to  the  spirit  of 
the  discourse.  2.  Knowledge  of  the  author,  and  sympathy  with  him,  is  indispen- 
sable to  the  understanding  of  his  writings.  Unless  we  had  something  in  common 
with  writers,  not  a  line  of  the  literature  of  the  world  would  be  intelligible.  By  the 
human  nature,  common  to  all  ages,  we  understand  the  writings  of  Greece  and 
Eome ;  but  a  higher  than  the  spirit  of  man  is  necessary  to  the  reading  of  Holy 
Scripture,  even  the  living  Spirit  of  truth  and  holiness,  by  whom  it  is  inspired. 
(Homilist.)  The  letter  killeth,  but  the  spirit  giveth  life  : — I.  The  letter,  or  the 
LAW,  killeth,  because — 1.  It  denounceth  death.  2.  It  can  only  convince  and 
condemn.  3.  It  awakens  the  sense  of  sin  and  helplessness.  4.  It  excites  sin  and 
cannot  either  justify  or  sanctify.  H.  The  Spirit,  or  the  gospel,  giveth  life, 
because— 1.  It  declares  the  way  of,  life.  It  reveals  a  righteousness  which  dehvers 
us  from  the  law  and  frees  us  from  the  sentence  of  condemnation.  2.  It  is  that 
through  which  the  Spirit  is  communicated  as  a  source  of  life.  Instead  of  a  mere 
outward  exhibition  of  truth  and  duty,  it  is  a  law  written  on  the  heart.  It  is  a  life- 
giving  power.  3.  The  state  of  mind  which  it  produces  is  life  and  peace.  The 
Spirit  is  the  source  of  eternal  life.  {C.  Hodge,  D.D.)  The  letter  killeth,  but  the 
sinrit  giveth  life : — By  the  letter  is  meant  the  moral  law.  Note — I.  How  and 
why  th.:  letter  kills.  1.  By  its  manifestation  of  that  disruption  which  lay 
concealed  under  the  happy  outflow  of  young  and  brimming  life.  That  strong 
energy,  which  is  the  core  of  our  human  nature,  is  brought  up  sharp  by  a  relentless 
voice  that  refuses  it  its  unhindered  joy.  It  clashes  against  the  obstinate  resistance 
which  bars  its  road  with  its  terrible  negative,  "  Thou  shalt  not  covet "  ;  and,  in  the 
recoil  from  that  clashing,  it  knows  itself  to  be  subject  to  a  divided  mastery.  It 
knows  itself  to  be  capable  of  violent  variance  with  God,  to  be  somehow  spoilt, 
disordered,  corrupt.  The  unity  of  sound  organic  health  has  suffered  rupture.  It 
has  in  it  the  evidences  of  a  disorganisation  and  a  dissolution,  which  is  death.  "  I 
was  alive  without  the  law  once ;  but  when  the  commandment  came,  sin  revived, 
and  I  died."  2.  And  the  law  not  only  declared  sin  to  be  there,  but  it  also 
provoked  the  sin,  which  fretted  at  its  checks,  into  a  more  abundant  and  domineering 


«HAP.  m.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  85 

extravagance.  "  Sin,  taking  occasion  by  the  commandment,  wrought  in  me  all 
manner  of  concupiscence."  Curiosity,  imagination,  vanity,  impulsiveness — all  are 
set  astir  to  overleap  the  barrier,  to  defeat  the  obstacle  that  so  sharply  traverses  its 
instinctive  inclinations.  "  The  law  entered  that  offence  might  abound,"  and 
where  offence  abounded,  death  reigned,  for  the  end  of  sin  is  death.  3.  And  the 
letter  killed  also  by  convicting.  Over  against  the  very  men  whom  it  irritated  into 
revolt  it  stood  as  a  judgment  which  could  not  be  gainsaid  nor  denied.  And  they 
knew  the  sting  of  its  terrible  truth.  Its  wrath  unnerved  them,  and  its  presence 
confounded.  They  were  shut  up  within  the  prison-house  of  a  criminal  doom,  and 
that  justly.  It  killed,  and  this  by  God's  own  intention.  "  Yea,  sin,  that  it  might 
appear  sin,  worked  death  by  that  which  is  good,  that  sin  by  the  commandment 
might  become  exceeding  sinful."  Better  far  that  the  secret  poison  should  be 
brought  out  into  violent  action.  Its  sickness,  its  pain — these  are,  after  all,  proofs 
of  capacity  to  struggle  ;  these  are  methods  of  liberation.  The  body  is  releasing 
itself  from  disease  through  these  bitter  experiences  ;  and  let,  then,  the  letter  kill. 
Let  death  dig  in  its  fangs.  Let  the  doom  deepen  and  darken.  So  only  shall  at  the 
last  the  spirit  of  the  resurrection  quicken.  II.  Through  sin  the  letter  slew,  and 
■what  is  more,  there  was  no  hope  of  relief  or  escape  through  man's  spiritual 

ADVANCE,  FOR   THE  HIGHER  THE  LAW  THE  SHARPER  ITS  SWORD  OF    JUDGMENT.       As  man'S 

apprehension  grew  more  spiritual,  the  discovery  of  his  fall  become  more  desperate. 
The  law  slew  because  it  was  just  and  pure  and  holy,  and  the  quickened  spiritual 
instincts  would  but  learn  the  touch  of  a  more  biting  terror  ;  so  that  when  at  the  last 
hour  of  that  old  covenant  there  stood  upon  the  earth  a  Jew  greater  than  Moses  or 
Abraham,  who  accepted  the  hereditary  law  and  promulgated  it  anew,  with  all  the 
infinite  and  delicate  subtlety  which  the  mind  of  One  who  was  one  with  the  Giver 
of  the  law  could  convey  into  its  edicts,  so  that  it  comprehended  the  entire  man  in 
its  grip,  why,  such  a  gospel,  if  that  Sermon  of  the  Mount  had  been  all,  would 
have  struck  the  very  chill  of  the  last  death  into  the  despairing  soul,  who  listened 
and  learned  that  not  one  jot  or  tittle  of  that  law  could  fail.  The  sermon  that 
some  lightly  affect  to  be  the  whole  gospel  of  Christ  would  be  by  itself  but  a  message 
of  doom.  III.  Man  lies  there  dead  before  his  God — dead,  until — what  is  it, 
THIS  sweet  and  secret  CHANGE  ?  What  is  it,  this  breaking  and  stirring  within  his 
bones,  as  when  the  force  of  the  spring  pricks  and  works  within  the  wintry  trunks  of 
■dry  and  naked  trees  ?  As  he  lies  stung  and  despairing,  there  is  a  change,  there  is 
an  arrival.  Far,  far  within,  deeper  than  his  deepest  sin,  behind  the  most  secret 
workings  of  his  bad  and  broken  will,  there  is  a  breaking  and  a  stir,  there  is  a 
motion  and  a  quiver  and  a  gleam,  there  is  a  check  and  a  pause  in  his  decay,  a 
■quickening  is  felt  as  of  live  flame.  What  is  it  ?  He  cannot  tell ;  only  he  knows 
that  something  is  there  and  at  work,  strong  and  fresh  and  young ;  and  as  it  pushes 
and  presses  and  makes  way,  a  sense  of  blessing  steals  into  his  veins,  and  peace  is 
upon  his  hunted  soul,  and  the  sweet  soundness  of  health  creeps  over  his  bruises 
and  his  sores:  and  he  who  has  faith  just  suffers  all  the  strange  change  to  pass  over 
him  and  to  work  its  goodwill,  as  he  lies  there,  feeding  on  its  blessedness,  wondering 
at  its  goodness,  sending  up  his  heart  in  silent  breaths  of  unutterable  thanks.  So 
it  is  come.  St.  Paul  saw  those  lame  and  impotent  men  rise  and  leap  and  sing  at 
the  coming  of  the  new  force,  under  the  handlings  of  the  new  ministry ;  and,  so 
seeing,  he  knew  the  full  meaning  of  the  Lord's  promise  that  the  Spirit  should 
come,  and  that  every  one  born  of  the  Spirit  should  be  even  as  the  Spirit.  And  the 
essence  of  the  change  is  this — that  God,  Who  in  His  manifestation  of  the  letter 
stood  there  over  against  man,  has  now  passed  over  on  to  the  side  of  the  men  whom 
His  appeal  has  overwhelmed.  He,  the  good  Father,  is  bending  over  the  sinner,  and 
entering  within  his  human  spirit  by  the  power  of  His  own  Holy  Spirit,  is  inspiring 
him  with  His  own  breath.  God  Himself  in  us  fulfils  His  own  demands  on  us. 
God  Himself  moves  over  to  our  side  to  satisfy  the  urgency  of  His  own  will  and 
word.  In  Him  we  do  what  we  do,  and  we  are  not  afraid,  though  the  Son  of  God 
has  come  "  not  to  destroy  that  law,  but  to  fulfil  it  " — yea,  even  though  from  us  is 
required  a  righteousness  exceeding  that  of  Scribe  and  Pharisee.  We  are  not 
afraid  for  "  the  Spirit  giveth  life."  God  has  come  over  to  our  side,  but  He  has 
not  ceased  to  stand  over  there  against  us.  There  He  still  stands  as  of  old,  and 
His  demands  are  the  same ;  still  it  is  true  as  ever  that  without  holiness  no  man 
shall  see  the  Lord.  The  revelation  of  the  letter  of  the  moral  law  holds  good  for  us 
as  much  as  for  the  Jew ;  and  it  is  because  that  letter  inevitably  holds  good  that 
Ood  has  Himself  entered  within  us,  and  striven  for  its  fulfilment.  {Canon  Scott- 
Holland.) 


86  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  nr. 

Vers.  7-11.  But  if  the  ministration  of  death  .  .  .  was  glorious. — The  peculiar 
glory  of  the  gospel : — I.  That  contrasted  with  the  law  as  "  the  ministration  of 

CONDEMNATION  "    THE    GOSPEL    "  IS    THE    MINISTRATION   OF   RIGHTEOUSNESS."       That   the 

law  was  "the  ministiation  of  condemnation  "  will  require  little  proof.  The  very 
glory  which  attended  the  publication  of  it  struck  terror  into  the  beholders.  Its 
unequivocal  language  was,  "  the  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die  "  (Exod.  xix.  16 ; 
Heb.  xii.  21 ;  Ezek.  xviii.  4,  20  ;  Deut.  xxvii.  28  ;  Gal.  ill.  10).  Against  this  awful 
alternative  the  Mosaic  dispensation  provided  no  effectual  resource  (Heb.  x.  4).  But 
herein  is  the  incomparable  glory  of  the  gospel  displayed  :  it  is,  "  the  ministration  of 
righteousness."  Not  as  some  have  most  erroneously  represented  it,  a  remedial  law ; 
neither  as  others  would  call  it,  a  less  rigorous  dispensation,  relaxing  our  obligations 
to  duty.  And  hence  we  are  led  to  notice  what  may  be  regarded  as  the  peculiar 
glory  of  the  gospel,  that  it  discovers  to  us  a  way  in  which  sin  may  be  pardoned,  and 
yet  sinners  be  saved.  The  gospel  alone  reveals  a  righteousness  sufficient  for  this 
purpose.  The  gospel  is  also  the  ministration  of  righteousness,  because  it  enjoins 
and  secures  the  practice  of  righteousness  among  men.     11.  That  contrasted  with 

THE  LAW   AS   THE    MINISTRATION    OF    DEATH,  THE    GOSPEL    IS    THE    MINISTRATION    OF   THE 

SPIRIT.  The  Christian  as  contrasted  with  the  Jewish  dispensation  may  be  called 
the  "  ministration  of  the  Spirit,"  not  only  on  account  of  its  more  spiritual  nature, 
and  as  containing  the  spirit  and  substance  of  ancient  rites  and  figures,  but  chiefly 
because  it  is  distinguished  by  the  clearer  revelation  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  and  the 
more  abundant  communications  of  His  influence  to  the  children  of  men.  Let  us, 
then,  attend  to  the  surpassing  glory  of  the  gospel  in  this  view.  We  have  already 
seen  that  the  law,  which  is  the  ministration  of  death,  made  no  effectual  provision  for 
the  justification  of  transgressors  ;  and  as  little  did  it  provide  for  their  sanctification. 
All  precepts,  and  threatenings,  and  promises,  were  insufficient  for  this  purpose, 
without  the  quickening  and  renewing  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  How  refulgent, 
then,  the  glory  of  the  gospel,  when  we  consider  that  the  Spirit,  of  whom  it  testifies, 
is  Himself  the  eternal  Jehovah !  Under  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit,  how 
marvellous  the  success  which  attended  the  preaching  of  the  apostles,  amidst  the 
combined  opposition  of  earth  and  heU !  Still  farther,  under  the  ministration  of  the 
Spirit  the  Church  has  been  preserved  in  succeeding  ages,  since  the  apostles'  days  to 
the  present  time.  Finally,  under  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit,  and  by  His  benign 
influence,  the  Church  throughout  succeeding  generations  shall  become  gradually 
more  enhghtened,  and  sanctified,  and  enlarged.  Is  such,  then,  the  glory  of  the 
gospel  ?  1.  What  an  unspeakable  honour  is  conferred  upon  those  who  are  allowed  to 
be  the  ministers  of  it !  2.  Again,  is  such  the  glory  of  the  gospel ;  how  inestimable 
is  your  privilege  ?  The  Lord  has  not  dealt  so  with  every  people.  Blessed  are 
your  eyes,  for  they  see,  and  your  ears,  for  they  hear,  what  many  prophets  and 
righteous  men  desired  to  see  and  to  hear  but  were  not  permitted.  3.  Still  farther, 
is  such  the  glory  of  the  gospel  ?  Let  its  ministers  learn  to  be  more  and  more  faithful 
and  earnest  in  declaring  and  recommending  it.  4.  Let  me  beseech  you  who  attend 
on  our  ministrations  to  consider,  that  in  proportion  to  the  glory  of  the  gospel  must 
be  the  condemnation  of  those  who  do  not  esteem  and  improve  it.  5.  Once  more,  is 
the  gospel  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit  ?  Let  us  aU  be  soUcitous  to  experience  His 
saving  influence  on  our  own  souls  ;  and  let  us  be  earnest  also  for  the  communications 
of  His  grace  to  others.    (D.  Dickson.)       The  ministrations  of  law  and  gospel : — I.  The 

LAW   WAS  A  MINISTRATION    OF    DEATH,  BUT    NEVERTHELESS    IT   WAS    GLORIOUS.       1.    There 

must  ever  enter  into  our  thought  on  matters  of  religion  continued  reference  to  the 
unchangeableness  of  God.  If  we  were  setting  ourselves  to  scrutinise  the  arrange- 
ments of  a  finite,  and  therefore  changeable  agent ;  if  we  found  that  at  one  time  he 
had  given  a  law  to  his  inferiors  which  worked  out  their  death,  and  that  afterwards 
he  had  sent  forth  another  law  which  allowed  of  their  life,  we  might  conclude  that 
he  had,  in  the  first  instance,  been  making  an  experiment,  and  that,  warned  by  its 
failure,  he  had  turned  himself  to  a  new  course  of  treatment.  But  we  must  not  so 
reason  in  regard  of  God.  He  knew  perfectly  well  when  He  issued  the  law  that  it 
would  prove  a  ministration  of  death.  And  if  the  law  and  the  gospel  had  been 
altogether  detached,  there  would  have  existed  great  cause  for  marvel  at  God's 
appointing  a  ministration  of  death.  But  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  law  was 
introductory  to  the  gospel,  so  that  the  covenant  of  works  literally  made  way  for  the 
covenant  of  grace,  all  surprise  ought  to  vanish.  From  the  earHest  moment  of 
human  apostasy,  God's  dealing  with  the  fallen  had  always  reference  to  the  work  of 
atonement.  Though  by  itself  the  law  was  a  ministration  of  death,  yet  those  who 
live  under  it  were  not  necessarily  left  to  die.     Know  we  not  that  whilst  this  legal 


CHAP,  ni.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  87 

dispensation  was  in  the  fulness  of  its  strength,  there  passed  many  an  Israelite  into 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  ?  We  carry  you  to  the  scenes  of  temple-worship,  and  bid  you 
learn  from  the  emblematical  announcement  of  redemption  that  no  man  died  because 
living  under  the  ministration  of  death ;  but  that,  even  whilst  the  moral  law  was 
unrepealed,  as  a  covenant  it  could  weigh  no  one  down  to  perdition  who  looked 
onward  to  the  long-promised  sacrifice.  2.  But  while  the  Divine  goodness  in  the 
appointment  of  a  ministration  of  death  is  thus  vindicated,  the  law  was  actually  a 
ministration  of  death.  Could  man,  with  all  his  industry,  obey  truly  the  moral  law  ? 
If  not,  then  the  ministration  of  the  law  must  have  been  a  ministration  of  death, 
seeing,  that  if  it  cannot  be  fulfilled,  it  must  unavoidably  condemn.  You  shall  take 
the  Crucifixion  as  an  answer  to  all  questioning  on  the  law  being  aught  else  than  a, 
ministration  of  death.  Why,  if  man  had  a  capacity  for  working  out  by  his  own 
strivings  obedience  to  the  law,  and  he  could  win  to  himself  a  crown  of  glory — why 
did  Divinity  throw  itself  into  humanity,  and  achieve,  through  the  wondrous  coalition, 
the  mastery  over  death,  and  Satan,  and  hell  ?  2.  Though  the  law  was  thus  a, 
ministration  of  death,  it  was  nevertheless  glorious.  It  was  mainly  as  a  conse- 
quence of  its  own  perfection  that  the  law  proved  a  minister  of  death.  Had  the  law 
been  a  defective  law,  constructed  so  as  to  be  adapted  to  the  weakness  of  the  parties 
on  whom  it  was  imposed,  and  not  to  the  attributes  of  Him  from  whom  it  proceeded, 
it  is  altogether  supposable  that  the  result  might  not  have  been  the  condemnation  of 
mankind.  But  if  a  law  had  been  constructed  which  man  could  have  obeyed,  would 
it  have  been  glorious  ?  You  tell  me,  in  the  fact  of  its  being  a  practical  and  saving 
law,  and  allowing  the  wretched  to  work  out  deliverance  from  their  wretchedness. 
Then  it  is  glory  that  the  law  should  make  loop-holes  for  offenders,  in  case  of  being 
a  rampart  against  offences ;  while  the  whole  of  the  universe  must  have  been  shaken 
at  God's  overlooking  of  sin.  We  say  not,  it  was  glory  that  man  should  perish  ;  but 
we  do  say  it  was  glorious  that  the  moral  law  was  the  transcript  of  the  Divine  mind. 
II.  The  gospel  as  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit  ;  and  as,  therefore,  far 
EXCEEDING  THE  LAW  IN  ITS  GLORY.  1.  The  ministration  of  the  Spirit  is  set  in 
antithesis  to  the  ministration  of  death.  The  great  work  which  Christ  effected  was 
the  procurement  of  life  to  those  who  were  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  We  are 
legally  dead — because  born  under  the  sentence  of  eternal  condemnation — and  we  are 
morally  dead,  because  insensible  to  our  condition  ;  and,  if  insensible,  totally  unable 
to  reanimate  ourselves.  The  legal  death  the  Mediator  may  be  said  to  have 
annihilated,  for  He  bore  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree  ;  and  the  moral  death— 
for  the  destruction  of  this  He  made  the  amplest  provision,  procuring  for  us,  by  the 
merits  of  His  passion,  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Lord  and  Giver  of  life.  2.  The  gospel  in 
its  every  department  is  a  ministration  of  righteousness,  and  therefore  of  spiritual 
life.  It  is  the  mightiest  display  of  God's  righteousness.  Where  has  God  equally 
shown  His  hatred  of  sin,  His  settled  determination  to  wring  its  punishment  from  the 
impenitent  ?  It  is  a  system,  moreover,  whose  grand  feature  is  the  application  to 
man  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ ;  "  Christ  is  made  unto  us  of  God,  wisdom,  and 
righteousness,  and  sanctification,  and  redemption,"  and  therefore  is  He  our  life. 
And  this  gospel,  moreover,  while  displaying  a  perfect  righteousness  which  must  be 
wrought  for  us,  insists  peremptorily  on  a  righteousness  which  must  be  wrought  in 
us  by  God's  Spirit — the  ministration  of  the  Spirit  thus  making  our  own  .holiness, 
though  it  can  obtain  nothing  in  the  way  of  merit,  indispensably  necessary  in  the 
way  of  preparation.  {H.  Melvill,  B.D.)  The  dispensations  of  the  laiv  and  gospel 
compared : — I.  The  law  was  glorious.  1.  The  perfection  of  the  moral  law  was  a 
favourite  subject  with  the  saints  of  old  (Neh.  ix.  13  ;  Psa.  xix.  7).  But  this  glory,  as 
regards  God,  made  it  to  man,  if  he  rested  in  it,  the  ministration  of  condemnation. 
It  set  before  men  a  perfect  rule  of  conduct,  and  therefore  required  more  than  fallen 
man  could  fulfil.  Yet  it  pronounced  a  curse  upon  all  who  did  not  perfectly  answer 
to  its  demands  (Gal.  iii.  10 ;  Eom.  iii.  19,  20,  vii.  9-11).  2.  But  the  ceremonial  law 
is  also  glorious,  not  in  itself,  but  as  it  borrowed  light  from  the  gospel  and  prefigured 
it.  Whereas  the  moral  law  doomed  aU  under  it  to  death,  the  ceremonial  law  gave 
them  some  faint  indications  of  mercy.  The  ceremonial  law,  then,  must  be  greatly 
inferior  to  the  gospel,  inasmuch  as  Christ  is  the  substance  of  all  its  types  and 
shadows.  Since  He  is  come  it  has  lost  its  glory.  It  is  chiefly  useful  to  show  the 
necessity  of  atonement.  II.  Wherein  consists  the  glory  of  the  gospel?  1.  It  is 
a  republication  of  the  moral  law  ;  therefore,  what  glory  the  law  has  the  gospel  has 
likewise.  But  it  possesses  far  higher  glory,  inasmuch  as  it  is  the  ministration  of 
righteousness.  As  the  law  denounces  all  who  rest  upon  it  as  a  covenant  of  works  to 
death,  so  the  gospel,  by  its  gift  of  righteousness,  conveys  life  to  all  who  receive  it  in 


88  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  in. 

faith.  The  law  shows  the  holiness  of  God,  and  is  therefore  glorious,  but  the  gospel 
shows  the  holiness,  justice,  and  mercy  of  God  in  an  inconceivable  degree  by  the 
very  method  in  which  it  freely  dispenses  righteousness,  and  therefore  it  is  trans- 
cendently  glorious.  2.  It  is  superior  to  the  law,  as  it  is  the  ministration  of 
the  Spirit,  who  is  the  life  and  soul  of  the  whole  system.  We  may  descant  about 
the  righteousness  of  Christ,  and  the  demands  of  the  perfect  law,  but  we  never 
could  have  attained  to  that  righteousness  unless  the  Spirit  of  God  had  been 
likewise  bestowed,  to  write  these  truths  in  our  hearts,  and  to  bring  home  these 
doctrines  with  power.  Conclusion :  1.  As  regards  the  law — (1)  Do  not  neglect 
it  by  taking  up  your  own  rule  of  life,  such  as  the  customs  of  men  and 
worldly  maxims  afford.  The  law  of  God  is  the  only  rule  of  duty  (Matt. 
xix.  17),  and  is  still  our  schoolmaster  to  bring  us  unto  Christ.  (2)  Do  not 
abuse  it  |by  looking  to  be  saved  by  your  own  obedience  to  its  commands.  2.  As 
regards  the  gospel — (1)  Do  not  neglect  it.  It  is  God's  method  of  saving  sinners ; 
His  mercy  now  flows  in  this  one  channel ;  if  you  seek  His  mei'cy  in  any  other  way, 
you  will  find  yourselves  in  an  evil  case  (Thess.  i.  8).  (2)  Do  not  abuse  it.  Re- 
member that  while  Christ  came  to  provide  forgiveness.  He  came  also  "  to  purify  to 
Himself  a  peculiar  people  zealous  of  good  works."  [H.  J.  Hastings,  M.A.) 
The  two  ministrations  : — Why  should  the  law  be  described  as  "the  ministration  of 
death"  or  "  the  ministration  of  condemnation  "  ?  Are  not  the  terms  unnecessarily 
harsh?  Do  they  not  suggest  a  false  idea  of  the  dignity  of  law  ?  My  first  object  is 
to  defend  a  negative  answer  to  this  inquiry.  The  very  fact  of  penal  law  being 
established  presupposes  either  power  or  disposition  to  do  that  which  is  wrong.  The 
simplest  of  illustrations  shall  bring  the  meaning  of  the  assertion,  that  law  defines 
and  limits  liberty,  within  the  comprehension  of  a  child.  For  a  length  of  time  you 
have  been  in  the  habit  of  regarding  certain  fields  as  common  property  ;  again  and 
again  you  have  struck  your  course  across  them  to  shorten  or  vary  a  journey.  The 
idea  that  you  were  tresj)assing  never  occurred  to  you.  So  far  as  you  knew  there 
was  no  law  whatever  in  the  case.  In  process  of  time,  however,  the  proprietor 
determines  to  assert  his  right  to  his  own  land.  With  this  end  in  view  he  gives 
Ijublic  intimation  that  all  persons  found  upon  his  property  will  be  dealt  with  as 
trespassers.  He  proclaims  a  law.  He  sets  up  in  his  field  a  ministration  of  con- 
demnation. From  that  hour  the  whole  question  of  your  liberty  undergoes  a 
fundamental  change.  Yet,  why  should  the  law  be  designated  "  the  ministration  of 
condemnation"  and  "the  ministration  of  death"?  When  the  law  is  based  on 
rectitude,  what  possible  relation  can  it  sustain  to  death  or  condemnation  ?  All 
punishment  stands  on  the  plane  of  death.  Death,  absolutely  so  called,  is  the 
ultimate  penalty  ;  but  the  very  gentlest  blow,  nay,  the  very  shadow  of  a  frown,  is 
death  in  incipiency  ;  that  is  to  say,  it  belongs  to  the  kingdom  of  death,  and  not  in 
any  sense  to  the  kingdom  of  life ;  death  is  in  the  penalty  as  truly  as  the  plant  is  in 
the  seed.  That  law  is  correctly  designated  "  the  ministration  of  condemnation," 
and  "  the  ministration  of  death,"  may  be  shown  by  another  simple  illustration.  Let 
me  suppose  that  as  heads  of  houses  you  had  not  for  a  long  time  felt  the  necessity  of 
requiring  all  the  members  of  your  households  to  be  at  home  by  a  fixed  hour.  In  the 
working  of  your  family  life,  however,  you  find  it  necessary  to  determine  an  hour  at 
which  every  child  shall  be  with  you.  To  that  effect  you  proclaim  your  law.  In 
j)rocess  of  events,  I  further  suppose,  one  of  your  children  is  a  mile  off  when  the 
well-known  hour  strikes.  What  is  the  consequence  in  his  own  experience  ?  He 
hears  stroke  after  stroke  without  alarm,  until,  alas !  the  legal  hour  is  pealed  off. 
How  that  stroke  shakes  him  !  how  reproachful  the  shivering  tone  !  A  week  before 
he  could  have  heard  the  same  hour  strike,  and  nothing  would  have  alarmed  him. 
He  now  feels  that  the  law  is  "  the  ministration  of  condemnation."  He  says,  "  I 
am  late ;  I  should  have  been  at  home  ;  my  father's  eye  will  reprove  me  ;  I  had  not 
known  sin  but  by  the  law,  for  I  had  not  known  irregularity  in  time,  except  the  law 
had  said.  Thou  shalt  be  punctual."  Take  the  world's  first  case  of  law.  There  was 
law  in  the  Edenic  life.  There  was  a  "Thou  shalt  not"  in  the  programme  of  the 
world's  first  experience  of  manhood,  and  over  it  fell  the  shadow  of  threatened  death. 
Liberty  was  made  hberty  by  law.  Up  to  the  very  moment  of  touching  the  forbidden 
fruit,  Adam  knew  not  what  was  meant  by  the  "  ministration  of  condemnation  " ; 
but  the  moment  after,  how  vast  his  knowledge  !  The  law  said  nothing  to  Adam  of 
"condemnation"  until  he  had  broken  it.  So  long  as  he  kept  the  law  he  knew 
nothing  of  death,  except  by  observation.  Fools  are  they  who  cavil  because  Adam 
did  not  physically  expire.  Is  death  a  question  of  frozen  marrow  ?  Every  man 
knows  the  killing  power   of    sin.      In   darkness  you  have   done   some   deed  of 


CHAP,  ni.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  89 

iniquity.  Your  heart  condemns  you.  When  you  come  forward  to  the  light,  you 
feel  yourself  dead,  your  moral  vitality  is  gone.  Another  inquiry  is  now  suggested. 
Under  circumstances  so  appalling,  how  can  "  the  ministration  of  condemnation  "  be 
said  to  be  "  glory  "  ?— for  that  is  the  royal  word  of  the  text.  I  answer,  the  glory  is 
not  in  the  condemnation  and  the  death,  except  in  the  immediate  connection  with 
the  law.  That  there  is  glory  in  law  is  open  to  decisive  demonstration.  The 
establishment  of  law  implies  authority  on  the  part  of  the  lawgiver.  Law  is  the 
declared  will  of  the  superior.  How  is  it  amongst  ourselves  ?  Does  the  servant  give 
law  to  the  master,  or  the  master  to  the  servant  ?  By  whose  authority  is  the  table  of 
regulations  put  up  in  all  your  great  hives  of  industry  ?  I  repeat,  then,  that  law 
implies  authority  on  the  part  of  the  lawgiver.  Carry  these  illustrations  forward  to 
the  case  argued  in  the  text,  then  the  "  glory  "  will  at  once  kindle  upon  us,  and,  like 
the  children  of  Israel,  we  shall  need  the  protecting  veil.  Eecall  the  dread  days  of 
Sinai.  Almighty  God  alights,  and  the  mountain  shudders  at  His  presence.  Every 
utterance  of  the  eternal  mind  must  have  its  own  peculiar  glory  ;  alike  the  utterance 
designed  to  produce  physical  results  and  the  utterance  intended  to  operate  in,  the 
moral  kingdom :  each  shines  with  a  glory  distinctively  its  own,  and  in  proportion  as 
the  moral  is  superior  to  the  physical,  so  does  the  glory  of  the  one  exceed  the  glory  of 
the  other.  When,  therefore,  I  contemplate  the  dread  issue  of  an  infraction  of  Ged's 
law,  I  can  understand  the  apostle  when  he  calls  that  law  "  the  ministration  of  con- 
demnation "  ;  and  as  I  further  contemplate  the  sublime  purpose  of  that  law,  I  can 
understand  how,  upon  such  a  "  ministration,"  there  shone  a  "  glory  "  which  must 
have  beamed  from  heaven !  The  gospel  is  described  as  "  the  ministration  of 
righteousness,"  and  is  affirmed  to  "  exceed  in  glory."  In  giving  the  law,  God  did 
not  accommodate  Himself  to  human  weakness  by  imposing  easy  or  elastic  conditions 
and  regulations.  He  declared  that  which  was  absolute  in  rectitude.  The  law 
rendered  supremely  important  service  to  man  if  it  did  nothing  more  than  bring  him 
to  the  consciousness  that  he  was  powerless  to  fulfil  requirements  so  holy.  The  law 
showed  him  the  height  to  which  he  must  ascend,  and  he  trembled,  and  owned  his 
weakness.  "  Do  we  make  void  the  law  through  faith  ?  God  forbid.  Yea,  we 
establish  the  law."  "  The  law  is  holy,  and  the  commandment  holy,  and  just,  and 
good."  The  law  was  not  desigijied  to  give  life.  It  had  but  a  schoolmaster's  work  to 
do.  There  was  an  epoch  of  law  ;  there  is  now  an  epoch  of  faith.  Faith  is  younger 
than  law ;  hence,  "  before  faith  came,  we  were  kept  under  the  law,  shut  up  into  the 
faith  which  should  afterwards  be  revealed."  As  the  law  was  antecedent  to  faith,  so 
also  it  stands  in  perfect  contrast ;  "  the  one  being  "  the  ministration  of  condemna- 
tion," the  other  "  the  ministration  of  righteousness."  Yet  what  is  meant  by 
asserting  that  the  law  was  antecedent  to  the  gospel  ?  I  mean  antecedent  merely  in 
the  order  of  open  manifestation.  The  promise  that  Christ  should  come  into  the 
world  takes  precedence  of  all  other  promises.  The  Lamb  was  slain  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world.  Love  is  from  everlasting,  law  is  but  of  yesterday ;  law  is 
for  a  season,  love  is  for  ever  ;  law  is  a  transient  flame,  love  an  eternal  orb. 
Sublime  beyond  full  comprehension  is  the  fact  that  the  gospel  is  "the  ministration 
of  righteousness."  Those  who  exercise  repentance  towards  God  and  faith  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  are  not  merely  pardoned  ;  that  would  be  much — infinitely  more, 
indeed,  than  the  law  could  ever  do — but  they  are  made  righteous,  they  are  cleansed, 
they  are  sanctified,  they  are  transformed  into  the  image  of  God.  Law  had  no 
blood  in  its  iron  hand  to  apply  to  the  depraved  and  guilty  nature  of  man.  It  is 
impossible  that  law  could  forgive,  law  only  can  condemn.  Here  is  the  moral 
contrast  in  all  its  breadth.  The  law  is  weak,  the  gospel  is  mighty  ;  the  law  touches 
the  outer  man,  the  gospel  penetrates  the  heart.  The  ministration  of  righteousness 
exceeds  the  ministration  of  condemnation  "  in  glory."  This  is  in  strict  harmony 
with  God's  general  method  of  government.  He  never  goes  from  the  greater  to  the  less, 
but  ever  from  the  less  to  the  greater.  We  thought  nothing  could  exceed  the  splendour 
of  Sinai,  yet  it  was  echpsed  by  the  transcendent  magnificence  of  Calvary.  The  law 
was  veiled  under  types  and  shadows,  but  the  Son  of  God  has  been  crucified  before 
our  eyes.  The  exceeding  glory  of  the  gospel,  then,  is  seen  in  this,  that  while  it 
comes  to  condemn  sin,  it  also  comes  to  destroy  its  power,  and  save  those  whom  it 
has  brought  into  bondage.  The  gospel  has  no  word  of  pity  for  sin,  or  of  extenuation 
for  error,  but  it  melts  with  infinite  compassion  as  it  yearns  over  the  sinner.  The 
law  never  had  a  loving  word  for  the  transgressor — it  was  stern,  inflexible,  rigorous. 
Some  are  endeavquring  to  reach  heaven  through  obedience  to  the  law.  Are  you 
wiser  than  God  ?  Is  the  atonement  a  mistake  ?  A  man  passes  from  one  "  ministra- 
tion "  to  another,  and  so  is  brought  nearer  and  nearer  to  God,  we  should  remind  our- 


90  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  m. 

selves  that  the  advancing  ages  multiply  our  responsibilities.  We  cannot  live  under  the 
"  exceeding  glory  "  without  incurring  proportionate  obligations.  (J.  Parker,  D.D.) 
Divine  revelation  more  glorious  in  Christ  than  in  Moses : — Note  three  facts  in  the 
context — 1.  The  infinite  Father  has  made  a  special  revelation  to  man.  This  is  a  fact 
r.nswering  to  the  a  priori  reasonings  and  intuitions  of  humanity.  2.  That  this  special 
revelation  has  mainly  come  through  two  great  general  sources — Moses  and  Christ. 
3.  That  while  the  essence  of  the  revelation  is  the  same,  the  forms  differ,  and  the 
forms  it  assumes  through  Christ  are  most  "  glorious."  I.  This  special  revelation 
AS  IT  CAME  THROUGH  MosES  WAS  GLORIOUS.  Note — 1.  The  woudcrful  display  of 
Divinity  attending  the  expression  of  it  on  Mount  Sinai.  The  apostle  seems  to  have 
had  an  eye  to  this  in  his  reference  to  the  supernatural  brightness  that  rested  on 
"  the  face  of  Moses"  (Exod.  xxxiv.  29,  30).  What  wonderful  things  did  Moses  hear 
and  see  during  the  forty  days  he  was  up  on  that  mountain  !  What  overwhelming 
display  of  glory  there  must  have  been  when  from  His  hand  went  a  "fiery  law"! 
(Exod.  xix.,  XX.  ;  Heb.  xii.  18-22).  2.  The  magnificence  of  its  religious  scenes  and 
celebrations.  The  temple,  how  splendid  in  its  architecture,  materials,  and  furniture ! 
The  priesthood,  how  imposing  in  their  costume  and  their  services  !  The  psalmody, 
how  sublime  !  &c.  "  Glorious  things  are  spoken  of  the  city  of  the  living  God."  3. 
The  stupendous  miracles  that  stand  in  connection  with  it.  The  wilderness  was  the 
theatre  of  great  wonders.  4.  The  splendid  intellects  which  were  employed  in 
connection  with  it.  The  philosophy  of  Solomon,  the  poetry  of  David,  the  eloquence 
of  Isaiah,  the  imagery  of  Ezekiel,  the  strains  of  Jeremiah,  &c.  Divine  revelation, 
as  it  stands  in  connection  with  Moses,  is  associated  with  the  most  brilliant  of 
human  geniuses.  II.  This  special  revelation  is  more  glorious  as  it  appears  m 
CONNECTION  WITH  Christ.  1.  The  Christian  form  of  Divine  revelation  is  more 
adapted  to  give  life  than  the  Mosaic.  Compare  the  effect  of  the  words  of  the 
revelation  as  it  came  from  Christ,  addressed  by  Peter  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  to  the 
moral  effect  of  the  preaching  of  any  of  the  prophets  under  the  law,  and  you  will 
find  that  the  one  may  justly  be  called  a  "  ministration  of  death  "  as  compared  with 
the  other.  2.  The  Christian  form  of  Divine  revelation  is  more  emphatically  spirit 
than  the  Mosaic.  It  is  called  here  "  the  ministration  of  the  spirit."  There  was 
much  spirit  in  the  Mosaic  ;  but  Christianity  throbs  through  every  sentence  with  the 
eternal  spirit  of  truth.  Then,  too,  the  smaller  amount  of  the  spirit  in  the  Mosaic 
was  so  overlaid  with  ceremony  that  it  was  almost  buried  out  of  sight ;  whereas  the 
greater  amount  of  the  spirit  of  truth  in  connection  with  Christianity  is  stripped 
almost  entirely  of  ceremony.  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  are  all.  8.  The 
Christian  form  of  Divine  revelation  is  more  restorative  than  the  Mosaic.  The 
apostle  speaks  of  one  as  the  ministration  of  "  condemnation,"  and  the  other,  that 
of  "righteousness."  The  Mosaic  revelation  had  an  aspect  of  terrible  severity. 
Contrast  the  "curses"  of  Moses  (Deut.  xxvii.  15-26)  with  the  beatitudes  of  Christ 
(Matt.  v.  8-12).  4.  The  Christian  form  of  Divine  revelation  is  more  lasting  than 
the  Mosaic.  Christianity  is  the  final  revelation  of  God  to  our  world.  Conclusion : 
The  subject  serves — 1.  To  expose  the  absurdity  of  making  Moses  the  interpreter  of 
Christ.  2.  To  show  the  wrongness  of  going  to  Moses  to  support  opinions  you 
cannot  get  from  Christ.  3.  To  reveal  the  immense  responsibility  of  men  living  in 
gospel  times.  4.  To  indicate  the  serious  position  of  a  true  minister.  (D.  Thomas, 
D.D.)  The  glory  of  the  gospel : — Note — I.  The  description  of  the  law.  1.  "  The 
ministration  of  condemnation."  2.  "  The  ministration  of  death."  Its  sentence  is 
a  death  sentence.  "  The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die."  Now  from  the  execution 
of  this  sentence  the  law  provides  no  resource.  Sacrifices  for  sin,  it  is  true,  were 
provided  under  the  Mosaic  dispensation  ;  but  they  were  merely  typical  of  that  great 
sacrifice  for  sin,  which  was  to  fonn  a  part  of  another  and  more  glorious  dispensa- 
tion. "  It  is  not  possible  that  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats  should  take  away 
sins."  II.  The  description  of  the  gospel.  1.  It  is  the  "  ministration  of 
righteousness,"  because  it  provides  for  the  believing  sinner  a  complete  satisfaction 
for  the  offences  he  has  committed  against  the  law  of  God,  and  an  obedience  per- 
fectly commensurate  with  its  demands,  and  so  saves  him  from  condemnation  and 
death.  2.  It  is  "  the  ministration  of  Spirit,"  because  of  the  great  outpouring  of  the 
Spirit  with  which  it  commenced,  and  the  abundant  communication  of  the  same 
Spirit  with  which  it  has  ever  since  been  attended.  III.  The  superior  glory  of  the 
GOSPEL  ABOVE  THAT  OF  THE  LAW.  The  Jewish  dispensation  was  glorious.  It  had  a 
glorious  Author.  Its  object  was  glorious,  viz.,  to  unfold  the  infinite  justice,  purity, 
and  majesty  of  God.  It  was  published  in  a  glorious  manner.  But,  notwithstanding 
all  this,  the  glory  of  the  law  sinks  into  nothing  when  compared  with  the  gospel. 


CHAP.  III.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  91 

The  names  which  are  here  applied  to  the  law  and  the  gospel  show  us  at  once  the 
propriety  of  this  language.  But  the  superior  glory  of  the  gospel  may  be  made  clear 
by  other  considerations.  1.  It  offers  greater  blessings  to  man  than  were  offered  by 
the  law.  The  Mosaic  dispensation  had  a  reference  principally  to  the  present  life, 
and  most  of  its  promises  were  temporal  promises.  The  gospel  places  within  our 
reach  a  share  of  that  very  joy  which  satislies  the  Redeemer  for  "  the  travail  of  His 
soul."  2.  It  offers  these  blessings  more  extensively.  The  promises  of  the  law  were 
confined  to  one  nation,  and  even  of  this  nation  it  was  but  a  little  remnant  that 
inherited  the  spiritual  benefits  of  the  dispensation  under  which  they  lived.  The 
blessings  of  the  gospel,  on  the  contrary,  are  thrown  open  to  all  the  world.  3.  It  has 
a  greater  influence  on  the  hearts  of  men.  The  law  had  no  power  to  touch  the 
heart,  and  to  cause  men  to  love  and  obey  it.  The  gospel,  on  the  contrary,  was  no 
sooner  published  than  it  made  glorious  changes  in  the  characters  and  lives  of 
multitudes  who  embraced  it.  4.  It  has  a  gloi'y  which  will  last  for  ever.  5.  It  is  a 
brighter  display  of  the  Divine  law.  Conclusion  :  1.  How  honourable  an  office  is 
that  of  a  minister  of  Christ !  2.  How  great  is  the  privilege  which  we  enjoy  in  living 
under  the  dispensation  of  the  gospel !  3.  How  great  a  debt  of  gratitude  and  praise 
does  every  Christian  owe  to  his  crucified  Lord  !  4.  How  unwise  are  they  who  hope 
for  pardon  and  salvation  on  the  ground  of  their  partial  obedience  to  the  law  of 
God  !  5.  How  ignorant  are  they  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  who  make  the  influence  of 
the  Spirit  the  object  of  their  scorn  !  6.  How  anxiously  should  every  hearer  of  the 
gospel  desire  that  it  may  be  made  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit  to  himself,  that  he 
may  experience  its  softening  and  purifying  influence  in  his  own  heart !  (C.  Bradley, 
M.A.)  The  glory  of  the  gospel : — I.  The  character  of  the  Mosaic  dispensation. 
1.  Sensuous.  2.  Stationary.  3.  Artificial.  4.  Transitory.  5.  Shadowy.  6. 
Dangerous.  II.  The  excellent  glory  of  the  gospel.  1.  Spiritual.  2.  Progres- 
sive. 3.  Intrinsic.  4.  Immortal.  5.  Luminous.  6.  Inviting.  (W.  W.  Wythe.) 
The  gospel  is — I.  A  ministration  of  the  Spirit.  It  was  foretold  that  it  should 
"be  so.  "  The  days  come  when  I  will  make  a  new  covenant  with  the  house  of 
Israel,"  &c.  Then,  respecting  Him  who  is  the  head  of  the  new  dispensation,  His 
holy  body  was  the  immediate  product  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  at  His  baptism  "  the  Holy 
Spirit  like  a  dove  descended  upon  Him,"  His  ministry  was  conducted  by  the  power 
of  the  Spirit,  He  spake  to  the  apostles  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  last  thing  He  said 
to  them  on  earth  was,  that  "  they  should  wait  for  the  promise  of  the  Spirit."  On  the 
day  of  Pentecost  it  was  fulfilled.  And  whatever  light  and  grace  and  purity  there  has 
been  in  the  Church  from  that  day  to  this  has  been  by  the  same  influence  and  power. 
What,  then,  was  the  ministry  of  Moses,  compared  with  that  economy  at  the  head  of 
which  appeared  Jesus  Christ  with  this  great  title — "  He  that  baptized  with  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  with  fire  "  ?  II.  A  ministration  of  righteousness.  III.  A  ministration 
OF  LIFE.  The  first  Adam  was  made  a  living  soul,  the  second  a  quickening  spirit. 
We  were  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  but  we  are  said  to  be  "  quickened."  "  Christ 
hath  abolished  death,  and  hath  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  through  the 
gospel."  IV.  A  ministry  of  plainness  (vers.  12, 13),  that  is,  clearness  of  manifestation 
— not  the  obscurity  of  a  type — not  the  difficulty  of  a  prediction.  All  the  gospel  is  as 
plain  as  language  can  make  it.  And  having  the  light  and  plainness  of  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  N.T.,  the  writers  speak  with  confidence;  they  say,  "We  know  whom 
we  have  believed,"  &e.  V.  A  dispensation  that  is  to  abide.  "  Of  the  increase  of  His 
government  there  shall  be  no  end."  (J.  Strntte7i.)  How  shall  not  the  ministra- 
tion of  the  Spirit  be  rather  glorious  ? — The  ministration  of  the  Spirit : — Who  does  not 
yearn  over  the  long-lost  joys  of  his  boyhood — the  light  heart,  the  game,  the  holiday, 
and  the  prize  ?  And  yet  we  think  manhood  a  nobler  thing  even  with  the  wrinkles 
on  its  brow.  Who  does  not  long  for  the  simple  faith  of  his  early  years  ?  Yet  those  who 
have  gone  through  the  agonies  of  honest  doubt  know  that  the  faith  which  can  survive 
such  a  test  is  worth  more  than  that  which  never  suffered  a  pang.  The  springing 
corn  with  its  emerald  glow  of  fresh  young  life  is  glorious ;  but  the  rich  harvest  is 
rather  glorious.  A  scaffolding  is  sometimes  a  thing  of  beauty,  but  the  building  which 
it  surrounds  deprives  it  of  permanent  interest.  There  is  a  disposition  to  praise  the 
good  old  times  ;  yet  no  man  of  competent  mind  can  say  that  the  times  of  limited 
education,  restricted  commerce,  slow  transit  and  spiritual  despotism  were  better  than 
these.  There  is,  however,  and  always  has  been  this  conservative  tendency,  and  the 
Church  has  never  been  freed  from  it.  Even  in  the  days  of  Paul  there  were  Gentile 
Cluistians  whose  very  Christ  had  come  to  them  so  dressed  up  in  Jewish  garments 
that  they  were  anxious  to  retain  as  much  as  possible  of  the  older  dispensation.  So 
Paul  had  to  reassert  here  the  spiritual  nature  of  the  gospel  he  had  been  the  first  to 


92  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  m. 

proclaim  at  Corinth.  In  order  to  understand  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit — I. 
Contrast  spibit  with  body. — 1.  If  we  see  several  things  united  to  each  other  by 
some  secret  bond,  and  subserving  some  secret  purpose,  we  speak  of  them  as  a  body, 
and  that  purpose  as  their  uniting  spirit.  So  a  company  of  individuals  instinct  with 
a  common  idea  are  spoken  of  as  bodies  of  men,  and  their  common  object  as  the 
spirit  which  actuates  them.  This  arises,  doubtless,  from  our  consciousness  that  we 
are  ourselves  compounds  of  many  parts  over  which  a  presiding  spirit  rules.  Paul 
often  speaks  of  the  Church  under  this  image — it  is  the  Body  of  Christ  inhabited  by 
His  Spirit.  2.  Under  the  old  dispensation  a  similar  body  grew  up,  and  the  religion 
of  Moses,  Samuel  and  Solomon,  might  be  termed  a  ministration  of  the  body.  It  con- 
sisted of  innumerable  regulations  for  the  external  management  of  the  individual  and 
the  community.  But  the  prejudices  of  the  Jews  led  them  to  suppose  that  the  body 
was  of  more  consequence  than  the  spirit ;  and  directly  the  body  considers  itself  the 
chief  end  of  existence,  the  spirit  is  impaired.  The  man  who  sinks  into  such  a 
condition  becomes  a  morbid  valetudinarian,  a  slave  of  his  poor  body  ;  the  institution 
thus  perverted  becomes  obstructive  of  the  end  that  called  it  into  existence  ;  and  the 
Church  that  does  so  quenches  the  Spirit  of  God.  When  the  Spirit  works  upon  us 
we  can  never  rest  satisfied  with  the  most  careful  attention  to  the  most  venerable 
rubric,  but  shall  be  moved  to  Uve  a  Divine  life.  3.  We  have  many  institutions  and 
societies,  the  body  of  which  has  sprung  into  existence  under  the  direction  of  the 
Spirit.  In  proportion  as  they  are  imbued  with  that  Spirit,  they  are  parts  of  His 
scheme  of  mercy  for  a  ruined  world.  But  if  we  in  our  vanity  make  our  own 
sanctuary  or  schools,  organisations,  church  principles,  &c.,  ends  rather  than 
means  we  deplete  them  of  all  their  power.  H.  Contrast  the  spirit  with  the 
LETTER.  1.  Take  any  word — of  what  does  it  consist?  Of  a  few  strokes  in 
themselves,  utterly  unmeaning.  Pronounce  the  word  ?  It  is  a  sound  having  no 
meaning  in  itself.  You  and  others  agree  to  represent  certain  ideas  by  that  word ; 
but  there  is  no  necessary  connection  between  the  word  and  the  meaning ;  for  the 
same  word  may  convey  ideas  utterly  dissimilar  to  different  people  or  nations.  Thus 
though  the  letter  has  great  value,  it  is  transitory,  accidental,  liable  to  change  ;  but 
the  thing  connoted,  or  the  spirit  conveyed  may  have  an  undying  worth.  2.  We 
speak  of  the  letter  and  the  spirit  of  a  law  or  a  testament.  The  one  may  be  observed 
while  the  other  is  violated.  Often  has  the  letter  of  the  Divine  law  been  kept,  while 
its  spirit  has  been  trifled  with,  and  vice  versa.  A  Divine  spirit  penetrated  the  rules 
of  the  O.T.  dispensation  ;  the  spirit  of  that  covenant  has  been  ministered  afresh  in 
the  gospel,  but  the  letter  in  which  it  has  been  conveyed  by  Moses  and  Christ  has 
widely  differed.  (1)  At  one  time  the  nation  and  government  of  Israel  was  the  form 
in  which  God's  love  and  providence  were  made  known  to  the  world  ;  but  now  the 
holy  nation  is  found  wherever  hearts  beat  with  childlike  love  to  God.  (2)  So  the 
spirit  of  sacrifice  was  seen  in  the  thank  and  burnt-offerings  ;  but  while  the  mode  of 
expressing  this  is  changed  the  spirit  is  not  lost.  (3)  The  idea  of  holiness — separa- 
tion to  Divine  use — was  traced  out  in  a  marvellous  detail,  which  has  been  for  the 
most  part  superseded ;  yet  the  gospel  puts  holiness  on  an  even  higher  elevation, 
exhibits  it  to  our  view  in  an  embodiment  of  its  loftiest  perfection,  and  assures  us 
that  the  same  Spirit  that  was  given  to  Christ  is  sent  forth  into  our  hearts.  IH.  The 
CONTRAST  BETWEEN  THE  SPIRIT  AND  THE  FLESH,  i.e.,  the  dwelling  in  US  of  a  living 
Christ,  overpowering  both  the  lower  and  more  cultivated  passions  by  Christlike  and. 
heavenly  longings — the  quickening  of  our  whole  spiritual  being  and  alliance  with 
God  Himself.  Now  we  must  not  forget  that  the  ministration  of  the  flesh,  i.e.,  all 
that  man  has  been  able  to  achieve  unaided  by  the  Divine  Spirit,  has  been  in  some 
respects  glorious.  There  is  an  appalling  grandeur  in  the  efforts  of  men.  The 
daring  of  Prometheus,  the  wisdom  of  Confucius,  the  conscience  of  Socrates,  the 
mental  affluence  of  Aristotle,  the  insight  of  Plato,  the  self-sacrifice  of  Buddha — still 
all  this  has  no  glory  by  reason  of  the  glory  that  excelleth.  The  spirit  soars  into  a 
region  where  the  flesh  in  its  most  refined  form  cannot  penetrate ;  it  deals  with 
problems  that  science  cannot  solve,  and  induces  in  human  nature  a  new  series  of 
forces  transcending  reason,  satisfying  conscience,  glorifying  God.   IV.  The  contrast 

BETWEEN  the  MINISTRATION  OF  DEATH  AND  THAT    OF  THE  SpiRIT.       1.    The   ministration 

of  the  body  was  a  ministration  of  that  which  is  perishable  and  must  die,  and  hence 
it  is  a  ministration  of  death.  The  ministration  of  the  flesh  is  a  ministration  of  that 
which  has  no  real  vitality  in  it,  and  hence  it,  too,  is  a  ministration  of  death.  The 
ministration  of  the  letter  of  the  law  was  a  ministration  of  threatening  and  destruc- 
tion. But  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit  is  eternal.  2.  The  whole  of  the  ministration 
of  death  had  a  glory  of  its  own.     The  Lord  of  life  employed  it  to  teach  mankind 


CHAP,  ni.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  93 

lessons  of  life  and  happiness ;  but  as  sunrise  is  more  glorious  than  the  sublimity  of 
the  midnight  storm,  and  the  dayspring  than  the  dazzle  of  the  lightning,  and  the 
smile  of  spring  than  the  magnificence  of  iceberg  or  desert  mirage,  so  does  the 
ministration  of  righteousness  exceed  in  glory  all  the  ministration  of  death.  (H.  R. 
Reynolds,  D.D.) 

Vers.  9-11.  For  if  the  ministration  of  condemnation  be  gloiTT. — Condemnation 
and  righteousness  here  replace  death  and  life,  because  it  is  through  condemnation 
that  man  becomes  the  prey  of  death  ;  and  the  grace  which  reigns  in  him  to  eternal 
life  reigns  through  righteousness  (Kom.  v.  21).  The  contrast  of  these  two  words  is 
very  significant  for  Paul's  conception  of  the  gospel :  it  shows  how  essential  to  and 
fundamental  in  his  idea  of  righteousness  is  the  thought  of  acquittal  or  acceptance 
with  God.  Man  is  sinful,  under  God's  condemnation ;  and  he  cannot  conceive  a 
gospel  which  does  not  announce,  at  the  very  outset,  the  removal  of  that  condemna- 
tion, and  a  declaration  in  the  sinner's  favour.  Mere  pardon  may  be  a  meagre 
conception,  but  it  is  that  without  which  no  other  Christian  conception  can  exist  for 
a  moment.  That  which  hes  at  the  bottom  of  the  new  covenant,  and  supports  all  its 
promises  and  hopes  is  this,  "  I  will  forgive  their  iniquities,"  &c.  Of  course, 
righteousness  is  more  than  pardon  ;  it  is  not  exhausted  when  we  say  that  it  is  the 
opposite  of  condemnation  ;  but  unless  we  feel  that  the  very  nerve  of  it  lies  in  the 
removal  of  condemnation,  we  shall  never  understand  the  N.T.  tone  in  speaking  of  it. 
It  is  this  which  explains  the  joyous  rebound  of  the  apostle's  spirit  whenever  he  en- 
counters the  subject :  he  remembers  the  black  cloud,  and  now  there  is  clear  shining. 
He  cannot  exaggerate  the  contrast,  nor  the  greater  glory  of  the  new  state.  The 
stars  are  bright  till  the  moon  rises ;  the  moon  herself  reigns  in  heaven  till  her 
splendour  pales  before  the  sun  ;  but  when  the  sun  shines  in  his  strength  there  is  no 
other  glory  in  the  sky.  All  the  glories  of  the  old  covenant  have  vanished  for  Paul 
in  the  light  which  shines  from  the  Cross  and  from  the  throne  of  Christ.  (J.  Denney, 
B.D.)  The  glory  of  the  gospel : — Our  estimate  of  any  object  is  considerably 
enhanced  by  comparing  it  with  others  of  inferior  excellence.  The  size  and 
capacity  of  the  vessel  which  we  say  is  the  largest  afloat  are  by  an  inexperienced  eye 
more  clearly  discernible  when  she  is  seen  in  company  with  one  of  much  smaller 
dimensions.  By  such  comparison,  however,  we  do  nothing  more  than  determine 
the  relative  value  or  properties  of  an  object.  Christ,  for  example,  in  asserting  of 
Himself  that,  in  respect  of  wisdom.  He  was  greater  than  Solomon,  instead  of  wishing 
us  to  depreciate  the  attainments  of  that  illustrious  king,  intended  us  to  consider 
him  as  by  far  the  wisest  of  uninspired  men ;  and  our  estimate  of  the  wisdom  of  the 
one  depends  upon  our  acknowledgment  of  the  great  wisdom  of  the  other.  Paul  says 
of  the  gospel,  that  it  is  a  "  better  testament,  a  more  glorious  dispensation  than  the 
Mosaic  "  ;  but,  in  so  expressing  himself,  he  does  not  seek  to  lessen  the  worth,  or  to 
deny  the  Divine  authority  of  the  legal  economy.  I.  The  superiority  of  the 
Christian  over  the  Mosaic  dispensation  will  be  apparent  it  we  consider  the 
PERSONS  BY  whom  THEY  WERE  RESPECTIVELY  INTRODUCED.  In  tracing  the  Origin  of  the 
Jewish  economy  we  are  led  to  ascribe  its  authorship  to  God.  But  although  God 
may  thus,  in  strict  propriety  of  speech,  be  said  to  be  the  founder  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment dispensation,  yet  instrumentally  may  we  assign  this  honour  unto  Moses. 
Moses  was  but  a  man,  but  Christ  was  God ;  the  one  was  only  a  servant,  the  other 
was  a  Son  over  His  own  house.  The  fact  of  the  incarnation  gives  a  glory  to  the 
gospel  which  never  could  be  claimed  for  the  law.  How  important  must  that  system. 
have  been  in  the  estimation  of  the  Infinite  Godhead  which  demanded  that  the 
second  person  in  the  Trinity  should  be  the  immediate  agent  in  publishing  it  to  the 
world.  Moses  was  not  without  his  faults.  No  blemish  attaches  to  Christ's  cha- 
racter. Moses  could  teach  the  law  of  God,  and  institute  His  ordinances,  but  he  could 
not  enforce  the  one  nor  render  the  other  available  to  salvation.  Christ's  words  are 
spirit  and  life.     The  unequalled  glory  of  Jesus  must  be  diffused  over  His  gospel. 

II.    The  SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  OVER  THE  MOSAIC   DISPENSATION  IS  EVINCED  BY 

THE  CHARACTER  OF  ITS  REVELATIONS.  However  suitcd  the  institutions  of  Moses  were 
to  the  time  at  which  they  were  appointed,  they  are  in  their  nature,  and  in  the 
benefits  which  they  procured,  greatly  inferior  to  those  of  Christ.  The  most  precious 
truths  were  deposited  under  obscure  symbols  ;  the  most  imperative  acts  of  worship 
were  performed  in  expensive  rites  and  burdensome  ceremonials.  Christianity,  as  a 
hght  from  heaven,  has  brushed  away  the  veil  which  concealed  those  things  which 
man's  interests  required  should  be  clearly  unfolded.  She  comes  to  us  in  the  form 
of  mercy,  and  speaks  in  words  of  the  tenderest  compassion.     The  darkness  is  past, 


94  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  hi. 

and  the  true  light  now  shineth.     Torn,  too,  to  the  intolerable  yoke  of  ceremonies 
which  marked  the  Mosaic  dispensation,  as  compared  with  the  easy  yoke  of  Jesus — 
how  burdensome  the  one,  how  light  and  gentle  the  other  !     III.  The  superiority  of 
THE  Christian  over  the  Mosaic  dispensation  is  apparent  from  the  more  extensive 
diffusion  of  its  blessing.     The  religion  of  Moses  was  exclusively  the  religion  of 
the  Jews.     It  was  intended  not  for  the  whole  world,  but  only  for  one  nation.     Very 
different,  however,  is  it  with  regard  to  the  gospel.     Devised  and  published  for  the 
exclusive  benefit  of  none,  but  aiming  at  the  happiness  of  universal  man,  its  field  is 
the  world.     Adjusted  to  the  peculiarities  of  none,  it  seeks  the  salvation  of  all.     As 
the  acorn  cast  into  the  soil  becomes  the  giant  oak,  so  the  gospel,  originally  small  as 
a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  is  now  the  wide-spreading  tree.     Nor  is  its  extension  yet 
completed.     IV.  The  superiority  of  the  Christian  over  the  Mosaic  dispensation 
IS  evident  from  its  perpetuity.     (J.  Jeffrey.)        For  if  that  which  is  done  away 
was  glorious,  much  more  that  which  remaineth  is  glorious. — The  nre-eminence  of 
the  gospel  above  the  law  : — 1.   Now,  first,  as  to  the  knowledge  of  God,  His  nature  and 
attributes;  that  there  is  a  God,  that  there  is  but  one  God  of  infinite  justice,  wisdom, 
and  goodness,  the  supreme  governor  of  the  world,  and  a  gracious  rewarder  of  those 
that  seek  Him,  is  absolutely  necessary  to  be  known  by  all  who  would  attain  eternal 
life.     And  it  cannot  be  doubted  but  that  the  faithful  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world  had  this  knowledge  of  God  ;  but  men  had  not  so  certain,  so  clear  a  know- 
ledge of  these  things  before  the  coming  of  Christ  as  we  have  now  under  the  gospel. 
The  doctrine  of  the  ever  blessed  Trinity  may  perhaps  be  discerned  in  the  writings  of 
Moses  and  the  prophets ;  but  it  is  so  legibly  written  in  the  writings  of  the  apostles 
that  there  is  no  need  of  learning  to  discover  it.     The  believers  under  the  law  were 
persuaded  that  all  things  were  governed  by  an  all- wise  and  all-powerful  being  ;  and 
yet  the  most  enlightened  of  them  were  at  a  loss  to  account  for  the  justice  of  Divine 
providence  in  suffering  the  wicked  to  prosper,  and  the  righteous  to  be  afflicted ;  but 
every  common  Christian  is  able  to  solve  this  difficulty  by  the  help  of  what  he  hath 
learned  from  the  gospel.     Thus  doth  it  appear  that  the  knowledge  which  the  Jews 
had  of  the  nature  and  attributes  of  God  was  very  short  of  ours.     2.  And  as  the 
gospel  gives  us  a  more  distinct  account  of  the  origin  and  demerit  of  sin  than  the 
law  doth,  so  also  doth  it   furnish   us   with   a  brighter  discovery  of  the  methods 
whereby  the  guilt  of  it  is  atoned.     And,  indeed,  it  would  be  no  way  to  our  advantage 
to  be  informed  so  fully  of  the  malignity  of  our  disease  if  we  were  not  also  instructed 
by  what  remedies  it  is  to  be  cured.     Such  a  manifestation  as  this  of  the  mystery  of 
our  redemption  was  proper,  after  it  was  actually  wrought ;  but  so  clear  a  knowledge 
of  it  was  neither  necessary  nor  expedient  before  it  was  effected.     3.  And  as  we 
Christians  have  clearer  notions  of  the  expiation  of  sin  than  had  the  Jews,  so  by 
consequence   must   our   assurances   of    our    being    justified,    or   having   our   sins 
pardoned,  be  stronger  than  were  theirs.     4.  And  as  the  assurances  given  to  us  of 
this  inheritance  are  greater  than  were  afforded  to  the  Jews,  so,  lastly,  is  the  in- 
heritance itself  much  more  plainly  revealed  to  us  in  the  gospel  than  it  was  under  the 
law.     Thus  have  I  given  you  a  summary  account  of  some  of  those  great  advantages 
which  we  enjoy  under  the  dispensation  of  the  gospel,  above  those  which  were  held 
forth  to  the  Jews  under  the  economy  of  Moses.     Great  reason  we  have  to  thank  God 
for  these  glorious  privileges.     {Bp.  Smalridge.)         The  superior  glory  of  the  Christian 
over  the  Mosaic  economy  : — I.  The  glory  of  the  Mosaic  economy.     Its  design  was 
to  maintain  among  the  Israelites  the  knowledge  of  the  one  living  and  true  God, 
and  to  prepare  them  for  the  coming  of  the  Messiah.     The  glory  of  the  dispensation 
consisted  in  its  establishing  these  two  great  ends.     That  glory  appears — 1.  In  the 
purity  of  the  principles  which  it  inculcates.     At  the  period  of  its  promulgation  the 
whole  world  had  apostatised  from  the  worship  of  the  Most  High ;  and  idolatry  led  to 
the  most  ferocious  cruelty,  and  sanctioned  the  basest  pollutions.    Now,  it  was  the  glory 
of  the  Mosaic  economy  that  it  opposed  all  this.     2.  In  the  typical  significance  of  the 
rites  and  ceremonies  it  appointed.     It  is  Christ  who  holds  the  key  of  these  types,  and 
reveals  all  their  fulness  and  significancy.     At  the  same  time  the  pious  Israelite 
could  penetrate  through  these  adumbrations  and  see  their  spiritual  intention.     3.  In 
the  illustrious  support  it  received  from  the  attestation  of  miracles,  and  from  the 
successive  statements  of  inspired  prophets.     II.  The  glory  of  the  gospel  dispensa- 
tion IS  superior  to  that  of  the  law.     1.  In  the  clearness  of  the  revelation  given 
by  it  as  to  those  truths  which  are  most  important  to  salvation.     We  have  seen  that 
the  Mosaic  dispensation  was  typical.     It  taught  the  first  elements,  but  not  religion 
itself,  in  the  plenitude  and  lucidness  of  its  discoveries.     2.  In  the  spirituality  of  its 
nature.     The  religion  of  the  Jews  was  national ;  there  was  but  one  temple,  and  that 


CHAP,  ni.]  JI.  COIilNTHIANS.  95 

was  at  Jerusalem.  The  blessings  bestowed  on  that  people  were  mostly  temporal. 
But  this  state  of  things  no  longer  exists.  Place  is  nothing  in  the  estimation  of  God, 
and  all  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  are  spiritual.  3.  In  its  universality.  The  Jewish 
system  excluded  from  its  benefits  those  who  were  not  the  children  of  Israel,  but  in 
the  gospel  none  are  excluded.  4.  In  its  perpetuity.  (IT.  H.  Miirch.)  The 
'permanent  elements  of  faith  : — 1.  Our  lives  are  full  of  fever  and  restlessness.  In 
truth  is  quietness,  and  God  only  never  changes.  It  is  not  simply  that  we  and  our 
works  are  passing ;  we  might  bear  better  all  that  if  it  w^ere  not  for  the  changes 
which  shake  our  beliefs.  2.  But  none  of  us  have  ever  seen  greater  changes  than 
Paul.  The  law  seemed  to  him  permanent :  the  sun  might  have  been  darkened,  but 
the  glory  of  Israel  was  for  ever.  Yet  in  a  few  short  years  and  he  is  thinking  of  that 
glory  as  something  which  is  done  away,  and  seems  to  have  gained  a  faith  which 
soared  above  these  passing  things.  He  forgets  to  mourn  over  the  glory  which 
passeth  away  as  his  eye  gladdens  with  the  sight  of  a  glory  which  excelleth.  In  aU 
religion  there  are  transient  forms,  and  there  are  permanent  elements.     I.  Note  the 

SEVERAL  SUCCESSIVE  STEPS  BY    WHICH    A    CANDID   MIND    lUY  COIIE    TO    SOME  CERTAINTY  IN 

THE  SUBSTANCE  OF  THINGS  TO  BE  BELIEVED  AND  LOVED.  1.  We  reach  assurance  in  faith 
only  as  we  find  for  ourselves  the  way  up  to  Christ  as  the  supreme  authority  of  faith. 
We  may  approach  the  Divine  Man — (1)  Through  the  constitutional  wants  and 
capacities  of  our  own  souls.  Our  hearts  are  such  echoes  of  Divinity  that  we  should 
listen  in  expectation  for  the  voice  from  above  to  speak  again.  Given  the  first  man, 
Adam,  and  it  is  in  order  to  expert  the  second  Man,  the  Lord  from  heaven.  Christ  is 
the  only  perfect  fulfilment  of  human  nature  ;  and  we  do  need  Him.  (2)  Through 
the  world  which  seems  to  have  been  made  for  a  Christ  to  come.  The  direction  of 
the  creation  from  the  beginning  has  been  ever  to  something  higher  and  diviner. 
At  first  there  was  matter  and  motion  ;  then  worlds  and  life  ;  then  instinct,  and  life 
rising  to  self-consciousness ;  then  reasoning,  and  thoughts  of  the  spirit  searching 
beyond  the  stars ;  and  what  wonder  then  if  we  see,  standirjg  at  the  end  of  it  all. 
One  in  the  form  of  man,  yet  having  the  glory  of  the  Father's  person.  One  who 
finishes  the  whole  creation,  as,  in  His  own  person.  He  binds  it  to  the  throne  of  God. 
(3)  Through  history,  where  we  come  upon  increasing  signs  of  a  leading  and 
gathering  of  events  according  to  some  higher  law.  Take  the  books  of  Moses,  and 
compare  them  with  contemporaneous  traditions  and  beliefs !  The  Bible  grows, 
according  to  some  higher  law,  and  for  some  perfect  fruit  to  come,  just  as  a  plant 
which  springs  up  from  the  ground  feels  the  impulsion  of  something  above  the  ordinary 
forces  of  the  soil  and  the  gravitation  of  the  earth  in  which  it  strikes  its  roots. 
Follow  this  growth  until  you  come  to  the  age  of  its  great  prophecies,  and  you  will 
find  it  more  difficult  still  to  explain  it  as  a  merely  human  product.  When  you  reach 
the  age  of  Isaiah,  you  see  that  all  this  growth  is  after  a  Messianic  law.  It  is  for  a  Christ 
to  come.  That  is  the  law  of  the  type  of  the  whole  dispensation.  So  we  come  to  the 
gospels,  and  the  presence  of  Jesus  Himself.  Nature  and  history  have  pointed 
towards  Him  that  should  come ;  and  when  He  stands  among  men,  declaring  that  in 
Him  the  law  and  the  prophets  are  fulfilled.  He  is  His  own  witness.  He  stands  in 
the  centre  where  all  lights  converge.  Having  this  record  of  the  Son  of  God  on 
earth,  it  is  easy  to  add  the  confession — never  man  was  born  as  this  Man  ;  never  man 
rose  from  the  dead,  and  ascended,  as  this  Man.  2.  We  have  found  the  Messias ; 
now  how  can  we  come  down  from  Him  to  the  present,  so  that  we  may  know,  for 
surety,  amid  the  world's  changes  and  confusions,  that  we  have  His  mind  ?  (1) 
Many  men  saw  and  heard  and  knew  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  They  told  others  what 
they  had  seen  and  heard.  Then  many  began  to  wi-ite  out  their  knowledge  of  Jesus. 
The  same  power  which  prepared  the  world  for,  and  led  prophecy  up  to,  secured  a 
fitting  representation  of  the  Christ.  (2)  Under  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  there 
were  gathered  up  the  writings  of  apostolic  men.  These  men  were  fitted  both  by  their 
personal  position  with  Jesus,  and  by  the  special  workhig  in  them  of  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  to  be  to  us  authorities  for  Jesus,  and  the  first  interpreters  of  the  mind 
of  Christ.  We  believe,  accordingly,  that  this  written  Scripture  is  our  supreme 
authority.  (3)  We  must  receive  something  of  His  Spirit  ourselves.  We  must  read 
His  words,  and  understand  these  authorities  for  Christ,  in  the  spirit  of  Christ.  The 
Bible  is  a  gift  of  God  to  the  spiritual  mind  of  the  Church.  We  live  in  the  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Holy  Ghost.     H.  Christ,  the  Scriptures,  jvnd  the  Christlike  heart, 

ARE  THE  MEANS  GIVEN  TO  JIEN  OF    KNOWING  THE    ABIDING    REALITIES,  the    true    God    and 

eternal  life.  And  this  is  precisely  what  John  said  in  chap.  xxi.  20,  "  We  know  that 
the  Son  of  God  is  come  "  ;  that  was  the  disciple's  positive  knowledge  of  the  historic 
Christ,  "  and  hath  given  us  an  understanding,  that  we  may  know  Him  that  is 


96  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  in. 

true  "  ;  that  was  the  disciple's  spiritual  discernment  of  Jesus  ;  "  And  we  are  in  Him 
that  is  true  "  ;  that  is  the  fuU  and  final  security  of  Christian  faith  and  truth.  III. 
Note  the  dieect  bearings  of  all  this  upon  present  things.  1.  A  child  once  said 
to  me,  "  Perhaps  I  shall  not  believe  when  I  am  a  man  all  the  things  which  you 
beheve."  Surprised  for  a  moment,  I  reflected,  Why,  if  it  be  true  to  itself  and  its 
God,  should  it  not  grow  in  its  day  beyond  us  in  knowledge  of  Divine  truth  ?  I 
revere  the  fathers ;  but  some  things  which  they  held  belonged  to  the  glory  which 
was  passing,  not  to  the  more  excellent  glory  of  that  which  remained.  This, 
accordingly,  has  one  apphcation  to  parents  who  are  sometimes  troubled  by  the  new 
questions  which  their  children  are  asking.  2.  The  surface  of  religious  life  is  now 
rippled  with  breezes  of  discussion,  and  one  duty  seems  urgent.  We  should  Uve  and 
abide,  as  much  as  possible,  with  our  own  hearts  in  those  truths  which  to  us  are 
most  real  and  vital.  For  our  own  quietness  and  inner  truth  of  faith  we  need  to  look 
away  from  this  present,  and  to  cherish  in  our  thoughts  those  elementary  Christian 
truths  which  belong  to  the  heart  of  the  Christian  faith  in  aU  the  ages.  And  these  are 
not  passing  away.  (1)  The  belief  in  God  is  not — how  can  it  ? — from  the  soul  of  man 
who  is  God's  child.  J3ut  from  all  our  questionings  we  are  learning,  perhaps  never 
before  so  deeply,  what  those  old  Hebrew  words  mean — the  Uving  God  !  (2)  Again, 
men  are  disusing  expressions  of  behef  once  common  concerning  the  atoning  work 
of  Christ ;  and  some  say,  So  passes  the  glory  of  the  Cross.  Not  so.  The  glory  of 
the  Cross  can  never  pass,  because  it  is  the  eternal  glory  of  the  love  of  God.  StiU 
upon  our  lips,  although  in  simpler  words  of  human  love  and  need,  you  will  hear  the 
song  of  the  ages,  "  Worthy  the  Lamb  that  was  slain."  God's  Spirit  is  bringing 
closer  home  to  our  hearts  the  need  there  was  for  such  sufferings  as  Christ's  in  the 
forgiveness  of  the  sin  of  the  world.  (3)  Again,  there  seems  to  have  fallen  over  our 
pulpits  a  great  silence  upon  the  subject  of  the  judgment-day.  Perhaps  God  has 
seen  fit  to  make  this  silence  that  our  confused  echoes  of  Jesus'  gospel  might  die 
away,  and  men  listen  again  with  hushed  hearts  to  His  eternal  words.  We  had  to 
cease  repeating  the  father's  sermons  upon  sinners  in  the  hand  of  God,  at  which 
once  indeed  the  souls  of  men  trembled,  but  by  which  now  they  are  not  moved,  in 
order  that  we  might  begin  to  preach  again,  according  to  tJie  warnings  of  our  own 
hearts,  the  fearful  wickedness  and  doom  of  a  soul  flying  with  wilful  selfishness  into 
the  face  of  the  glory  of  the  loving.  Christian  God.  (4)  Neither  are  the  motives  to 
repentance  and  a  godly  life  passing  from  us.  The  more  we  learn  of  our  own  evil 
nature,  and  our  own  weakness  and  need  of  being  put  and  kept  right,  the  more 
reason  have  we  for  the  humble  prayer  of  the  heart  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins, 
and  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  our  lives.     {Newman  Smyth,  D.D.)  The 

glory  of  the  gospel : — The  gospel  is  pre-eminently  glorious,  because  it  continues 
without  change,  and  affords  blessings  in  perpetuity  to  all  who  are  willing  to  receive 
them.  This  perpetuity  and  unchangeableness  are  not  the  mere  results  of  arbitrary 
power ;  but  belong  to  it  as  a  system  suited  in  its  nature  to  bless  man  at  all  times, 
and  in  all  stages  of  his  existence.  It  possesses  the  character  of  Him  whose  name 
is  love  and  who  never  changes.  Systems  of  religion,  it  is  said,  have  risen  up  and 
had  their  day.  Why  may  not  this  be  the  case  with  Christianity  ?  The  answer  is 
easy.  Because  Christianity  differs,  in  many  material  points,  from  every  other  form 
of  religion.  1.  It  addresses  itself  directly  to  reason  and  conscience.  2.  It  puts  no 
inordinate  value  on  outward  observances.  3.  It  not  only  disclaims  fanaticism  and 
superstition,  but  affords  the  only  real  security  against  those  desolating  evils.  4.  It 
lays  no  restraints  the  design  of  which  is  not  clearly  benevolent.  5.  The  great 
founder  of  this  religion  has  made  all  the  duties  which  grow  out  of  man's  various 
relations  a  part  of  His  system.  As  long  as  there  are  husbands  and  wives,  parents 
and  children,  neighbours,  &c.,  so  long  Christianity  will  be  adapted  to  the  circum- 
stances of  man.  But  it  also  institutes  new  relations.  It  makes,  indeed,  the  human 
race  all  one  family,  offers  to  all  one  Saviour,  and  encourages  aU  to  say,  "  Our  Father 
which  art  in  heaven."  Thus,  then,  there  is  no  other  religion  like  Christianity.  So 
the  passing  away  of  dissimilar  systems  affords  no  presumption  that  this,  which  differs 
from  them  all,  will  also  pass  away.  Because  the  places  of  sand  and  seaweed  on  the 
shore  are  changed  by  every  rising  tide,  it  does  not  therefore  follow  that  the  solid 
rocks  will  be  removed.  I.  Christianity  is  adapted  to  at.t.  climates,  periods,  con- 
ditions OF  HUMAN  existence,  AND  PRODUCES,  WHEREVER  IT  PREVAILS,  THE  SAME  EFFECTS. 

It  has  in  every  age  secured  converts  among — 1.  All  races.  2.  Every  variety  of 
human  character.     3.  All  classes  and  ranks.     11.  The  gospel  is  adapted  to  all 

PARTS    OF    man's    INTELLECTUAL    AND    MORAL    NATURE.         1.    It     applies    the    StrOUgest 

stimulus  to  the  human  mind,  and  gives  the  widest  range  to  human  thoughts.    2. 


CHAP,  in.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  97 

Mark  its  treatment  of  man's  affections  and  passions.  (1)  Take  love.  Its  ordinary 
effects,  when  supremely  fixed  on  worldly  objects,  are  too  well  known.  It  is  the 
religion  of  the  Bible  only,  which  turns  it  at  once  on  objects  worthy  to  be  loved  by 
rational  and  immortal  beings.  (2)  Take  hope,  the  mainspring  of  the  soul.  How  im- 
portant it  is  that  man  should  have  his  hopes  wisely  directed.  But  in  this  case  all 
human  wisdom  has  utterly  failed.  Men  have  hoped  for  things  unattainable,  or  for 
things  which,  when  attained,  have  disappointed  their  expectations.  But  the  gospel 
fastens  the  hopes  of  man  on  infinity  and  eternity,  and  gives  for  their  warrant  the 
sure  promise  of  Jehovah,  and  the  redeeming  love  of  the  Saviour.  (3)  Take  the 
desire  of  pleasure.  Here  is  one  of  the  most  fearful  dangers  to  which  human  nature 
is  exposed.  The  religion  of  Christ  gives  to  the  Christian  pleasure  without  pollution. 
It  allows  everything  which  is  not  injurious,  and  adds  joys  which  flow  from  the  ever- 
lasting fountain  of  joy  in  heaven.     III.  The  beneficent  and  wise  adaptation  of 

THIS  religion  to  THE  NATUKE  OF  MAN  18  APPARENT  FROM  ITS  OPERATION  ON  HIS  CON- 
SCIENCE. 1.  Conscience,  from  want  of  proper  disciphne  and  exercise,  may  be  inert 
and  feeble.  Hence  it  is  of  unspeakable  importance  that  we  should  have  access  to 
truth,  which  has  power  to  awaken  the  slumberer  within  us.  The  Bible  has  that 
power,  and  it  has  been  exerted  times  without  number.  It  strikes  on  the  heart  of 
the  sinner,  even  "  when  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,"  and  sends  a  thrill  of  powerful 
feeUng  through  his  whole  soul.  2.  By  the  communication  of  knowledge  respecting 
our  Creator,  our  relation  and  obligations  to  Him,  and  to  one  another,  our  conscience 
is  most  wisely  directed.  3.  No  religion  knows  what  to  do  with  the  guilty  and  troubled 
conscience,  but  the  rehgion  of  the  gospel.     IV.  The  gospel  is  wonderfully  adapted 

TO  THE  nature  OF  MAN,  BECAUSE  THE  UNLIMITED  REACH  OF  ITS  TRUTHS  IS  SUITED  TO  THE 

PROGRESS  OF  OUR  INTELLECTUAL  AND  MORAL  FACULTIES.  Such  is  the  nature  of  man, 
that  when  he  has  attained  an  object,  and  ascertained  its  extent,  and  found  just  what 
it  can  do  for  him,  he  is  at  once  disgusted.  But  the  truths  of  Christianity  are  ever 
enlarging  before  the  mind  of  the  believer.  The  same  is  true  in  regard  to  the 
Christian's  progress  in  holiness.  Notice  in  conclusion  some  special  blessings  con- 
ferred by  the  gospel.  1.  It  confers  upon  individuals  an  elevation  of  character 
otherwise  unattainable.  2.  It  gives  to  domestic  life  its  choicest  blessings.  (1)  By 
making  marriage  a  Divine  institution.  (2)  By  determining  the  relative  situation  of 
husband  and  wife,  parent  and  children.  3.  It  bestows  its  peculiar  blessings  on 
social  hfe.  Purifying  all  its  fountains,  and  producing  that  gentleness  and  meek- 
ness, those  "  kind  designs  to  serve  and  please,"  which  give  the  highest  charms  and 
the  most  enchanting  graces  to  social  intercourse.  4.  It  confers  inestimable  benefits 
on  man  in  the  relations  of  civil  life.  Complete  civil  and  political  liberty  never  can 
be  enjoyed  by  any  people  without  the  influences  of  pure  Christianity.  In  the  most 
celebrated  republics  of  the  heathen  world  there  was  nothing  Uke  the  degree  of  true, 
rational,  well-balanced,  and  well-secured  freedom,  which  is  now  the  birthright  of 
the  people  of  this  country.  4.  It  affords  the  only  security  for  the  preservation  of 
the  dearest  right  of  a  freeman — his  religious  hberty.     {J.  H.  Rice.) 

Vers.  12-18.  Seeing  then  that  we  have  such  hope,  we  use  great  plainness  of 
speech. — The  duty  of  outspokenness  on  religious  questions : — True  religion  is  very 
simple  and  very  deep.  As  simple  as  this  statement,  "  God  is  good  " ;  as  deep  as  life 
and  death.  But  it  has  ever  been  hard  for  men  to  receive  religion  in  all  its  simplicity 
and  in  all  its  depth.  They  want  something  they  can  touch  and  handle,  something 
to  fin  the  imagination,  something  with  many  colours  to  attract  the  eye.  And 
human  teachers  have  ever  been  ready  to  adapt  themselves  to  this  craving,  and  have 
put  their  teaching  into  a  shape  in  which  they  thought  it  most  Ukely  to  be  received. 
And  yet  it  is  sometimes  the  part  of  the  Christian  minister,  in  following  the  example 
of  Christ  and  of  St.  Paul,  to  "  use  great  plainness  of  speech  "  :  to  tell  the  people,  not 
what  they  most  wish  or  expect  to  hear,  not  what  is  most  in  accordance  with  their 
previous  ideas  and  prejudices,  but  what  he  hiraseK  thinks  and  knows,  what  he  has 
found  in  his  own  experience  to  be  of  lasting  value,  or,  in  Scriptural  language,  the 
truth  which  he  believes  that  he  has  heard  of  God.  St.  Paul  made  the  greatest  effort 
that  was  ever  made  by  any  one,  excepting  only  Christ,  to  bring  men  to  receive  a 
spiritual  rehgion.  He  strove  to  show  to  the  Jew  that  God  in  Christ  was  the  Father 
of  all  men,  and  not  of  the  Jew  only ;  that  righteousness  meant  not  the  mere  outward 
performance  of  certain  acts,  but  a  right  attitude  of  the  heart  towards  God.  And  we 
read  in  this  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  that  this  teaching  of  St.  Paul  was  "  to  the 
Jews  a  stumbling-block  and  to  the  Greeks  foolishness."  Now,  why  was  this  ?  Let 
us  try  to  imagine  how  they  must  have  felt  in  listening  to  him.     Let  us  imagine  the 

7 


98  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  in. 

Jew  being  told  that  the  law  of  Moses  was  abolished  and  done  away,  that  the  blood 
of  bulls  and  goats  could  not  take  away  sin  ;  that  the  Passover,  the  commemoration 
of  the  great  deliverance  that  had  first  made  the  Jews  a  nation,  was  only  a  type  and 
a  shadow  which  was  vanishing ;  that  the  peculiar  people  must  no  longer  think 
that  Jehovah  had  any  special  regard  for  them,  but  must  learn  to  embrace  the 
Gentiles,  who  for  half  their  lives  had  been  polluting  themselves  with  abominations 
of  idols.  Was  this,  the  Jewish  objector  might  say — was  this,  indeed,  to  stand  upon 
the  ancient  paths  and  to  restore  the  desolations  of  many  generations  ?  Was  it  not 
rather  to  remove  the  landmarks,  to  tear  up  the  foundations  ?  Such  then  was  the 
nature  of  the  offence  which  the  teaching  of  St.  Paul  gave  to  the  Jew.  Let  us  now 
turn  and  ask  what  impression  it  was  likely  to  produce  upon  the  Gentiles.  I  think 
I  hear  one  of  them  crying,  "  What  will  this  babbler  say  ?  And  are  we  not  to 
worship  the  sun  going  forth  as  a  giant  to  run  his  course,  nor  the  moon  walking  in 
brightness,  nor  the  earth,  nor  the  glorious  heaven  that  smiles  on  us  with  pure 
radiance  in  the  daytime  and  gazes  on  us  with  a  thousand  eyes  at  night  ?  The 
Diana  of  the  Ephesians,  the  Jupiter  of  Lystria  or  of  Athens,  these  are  to  be  nothing 
to  us.  Those  are  no  gods,  you  tell  us,  that  are  made  with  hands.  Would  you  take 
from  them  the  only  stay,  the  only  consolation  which  they  have  amid  the  miseries  of 
their  feeble  life,  and  offer  them  instead  an  unseen  God,  to  be  comprehended  only 
with  the  mind !  Take  heed  that  you  are  not  destroying  what  you  cannot  restore." 
Now  St.  Paul  was  not  the  first  nor  the  last  who  in  teaching  a  spiritual  religion,  in 
trying  to  open  a  way  between  the  soul  of  man  and  the  Spirit  of  God,  had  won  for 
himself  amongst  the  people  of  his  own  time  the  name  of  a  godless  and  irreligious 
man.  Isaiah  is  heard  proclaiming  in  the  name  of  God,  "  Your  new  moons  and 
your  appointed  feasts  My  soul  hateth,  they  are  a  trouble  unto  me,  I  am  weary  to 
bear  them.  Bring  no  more  vain  oblations.  Cease  to  do  evil,  learn  to  do  well :  seek 
judgment,  relieve  the  oppressed,  judge  the  fatherless,  plead  for  the  widow."  And 
Ezekiel  is  heard  to  cry,  "  The  son  shall  not  bear  the  iniquity  of  his  father.  The 
soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die."  But  Isaiah  fell  a  victim  to  the  idolatrous  fanaticism 
of  his  countrymen,  and  of  Ezekiel  the  people  said,  "  Doth  he  not  speak  parables?  " 
And  so  all  the  Hebrew  prophets,  one  by  one,  bore  witness  equally  against  the 
formalism  and  idolatry  of  the  people,  and  were  rejected  equally.  And  what  of 
Christ  Himself  ?  Was  He  not  put  to  death  for  blasphemy :  because  He  had  said, 
"  Destroy  this  temple  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up,"  and  because  He  told 
the  Chief  Priests  that  "  The  hour  was  coming  when  the  Son  of  Man  should  sit  on 
the  right  hand  of  Power  "  ?  We  need  not  fear,  then,  or  be  discouraged,  if  it  should 
be  found  that  in  some  matters  either  of  doctrine  or  of  custom  and  tradition  there  is 
still  a  veil  upon  the  people's  heart  which  clouds  for  them  the  perfect  vision  of  the 
righteousness  and  goodness,  the  justice  and  mercy,  of  Almighty  God :  nor  should 
the  Christian  teacher,  who  thinks  he  sees  it  is  so,  shrink  from  trying  to  remove  the 
veil :  if  he  may  hope  thereby  to  bring  the  minds  of  his  countrymen  nearer  to  a  pure 
and  spiritual  religion.  Least  of  all  is  he  to  be  deterred  by  the  imputation  of  impiety, 
or  of  infidelity  and  atheism,  which  has  been  shared  by  all  religious  teachers  who 
have  had  anything  to  tell  mankind,  including  Christ  Himself.  But  still  the 
unveiling  of  Divine  truth  to  human  apprehensions  must  be  a  gradual  process,  and 
is  not  to  be  completed  in  this  life,  and  the  same  St.  Paul  who  says,  "  That  we  all, 
beholding  with  open  face  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are  transformed  into  the  same 
image,  from  glory  to  glory,"  had  already  said  to  this  same  Corinthian  Church, 
"  Now  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly,  but  then  face  to  face  ;  now  I  know  in  part, 
but  then  shall  I  know  even  as  I  also  am  known."  (Prof.  Lewis  Campbell.)  But 
their  minds  were  blinded. — Moral  insensibility  of  sinners  : — I.  Its  figurative 
KEPiJESENTATioN.  This  moral  blindnesses — 1.  Criminal — the  result  of  a  sinful  course. 
2.  Dangerous — a  most  alarming  moral  disease.  3.  Temporary — the  heart  must 
one  day  be  quickened.  II.  Its  universal  symptoms.  Want  of  spiritual — 1.  Under- 
standing. 2.  Perception.  A  thick  haze  of  sin  hides  the  spiritual  from  the  soul's 
eye.  III.  Its  grand  discovery.  Man's  awful  moral  insensibility  is  seen  in — 1.  His 
opposition.  2.  His  indifference  to  the  gospel.  But  yet  this  will  be  done  away  in 
Christ.  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  But  even  unto  this  day  when  Moses  is  read,  the 
vail  is  upon  their  hearts. — Veils  : — How  is  it  that  the  number  of  those  who 
believe  the  gospel  is  so  small  compared  with  the  number  of  those  who  do  not 
believe  in  it?  Our  nation  has  had  the  gospel  in  it  more  or  less  now  for 
the  space  of  one  thousand  six  hundred  years.  Week  by  week  the  gospel 
has  been  expounded  and  enforced  by  all  sorts  of  agencies,  yet  in  no  town 
is  there  one-half  of  the   population   found   within  the  walls  of  Christian  sanctu- 


CHAP.  III.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  99 

aries,  and  there  are  few  congregations  in  which  the  unbelievers  do  not  out-number 
the  believers.  How  is  this  ?  We  propose  to  look  at  the  answer  to  this  question  as 
given  by  St.  Paul.  The  veil  is  on  the  heart.  The  vision  of  an  object  may  be 
rendered  impossible  in  either  of  two  ways  at  least.  There  is  a  mountain  that  rears 
its  majestic  head  to  the  sky;  you  may  spend  weeks  in  its  neighbourhood,  and  yet 
never  see  it  once.  It  may  be  shrouded  in  mist.  The  veil  is  then  on  the  mountain. 
Or,  the  mountain  may  be  still  unseen,  for  the  eye  may  be  covered  with  thick  films. 
The  veil  is  then  on  the  eye.  This  latter  case  is  the  one  which  fitly  illustrates  the 
language  of  the  apostle,  "  The  veil  is  upon  the  heart,  not  upon  Moses ;  he  is  read, 
but  he  is  not  understood ;  the  veil  is  upon  the  heart."  Let  us  look  at  a  few  of  the 
veils  which  are  on  the  hearts  of  men  now.  I.  The  veil  of  human  depravity  or 
NATURAL  corruption.  No  One  surely  will  say  that  even  the  best  man  we  know  would 
reflect  credit  upon  his  Creator,  had  he  been  made  exactly  as  he  now  is,  with  so 
many  sinful  tendencies  in  him.  Nor  do  I  see  how  any  thoughtful  man  can  main- 
tain the  theory  which  affirms  that  we  all  came  into  the  world  with  a  clean,  pure 
soul,  and  which  accounts  for  what  we  are,  entirely  upon  the  principle  of  the  in- 
fluence of  circumstances  and  education.  How  any  one  who  has  had  to  deal  with 
children  can  maintain  such  a  theory  passes  my  comprehension.  It  may  sound  a 
very  plausible  principle.  "  Teach  men  the  truth,  and  they  will  believe  it ;  teach  men 
the  right,  and  they  will  do  it."  But  does  any  one  seriously  believe  that  ignorance 
explains  all  the  wickedness  of  the  world  ?  Ignorance  of  what  ?  Ignorance  that  it 
is  wickedness  ?  Is  it  so,  then,  that  man  is  now  doing  wrong  with  the  consciousness 
that  it  is  wrong  ?  To  say  that  men  would  not  drink  if  they  knew  better  is  to  trifle. 
They  do  know  better.  Where,  then,  is  the  veil  in^such  a  case  which  prevents  their 
reformation  ?  It  is  not  over  the  consequences  of  their  sin.  It  can  only  be  upon 
their  heart.  The  vice  is  indulged  because  it  is  loved.  And  what  is  true  of  this  vice 
is  true  also  of  man's  general  alienation  from  what  is  good.  The  carnal  mind  is 
enmity  against  God,  &c.  II.  The  veil  of  conceit  or  intellectual  pride.  This  is 
closely  connected  with  the  one  we  have  just  considered.  It  is,  in  fact,  one  of  its 
folds.  There  is  a  peril  in  our  times  arising  from  the  almost  exclusive  attention 
which  is  being  directed  to  the  study  of  the  wonders  of  external  nature.  It  is  obvious 
that  the  fascinations  of  scientific  investigation  may  blind  the  mind  to  the  claims  of 
higher  truth,  which  depends  for  its  understanding  on  qualities  of  heart  rather 
than  of  intellect.  The  mathematician  may  dwell  so  long  in  the  region  of  figures 
and  formulas  that  he  may  never  dream  of  a  world  in  which  they  play  no  part  what- 
ever. The  chemist  may  so  busy  himself  among  acids,  and  alkalies,  and  crucibles, 
and  retorts  that  he  may  deign  no  thought  to  anything  which  he  cannot  fuse  or 
analyse.  The  Bible  introduces  the  philosopher  into  a  world  which  is  all  but  entirely 
new.  It  does  not  require  his  calculus,  or  his  crucible,  or  his  battery,  or  his  micro- 
scope. Its  truths  are  different  from  any  that  can  be  reached  by  these  processes  of 
investigation.  What  can  they  tell  us  about  sin  ?  The  Bible  does  not  create  sin,  it 
finds  it.  It  deals  not  only  with  sin  as  a  fact,  but  guilt  as  a  feeling.  This,  too,  is  not 
created  by  the  Bible.  The  Bible  deals  with  the  idea  of  a  nobler  life.  Even  this 
idea  it  did  not  whoUy  create.  It  deals  with  death,  and  with  death  in  its  moral  aspects, 
and  with  eternity.  The  Bible  tells  us  of  the  incarnation,  and  of  the  Cross,  and  of 
the  resurrection.  Now  the  reason  of  man  could  tell  us  nothing  of  these  things  apart 
from  the  Bible.  That  profound  mysteries  are  mingled  up  with  this  revelation  is 
admitted.  But  it  surely  is  not  for  the  human  intellect  to  proudly  turn  away  from  it 
on  this  account.  How  many  doors  of  nature  it  has  knocked  at  ?  how  many  subtle 
forces  it  has  sought  to  seize,  and  see  in  their  inmost  essence,  but  in  vain  ?  Does  it 
hear  and  obey  the  voice  which  nature  utters,  "  Hitherto  shalt  thou  go,  but  no 
further  "  ?  and  does  it  resent  such  a  limitation  in  the  domain  of  the  Divine  Word  ? 
Then  it  becomes  not  the  reason  which  is  reverent,  but  the  reason  which  is  proud. 
It  will  not  accept  the  truth  on  which  the  light  shines  full,  because  there  is  truth 
which  lies  in  darkness.  But  where  in  this  case  is  the  veil  ?  The  veil  is  on  the 
heart.  III.  The  veil  of  prejudice  and  tradition.  There  are  few  vices  of  the  mind 
which  are  more  common  and  invincible.  What  a  fearful  amount  of  evidence  a 
prejudice  can  resist !  Now  prejudice  often  assumes  the  form  of  holding  fast  to  a 
traditional  faith.  This  was  the  very  case  with  the  Jews,  who  held  fast  not  to  the 
true  Moses,  but  to  the  Moses  as  he  had  been  represented  to  them  by  their  authorita- 
tive teachers.  Had  they  listened  to  the  true  Moses,  they  would  have  been  prepared 
to  welcome  Christ.  But  when  Moses  was  read  in  their  hearing,  or  by  themselves, 
he  was  read,  not  through  a  clear  medium  as  when  one  sees  objects  through  the  pure 
air  by  the  light  of  the  sun,  but  he  was  read  through  a  jaundiced  eye  and  a  medium 


100  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  in. 

which  distorted  him.  They  brought  their  conceptions  with  them,  and  made  their 
own  Moses  in  a  large  degree.  They  were  hke  men  who  consult  the  oracle,  and  tell 
the  oracle  what  shall  be  his  response,  or  who  speak  in  an  echoing  vault,  and  find 
their  voice  returned  to  them.  Things  are  to  us  in  great  measure  what  we  are  to 
them.  And  if  we  bring  prejudice  or  a  traditional  faith  with  us,  a  faith,  I  mean, 
which  we  have  not  ourselves  tested  and  proved,  and  which  does  not  live  within  us 
and  support  our  life,  then  we  need  not  expect  to  see  the  truth.  Let  us  have  a  better 
reason  for  our  faith  than  that  we  have  always  held  it,  or  that  our  father  held  it.  It 
was  because  the  Jews  had  no  better  reason  that  they  called  Christ  Beelzebub — that 
they  crucified  Him  :  and  that  even  to  the  days  of  Paul,  yes,  and  even  down  to  our 
own  days  when  Moses  is  read,  the  veil  is  on  their  eyes.     IV.  The  veil  of  lust, 

SELF-INTEKEST,  OR  ANY  OTHER  SIN  WHICH  HAS  ACQUIRED  A  MASTERY  OVER  THE  HEART  AND 

LIFE.  There  is  nothing  that  can  so  darken  the  eye  of  the  soul  as  a  sin,  and  hence  no 
man  who  is  addicted  to  sin  can  see  so  clearly  as  the  man  whose  soul  is  pure 
whether  in  fact  or  in  aspiration.  Who  is  sanguine  in  his  endeavours  to  persuade  a 
man  to  relinquish  a  tralfic,  however  mischievous,  provided  only  it  brings  in  ample 
gains  ?  He  sees  no  evil  in  the  traffic,  why  should  he  ?  He  compels  no  one  to  buy  ; 
and  they  may  buy  as  little  as  they  choose.  Besides,  if  he  did  not  sell  some  one  else 
would.  Thus  he  reasons,  but  those  arguments  did  not  lead  him  to  begin  the  traffic, 
or  to  continue  in  it.  They  never  occur  to  him  except  when  he  is  put  on  his  defence. 
The  one  abiding  and  omnipotent  motive  is  that  the  trade  is  lucrative.  This  is  the 
veil  which  is  before  his  eyes,  and  which  no  amount  of  light  will  suffice  to  penetrate. 
Conclusion  :  Will  you  submit  to  this  blinding  process  ?  Or,  will  you  cry  to  the 
Great  Healer,  and  say  to  Him,  "  Lord,  that  I  may  receive  my  sight "  ?  The  veil, 
you  will  remember,  cannot  remain  for  ever.  The  hand  of  death  will  tear  it  away  ; 
but  the  light  which  then  will  fall  upon  your  eyes  will  not  be  the  light  of  salvation, 
but  that  which  discovers  to  you,  when  too  late,  the  blessedness  which  you  have 
bartered  for  the  pleasures  of  a  day.  (E.  Mellor,  D.D.)  Truth  unveiled  : — The 
apostle  in  the  text  contrasts  the  state  of  beheving  Christians  with  that  of  the  un- 
believing Jews,  for  the  former,  all  with  open  face,  behold  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 
Now  the  language  here  employed  admits  of  some  latitude  of  interpretation.  The 
word  "  open  "  means  unveiled,  and  this  shows  that  a  contrast  is  intended.  And  the 
phrase  may  either  be  rendered  "  with  open  face,"  alluding  to  the  face  of  the  be- 
holders, or  "  in  an  open  face,"  referring  to  the  face  of  Christ,  as  contrasted  with  that 
of  Moses.  For  at  the  sixth  verse  of  the  next  chapter  the  apostle  expressly  says  that 
"  God,  who  commanded  the  Ughtto  shine  out  of  darkness,  hath  shined  in  our  hearts, 
to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ." 
If,  then,  we  understand  the  words  in  the  former  sense,  the  spiritually  enlightened 
Christian  is  contrasted  with  the  carnal  and  prejudiced  Jew.  But  if  we  understand 
the  words  in  the  latter  sense,  the  objects  contrasted  are  the  Christian  and  Mosaic 
dispensations,  implying  that  the  beholders  have  now  the  advantage,  externally,  of  a 
far  more  glorious  revelation.  Christ  did  not  put  a  veil  on  His  face  like  Moses,  but 
openly  reflected  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  Now,  in  whichever  sense  the  words  ought  to 
be  grammatically  explained,  we  apprehend  that  both  ideas  are  included  in  the  view  of 
the  apostle.  He  obviously  means,  that  however  it  was  in  fonner  times,  and 
however  it  might  be  still  with  blinded,  unbeUeving  Jews,  both  the  veil  of  Moses  and 
the  veil  of  the  heart  were  now  taken  away  in  reference  to  the  Christian  believer. 
There  was  no  longer  an  obstructing  medium  interposed  between  them  and  the  sub- 
lime truths  of  redemption.  The  light  fell  at  once  upon  the  eyes  of  their  under- 
standing and  the  object  of  their  contemplation,  and  nothing  tended  any  longer 
either  to  obscure  it  or  to  intercept  its  progress.  There  was  neither  a  diseased  organ 
of  vision  in  the  beholder  nor  a  concealed  object.     I.  In  the  first  place,  it  becomes 

us  TO  REFLECT,  WITH  UNFEIGNED  GRATITUDE    TO  GoD,    ON    THE  PECULIAR    ADVANTAGES  OF 

OUR  OWN  EXTERNAL  SITUATION  IN  REGARD  TO  THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE.  There  are  many 
heathen  nations  in  the  world  who  have  never  enjoyed  the  light  of  Divine  truth  in 
any  degree.  And  how  obscurely  was  it  possessed  even  by  the  ancient  Israelites  I 
Yes,  the  way  of  salvation  is  now  patent  and  plain.  The  glory  of  the  Lord,  the 
excellent  glory  of  His  Divine  mercy  and  love,  as  seen  in  the  whole  series  of  His 
dispensations,  and  reflected  from  the  word  of  His  grace,  is  now  placed  fully  in  our 
view.  II.  But  it  becomes  us  to  consider  the  state  of  our  own  heabts  in 
REFERENCE  TO  THE  PRIVILEGES  WE  ENJOY.  In  our  day  there  is  no  veil  upon  the  truth, 
but  is  there  none  upon  our  own  minds  ?  Do  we  now  distinguish  that  glory  of  the 
Lord  which  emanates  from  the  plan  of  redemption  ?  Do  we  discern  the  moral 
beauty,  and  feel  the  blessed  influence  of  the  doctrines  of  grace?     If  so,  then  the 


CHAP,  m.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  101 

internal  veil  has  surely  been  removed  from  our  hearts.  But  if  not,  let  us  remember 
that  the  fault  is  our  own,  and  that  the  blindness  is  in  ourselves,  for  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  has  been  openly  revealed.  And  if  we  discern  it  not  the  veil  must  be  still  upon 
our  hearts.  This  was  the  case  with  many  among  the  Jews  even  after  Christ  had  come, 
And,  alas  !  how  many  among  professing  Christians  in  the  present  day  have  the  same 
veil  upon  their  hearts.  For  otherwise,  how  shall  we  account  for  the  dimness  of 
their  perception  in  discerning  the  real  nature  and  bearings  of  Divine  truth  ?  Why 
do  they  not  see  sin  in  all  its  native  deformity  and  soul-ruining  consequences  ? 
Why  do  they  not  see  the  beauty  and  excellency  of  holiness,  and  the  pure  and 
spiritual  happiness  with  which  holiness  is  connected  ?  Why  do  they  not  recognise 
the  claims  of  God  upon  the  devoted  affection  ?  Or  why  do  they  not  feel  and 
acknowledge  the  unspeakable  obhgations  under  which  they  are  laid  to  the  infinite 
love  and  grace  of  the  Kedeemer?  Why  do  they  not  see  the  magnitude  of  the 
gospel  salvation,  and  the  aggravated  guilt  and  infatuation  of  neglecting  it  ?  And 
why  do  they  form  such  erroneous,  unworthy,  and  unscriptural  conceptions  of  that 
salvation  ?  Were  it  only  a  cloud  of  ignorance  which  overshadowed  their  under- 
standings, it  might  easily  be  dispelled,  and  could  not  long  remain  with  all  the 
abundant  means  of  instruction  they  enjoy.  But,  alas  !  it  is  a  dark  cloud,  not  of 
ignorance  merely,  but  of  prejudice.  It  is  the  influence  of  pride,  stirring  up  the 
enmity  of  the  carnal  mind  against  the  humiliating  doctrines  of  the  gospel ;  it  is  the 
cherished  indulgence  of  some  favourite  sin  ;  it  is  the  inveterate  love  of  this  present 
evil  world.  But  it  is  the  peculiar  privilege  of  the  true  believer  to  behold  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  with  open  face  in  the  mirror  of  the  gospel.  Savingly  taught  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  he  has  been  delivered  from  his  native  ignorance  and  unbelief  ;  he  has 
obtained  the  gift  of  spiritual  discernment,  and  he  beholds  wondrous  things  out  of 
the  Divine  law.  He  sees  a  majesty  and  a  glory  in  the  Scriptures,  a  high  importance 
and  excellency  in  spiritual  subjects,  to  which  he  was  originally  blind.  (R.  Brydon.) 
Our  study  of  God's  truth  must  be  with  the  heart : — 1.  In  this  passage  the  intellectual 
blindness  of  the  Jews  is  traced  up  to  the  wrong  state  of  their  hearts.  Indeed,  even 
without  this  statement  we  could  have  gathered  as  much.  The  miracles  of  our  Lord, 
and  the  close  agreement  of  His  career  with  prophecy,  must  have  carried  the  convic- 
tions of  the  Jews  by  force,  had  there  not  been  a  predisposition  in  the  heart  not  to 
beMeve.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  this  predisposition  shall  be  removed,  they  shall 
forthwith  be  convinced,  and  "  the  veil  shall  be  taken  away."  2.  Men  are  well 
aware  that  the  understanding  is  Uable  to  be  prejudiced  by  the  heart.  "  Love,"  they 
say,  "  is  blind."  We  should  exclude  from  the  trial  of  a  man's  cause  both  his 
friends  and  his  foes,  because  we  account  strong  sympathies  or  antipathies  prejudicial 
to  the  judgment.  But  the  proverb  extends  to  our  judgment  of  things.  The  mind  of 
man — the  faculty  by  which  he  discerns  truth— may  be  compared  to  an  eye  placed 
above  a  fuming  caldron,  which  can  see  nothing  clearly,  because  the  vapours  inter- 
cept the  vision.  The  heart  is  the  caldron,  and  sends  up  the  vapours  which  distort 
the  view.  Now  in  seeking  to  reform  human  nature,  the  philosophers  of  antiquity' 
either  did  not  notice  this  fact,  or  did  not  see  how  the  dilficulty  which  it  presents 
could  be  surmounted.  At  all  events,  by  way  of  persuading  men  to  virtue,  they  made 
their  appeal  to  the  understanding,  and  sought  to  carry  their  point  to  convincing  the 
mind.  As  far  as  the  understanding  went,  nothing  could  be  more  effective  than  such 
a  method.  But  what  if  men  do  not,  as  notoriously  they  do  not,  conclude  moral 
questions  affecting  themselves,  on  the  mere  verdict  of  the  understanding  ?  What 
if  they  set  the  wUl  on  the  judgment-seat  ?  Unless  you  can  rectify  the  wiU  and  its 
prepossessions,  you  only  argue  before  a  corrupted  judge,  and  in  the  sentence  the 
argument  goes  for  nothing.  3.  Christianity,  in  seeking  to  reform  mankind,  makes 
its  first  appeal  to  the  affections,  which  are  the  springs  of  the  will,  and  through  them 
clears  and  rectifies  the  understanding.  What  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  main 
scope  of  our  Lord's  teaching  ?  This — "  God  so  loved  the  world,"  &c.  Was  not  the 
apostolic  exhortation  only  a  prolonging  of  the  echoes  of  the  Saviour's  voice  :  "  We 
pray  you  ...  be  ye  reconciled  to  God  "  ?  Now  the  facts  of  the  life  and  sufferings 
and  teaching  of  Christ  are  the  implements  with  which  Christianity  works.  Let  any 
one  read  the  gospel  records  with  thorough  simplicity,  and  he  cannot  fail  to  be 
touched  by  them  in  a  salutary  way,  especially  by  the  concluding  part  of  the  great 
story.  4.  But  not  only  did  Christianity  commence  with  an  appeal  to  the  hearts  of 
men  ;  but  this  is  the  order  which  grace  observes  in  its  work  on  each  individual  soul. 
The  Scripture  says,  "  With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness."  Justifying 
faith  is  not  a  mere  intellectual  conviction  of  the  truth ;  but  an  operation  of  the 
heart,  and  by  consequence   of   the   will,  involving   a  movement  of  the  affections 


102  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  m. 

towards  Christ  in  trust  or  love.  And  every  forward  step  in  Christian  life  must  be 
made  on  the  same  principle  as  the  first.  It  is  quite  as  true  to  say,  "  with  the  heart 
man  is  edified,"  as  it  is  to  say,  "  with  the  heart  man  believeth."  Now  let  us 
develop  this  truth,  that  edification  is  through  the  heart,  and  not  through  the  mind. 
I.  Testimony  is  borne  to  it  by  the  universal  experience  or  Christians.  What 
is  that  impalpable  something,  which  if  an  inferior  sermon  has,  it  succeeds  in  doing 
good,  but  if  a  superior  sermon  lacks,  it  fails  of  doing  good?  We  call  it  "unction  " — 
a  fervent  way  of  throwing  out  Divine  truth,  corresponding  with  the  fervent 
character  of  that  truth.  Unction  would  be  no  merit  at  all,  but  the  reverse,  if  the 
gospel  were  to  be  received  by  the  intellect  rather  than  the  affections.  But  men 
know  that  the  gospel  is  designed  to  meet  their  sympathies ;  and  if  it  should  be  pre- 
sented to  them  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  do  this,  they  feel  that  it  is  wronged  and 
misrepresented.     II.  Owing  to  our  not  perceiving  this  truth,  religious  exercises 

ARE  SOJMETIIVIES  TAKEN  TO  BE  EDIFYING  WHICH  ARE  NOT  SO.       Shall   I    Say   that   mUch    of 

our  ordinary  reading  of  Holy  Scripture  comes  under  this  head?  that  it  often 
resolves  itself  into  a  mental  exercitation,  and  that  not  of  a  very  high  order  ?  What 
a  misuse  of  terms  is  there  in  the  phraseology  so  often  applied  to  things  got  by  rote, 
of  which  we  say  that  they  are  "  learned  by  heart  "  !  So  far  from  being  learned  by 
heart,  such  things  are  often  not  even  learned  by  mind,  for  sometimes  they  are 
most  deficiently  understood ;  and  the  very  utmost  that  can  be  said  in  favour  of  such 
learning  is  that  it  lodges  truth  in  the  memory,  which  may  expand  and  serve  a  good 
purpose  at  some  future  time.  Has  our  study  of  Scripture  given  any  bias  to  the  will 
in  the  path  of  holiness  ?  Has  it  at  all  stimulated  the  affections  to  the  love  of  God, 
or  of  our  neighbour  ?  Has  it  nerved  us  against  temptation  ?  supported  us  under 
trial  ?  prompted  a  prayer  ?  or  stirred  in  us  a  holy  ambition  ?  By  these  and  the  like 
questions  must  its  influence  upon  the  heart  be  tested  ;  and  unless  it  has  had  some 
influence  upon  the  heart,  there  has  been  no  edification  in  it.     III.  Let  our  studies 

TURN  more  and  MORE  ON  THAT  WHICH    IS    THE    CORE   AND    CENTRE    OF    THE    BiBLE.       The 

Bible  is  a  revelation  of  God ;  and  the  core  and  centre  of  God's  revelation  is  Christ 
crucified.  (Dean  Goulhurn.)  Nevertheless,  when  it  shall  turn  to  the  Lord,  the 
veil  shall  be  taken  away. — The  shinincj  of  Moses'  face  : — When  Moses  spoke  of  old 
to  their  fathers,  the  veil  was  upon  his  face ;  but  now  when  he  is  read  to  them,  the 
veil  is  upon  their  hearts.  In  old  time  it  was  God's  doing  ;  the  Scriptures  were  made 
obscure  for  a  time  on  purpose,  the  types  and  prophecies  could  not  be  understood  till 
their  fulfilment :  but  it  is  now  the  Jews'  own  doing  ;  it  is  their  own  perverseness, 
refusing  to  see  Christ  in  their  Scriptures.  Thus  St.  Paul  speaks;  thinking,  most 
likely,  as  in  many  other  places,  of  his  own  history,  and  of  God's  dealings  with  him 
in  particular.  You  know,  in  his  early  days,  he  was  a  sort  of  figure  and  type  of  the 
whole  Jewish  nation,  in  his  great  and  bitter  enmity  to  Jesus  Christ.  His  face  was 
not  towards  the  Lord.  When  he  read  the  law  he  saw  only  the  outward  sign  ; 
he  knew  nothing  as  yet  of  its  end  and  hidden  meaning.  But  our  Saviour,  in 
compassion  to  his  well-meaning  but  blind  zeal,  called  to  him  from  heaven  and  touched 
his  heart  by  His  grace.  When  St.  Paul's  heart  had  thus  turned  to  the  Lord,  then 
the  scales  fell  from  his  eyes ;  then  he  saw  the  purpose  and  drift  of  the  ceremonies 
and  sacrifices,  the  temple  and  tabernacle,  the  crown  on  David's  head,  and  the 
anointing  oil  on  Aaron's.  And  here  we  must  observe  well  what  "  knowing  Christ," 
and  "  turning  to  Him,"  mean  in  such  places  as  these.  It  was  not  simply  knowing 
that  there  was  such  a  person,  attending  to  what  they  heard  and  saw  of  Him  ; 
"  turning  to  Him,"  means  turning  to  His  Cross,  taking  it  up  and  following  Him. 
When  a  person  had  done  this  sincerely,  he  would  find  quite  a  new  hght  break  in 
upon  places  in  the  Old  Testament,  which  before  he  had  no  true  knowledge  of.  He 
would  learn  what  was  meant  by  a  lamb  without  spot  or  blemish.  Again,  he  would 
understand  the  meaning  of  circumcision  ;  how  it  marked  men  as  belonging  to  Him. 
He  would  see  why  the  4)eople  were  fed  with  manna,  to  signify  the  true  bread  from 
heaven.  He  would  understand  why  the  tabernacle  and  temple  had  two  parts,  the 
holy  place  and  the  most  holy,  and  why  the  most  holy  can  only  be  entered  once  a 
year,  and  then  not  without  blood.  But  does  this  saying  apply  to  Jews  only,  and  to 
the  reading  of  the  Old  Testament  only  ?  or  is  it  so,  that  we  also,  though  we  have 
been  Christians  many  years,  may  have  a  veil  upon  our  hearts,  and  that,  in  the 
reading  of  the  New  Testament  as  well  as  the  Old,  of  the  gospel  as  well  as  of  the  law, 
of  St.  I'aul  and  the  epistles  as  well  as  of  Moses  and  the  prophets  ?  Surely  it  may 
be  our  case  too ;  after  all  that  has  been  done  for  us,  we  may  but  too  easily,  if  we 
will,  yet  go  on  in  stumbling  and  in  ignorance.  Is  it  not  too  plain  that  very  many 
of  us  come  often  to  hear  God's  Holy  Word  ;  we  are  present  at  the  reading  of  chapter 


CHAP.  III.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  103 

after  chapter,  and  yet  we  make  no  real  improvement  in  our  knowledge  of  holy 
things  ?  And  the  cure  for  this  must  be  the  same  as  in  the  other  case.  When  a  man 
turns  unto  the  Lord,  that  is,  unto  Christ,  then  the  veil  is  taken  away.  Then  a  new 
light  and  an  unaccustomed  glory  will  break  out  and  shine  round  our  Bibles  and  in 
our  Chui'ches,  and  we  shall  begin  to  feel  something  of  what  the  holy  patriarch  felt 
when  he  cried  out,  "  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place  a^id  I  knew  it  not."  But,  as  I 
said,  to  obtain  this  blessing,  to  see  so  much  of  heaven  on  earth,  a  person  must  turn 
habitually  to  the  Lord.  And  what  is  "  turning  to  the  Lord  "  ?  I  will  answer  in  the 
words  of  an  ancient  wi'iter.  "  The  better  to  know  what  it  is  to  be  turned  to  the 
Lord,  let  us  first  state  what  it  is  to  be  turned  away  from  Him.  Every  person  who, 
while  the  words  of  the  law  are  in  reading,  is  occupied  with  mattei's  of  ordinary  talk, 
is  turned  away  from  the  Lord.  Every  one  who,  whilst  the  Bible  is  reading,  is 
indulging  thoughts  of  worldly  business,  of  money,  of  gain,  he  too  is  turned  away. 
Eveiy  one  who  is  pressed  with  cares  about  his  possessions,  who  strains  himself 
eagerly  after  wealth,  who  longs  after  worldly  glory  and  the  honours  of  this  life, 
every  such  person  likewise  is  turned  away."  Who  follows  Divine  meditations  with 
as  much  zeal  and  labour  as  human  ?  and  how  then  dare  we  complain  of  our 
ignorance  of  that  which  we  never  tried  to  learn  ?  Then  again  he  reproves  them 
for  their  carelessness  about  what  is  read  in  Church,  and  says  of  those  who  talk 
during  the  service,  that  "  when  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  read,  not  only  a  veil,  but 
even  a  partition,  if  one  may  call  it  so,  and  a  wall,  is  upon  their  hearts."  The  veil, 
he  says,  of  the  sense  is  the  sound  of  the  words ;  but  not  even  so  much  as  this  comes 
to  them,  who  either  stay  away  from  the  solemn  assemblies,  or  come  there  and 
behave  inattentively.  Thus  you  see  what  strict  attention  "turning  to  the  Lord" 
was  then  supposed  to  require.  Now  merely  to  attend  may  seem  to  some  a  simple 
thing  enough :  but  those  who  have  tried  know  it  to  be  no  small  effort.  But  then  we 
must  well  observe  what  else  is  implied  in  that  turning  to  the  Lord  which  the 
apostle  mentions  as  the  condition  of  the  veil  being  withdrawn.  Attention  by  itself 
is  not  enough  ;  children  we  see  will  sometimes  attend  to  their  lessons  in  order  to  be 
rewarded ;  or  out  of  a  sort  of  curiosity,  just  to  know  what  is  said ;  it  must  be 
accompanied  by  prayer,  and  must  be  itself  of  the  nature  of  prayer.  Christian 
obedience  is  a  great  condition  of  all  the  promises  we  have  heard.  Without  this, 
turning  to  the  Lord  is  but  a  mockery,  and  it  is  vain  to  think  of  the  veil  being  taken 
away.  And,  finally,  as  Moses  at  our  Lord's  transfiguration  saw  that  in  course  of 
real  accomplishment,  which  in  shadow  God  had  showed  him  in  Mount  Sinai  long 
before — saw  the  skirts  of  the  glory  of  God,  the  Incarnate  Son  glorified,  and  partook 
himself  in  His  brightness ;  so  shall  it  be  one  day  with  all  who  faithfully  turn  to 
Christ ;  and  in  the  meantime  His  Spirit  is  with  them  to  change  them,  unknown  to 
themselves  (for  Moses  wist  not  that  the  skin  of  his  face  shone),  after  the  one  image, 
from  glory  to  glory.     (Plain  Sermons  by  Contributors  to  the  Tracts  for  the  Times.) 

Ver.  17.  Now  the  Lord  is  that  Spirit :  and  where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there 
is  liberty. — Christ  the  Spirit  of  Christianity : — I.  Note  the  geeat  pkinciples  itx 
THE  TEXT.  1.  Christianity  is  a  spMt.  (1)  There  is  a  "letter"  and  a  "spirit"  in 
everything.  These  two  things  are  quite  distinct.  The  letter  may  be  changed,  the 
spirit  may  be  unchangeable.  The  same  spirit  may  require  for  its  expression  to 
dilferent  minds  different  letters.  The  spirit  may  not  only  cease  to  be  represented,, 
but  may  be  positively  misrepresented,  by  its  form.  Christ,  e.g.,  enjoined  the  washing' 
of  one  another's  feet  where  washing  the  feet  was  a  common  service  ;  but  we  smile- 
at  the  professed  obedience  to  this  precept  every  year  of  his  holiness  of  Rome.  (2) 
The  Old  Testament  was  a  letter  in  which  there  was  a  spirit.  The  very  idea  of  a. 
letter  supposes  that  something  is  written.  And,  further,  that  spirit,  so  far  as  it 
went,  was  the  same  as  in  the  gospel ;  the  law  represented  the  same  ideas  and 
sentiments  as  the  gospel,  but  in  a  different  way,  and  with  different  results,  so  as 
to  justify  the  calling  of  one  a  "  letter  "  and  the  other  a  "  spirit."  The  first,  though 
not  without  spirit,  had  more  letter  in  it ;  and  the  second,  though  not  without  letter, 
has  more  spirit  in  it.  Christianity  is  Uke  a  book  for  men,  which  assumes  many 
things  that  children  must  have  in  most  expUcit  statement.  It  is  more  suggestive  than 
explanatory,  trusts  more  to  conscience  than  to  argument,  and  appeals  more  to  reason 
than  to  rule.  Its  doctrines  are  principles,  not  propositions  ;  its  institutions  are 
grand  oui_ nes,  not  precise  ceremonies  ;  its  laws  are  moral  sentiments,  not  minute 
directions.  2.  Christ  is  the  Spirit  of  Christianity.  (1)  The  fact  of  there  being  a 
revelation  at  all  is  owing  to  Christ.  But  for  Him  the  beginning  of  sin  would  have 
been  the  end  of  humanity.    But  God  had,  in  anticipation  of  the  fall,  devised  a 


104  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  in. 

plan  of  redemption.     Forfeited  life  was  continued  because  of  Christ.     Whatever 
was  done  was  for  Him.     The  great  events  of  past  times  were  preparatory  to  Him. 
Prophets  spoke  of  Him,  kings  ruled  for  Him,  priests  typified  Him.     According  to 
Christ's  contemplated  work  men  were  treated.     But  if  the  law  was  through  Christ 
as  its  grand  reason,  how  much  more  is  the  gospel !     For  now  He  is  not  the  secret 
but  the  revealed  agent  of  ^od's  providence.     What  was  done  before  was  done 
because  of  Him,  what  is  done  now  is  done  directly  by  Him.     He  realised  the 
conceptions  expressed  by  Judaism,  made  its  figures  facts,  its  predictions  history. 
(2)  Christ  is  the  Spirit  of  Christianity,  as  He  is  the  personal  representation  of  its 
truths.     The  gospel  is  Christ.     It  shines  in  Him  as  in  a  mirror,  it  hves  in  Him 
as  in  a  body.    Is  God  the  prime  idea  of  all  religion  ?     "  He  that  has  seen  Me  has 
seen  the  Father."     Is  the  moral  character  of  God  as  important  as  His  existence  ? 
Behold  "  the  image  of  the  invisible  God "  as  "  He  goes  about  doing  good."     Is 
reunion  with  God  the  great  need  of  humanity  ?     It  is  consummated  in  the  Incar- 
nation.    Do  we  want  law?     "Walt  even  as  He  walked."    Do  we  die?     "Christ, 
the  firstfruits  of  them  that  slept."     Are  we  sighing  for  immortaUty  ?     "  This  is  the 
eternal  Ufe."     (3)  The  Holy  Spirit,  by  whom  spiritual  blessings  are  conveyed,  is 
emphatically  the  Spirit  of  Christ.     This  Spirit,  the  closest  and  most  quickening 
contact  of  God  with  our  souls,  is  the  fruit  of  the  reconcihation  with  God  effected 
by  Christ.     That  effected,  Christ  went  to  heaven  that  He  might  give  us  this  "  other 
Comforter,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth."     3.  Christ,  as  the  Spirit  of  Christianity,  is  the 
Spirit  of  Uberty."     The  genius  of  a  spiritual  life  is  to  be  free.     "  The  law  was  not 
made  for  a  righteous  man,  but  for  the  lawless  and  disobedient."    The  more  spiritual 
men  are,  the  less  do  they  require  external  regulations  ;  smd  one  of  the  most  striking 
features  of  Christianity  is  its  comparative  freedom  from  such.     It  is  a  "  law  of 
liberty,"  in  the  sense  of  leaving  us  at  Uberty  upon  many  points ;  moral  excellence 
is  its  requirement,  not  ceremonial  exactness.     Its  law  is  summed  up  by  love  to  God 
and  man.     You  do  not  need  to  fetter  a  loving  child  with  the  rules  you  lay  upon  a 
hireling.     The  gospel  is  spiritual  in  its  form,  because  it  is  spiritual  in  its  power. 
In  the  following  verse  a  sublime  truth  is  set  before  us.     The  liberty  of  the  gospel 
is  holiness.     "  The  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath  made  me  free  from 
the  law  of  sin  and  death  "  :  only  the  Spirit  can  do  this.     The  letter  may  keep  sin 
down,  but  the  spirit  turns  it  out.     The  letter  may  make  us  afraid  to  do  it,  the  spirit 
makes  us  disUke  to  have  it.     And  is  not  that  liberty,  when  we  are  free  to  serve  God 
in  the  gospel  of  His  Son,  free  to  have  access  to  Him  with  the  spirit  of  adoption,  free 
to  run  the  way  of  His  commandments,  because  "  enlarged  in  heart  "  ?     He  is  the 
slave  whose  will  is  in  fetters ;  and  nothing  but  the  Spirit,  the  Lord,  can  set  that 
free.     H.  The  subject  is  fruitful  in  eeflections  and  admonitions.     1.  The  text 
is  one  of  a  large  class  which  intimate  and  require  the  divinity  of  Christ.    The  place 
assigned  to  Christ  in  the  scheme  and  providence  of  God  is  such  that  only  on  the 
supposition  of  His  Divine  nature  can  it  be  understood  and  explained.    Destroy  Him, 
take  Him  away,  and  you  do  not  merely  violate  the  language,  but  annihilate  the 
very  life  of  God's  covenant.     If  Christianity  be  what  we  are  accustomed  to  regard 
it,  He  who  is  its  Spirit,  in  the  way  and  for  the  reasons  which  itself  explains,  can 
be  no  other  than  the  "true  God  and  eternal  hfe."     2.  We  see  the  greatness  of  the 
privileges  with  which,  as  Christians,  we  have  been  favoured,  and  the  source  of  their 
derivation.     The  apostles  do  employ  language   severely  depreciating  in  its  tone, 
when  contrasting  previous  economies  with  our  own.    "  Darkness,"  "  flesh,"  "  letter," 
"bondage,"  "the  world,"  are  set  against  "hght,"  "spirit,"  "grace,"  "liberty,"  and 
"  the  kingdom  of  God  "  and  "  of  heaven."    And  the  reason  of  our  being  so  blessed 
is  to  be  found  in  Christ.     Shall  we  not  be  grateful?     And  shall  not  gratitude 
express  itself  in  holiness  ?     "  Ye  are  not  under  the  law,  but  under  grace,"  and  the 
great  worth  of  this  position  is  in  the  facilities  for  sanctification  which  it  affords.     3. 
Let  us  give  to  the  personal  element  in  Christianity  its  proper  place  and  power.     In 
the  apostles'  writings  there  was  an  indestructible  connection  of  every  principle  of 
the  gospel  with  the  personal   Christ.     Everything  was  "  in  Htm."     Christ  was 
Christianity.     He  is  "the  Truth,"  "the  Way,"  "the  Life,"  the  "peace,"  "hope," 
and  "resurrection"  of  men;  He  is  their  "wisdom,"  "righteousness,"  "sanctifica- 
tion," and  "redemption."     Religion  is  not  merely  a  contemplation  of  truth,  or  a 
doing  of  morality ;  it  is  fellowship  with  God  and  with  His  Son.     We  are  to  love 
Christ,  not  spiritual  beauty;   to  believe  in  Christ,  not  spiritual  truth;   to  hve  to 
Christ,  not  spiritual  excellence.     4.   Our  subject  instructs  and  encourages  us  in 
connection  with  the  diffusion  of  our  religion  through  the  earth.     The  gospel  is  a, 
spirit.    Well,  indeed,  might  we  despond,  when  contemplating  the  powers  of  dark- 


CHAP.  III.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  105 

ness,  if  we  could  not  associate  with  our  religion  the  attributes  of  spirit.  But,  said 
Christ,  "  the  words  that  I  speak  unto  you  are  spirit  and  life."  And  our  subject  also 
teaches  charity.  Can  there  be  any  heart  unaffected  when  the  promise  of  "liberty," 
in  its  highest  state  and  completest  measure,  is  before  us  ?  Can  you  dwell  upon  the 
hard  bondage  of  the  souls  of  men,  both  in  civihsed  and  uncivilised  conditions,  and 
not  long  to  "  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison  to 
them  that  are  bound  "  ?  (A.  J.  Morris.)  Liberty  of  the  spiritual  life  : — The 
heavenljr  life  imparted  is  liberty  and  truth  and  peace ;  it  is  the  removal  of 
bondage  and  darkness  and  pain.  So  far  from  being  a  mechanical  constraint, 
as  some  would  represent,  it  is  the  removal  of  the  iron  chain  with  which  guilt  had 
bound  the  sinner.  It  acts  like  an  army  of  liberation  to  a  down-trodden  country, 
like  the  warm  breath  of  spring  to  the  frost-fettered  tree.  For  the  entrance  of  true 
life  or  living  truth  into  man's  soul  must  be  hberty,  not  bondage.  {A.  Bonar.) 
The  spirit  of  liberty : — 1.  It  is  remarkable  that,  when  oar  Lord  expounded  in  the 
synagogue  of  Nazareth,  He  chose  a  passage  of  which  two-fifths  related  to  "  liberty." 
Between  that  passage  and  my  text  there  is  a  singular  connection.  "  The  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  is  upon  me,"  &c.  "  Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty." 
I.  We  are  all  of  us  so  constituted  that  there  must  be  a  cert.un  sense  of 
FREEDOM  TO  MAKE  A  PLAY  OF  THE  AFFECTIONS.  1.  Satan  knew  this  quitc  well  when 
he  destroyed  the  loving  allegiance  of  our  first  parents  by  introducing  first  into  their 
minds  the  thought  of  bondage.  "  Yea,  hath  God  said.  Ye  shall  not  eat  of  every  tree 
of  the  garden  ?  "  And  so  the  poison  had  worked.  "  You  are  not  free."  In  catching 
at  a  fictitious  freedom  the  first  Adam  lost  the  true.  The  second  Adam  made 
Himself  a  "  servant  of  servants,"  that  He  might  restore  to  us  a  greater  freedom 
than  Adam  lost.  2.  But  still  the  same  enemy  is  always  trying  to  spoil  our  paradises 
by  making  us  deny  our  freedom.  He  has  two  ways  of  doing  this.  Sometimes  he 
gives  us  a  sense  of  bondage,  which  keeps  us  back  from  peace,  and  therefore  holiness. 
Sometimes  he  gives  us  an  idea  of  imaginary  "  liberty,"  of  which  the  real  effect  is 
that  it  leaves  us  the  slave  of  a  sentiment  or  of  a  passion.  3.  Some  persons  are 
afraid  of  "liberty,"  lest  it  should  run  into  "licentiousness."  But  I  do  not  find 
in  the  whole  Bible  that  we  are  warned  against  too  much  "  liberty."  In  fact,  it  is 
almost  always  those  who  have  felt  themselves  too  shut  up  who  break  out  into 
lawlessness  of  conduct.  Just  as  the  stopped  river,  bursting  its  barrier,  runs  into 
the  more  violent  stream.  U.  That  you  should  "  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  where- 
with Christ  m.\kes  His  people  free,"  understand  what  your  real  "  liberty"  is. 
1.  "  By  and  by,"  somebody  says,  "  when  I  have  believed  and  prayed  a  little  more, 
and  lived  a  little  more  rehgiously,  then  I  hope  God  will  forgive  me."  So  every 
night  he  has  to  consider  whether  he  is  yet  good  enough  to  justify  the  hope  that 
he  is  a  child  of  God ;  and  the  consequence  is  that  man  prays  with  no  "  liberty." 
But,  all  the  whUe,  what  is  the  fact  ?  God  does  love  him.  All  he  wants  is  to  take 
facts  as  facts.  It  needs  but  one  act  of  reaUsation,  and  every  promise  of  the  Bible 
belongs  to  that  man.  This  done,  see  the  difference.  He  feels  himself  a  child  of 
God  through  God's  own  grace,  and  his  "  liberated  "  mind  leaps  to  the  God  who 
has  loved  him.  Now  the  right  spring  is  put  into  the  machinery  of  his  breast.  He 
works  in  the  freedom  of  a  certainty.  And  from  that  date  that  man's  real  sanctifi- 
cation  begins.  2.  There  are  many  whose  minds  are  continually  recurring  to  old 
sins.  They  have  prayed  over  them  again  and  again,  but  still  they  cannot  take 
their  thoughts  off  them.  But  the  freeman  of  the  Lord  knows  the  meaning  of  those 
words — "  He  that  is  washed  needeth  not  save  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is  clean  every 
whit."  All  he  feels  he  has  to  do  is  to  bring  his  daily  sins  to  that  Fountain  where 
he  has  washed  all  the  sins  of  his  former  Ufe.  And  do  not  you  see  that  that  man 
will  go  with  a  lightened  feeling  ?  3.  See  the  nature  of  that  man's  forgiveness.  To 
obey  the  command  of  any  one  we  love  is  pleasant,  but  to  obey  because  it  will  please 
him,  though  he  has  not  commanded  it,  is  much  happier.  The  spirit  of  the  law  is 
always  better  than  the  law.  Deuteronomy  is  better  than  Leviticus.  Now  this  is 
the  exact  state  of  a  Christian.  He  has  studied  the  commands  till  he  has  reached 
to  the  spirit  of  the  commands.  He  has  gathered  "  the  mind  of  God,"  and  he 
follows  that.  A  command  prescribes,  and  whatever  prescribes  circumscribes,  and 
is  so  far  painful.  But  the  will  of  God  is  an  unlimited  thing,  and  therefore  it  is 
unlimiting.  (1)  And  when  man,  free  because  "  the  Son  has  made  him  free,"  goes 
to  read  his  Bible,  like  a  man  who  has  got  the  free  range  of  all  its  pastures,  to  cull 
flowers  wherever  he  likes,  he  is  free  to  all  the  promises  that  are  there,  for  he  has 
"  the  mind  of  Christ."  (2)  Or  hear  him  in  prayer.  How  close  it  is !  How  boldly 
he  puts  in  his  claim  1    (3)  The  fear  of  death  never  hurts  that  man.  Why  ?    Because 


106  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  m. 

his  death  is  over.  (4)  And,  because  he  is  so  very  free,  you  will  find  there  is  a  large- 
heartedness  and  a  very  charitable  judgment  in  that  man.  He  lives  above  party. 
{J.  Vaitghan,  M.A.)  The  liberty  of  the  Spirit: — How  much  is  made  of  earthly 
liberty — the  shadow  of  true  freedom.  How  true  it  is  that,  whilst  many  men 
"profess  to  give  hberty  to  others,  they  themselves  are  the  slaves  of  corruption." 
Men  are  content  to  be  slaves  within  who  would  be  very  indignant  at  any  attempt 
to  make  them  slaves  without.  The  apostle,  speaking  of  the  bondage  of  the  law, 
said  that,  when  the  heart  of  the  Jew  shall  turn  to  the  Lord,  then,  and  not  till  then,, 
shall  they  come  to  the  true  freedom.  Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is — I. 
Liberty  feom  condesination.  If  a  man  is  under  sentence  of  death  he  cannot  find 
liberty.  He  may  forget  his  imprisonment  in  mirth  and  feasting,  but  it  is  not  the 
less  real  because  he  forgets  it.  The  morning  will  come  when  he  will  be  dragged 
off  to  his  fearful  doom.  We  are  under  the  sentence  of  God's  broken  law.  "  The- 
soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die."  How  beautiful,  then,  the  language  of  the  apostle ! 
(Eom.  viii.  1).  11.  Liberty  from  law.  The  law  knows  nothing  of  mercy  and 
forgiveness,  nor  does  it  afford  the  least  help  to  holiness.  Its  command  is,  "  Do- 
this,  and  live  ;  break  this  in  the  least,  and  die."  Therefore,  "  by  the  deeds  of  the 
law  "  shall  no  man  have  peace  with  God.  But  "  what  the  law  could  not  do,"  &c. 
(Eom.  viii.  2-4).  III.  Liberty  to  obey.  Many  think  they  are  free,  and  that  they 
will  do  as  they  like  ;  but  they  do  not  like  to  do  what  they  ought  to  hke,  and  there- 
fore they  are  slaves  after  all.  The  way  in  which  a  man  may  convince  himself  of 
his  slavery  is  to  try  to  be  what  he  ought  to  be.  He  can  do  nothing  of  himseH,  and 
he  must  be  brought  to  feel  that  he  can  do  no  good  thing  without  God.  But  what 
the  flesh  cannot  do  the  Spuit  will  enable  him  to  do.  "  It  is  God  which  worketh  in 
us,  both  to  win  and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure  " ;  therefore  "  work  out  your  own 
salvation,"  cfec.  IV.  Liberty  to  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith.  A  man  can  do 
battle  with  his  corrupt  nature,  he  can  win  the  victory  over  the  principalities  and 
powers  of  darkness,  and  his  sword  is  a  sword  of  hberty.  The  drunkard  becomes 
sober,  the  impure  chaste,  the  vindictive  forgiving,  by  the  power  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 
V.  Liberty  of  access  to  God.  The  one  true  and  living  way  is  open,  but  it  cannot 
be  discerned  except  a  man  has  it  revealed  to  him  by  the  Sphit  of  God.  Through 
Christ  we  have  access  by  one  Spirit  unto  the  Father.  VI.  Liberty  of  holy  bold- 
ness and  fortitude  in  the  service  of  God.  (H.  Stowell,  M.A.)  The  freedom  of 
the  Spirit : — 1.  To  possess  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  to  possess  the  Holy  Ghost,  who 
is  the  minister  and  guardian  of  Christ's  presence  in  the  soul.  The  apostle's  con- 
clusion is  that  those  who  are  converted  to  Jesus  have  escaped  from  the  veil  which 
darkened  the  spiritual  intelligence  of  Israel.  The  converting  Spirit  is  the  source  of 
positive  illumination ;  but,  before  He  enlightens  thus.  He  must  give  freedom  from 
the  veil  of  prejudice  which  denies  to  Jewish  thought  the  exercise  of  any  real  insight 
into  the  deeper  sense  of  Scripture.  That  sense  is  seized  by  the  Christian  student 
of  the  ancient  law,  because  in  the  Church  of  Christ  he  possesses  the  Spirit ;  and 
"  where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty."  2.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  called 
the  Spirit  of  Christ  because  He  is  sent  by  Christ,  and  for  the  purpose  of  endowing 
us  with  Christ's  nature  and  mind.  His  presence  does  not  supersede  that  of  Christ : 
He  co-operates  in,  He  does  not  work  apart  from,  the  mediatorial  work  of  Chi-ist. 
To  possess  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to  possess  Christ ;  to  have  lost  the  one  is  to  have  lost 
the  other.  Accordingly  our  Lord  speaks  of  the  gift  of  Pentecost  as  if  it  were  His 
own  second  coming  (John  xiv.  18).  And,  after  telling  the  Romans  that  "if  any 
man  have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ  he  is  none  of  His,"  St.  Paul  adds,  "  Now  if  Christ 
be  in  you,  the  body  is  dead  because  of  sin."  Here  Christ's  "being  in"  the  Christian, 
and  the  Christian's  "  having  the  Spirit  of  Christ,"  are  equivalent  terms.  3.  Free- 
dom is  not  an  occasional  largess  of  the  Divine  Spirit ;  it  is  not  merely  a  reward  for 
high  services  or  conspicuous  devotion.  It  is  the  very  atmosphere  of  His  presence. 
Wherever  He  really  is,  there  is  also  freedom.  He  does  not  merely  strike  off  the 
fetters  of  some  narrow  national  prejudice,  or  of  some  antiquated  ceremonialism. 
His  mission  is  not  to  bestow  an  external,  political,  social  fr»2dom.  For  no  political 
or  social  emancipation  can  give  real  hberty  to  an  enslaved  soul.  And  no  tyranny 
of  the  state  or  of  society  can  enslave  a  soul  that  has  been  really  freed.  At  His 
bidding  the  inmost  soul  of  man  has  free  play.  He  gives  freedom  from  error  for 
the  reason,  freedom  from  constraint  for  the  affections,  freedom  for  the  will  from 
the  tyi'anny  of  sinful  and  human  wills.  4.  The  natural  images  which  are  used  to 
set  forth  the  presence  and  working  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  suggestive  of  this  freedom. 
The  Dove,  which  pictures  His  gentle  movement  on  the  soul  and  in  the  Church, 
suggests  also  the  power  of  rising  at  wiH  above  the  dead  level  of  the  soil  into  a. 


<!HAP.  in.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  107 

higher  region  where  it  is  at  rest.  The  "  cloven  tongue  Uke  as  of  fire  "  is  at  once 
hght  and  heat ;  and  light  and  heat  imply  ideas  of  the  most  unrestricted  freedom. 
"  The  wind  "  blowing  "  where  it  listeth  "  ;  the  well  of  water  in  the  soul,  springing 
up,  hke  a  perpetual  fountain,  unto  everlasting  hfe — such  are  our  Lord's  own  chosen 
symbols  of  the  Pentecostal  gift.  All  these  figures  prepare  us  for  the  language  of 
the  apostles  when  they  are  tracing  the  results  of  the  great  Pentecostal  gift.  With 
St.  James,  the  Christian,  no  less  than  the  Jew,  has  to  obey  a  law,  but  the  Christian 
law  is  "  a  law  of  liberty."  With  St.  Paul,  the  Church  is  the  Jerusalem  which  is 
"  free " ;  in  contrast  with  the  bondwoman  the  Christian  is  to  stand  fast  in  a 
liberty  with  which  Christ  has  freed  him ;  he  is  "  made  free  from  sin,  and  become 
the  servant  of  righteousness."  St.  Paul  compares  "  the  glorious  liberty  of  the 
children  of  God  "  with  the  "  bondage  of  corruption  "  ;  he  contrasts  the  "  law  of 
the  spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus,"  which  gives  us  Christians  our  fi-eedom,  with  the 
enslaving  "  law  of  sin  and  death."  According  to  St.  Paul,  the  Christian  slave  is 
essentially  free,  even  while  he  still  wears  his  chain  (1  Cor.  vii.  22).  Where  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is — I.  Mental  liberty.  1.  From  the  first  God  has 
consecrated  liberty  of  thought  by  withdrawing  thought  from  the  control  of  society. 
Society  protects  our  persons  and  goods,  and  passes  judgment  upon  our  words  and 
actions ;  but  it  cannot  force  the  sanctuary  of  our  thought.  Ajid  the  Spirit  comes 
not  to  suspend,  but  to  recognise,  to  carry  forward,  to  expand,  and  to  fertilise  almost 
indefinitely  the  thought  of  man.  He  has  vindicated  for  human  thought  the  liberty 
of  its  expression  against  imperial  tyianny  and  oflicial  superstition.  The  blood  of 
the  martyi's  witnessed  to  the  truth  that,  where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is. 
mental  liberty.  2.  In  the  judgment  of  an  influential  school  dogma  is  the  enemv 
of  religious  freedom.  But  what  is  dogma  ?  The  term  belongs  to  the  language  oi 
civilians ;  it  is  applied  to  the  imperial  edicts.  It  also  finds  a  home  in  the  language 
of  philosophy ;  and  the  philosophers  who  denounce  the  dogmatic  statements  of  the 
gospel  are  hardly  consistent  when  they  are  elaborating  their  own  theories.  Dogma 
is  essential  Christian  truth  thrown  by  authority  into  a  form  which  admits  of  its 
permanently  passing  into  the  understanding  and  being  treasured  by  the  heart  of 
the  people.  For  dogma  is  an  active  protest  against  those  sentimental  theories  which 
empty  revelation  of  all  positive  value.  Dogma  proclaims  that  revelation  does  mean 
something,  and  what.  Accordingly  dogma  is  to  be  found  no  less  truly  in  the  volume 
of  the  New  Testament  than  in  Fathers  and  Councils.  It  is  specially  embodied  in 
•our  Lord's  later  discourses,  in  the  sermons  of  His  apostles,  in  the  epistles  of  St. 
Paul.  The  Divine  Spirit,  speaking  through  the  clear  utterances  of  Scripture,  is 
the  real  author  of  essential  dogma ;  and  we  know  that  "  where  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  is,  there  is  liberty."  3.  But  is  not  dogma,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  a  restraint 
upon  thought  ?  Unquestionably.  But  there  is  a  notion  of  liberty  which  is  im- 
possible. Surely  a  being  is  free  when  he  moves  without  difficulty  in  the  sphere 
which  is  assigned  to  him  by  his  natural  constitution.  If  he  can  only  travel  beyond 
his  sphere  with  the  certainty  of  destroying  himself,  it  is  not  an  unreasonable  tax 
upon  his  liberty  whereby  he  is  confined  within  the  barrier  that  secures  his  safety. 
Now  truth  is  originally  the  native  element  of  human  thought;  and  Christian  dogma 
prescribes  the  direction  and  limits  of  truth  concerning  God  and  His  relations  to 
man.  (1)  Certainly  the  physical  world  does  not  teach  us  that  obedience  to  law  is 
fatal  to  freedom.  The  heavens  would  caase  to  "  declare  the  glory  of  God"  if  the 
astronomers  were  to  destroy  those  invariable  forces  which  confine  the  movement  of 
the  swiftest  stars  to  their  fixed  orbits.  And  when  man  himself  proceeds  to  claim 
that  empire  which  God  has  given  him  over  the  world  of  nature,  he  finds  his  energies 
bounded  and  controlled  by  law  in  every  direction.  We  men  can  transport  ourselves 
to  and  fro  on  the  surface  of  this  earth.  But  if  in  an  attempt  to  reach  the  skies 
we  should  succeed  in  mounting  to  a  region  where  animal  life  is  impossible,  we  know 
i;hat  death  would  be  the  result  of  our  success.  Meanwhile  our  aeronauts,  and  even 
our  Alpine  climbers,  do  not  "  complain  of  the  tyranny  of  the  air."  (21  So  it  is  in 
the  world  of  thought.  Look  at  those  axioms  which  form  the  basis  of  tne  freest  and 
most  exact  science  known  to  the  human  mind.  We  cannot  demonstrate  them,  we 
cannot  reject  them ;  but  the  submissive  glance  by  which  reason  accepts  them  is 
no  unworthy  figure  of  the  action  of  faith.  Faith  also  submits,  it  is  true ;  but  her 
submission  to  dogma  is  the  guarantee  at  once  of  her  rightful  freedom  and  of  her 
enduring  power.  (3)  So  submission  to  revealed  truth  involves  a  certain  limitation 
of  intellectual  licence.  To  believe  the  dogma  that  God  exists  is  inconsi.itent  with 
a  liberty  to  deny  His  existence.  But  such  liberty  is,  in  the  judgment  of  faith, 
parallel  to  that  of  denying  the  existence  of  the  sun  or  of  the  atmosphere.     To  com- 


108  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iii. 

plain  of  the  Creed  as  an  interference  with  liberty  is  to  imitate  the  savage  who  had 
to  walk  across  London  at  night,  and  who  remarked  that  the  lamp-posts  were  an 
obstruction  to  traffic.  4.  They  only  can  suppose  that  Christian  dogma  is  the 
antagonist  of  intellectual  freedom  whose  misery  it  is  to  disbelieve.  For  dogma 
stimulates  and  provokes  thought — sustains  it  at  an  elevation  which,  without  it» 
is  impossible.  It  is  a  scaffolding  by  which  we  climb  into  a  higher  atmosphere. 
It  leaves  us  free  to  hold  converse  with  God,  to  learn  to  know  Him.  We  can  speak 
of  Him  and  to  Him,  freely  and  affectionately,  within  the  ample  limits  of  a  dogmatic 
definition.  Besides  this,  dogma  sheds,  from  its  home  in  the  heart  of  revelation,  an 
interest  on  all  surrounding  branches  of  knowledge.  God  is  everywhere,  and  to 
have  a  fixed  belief  in  Him  is  to  have  a  perpetual  interest  in  all  that  reflects  Him. 
What  composition  can  be  more  dogmatic  than  the  Te  Deum  ?  Yet  it  stimulates 
unbounded  spiritual  movement.  The  soul  finds  that  the  subUme  truths  which  it 
adores  do  not  for  one  moment  fetter  the  freedom  of  its  movement.  II.  Mobal 
LIBERTY.  1.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  freedom  from  moral  slavery,  except  for 
the  soul  which  has  laid  hold  on  a  fixed  objective  truth.  But  when,  at  the  breath 
of  the  Divine  Spirit  upon  the  soul,  heaven  is  opened  to  the  eye  of  faith,  and  man 
looks  up  from  his  misery  and  his  weakness  to  the  everlasting  Christ  upon  EQs 
throne ;  when  that  glorious  series  of  truths,  which  begins  with  the  Incarnation, 
and  which  ends  with  the  perpetual  intercession,  is  really  grasped  by  the  soul  as 
certain — then  assuredly  freedom  is  possible.  It  is  possible,  for  the  Son  has  taken 
flesh,  and  died,  and  risen  again,  and  interceded  with  the  Father,  and  given  us  His 
Spirit  and  His  sacraments,  expressly  that  we  might  enjoy  it.  2.  But,  then,  we  are 
to  be  enfranchised  on  the  condition  of  submission.  Submission !  you  say — is  not 
this  slavery  ?  No  ;  obedience  is  the  school  of  freedom.  In  obeying  God  you  escape 
all  the  tyrannies  which  would  fain  rob  you  of  your  liberty.  In  obeying  God  you  are 
emancipated  from  the  cruel  yet  petty  despotisms  which  enslave,  sooner  or  later,  aU 
rebel  wills.  As  in  the  material  world  all  expansion  is  proportioned  to  the  compression 
which  precedes  it,  so  in  the  moral  world  the  will  acts  with  a  force  which  is  measured 
by  its  power  of  self-control.  3.  As  loyal  citizens  of  that  kingdom  of  the  Spirit  which 
is  also  the  kingdom  of  the  Incarnation,  you  may  be  really  free.  "  If  the  Son  shall 
make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free  indeed."  Political  liberty  is  a  blessing;  liberty  of 
thought  is  a  blessing.  But  the  greatest  blessing  is  liberty  of  the  conscience  and 
the  will.  It  is  freedom  from  a  sense  of  sin  when  all  is  known  to  have  been 
pardoned  through  the  atoning  blood ;  freedom  from  a  slavish  fear  of  our  Father 
in  heaven  when  conscience  is  offered  to  His  unerring  eye  by  that  penitent  love 
which  fixes  its  eye  upon  the  Crucified ;  freedom  from  current  prejudice  and  false 
human  opinion  when  the  soul  gazes  by  intuitive  faith  upon  the  actual  truth ; 
freedom  from  the  depressing  yoke  of  weak  health  or  narrow  circumstances,  since 
the  soul  cannot  be  crushed  which  rests  consciously  upon  the  everlasting  arms ; 
freedom  from  that  haunting  fear  of  death  which  holds  those  who  think  really  upon 
death  at  aU,  "all  their  Ufetime  subject  to  bondage," unless  they  are  His  true  friends 
and  clients  who  by  the  sharpness  of  His  own  death  has  led  the  way  and  "  opened 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  all  believers."  It  is  freedom  in  time,  but  also,  and 
beyond,  freedom  in  eternity.  In  that  blessed  world,  in  the  unclouded  presence  of 
the  emancipator,  the  brand  of  slavery  is  inconceivable.  In  that  world  there  is 
indeed  a  perpetual  service ;  yet,  since  it  is  the  service  of  love  made  perfect,  it  is 
only  and  by  necessity  the  service  of  the  free.  (Canon  Liddon.)  Spiritual  liberty : — 
Liberty  is  the  birthright  of  every  man.  But  where  do  you  find  liberty  unaccompanied 
by  religion  ?  This  land  is  the  home  of  liberty,  not  so  much  because  of  our  institu- 
tions as  because  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  here — the  spirit  of  true  and  hearty  religion. 
But  the  liberty  of  the  text  is  an  infinitely  greater  and  better  one,  and  one  which 
Christian  men  alone  enjoy.  He  is  the  free  man  whom  the  truth  makes  free. 
Without  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  in  a  free  country,  ye  may  still  be  bondsmen ;  and 
where  there  are  no  serfs  in  body,  ye  may  be  slaves  in  soul.  Note — I.  What  we  abe 
FREED  FROM.  1.  The  bondage  of  sin.  Of  all  slavery  there  is  none  more  horrible 
than  this.  "  0  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me "  from  it  ?  But 
the  Christian  is  free.  2.  The  penalty  of  sin — eternal  death.  3.  The  guilt  of  sin. 
4.  The  dominion  of  sin.  Profane  men  glory  in  free  living  and  free  thinking.  Free 
living !  Let  the  slave  hold  up  his  fetters  and  jingle  them,  and  say,  "  This  is  music, 
and  I  am  free."  A  sinner  without  grace  attempting  to  reform  himself  is  like  Sisiphus 
rolling  the  stone  up  hill,  which  always  comes  down  with  greater  force.  A  man 
without  grace  attempting  to  save  himself  is  engaged  in  as  hopeless  a  task  as  the 
daughters  of  Danaus,  when  they  attempted  to  fill  a  vast  vessel  with  bottomless 


CHAP,  m.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  109 

buckets.  He  has  a  bow  without  a  string,  a  sword  without  a  blade,  a  gun  without 
powder.  5.  Slavish  fear  of  law.  Many  people  are  honest  because  they  are  afraid 
of  the  poMceman.  Many  are  sober  because  they  are  afraid  of  the  eye  of  the  pubhc. 
If  a  man  be  destitute  of  the  grace  of  God,  his  works  are  only  works  of  slavery  ;  he 
feels  forced  to  do  them.  But  now.  Christian,  "  Love  makes  your  willing  feet  In 
swift  obedience  move."  We  are  free  from  the  law  that  we  may  obey  it  better.  6. 
The  fear  of  death.  I  recollect  a  good  old  woman,  who  said,  "Afraid  to  die,  sir! 
I  have  dipped  my  foot  in  Jordan  every  morning  before  breakfast  for  the  last  fifty 
years,  and  do  you  think  I  am  afraid  to  die  now  ?  "  A  good  Welsh  lady,  when  she 
lay  a-dying,  was  visited  by  her  minister,  who  said  to  her,  "  Sister,  are  you  sinking?  " 
But,  rising  a  little  in  the  bed,  she  said,  "  Sinking  !  Sinking !  Did  you  ever  know 
a  sinner  sink  through  a  rock  ?  If  I  had  been  standing  on  the  sand  I  might  sink ; 
but,  thank  God !  I  am  on  the  Bock  of  Ages,  and  there  is  no  sinking  there."  II. 
What  we  are  free  to.  "  Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty,"  and 
that  liberty  gives  us  certain  rights  and  privileges.  1.  To  heaven's  charter.  Heaven's 
Magna  Charta  is  the  Bible,  and  you  are  free  to  it — to  all  its  doctrines,  promises,  &c. 
You  are  free  to  all  that  is  in  the  Bible.  It  is  the  bank  of  heaven :  you  may  draw 
from  it  as  much  as  you  please  without  let  or  hindrance.  2.  To  the  throne  of  grace. 
It  is  the  privilege  of  Englishmen  that  they  can  always  send  a  petition  to  ParUament ; 
and  it  is  the  privilege  of  a  believer  that  he  can  always  send  a  petition  to  the  throne 
of  God.  It  signifies  nothing  what,  where,  or  under  what  circumstances  I  am.  3. 
To  enter  into  the  city.  I  am  not  a  freeman  of  London,  which  is  doubtless  a  great 
privilege,  but  I  am  a  freeman  of  a  better  city.  Now  some  of  you  have  obtained  the 
freedom  of  the  city,  but  you  won't  take  it  up.  Don't  remain  outside  the  Church 
any  longer,  for  you  have  a  right  to  come  in.  4.  To  heaven.  When  a  Christian 
dies  he  knows  the  password  that  can  make  the  gates  wide  open  fly;  he  has  the 
white  stone  whereby  he  shall  be  known  as  a  ransomed  one,  and  that  shall  pass  him 
at  the  barrier.  {C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  Signs  of  spiritual  liberty  : — Wheresoever  the 
Spirit  of  God  is,  there  is — I.  A  liberty  of  holiness,  to  free  us  from  the  dominion 
OF  SIN  (Luke  i.  75).  As  children  can  give  a  bird  leave  to  fly  so  it  be  in  a  string 
to  pull  it  back  again,  so  Satan  hath  men  in  a  string  if  they  live  in  sin.  The  beast 
that  runs  away  with  a  cord  about  him  is  catched  by  the  cord  again ;  so,  having 
Satan's  cords  about  us,  he  can  pull  us  in  when  he  lists.  From  this  we  are  freed 
by  the  Spirit.  H.  A  blessed  freedom  and  an  enlargement  of  heart  to  duties. 
God's  j)eople  are  a  voluntary  people.  Those  that  are  under  grace  are  "  anointed 
by  the  Spirit"  (Psa.  Ixxxix.  20),  and  that  spiritual  anointment  makes  them  nimble. 
Otherwise  spiritual  duties  are  as  opposite  to  flesh  and  blood  as  fire  and  water. 
When  we  are  drawn,  therefore,  to  duties,  as  a  bear  to  a  stake,  for  fear,  or  out  of 
custom,  with  extrinsical  motives,  and  not  from  a  new  nature,  this  is  not  from  the 
Spirit.  For  the  Hberty  of  the  Spirit  is  when  actions  come  off  naturally,  without 
any  extrinsical  motive.  A  child  needs  not  extrinsical  motives  to  please  his  father. 
So  there  is  a  new  nature  in  those  that  have  the  Spirit  of  God  to  stir  them  up  to 
duty,  though  God's  motives  may  help  as  the  sweet  encouragements  and  rewards. 
But  the  principle  is  to  do  things  naturally.  Artificial  things  move  from  a  principle 
without  them,  therefore  they  are  artificial.  Clocks  and  such  things  have  weights 
that  stir  all  the  wheels  they  go  by,  and  that  move  them ;  so  it  is  with  an  artificial 
Christian.  He  moves  with  weights  without  him ;  he  hath  not  an  inward  principle 
of  the  Spirit  to  make  things  natural  to  him.  in.  Courage  against  all  opposition 
whatsoever,  joined  with  light  and  strength  of  faith,  breaking  through  alt, 
oppositions.  Opposition  to  a  spiritual  man  adds  but  courage  and  strength  to  him 
to  resist.  In  Acts  iv.  23,  seq.,  when  they  had  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  encountered 
opposition ;  and  the  more  they  were  opposed,  the  more  they  grew.  They  were 
cast  in  prison,  and  rejoiced ;  and  the  more  they  were  imprisoned,  the  more 
courageous  they  were  still.  There  is  no  setting  against  this  wind,  no  quenching 
of  this  fire,  by  any  human  power.  See  how  the  Spirit  triumphed  in  the  martyrs. 
The  Spirit  of  God  is  a  victorious  Spirit  (Bom.  viii.  33,  34;  Acts  vi.  10,  15).  IV. 
Boldness  with  God  Himself,  otherwise  a  "consuming  fire."  For  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  goes  through  the  mediation  of  Chi-ist  to  God.  That  familiar  boldness 
whereby  we  cry,  "  Abba,  Father,"  comes  from  sons.  This  comes  from  the  Spirit. 
If  we  be  sons,  then  we  have  the  Spirit,  whereby  we  cry,  "  Abba,  Father."  (R. 
Sibbes,  B.D.) 

Ver  18.  But  we  all,  with  open  face  beholding  as  In  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord, 
are  changed  into  the  same  image. — Mirrors  of  Christ : — 1.  We  should  substitute 


110  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  m. 

"  reflecting  "  for  "  beholding."  Christians  are  represented  not  as  persons  looking  into 
a  mirror,  but  as  themselves  the  mirrors.  They  who  uncover  their  souls  to  the 
influence  of  Christ  reflect  His  glory,  and  by  continuing  to  do  so  they  attain  to  that 
glory.  It  is  as  if  by  some  process  the  image  of  a  person  who  gazes  into  a  mirror 
should  not  be  merely  reflected  for  the  moment,  but  permanently  stamped  upon  it. 
2.  Recall  the  incident  which  suggested  the  figure.  When  Moses  came  down  from 
the  Mount  his  countenance  shone  so  as  to  dazzle  beholders ;  he  acted,  as  it  were, 
like  a  mirror  to  the  glory  of  God.  But  Moses  knew  that  the  reflection  would  pass 
away,  and  therefore  he  put  on  a  veil,  that  the  people  "  might  not  see  the  end  of  it." 
Had  they  done  so  they  might  have  supposed  that  God  had  retired  from  him,  and 
that  no  more  authority  belonged  to  him,  and  therefore  Moses  put  on  the  veil ;  but 
when  he  returned  to  receive  new  communications  from  God  he  met  God  with 
unveiled  face.  But,  says  Paul,  the  wrong-headedness  of  the  Jews  is  perpetuating  this 
veil.  When  the  O.  T.  is  read,  there  is  a  veil  preventing  them  from  seeing  the  end 
of  the  glory  of  Moses  in  Christ ;  they  think  the  glory  still  abides  in  Moses.  But 
when  they  return,  as  Moses  used  to  return,  to  the  Lord,  they  will  lay  aside  the  veil 
as  he  did,  and  then  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  shine  upon,  and  be  reflected  by, 
them.  This  reflection  will  not  fade  away,  but  increase  from  one  glory  to  another — 
to  perfect  resemblance  to  the  original.  This  is  a  glory  not  skin-deep  like  that  of 
Moses,  but  penetrating  the  character  and  changing  our  inmost  nature  into  Christ's 
image.  3.  The  idea,  then,  is  that  they  who  are  much  in  Christ's  presence  become 
mirrors  to  Him,  reflecting  more  and  more  permanently  His  image  until  they  them- 
selves perfectly  resemble  Him.  This  assertion  rests  on  the  well-known  law  that  a 
reflected  image  tends  in  many  circumstances  to  become  fixed.  Your  eye,  e.g.,  is  a 
mirror  which  retains  for  a  little  the  image  it  has  been  reflecting.  Let  the  sun  shine 
upon  it,  and  wherever  you  look  for  a  time  you  will  still  see  the  sun.  The  child 
who  grows  up  with  a  parent  he  respects  unconsciously  reflects  a  thousand  of  his 
attitudes,  looks,  and  ways,  which  gradually  become  the  child's  own.  We  ai'e  all  of 
us,  to  a  great  extent,  made  by  the  company  we  keep.  There  is  a  natural  readiness 
in  us  all  to  reflect  and  respond  to  the  emotions  expressed  in  our  presence.  If 
another  person  laughs,  we  can  scarcely  refrain  from  laughing ;  if  we  see  a  man  in 
pain,  our  face  reflects  what  is  passing  in  him.  And  so  every  one  who  associates 
with  Christ  finds  that  to  some  extent  he  reflects  His  glory.  It  is  His  image  which 
always  reawakens  in  us  a  response  to  what  is  good  and  right.  It  is  He  who  saves 
us  from  becoming  altogether  a  reflection  of  a  world  lying  in  wickedness,  from  being 
formed  by  our  own  evil-heartedness,  and  from  persuading  ourselves  we  may  Uve  as 
we  Ust.  His  own  patient  lips  seem  to  say,  "  Follow  Me  ;  be  in  this  world  as  I  was 
in  it."  Our  duty,  then,  if  we  would  be  transformed  into  the  image  of  Christ,  is 
plain.  I.  We  must  associate  with  Hiji.  Even  one  thought  of  Him  does  some 
good,  but  we  must  learn  to  abide  with  Him.  It  is  by  a  series  of  impressions  that 
His  image  becomes  fixed  in  us.  As  soon  as  we  cease  to  be  conscious  of  Christ  we 
cease  to  reflect  Him,  just  as  when  an  object  passes  from  before  a  mirror,  the 
reflection  simultaneously  goes  with  it.  Besides,  we  are  exposed  to  objects  the 
most  destructive  to  Christ's  image  in  us.  As  often  as  our  hearts  are  exposed  to 
some  tempting  thing  and  respond  to  it,  it  is  that  reflection  which  is  seen  in  us, 
mingled  often  with  the  fading  reflection  of  Christ ;  the  two  images  forming 
together  a  monstrous  representation.  II.  We  must  be  careful  to  tuen  fully 
KOUND  TO  Christ.  The  mirror  must  be  set  quite  square  to  that  which  it  is  to  reflect. 
In  many  positions  you  can  see  many  other  images  in  a  mirror  without  seeing 
yourself.  And  so,  unless  we  give  our  full  front,  our  direct,  straightforward,  whole 
attention  to  Christ,  He  may  see  in  us,  not  His  own  image  at  all,  but  the  images  of 
things  abhorrent  to  Him.  The  man  who  is  not  wholly  satisfied  in  Christ,  who  has 
aims  or  purposes  that  Christ  will  not  fulfil  for  him,  is  not  wholly  turned  towards 
Christ.  The  man  who,  while  he  prays  to  Christ,  is  keeping  one  eye  open  towards 
the  world,  is  a  mirror  set  obliquely  ;  so  that  he  reflects  not  Christ  at  all,  but  other 
things  which  are  making  him  the  man  he  is.  III.  We  must  stand  in  His  pbesence 
WITH  OPEN,  unveiled  FACE.  We  may  wear  a  veil  in  the  world,  refusing  to  reflect  it ; 
but  when  we  return  to  the  Lord  we  must  uncover  our  face.  A  covered  mirror 
reflects  nothing.  Others  find  Christ  in  the  reading  of  the  Word,  in  prayer,  in  the 
services  of  His  house,  in  a  number  of  little  providences — in  fact  everywhere, 
because  their  eyes  are  unveiled.  We  may  read  the  very  same  word  and  wonder  at 
■their  emotion ;  we  may  pass  through  the  same  circumstances  and  be  quite 
unconscious  of  Christ ;  we  may  be  at  the  communion  table  side  by  side  with  one  who 
is  radiant  with  the  glory  of  Christ  and  yet  an  impalpable  veil  between  us  and  him 


CHAP.  III.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  Ill 

may  hide  all  this  from  us.  And  our  danger  is  that  we  let  the  dust  gather  upon  us 
till  we  see  and  reflect  no  ray  of  that  glory.  We  do  nothing  to  brush  off  the  dust, 
but  let  Him  pass  by  and  leave  no  more  mark  on  us  tlian  if  He  had  not  been 
present.  This  veil  is  not  like  a  slight  dimness  occasioned  by  moisture  on  a 
mirror,  which  the  wai'm  presence  of  Christ  will  itself  dry  up ;  it  is  rather  an 
incrustation  that  has  grown  out  from  our  own  hearts,  thickly  covering  them  and 
making  them  thoroughly  impervious  to  the  light  of  Heaven.  The  heart  is  over- 
laid with  worldly  ambitions;  with  fleshly  appetites;  with  schemes  of  self-advancement. 
AU  these,  and  everything  which  has  no  sympathy  with  what  is  spiritual  and  Christ- 
like, must,  be  removed,  and  the  mirror  must  be  kept  clean,  if  there  is  to  be  any 
reflection.  In  some  persons  you  might  be  tempted  to  say  that  the  mischief  is 
produced  not  so  much  by  a  veil  on  the  mirror  as  by  a  lack  of  quicksilver  behind  it. 
There  is  no  solid  backing  to  the  character,  no  material  for  the  truth  to  work  upon, 
or  there  is  no  energetic  thinking,  no  diligent,  painstaking  spiritual  culture. 
Conclusion :  1.  Observe  the  perfectness  of  this  mode  of  sanctification.  It  is 
perfect — (1)  In  its  end ;  it  is  likeness  to  Christ  in  which  it  terminates.  And  as 
often  as  you  set  yourself  before  Christ,  and  in  presence  of  His  perfect  character 
begin  to  feel  the  blemishes  in  your  own,  you  forget  the  points  of  resemblance,  and 
feel  that  you  cannot  rest  until  the  likeness  is  perfect.  And  so  the  Christian  goes 
from  glory  to  glory,  from  one  reflection  of  Christ's  image  to  another,  until  perfection 
is  attained.  (2)  In  its  method.  It  extends  to  the  whole  character  at  once.  When 
a  sculptor  is  cutting  out  a  bust,  or  a  painter  filling  in  a  likeness,  one  feature  may 
be  pretty  nearly  finished  while  the  rest  are  undiscernible ;  but  when  a  person  stands 
before  a  mirror  the  whole  face  is  at  once  reflected.  And  in  sanctification  the  same 
law  holds  good.  Many  of  us  take  the  wrong  method  ;  we  hammer  and  chisel  away 
at  ourselves  to  produce  some  resemblance  to  Christ  in  one  feature  or  another ; 
but  the  result  is  that  either  in  a  day  or  two  we  quite  forget  what  grace  we  were 
trying  to  develop ;  or,  succeeding  somewhat,  we  find  that  our  character  as 
a  whole  is  more  provokingly  unlike  Christ  than  ever.  Consider  how  this 
appears  in  the  moulding  men  undergo  in  society.  You  know  in  what  class  of 
society  a  man  has  been  brought  up,  not  by  his  accent,  bearing,  conversa- 
tion, or  look  alone,  but  by  all  these  together.  The  society  a  man  moves  in 
impresses  on  all  he  does  and  is  a  certain  style  and  manner  and  tone.  So  the  only 
effectual  way  of  becoming  like  Christ  in  all  points  is  to  be  much  in  His  society. 

2.  Some  of  us  lament  that  there  is  so  little  we  can  do  for  Christ.  But  we  can  all 
reflect  Him,  and  by  reflecting  Him  we  shall  certainly  extend  the  knowledge  of  Him 

■on  earth.  Many  who  do  not  look  at  Him,  look  at  you.  As  in  a  mirror  persons 
(looking  into  it  from  the  side)  see  the  reflections  of  objects  which  are  themselves 
invisible,  so  persons  will  see  in  you  an  image  of  what  they  do  not  directly  see, 
which  will  cause  them  to  wonder,  and  turn  to  study  for  themselves  the  substantial 
figure  which  produces  it.  3.  The  mirror  cannot  produce  an  image  of  that  which 
has  no  reality.  And  as  little  can  any  man  produce  in  himself  and  of  himself  the 
character  of  Christ.  (M.  Dods,  D.D.)  The  gospel  the  reflective  mirror  of  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  : — I.  We  must  explain  the  object  of  vision.  "  The  glory  of  the  Lord." 
Every  discovery  which  the  Lord  has  made  of  Himself  to  His  rational  creatures  is 
for  the  manifestation  of  His  own  glory.  The  works  of  creation  were  intended  to 
show  forth  His  glory.  In  process  of  time  the  Divine  Being  gave  a  more  complete 
revelation  of  His  glory,  by  the  ministry  of  Moses,  to  a  nation  whom  He  had 
ordained  to  be  the  repository  of  His  truth.  II.  The  reflective  medium.  A  glass 
or  mirror.  Divine  revelation  is  a  mirror  in  which  we  perceive,  and  from  which  is 
reflected,  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  The  ministration  of  the  Spirit  exceeds  in  glory  the 
ministration  of  death  and  condemnation,  inasmuch  as — 1.  Its  discoveries  are  more 
satisfactory.     2.  The  miracles  by  which  they  were  attested  were  more  benevolent. 

3.  The  grace  of  the  latter  is  more  abundant  than  that  of  the  former.  By  grace 
here  we  mean  the  bestowment  of  spiritual  life  and  salvation  to  the  souls  of  sinful 
men.  If  we  look  at  the  general  character  of  the  Israelitish  nation,  from  the  time 
of  Moses  to  the  coming  of  Christ,  we  shall  perceive  but  little  manifestation  of 
genuine  piety  towards  God.  But  how  abundant  was  the  grace  when  Christ 
appeared,  "  in  the  fulness  of  time,"  "  to  put  av/ay  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  Himself !  " 
Then  Jews  and  Gentiles  received  the  gifts  and  graces  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
so  copious  a  manner  as  to  fulfil  the  beautiful  predictions  of  the  prophet :  "  Until 
the  Spirit  be  poured  on  us  from  on  high,  and  the  wilderness  be  a  fruitful  field,  and 
the  fruitful  field  be  counted  for  a  forest."  III.  The  distinctness  of  its  percep- 
-noN.     "  With  c^en  "  or  "  unveiled  face."     IV.  The  transforming  power  of  this 


112  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  nr. 

visioN.  "  Changed  from  glory  to  glory."  Thus  faith  in  Divine  revelation  is  a  holy 
perception  of  the  mind,  by  which  the  glory  of  God  in  Christ  is  discovered,  and  this- 
discovery  has  a  powerful  reaction  upon  the  soul,  and  as  the  object  is  more  distinctly 
perceived,  the  progressive  sanctification  of  good  men  is  advanced  till  they  possess 
the  perfect  image  of  their  Lord.  V.  The  Divine  agent  by  which  this  is- 
EFFECTED.  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord,"  or  "  the  Lord  the  Spirit."  1.  Here  the 
personality  and  divinity  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  asserted.  2.  None  but  a  Divine 
Being  could  accomplish  His  work.  The  Spirit  of  God  creates  the  soul  of  every 
converted  man  anew.  In  improvement  of  the  subject  we  have  been  considering  I 
shall  make  only  two  observations.  1.  How  great  is  your  privilege,  and  how  awful 
your  responsibility !  2.  The  Christian  has  to  leave  reflective  mirrors  for  the  full 
vision   of  the   Saviour's  glory.     (TF.  Jones.)        Mirrors  of  Christ : — I.  In  every 

REFLECTOR  THERE  MUST  BE  AN  EXPOSURE  OF  ITSELF  TO  THE  SUN,  SO  THAT  THE  LIGHT- 
MAY  FALL  FULL  UPON  IT.  So  If  wc  would  reflect  the  glories  of  God,  we  must 
make  a  full  presentation  of  ourselves  to  God.  How  many  of  us  fail  to  shine 
just  because  of  some  spiritual  obliquity  of  aim  and  purpose !     H.  A  reflector 

CAN  only  answer  ITS  PURPOSE    WHEN  THERE    IS  NOTHING    INTERPOSED    BETWEEN    IT  AND- 

THE  SOURCE  OF  LIGHT.  We  need  to  have  our  face  unveiled  in  order  to  receive  the 
light  as  well  as  to  reflect  it.  The  introduction  of  some  substance  renders  the 
reflector  useless.  Now  observe,  the  sun  is  very  seldom  eclipsed,  but  when  that  is  sO' 
the  world  itseM  is  in  no  way  accountable ;  another  orb  is  interposed  between  the 
earth  and  the  sun.  Even  so  the  Christian's  hght  may  sometimes  be  eclipsed,  not. 
because  of  any  fault  of  ours,  but  for  some  wise  purpose  which  God  has  in  view. 
But  it  is  otherwise  with  self-caused  darkness.  The  sun,  while  seldom  eclipsed,  is 
frequently  beclouded,  and  by  clouds  which  are  due  to  exhalations  arising  from  the 
earth.  Alas  !  how  many  Christians  live  under  a  clouded  sky,  for  which  they  have- 
only  to  thank  themselves.  1.  Here  is  one  who  lives  under  the  ominous  thunder- 
cloud of  care.  2.  Here  is  another  who  dwells  in  the  fog  of  earthly-mindedness.. 
3.  Here  is  yet  another  who  is  wrapped  round  in  the  cold  mist  of  doubts  and  fears, 
steaming  up  from  the  restless  sea  of  human  experiences.  IH.  If  a  mirror  is  tO" 
REFLECT  IT  MUST  BE  KEPT  CLEAN.  I  saw  an  ancicnt  mirror  of  polished  steel  in  an 
old  baronial  hall.  There  it  was,  in  just  as  good  condition  as  when  fair  ladies  saw 
their  faces  reflected  in  it  in  the  days  of  the  Plantagenets.  But  its  preservation  in 
the  damp  atmosphere  of  Cornwall  was  due  to  the  fact  that  generation  after 
generation  of  servants  had  always  kept  it  clean.  Just  think  how  one  small  spot  of 
rust  in  all  these  hundreds  of  years  would  have  marred  that  surface  for  ever.  Oh, 
Christian,  no  wonder  that  thou  hast  lost  thy  reflecting  power.  Thou  hast  been 
careless  about  little  things ;  but  nothing  can  be  smaller  than  the  dust  which 
robs  the  mirror  of  its  reflecting  power.  Or  perhaps  thou  hast  allowed  the 
rust  spots  of  evil  habits  to  spoil  thy  surface.  Let  us  see  to  it  that  we  keep 
the  mirror  bright  and  unsullied !  The  most  -virulent  corrosive  acid  can  do 
but  little  harm  to  the  surface  of  polished  steel,  if  wiped  off  the  moment 
it  falls ;  but  let  it  remain,  and  very  soon  an  irreparable  mischief  is  done. 
Even  so  you  may  be  overtaken  even  in  a  very  s  erious  fault ;  but  when  it  has- 
been  promptly  confessed  and  put  away,  the  truth  is  realised  :  "If  we  walk  in 
the  light,  as  He  is  in  the  light,"  &c.  IV.  Note  the  way  in  \vhich  the  ancient- 
MiRRORS  WERE  FORMED.  The  metal  had  to  be  smoothed  and  polished  by  fric- 
tion. 1.  And  are  we  not  God's  workmanship  in  this  respect,  and  does  He- 
not  employ  our  trying  experiences  here  just  to  induce  this  end?  2.  The  mirror 
needs  to  be  polished  by  a  skilled  hand ;  and  as  long  as  we  are  in  God's  hands,  He 
can,  and  will,  polish  us  for  Himself.  But  when  we  take  ourselves  out  of  His  hands, 
and  only  see  chance  or  circumstances  or  stern  old  mother  Nature,  in  our  experiences, 
these  clumsy  operators  only  scratch  the  surface,  which  needs  to  be  polished.  V. 
But  there  comes  a  point  when  the  figure  breaks  down,  for  the  mirror  always 
REMAINS  A  mirror — dark  itself,  however  much  light  it  may  reflect.  But  it  is  other- 
wise with  the  true  Christian.  1.  The  light  not  only  falls  on  but  enters  into  him,, 
and  becomes  part  of  himself.  The  true  Christian  is  not  only  a  light-giver — he  is 
light.  "  Now  are  ye  light  in  the  Lord."  The  Christian  who  puts  a  veil  on  his  face 
because  he  does  not  care  to  give,  will  find  that  he  is  also  precluded  by  his  veil  from 
receiving  ;  but  he  who  both  receives  and  gives  will  also  find  that  he  keeps.  2.  And 
that  which  he  keeps  proves  within  him  a  transforming  power  by  which  he  is  changed 
from  glory  into  glory.  Thank  God  for  our  capacity  of  change.  There  are  some- 
who  seem  to  be  proud  of  never  changing.  3.  We  are  familiar  with  the  idea  that 
God  is  to  be  glorified  in   each  fresh   stage  of  spiritual  experience,  but  are  we- 


CHAP,  in.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  113 

equally  familiar  with  the  thought  that  each  fresh  acquisition  that  faith  lays  hold  of 
brings  new  glory  with  it  to  him  by  whom  the  acquisition  is  made  ?  From 
glory  unto  glory.  (1)  Is  it  not  glory  when  first  the  sinner,  dead  in  trespasses  and 
sins,  hears  Christ  say,  "  He  that  believeth  in  Me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he 
live  "  ?  (2)  Time  passes  on,  and  the  soul  cries  again  "  Glory  to  God  !  "  as  he  makes 
the  discovery  that  the  redemption  of  Christ  entitles  him  to  be  free  indeed  from  the 
tyi-ant  power  of  sin.  (3)  Time  flies  on,  and  still  we  change.  "Glory  to  God!" 
cries  the  working  Christian,  as  he  presents  his  body  a  living  sacrifice,  and  feels  the 
living  fire  descend  and  consecrate  the  offering.  "  Glory  to  thee.  My  child,"  the 
Saviour  still  seems  to  answer;  "thou  art  a  worker  together  with  Me  ;  thy  labour  is 
not  in  vain  in  Me  thy  Lord."  (4)  Still  we  change.  "  Glory  to  God  !  "  cries  the 
advancing  saint,  as  he  sees  the  prize  of  his  high  calling,  and  presses  towards  it. 
"  Glory  to  thee,  my  child,"  is  still  the  Saviour's  response ;  "  as  thou  hast  borne  the 
image  of  the  earthly,  so  shalt  thou  bear  the  image  of  the  earthly,  so  shalt  thou 
bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly.  (5)  Thus  we  press  on  from  glory  unto  glory  until 
it  is  aU  glory.  "  Glory  to  God !  "  exclaims  the  triumphant  soul  as  he  enters  the 
eternal  home.  "  Glory  to  thee,  my  child  !  "  still  seems  the  answer,  as  Christ  bids 
His  faithful  follower  share  His  throne.  Oh,  may  we  thus  reflect  His  glory  for  ever  ! 
(W.  Hay-Aitken,  M.A.)  The  transforming  influence  of  faith  : — I.  The  contem- 
plation OF  Christ.  "  We  all  with  open  face  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the  glory 
of  the  Lord."  1.  The  object  beheld.  "  The  glory  of  the  Lord,"  "  He  is  the  Lord 
of  all " — of  all  men,  of  all  creatures,  of  all  things.  He  is  the  rightful  Proprietor 
of  the  universe.  The  primary  meaning  of  glory  is  brightness,  splendour ;  and  the 
secondary  meaning  is  excellence  displayed,  according  to  its  subject,  and  the  nature 
of  the  object  to  which  it  is  ascribed.  Li  which  of  these  senses  is  glory  here 
ascribed  to  the  Lord  Christ  ?  In  the  latter,  not  in  the  former  sense.  It  is  not  the 
glory  of  His  might,  nor  the  glory  of  His  majesty,  nor  even  the  glory  of  His  miracles, 
of  which  His  personal  disciples  were  eye-witnesses ;  but  the  glory  of  His  moral 
perfections.  God  is  "  glorious  in  holiness,"  and  "  the  glory  of  the  Lord  "  is  His 
moral  excellence,  comprised  and  displayed  in  all  His  moral  attributes.  The  former 
are  displayed  in  His  works  ;  the  latter  shine  brightest  in  His  Word.  In  a  word,  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  was  the  manifestation  of  His  Divine  philanthropy — "  of  the 
kindness  and  love  of  God  our  Saviour  toward  men."  2.  The  medium  in  which 
His  glory  is  beheld.  "  Beholding  as  in  a  glass,"  or  rather,  as  in  a  mirror.  What, 
then,  is  the  mirror  which  receives  the  image,  and  reflects  back  on  the  eye  of  the 
beholders,  the  glory  of  the  Lord  ?  What,  but  the  gospel  of  Christ.  And  Christ  is 
at  once  the  Author,  the  subject,  and  the  sum  of  the  gospel.  It  derives  all  the  glory 
it  possesses  and  reflects,  from  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  It  receives  its  being,  its  name, 
its  character,  and  its  efficacy  from  Him.  It  originates  nothing ;  all  that  it  is,  all 
that  it  says,  and  all  that  it  does,  is  from  Him,  about  Him,  and  for  Him.  And  the 
image  of  Him  which  the  gospel  receives  as  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the 
brightness  of  His  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  His  person,  it  reflects  back  as 
from  a  burnished  mirror,  in  all  its  lineaments,  and  fulness,  and  glory,  and  distinct- 
ness. The  glory  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  as  a  mirror,  contrasts  strikingly  with  the 
law  as  "  a  shadow  of  things  to  come."  The  good  things  to  come  were  seen 
by  the  Old  Testament  saints  in  the  types  and  ceremonies  of  the  law.  The 
view  was  dim  as  well  as  distant;  indistinct,  uncertain,  and  unsatisfying.  But 
the  sight  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  in  the  mirror  of  the  gospel  is  near  and 
not  distant,  luminous  and  not  dark,  distinct  and  not  obscure  or  uncertain,  and 
transforming  but  not  terrifying.  3.  The  manner.  "  With  open  face."  The 
face  is  said  to  be  open  when  it  is  guileless,  ingenuous,  and  benevolent,  and  not 
sinister,  crafty,  or  malicious ;  or,  when  the  face  itself  is  fuUy  exposed,  and  not 
covered.  This  last  is  obviously  the  meaning  of  the  expression  employed.  With 
open,  that  is,  with  unveiled  face.  Those  who  apply  it  to  the  face  of  the  Lord  make 
a  sight  transposition  of  the  words  to  make  the  sense  more  apparent.  Thus  :  "  We 
ah,  beholding  as  in  a  mirror  the  glory  of  the  Lord  with  unveiled  face."  His  face  la 
unveiled,  and  His  glory  is  thus  undimmed.  It  shines  forth  in  all  its  splendour. 
If  the  "  unveiled  face  "  be  understood  of  the  beholders,  according  to  our  version, 
then  the  reference  is  to  the  more  immediate  context  in  the  fifteenth  verse,  and  the 
contrast  is  between  them,  and  "  the  veil  which  is  upon  the  heart  "  of  the  unbelieving 
Jews.  Now,  all  this  serves  to  show  that,  while  the  most  obvious  reference  may  be 
to  the  veil  over  the  face  of  Moses  as  contrasted  with  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of 
Jesus  Christ,  it  is  not  to  th«  exclusion  of  the  veil  upon  the  heart  of  the  Jews  as 
contrasted  with  the  open,  unveiled  face  of  the  beholders  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  . 


114  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  ra. 

"Which  veil  is  done  away  in  Christ?"  Indeed,  both  veils  are  now  removed,  and 
done  away  in  Christ : — the  obscurity  caused  by  the  former  is  removed  by  the 
luminous  exhibition  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  the  blindness  of  mind  caused  by 
the  latter  is  removed  by  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit.  4.  The  beholders.  Who 
are  the  persons  indicated  by,  and  included  in  the  "we  all"  who  thus  behold  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  ?  Is  it  all  we  apostles  only  ?  or  even  all  we  whom  He  hath 
"made  able  ministers  of  the  New  Testament"?  The  expression  includes  all  who 
are  subjects  of  the  new  covenant,  who  are  under  grace,  and  in  a  state  of  grace,  "  all 
who  have  turned  to  the  Lord  "  (ver.  16).  Not  only  do  all  who  turn,  or  are  converted 
to  the  Lord,  possess,  exercise,  and  maintain  their  Christian  liberty,  but  tin  y  are  all 
"  light  in  the  Lord."  The  light  of  the  glorious  gospel  of  Christ,  the  medium  of 
spiritual  vision,  is  not  only  held  up  as  a  mirror  before  their  eyes,  as  before  the  eyes 
of  the  world  ;  but  the  organ  of  spiritual  vision  is  opened,  unveiled,  and  directed 
to  the  image  beheld  there,  radiant  with  beauty,  and  reflecting  back  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  on  the  eyes  of  the  beholders.  II.  Confokmity  to  Christ.  The  change  thus 
produced  is — 1.  Spiritual  in  its  nature.  jCII  the  glory  seen  on  the  summit,  and 
around  the  base,  of  Mount  Sinai,  was  of  a  material  and  sensible  kind.  Moses  saw 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  with  his  bodily  eyes ;  the  shekinah,  or  symbol  of  the  Divine 
glory,  made  the  skin  of  his  face  to  shine.  It  is  otherwise  with  the  glory  beheld, 
with  the  ixiedium,  the  manner,  and  the  oi'gan  of  vision  here — all  is  spiritual,  and 
not  material  in  its  nature.  The  gospel  reveals,  and  holds  up  to  view,  the  things  of 
the  Spirit.  And  spiritual  things  must  be  spiritually  discerned.  They  do  not  act  as 
a  charm.  Nothing  can  possibly  affect,  impress,  or  influence  us  mentally,  any 
longer  than  it  is  in  our  thoughts ;  or,  morally,  any  longer  than  it  is  in  our  memory 
and  in  our  heart.  The  gospel  of  Christ  operates  according  to  the  attention  and 
reception  given  to  it,  and  the  use  we  make  of  it.  2.  Transforming  in  its  influence. 
It  is  a  law  in  nature,  and  a  truth  in  proverb,  that  "  like  prochices  like."  The  man 
who'is  much  at  court,  naturally  and  almost  unconsciously  catches  tiie  air,  impress, 
and  polish  of  the  court,  so  that  he  become  courtly,  if  not  courteous  in  spirit,  in 
address,  in  manners  and  deportment.  In  going  to  the  house  of  mourning,  which  it 
is  better  to  go  to  than  to  the  house  of  feasting,  we  almost  insensibly  catch  the  spirit' 
of  sympathy,  and  feel  the  spirit  of  mourning  creeping  over  us.  The  heart  softens ; 
the  countenance  saddens ;  the  eye  moistens.  Constituted  as  we  all  are,  how  can  it 
be  otherwise?  Looking  steadfastly  and  intently  at  such  moral  excellence  we 
admire ;  admiring  we  love ;  loving  we  long  to  imitate  it ;  imitation  produces 
likeness  to  Him  in  mind,  in  disposition,  in  will,  in  walk,  and  way.  Do  we  thus 
behold  the  love  of  Christ?  "We  love  Him,  because  He  first  loved  us."  Do  we 
behold  Him  as  "  the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world  "  ?  We 
become  "  dead  to  sin,  and  alive  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  3. 
Glorious  in  its  progress.  The  glory  of  Moses'  countenance  became  more  and  more 
dim,  by  distance  of  time  and  of  place  from  the  scene  and  sight  of  glory,  till  it 
entirely  disappeared.  But  the  glory  of  the  Lord  remains  the  same,  and  the  glory 
of  the  gospel  reflecting  it  remains  the  same,  and  the  more  steadfastly  and  earnestly 
we  behold  it,  the  more  will  we  be  changed  into  the  same  glorious  image.  The 
expression  employed  is  an  evidence  that  grace  and  glory  are  not  only  inseparable, 
but  in  substance  identical.  So  far  from  differing  in  kind  they  are  so  essentially  the 
same,  that  the  sacred  writers  sometimes  use  the  words  interchangeably.  Paul  here 
uses  "  glory"  for  grace  in  speaking  of  the  glorious  transformation  of  believers  from 
grace  to  glory ;  and  Peter  uses  "  grace  "  for  glory  in  speaking  of  the  glory  "  that  is 
to  be  brought  unto  us  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ."  And  the  reason  is  no  less 
plain  than  the  lesson  is  instructive  and  important.  The  partaker  of  grace  is  "  also 
a  partaker  of  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed."  4.  Divine  in  efficiency,  "  Even  as 
by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,"  or  as  the  margin  has  it  more  literally  and  properly. 
"  Even  as  by  the  Loi'd  the  Spirit."  It  is  His  prerogative,  and  it  becomes  His 
spiritual  dominion  to  open  and  unveil  the  heart,  to  enlighten  the  eyes  of  the 
understanding,  to  fix  them  on  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  to  quicken  the  spirit, 
and  thus  to  make  His  subjects  "  a  willing  people  in  the  day  of  His  power." 
This  subject  sets  before  us  the  privilege  of  gospel  hearers,  and  the  honour 
of  gospel  believers,  and  the  doom  of  gospel  despisers.  It  shows — 1.  The 
privilege  of  gospel  hearers.  All  who  have  the  Word  of  God,  who  read  or 
hear  the  gospel  of  Christ,  are  "  not  under  the  law,  but  under  grace."  They 
are  more  highly  privileged  than  were  the  Jews  who  were  under  the  law,  or  the 
Gentiles  who  have  not  the  law,  and  know  not  God.  2.  The  blessedness  of 
gospel  believers.     They  are  the  blessed  people  who  know  the  joyful  sound  ;  they 


CHAP,  m.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  115 

walk  in  the  light  of  God's  countenance.  3.  The  doom  of  gospel  despisers.  They 
make  light  of  the  gospel  of  Christ ;  despise  the  Saviour  it  presents,  and  the 
salvation  it  proiJers,  and  turn  away  from  "  the  glory  of  the  Lord."  (Geo.  Robson.) 
The  physiognomy  and  photognrphy  of  Christianity  : — I.  The  physiognomy  of  the 
TEXT.  1.  The  open  face.  This  is  the  antithesis  of  the  covered  face  of  Moses,  and 
must  therefore  be  Christ's  (chap.  iv.  6).  The  idea  is  physiognomical,  face  i-eading. 
Men  profess  to  comprehend  each  other's  temperaments  and  dispositions  by  the 
study  of  their  faces.  Thus  a  man's  face  is  his  character,  at  least  the  key  to  it. 
In  this  face  of  Jesus  Christ  shines  the  resplendent  glory  of  God  ;  it  is  an  index  of 
the  Divine  mind  and  feeUngs  towards  a  sinful  world.  The  human  face  becomes  a 
profound  mystery  apart  from  the  soul  within.  Its  wonderful  expressions  cannot  be 
understood  except  on  the  supposition  of  an  indwelling  spirit.  When  the  sky  is 
overcast,  suddenly,  maybe,  a  beam  darts  through,  shedding  a  glow  of  beauty 
over  the  spot  upon  which  it  gleams.  The  mystery  of  that  ray  could  not  be  solved 
except  by  the  existence  of  a  sun  behind.  It  is  only  in  the  same  way  that  the 
character  of  Christ  can  be  understood.  Denied  His  Divine  nature  Christ  becomes  a 
profounder  mystery  than  when  regarded  as  God  incarnate.  2.  It  is  an  open  face  in 
a  glass.  Once  it  was  an  open  face  without  any  intervening  object,  when  "  He 
dwelt  among  men  and  they  beheld  His  glory."  But  now  that  His  bodily  presence 
has  departed  we  have  His  face  reflected  in  the  gospel-mirror  (chap.  iv.  4).  It  is 
through  Christ  we  know  God,  and  it  is  through  the  gospel  that  we  know  Christ. 
The  sun,  when  it  has  set,  is  invisible  to  us.  We  then  look  up  to  the  heavens,  and 
there  we  observe  the  moon,  which  reflects  the,  to  us,  invisible  sun.  This  moon  is 
the  sun's  image.  Again,  looking  into  the  placid  waters  of  the  pool,  we  observe  in 
its  clear  depth  the  moon's  reflection.  God  is  imaged  in  Christ,  and  Christ  is 
imaged  in  the  gospel.  Now,  the  superiority  of  the  gospel  over  the  Old 
Testament  is  represented  by  the  difference  between  the  glass  and  the  veil. 
The  veil  obscures  the  face,  the  glass  reveals  it.  In  fact  the  mirror  is  of  all 
instruments  the  one  which  gives  the  most  correct  representation  of  the  original. 
The  idea  of  a  person  conveyed  by  a  mirror  is  immeasurably  superior  to  that 
conveyed  by  the  best  painting.  The  face  in  the  painting  may  represent  a  dead  one, 
but  the  face  in  the  mirror  must  represent  a  living  one.  If  the  mirror  excels  so 
much  the  best  painting,  how  much  must  it  excel  a  shadow !  The  Old  Testament 
was  only  a  "  shadow  of  good  things  to  come,  and  not  the  very  image  of  the  things." 
A  person's  shadow  will  give  but  a  very  indifferent  idea  of  him.  What,  however, 
would  be  thought  of  the  person  who  essayed  to  draw  a  picture  of  another  from 
his  shadow  ?  Yet,  this  the  Jews  attempted  to  do  in  relation  to  Christ.  So  "  to 
His  own  He  came,  and  His  own  received  Him  not,"  because  His  appearance  did 
not  harmonise  with  their  preconceived  conceptions  of  Him  drawn  from  His  shadow. 
Men,  therefore,  should  seek  Him  in  the  gospel  mirror,  where  alone  He  can  be  seen 
as  He  is.  II.  The  photography  of  the  text.  "But  we  all  .  .  .  are  changed  into 
the  same  image,"  &c.  Here  the  apostle  explains  the  effects  of  this  transparent 
clearness  of  the  gospel  teaching.  Beholding  the  Lord  in  the  gospel  transforms 
the  beholder  into  His  own  image.  This  is  in  accordance  with  the  analogy  of 
natural  photography.  The  light  falls  upon  the  object,  that  object  again  reflects  it 
in  its  own  form  upon  the  prepared  glass.  The  resplendent  glory  of  God  falls,  so  to 
speak,  upon  Christ  in  His  mediatorial  character ;  Christ  reflects  it  upon  the 
believing  mind  ;  the  mind  beholding  Him  in  faith.  The  mind  thus  reflected  upon 
by  the  incomparable  beauties  of  Christ's  character  is  transformed  into  the  same 
image.  The  work  is  progressive,  but  the  first  line  of  it  is  glory,  and  every 
additional  one  the  same — "from  glory  to  glory."  [A.  J.  Parry.)  The  image: — 
I.  The  image.  We  must  lay  Exodus  xxxiv.  33,  <fec.,  alongside  of  this  chapter.  So 
the  sight  of  Christ's  glory  does  far  more  for  us  than  the  sight  of  God's  glory  did 
for  Moses.  The  skin  of  his  face  was  lighted  up  ;  but  our  very  souls  are  changed 
into  likeness  to  Christ;  and  this  change  does  not  soon  pass  away,  but  continues 
growing  from  glory  to  glory,  as  might  be  expected,  seeing  it  is  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  who  works  the  change  in  us.  1.  Christ,  as  we  see  Him  in  the  New 
Testament,  is  the  most  perfect  image  in  the  world.  Only  a  little  of  God's  glory 
was  revealed  by  Moses,  but  Christ  is  "  God  manifest  in  the  flesh."  (1)  God  is 
Light,  i.e.,  that  is  holiness,  and  how  plainly  that  glory  is  imaged  in  the  sinless 
Jesus  !  (2)  God  is  Love,  and  that  love  is  made  perfectly  plain  by  the  life  of  Christ 
from  the  cradle  to  the  cross.  A  poor  African  could  not  believe  that  the  white  man 
loved  him.  His  heart  was  not  won  by  cold  far-off  words  about  a  far-off"  people. 
But  love  for  the  African  became  flesh  in  David  Livingstone,  and  his  life  was  a. 


116  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  in. 

glass  in  which  they  saw  the  true  image  of  Christian  love.     2.  This  image  is  not 

like  the  image  of  the  ascending  Christ,  which  faded  into  heaven  while  the  disciples 

gazed  after  it  on  the  Mount  of  Olives.     This  is  an  unfading  portrait.     Age  cannot 

dim  it,  earth's  mildew  cannot  discolour  it,  man's  rude  hand  caimot  destroy  it ;  it 

only  grows  brighter   as   it   gathers   fresh   beauty  from  the  blessed  changes  it  is 

working  in  the  world.     II.  Beholding  of  the  image.     I  never  saw  the  beauty  of 

the  sun  so  well  as  one  day  in  a  Highland  lake,  whose  surface  was  like  a  mirror  of 

polished  glass.     To  see  the  naked  sun  face  to  face  would  have  blinded  me.     When 

John  saw  Christ's  glory  directly,  though  it  was  only  in  a  vision,  he  fell  down  as  a 

dead  man,  and  the  same  glory  blinded  Saul  of  Tarsus.     The  Bible  is  a  glass  in 

which  you  may  gaze  without  fear  upon  the  glory  of  the  Lord  therein  reflected. 

Moses  was  the  one  privileged  man  in  his  day.     But  now  aU  Christians  can  draw  as 

near  to  God  as  Moses  did,  for  where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  this  liberty. 

How  can  I  rightly  behold  the  glory  of  the  Lord?     1.  With  an  open  or  unveiled 

face,  just  as  Moses  took  off  his  veil  when  he  turned  to  speak  with  Jehovah.     A 

lady  visiting  a  picture  gallery  on  a  wintry  day  shields  her  face  from  the  biting 

blast  with  a  thick  veil ;  but,  upon  entering  the  gallery,  she  lifts  up  her  veil  that 

with  open  face  she  may  fully  behold  the  images  created  by  sculptor  and  painter. 

Many  veils  hide  Christ's  glory.     The  god  of  this  world  is  busy  blinding  our  minds 

by  drawing  a  veil  of  prejudice,  false  shame,  ignorance  of  an  earthly  mind  over  them 

(chap.  iv.  4).     2.  You  are  to  behold  the  image  in  the  glass  of  the  Bible.     A  picture 

or  statue  often  serves  only  to  remind  me  that  the  man  is  dead  or  far  away,  not  so 

the  image  of  Christ  in  the  Bible.     Some  images,  however,  fill  us  with  a  sense  of 

reality.  Raphael  painted  the  Pope,  and  the  Pope's  secretary  at  first  took  the  image  for 

the  hving  man,  knelt  and  offered  pen  and  ink  to  the  portrait,  with  the  request  that  the 

bill  in  his  hand  might  be  signed.     The  image  we  behold  is  drawn  by  the  Divine 

hand,  and  should  be  to  us  a  bright  and  present  reality.     3.  This  beholding  must  be 

steady  and  life-long.     Unless  you  look  often  at  this  image  and  love  to  do  so,  you 

will  not  get  much  good  from  Christ.     Even  man-made  images  impress  only  the 

steady  beholders  of  them.     III.  The  beholdees.     1.  "  They  are  changed  into  the 

same  image."     Some  people  think  that  the  beholding  of  beautiful  pictures  must  do 

great  good  to  the  beholders  ;  but  when  Athens  and  Eome  were  crowned  with  the 

most   splendid  pictures  and  statues,  the  people  were  the  most  wicked  the  world 

has   yet   seen.      But   the   right    beholding    of    this    image    gains    a    life  of    the 

same   make    as    Chiist's.     We    become   what   we  behold.     Two    boys   had    been 

poring  over  the  life  of    Dick   Turpin   and  Jack   Sheppard.     In  that  glass  they 

beheld  the  image   of  lawless   adventurers.     They   admired :  they  would   be   bold 

heroes  too.     They  are  soon  changed  into  the  image  they  gaze  upon  from  shame  to 

shame,  even   as   by   the   spirit   of  the  devil.     Here  is  a  gentle,  lovely  girl.     Her 

mother  is  to  her  the  very  model  and  mirror  of  womanly  perfection.     She  gladly 

yields  herself  up  to  her  mother's  influence,  and  the  neighbours  say,  "  That  girl  is 

the  living  image  of  her  mother  "  ;  for  she  receives  what  she  admires,  and  silently 

grows  like  what  she  "hkes  "  best.     When  some  newspaper  compared  Dr.  Judson  to 

one  of  the  apostles,  he  was  distressed,  and  said,  "  I  do  not  want  to  be  like  them.     I 

want  to  be  like  Christ."     2.  This  change  is  to  be  always  going  forward  from  glory 

to  glory.     3.  Your  beholding  of  Christ  and  likeness  to  Christ  are  both  imperfect  on 

earth.     In  heaven  there  shaU  be  a  perfect  beholding,  and  so  a  perfect  hkeness  to 

Christ  (Psa.  xvii.  15).     There  as  here  being  and  beholding  go  together.     We  see  this 

change  growing  towards  perfectness  in  the  martyr  Stephen  as  he  stood  on  the 

borderland  between  earth  and  heaven.     Even  his  foes  "  saw  his  face  as  it  had  been 

the  face  of  an  angel."     4.  Christ's  people  are  to  be  changed  so  thoroughly  into  Hia 

image  that  they  shall  have  a  soul  like  His,  and  even  a  body  like  His.     For  "  as  we 

have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthy,  we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly." 

(J.    Wells,   M.A.)         The    Christicni's    transfiguration: — I.  We    ake    all    trans- 

figubed.     If  you  look  back  a  verse  or  two  it  is  clearly  seen  that  St.  Paul  means  by 

these  words  to  include  all  Christian  men.     "We  all" — the  words  stand  in  vivid 

contrast  to  the  literalising  Jew  of  the  apostle's  day  ;  the  Jew,  who  had  the  letter  of 

Scripture,  and  worshipped  it  with  a  veil  upon  his  heart ;  so  that  when  Moses  was 

read  in  his  hearing,  he  could  not  see  the  meaning  of  the  Old  Testament,  nor  look 

one  inch  beyond  the  letter  of  the  book.     His  religion  was  stereotyped,  so  his  heart 

and  life  could  not  be  transfigured.     A  religion  of  the  letter  cannot  produce  growth ; 

it  has   no   beautifying  power,  it  cannot  transfigure.     In   Christ,  the   case   is  far 

otherwise ;  where  He  is,  there  is  liberty  ;  where  Christ  is,  there  must  be  growth.  Paul 

could  not  believe  it  possible  that  a  Christian  life  could  remain  stagnant.     Wherever 


CHAP,  m.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  117 

there  is  growth,  there  must  come,  in  the  end,  transfiguration.  St.  Paul  felt  that 
every  beUever  must  re-live  in  some  measure  the  perfect  life  of  Jesus.  Here  is  the 
secret  of  transformation — Christ  within,  Christ  about  us  as  an  atmosphere  of  moral 
growth.  Fellowship  with  His  perfect  life  gives  human  nature  honour  and  dignity. 
The  Thames  is  beautiful  at  Richmond,  at  Twickenham,  at  Kew,  but  not  always  so. 
At  times  the  prospect,  as  you  walk  from  Twickenham  to  Richmond,  is  spoiled  by 
ugly  flats  of  mud,  and  the  air  is  not  over  pleasant,  when  the  heat  of  summer  draws 
the  miasma  from  the  sedgy  bank.  You  may  walk  upon  the  bank  and  see  but  little 
beauty  there.  Wait  a  few  hours,  the  tide  will  return  and  change  the  entire  aspect 
of  the  river.  It  will  become  beautiful.  The  smallest  river  or  tidal  basin  is 
beautified  by  connection  with  the  sea.  The  pulse  of  ocean,  if  it  raise  the  level  but 
a  few  inches,  adds  dignity  and  beauty  wherever  it  is  felt.  The  river  repeats,  on  a 
.smaller  scale,  the  larger  life  of  the  ocean,  answering  in  its  ebb  and  flow  to  what  the 
sea  has  done  before.  So  Paul  felt  that  our  nature  is  glorified  because,  through 
the  Divine  humanity  of  Jesus,  it  is  connected  with  the  ocean  of  eternal  power  and 
grace.  The  incarnation,  the  life,  and  the  sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God  have  lifted 
human  life  to  higher  levels  ;  they  have  created  new  interests  and  fresh  currents  in 
•our  thought  and  feeling.  If  our  life  flow  onward  towards  Christ,  and  better  still,  if 
His  fulness  flow  back  upon  us,  we  must,  at  flood  tide,  partake  of  His  cleansing  and 
transforming  power.  St.  Paul  does  not  here  refer  to  the  resurrection,  his  tenses  are 
aU  present,  and  point  to  a  change  now  taking  place  in  our  imperfect  existence: 
^'  Changed  from  glory  to  glory."  There  is  a  glory  of  Christian  character  which  we 
may  possess  even  now.  "  From  glory  to  glory  "  implies  steps  and  stages.  There  is 
&  measure  of  beauty,  of  strength,  of  holy  character,  of  transfiguration,  possible  to 
the  feeblest  Christian — transfiguration  of  heart  and  hfe,  a  glory  now,  a  foretaste  of 
the  eternal  glory,  a  firstfruits  of  the  Spirit.  II.  The  cause  of  the  change  and 
THE  MEANS  OF  ITS  ATTAINMENT.  It  is  brought  about  by  looking  at  Christ.  "We  all, 
with  unveiled  face,  beholding  the  glory,  are  changed."  To  be  like  Christ,  we  must 
look  upon  Him  intently.  Then,  on  the  Divine  side,  there  is  the  inward  change.  As 
we  look,  the  Spirit  works  within.  Both  things  are  necessary.  As  we  gaze,  the 
Divine  influence  comes  down  upon  us  imperceptibly.  We  are  all  much  affected  by 
the  things  we  look  at  from  day  to  day.  A  man  wiU  find  sights  congenial  to  his 
heart  and  mind.  If  he  be  artistic,  he  wiU  be  on  the  look-out  for  pictures  and 
sculpture,  or  beautiful  scenes  in  nature.  If  he  have  a  turn  for  science,  he  will  find 
objects  of  study  and  delight  in  every  field  and  wood.  If  we  are  affectionate,  with 
strong  social  instincts,  our  principal  attractions  wiU  be  found  in  human  society. 
Now  aU  these  objects,  in  turn,  react  upon  us.  The  artistic  mind  grows  and 
■expands  by  the  study  of  beauty.  The  scientific  man  becomes  more  scientific  by 
the  study  of  nature  ;  while  the  social  and  affectionate  disposition  deepens  in  the 
search  and  attainment  of  its  object.  Apply  this  to  the  gospel.  Again,  we  must  not 
forget  that  the  way  we  look  is  also  important.  Our  manner  of  looking  at  Christ 
affects  us.  St.  Paul  says,  we  look  with  "unveiled  face."  He  here  contrasts  the 
Jewish  with  the  Christian  Church.  Look  at  Christ,  look  daily,  look  apprecia- 
tively, lovingly,  in  tender  sympathy,  and  the  spirit  of  Christ  will  possess  you. 
We  may  not  be  able  to  teU  how  the  change  comes  about,  nor  why,  neither 
need  we  anxiously  inquire,  provided  we  look  at  Christ  and  feel  the  Spirit's  power. 
•God  has  many  ways.  Stand  before  the  mirror,  and  you  will  see  the  light.  We 
care  not  at  what  angle  you  gaze.  Look  at  Christ  through  tears  of  penitence, 
look  in  hope,  in  joy,  in  love  ;  let  His  light  stream  into  the  heart  through  any  one  of 
the  many  avenues  of  thought  and  feeling.  (G.  Walker,  B.A.)  The  change 
produced  by  faith  in  Jesus  : — I.  The  beholding.  1.  By  beholding  we  are  to  under- 
stand faith  in  one  of  its  hveliest  and  most  important  exercises.  Faith  is  a  living 
principle.  It  hath  eyes,  and  it  beholds  Christ.  This  beholding  does  not  consist  of 
a  single  glance,  of  a  passing  survey.  "  Looking"  is  not  a  single  act,  but  the  habit 
of  his  soul.  "  Looking  unto  Jesus,"  &c.  2.  With  open  face.  Under  the  Jewish 
dispensation  Christ  was  exhibited,  but  it  was  as  it  were  through  a  veil.  There  was 
a  mystery  attached  to  it.  But  now,  when  Christ  came,  the  mystei-y  which  had  been 
hid  for  ages  is  revealed.  At  the  hour  when  Jesus  said,  "  It  is  finished,"  the  veil 
that  hid  the  holiest  of  all,  and  the  innermost  secrets  of  the  covenant,  was  rent  in 
twain  from  top  to  bottom.  3.  As  in  a  glass.  We,  whose  eye  is  dimmed  by  sin, 
•cannot  see  God  as  the  spirits  made  perfect  do  in  heaven.  "  No  man  hath  seen  God 
at  any  time."  Moses  desired  on  one  occasion  to  behold  the  glory  of  God.  But  the 
request  could  not  be  granted.  "  No  man  can  see  God  and  live."  Yet  God  gave  him 
a  aignal  manifestation  of  His  presence  (Exod.  xxxiv.  5).     Such  is  the  view  which 


118  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  ni^ 

God  gives  to  the  believer,  of  Himself  in  the  face  of  His  Son,  as  a  just  God  who 
will  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty,  and  yet  the  justifier  of  him  that  believeth  in 
Jesus — a  gracious  and  encouraging  view,  not  indeed  of  His  essential  glory,  which 
the  sinner  cannot  behold,  but  of  His  glory  as  exhibited  in  His  grace,  and  on  which  the 
eye  of  the  believer  delights  to  rest.  II.  What  is  beheld.  "  The  glory  of  the 
Lord."  The  Lord,  as  the  whole  context  shows,  is  the  Lord  Christ — the  proper  object 
of  faith.  We  look  into  the  Word  as  into  a  mirror  to  fix  our  attention  on  the  object 
reflected.  In  Him  as  thus  disclosed  we  shall  behold  a  glory.  In  His  person  He  is 
"  the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory  and  the  express  image  of  His  person."  In 
His  work  aU  the  perfections  of  the  Divine  character  meet  as  in  a  focus  of  surpassing 
brilliancy.  There  was  a  glory  in  His  incarnation,  which  the  company  of  the 
heavenly  host  observed  as  they  sang,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on 
earth  peace,  good-will  to  the  children  of  men."  There  was  glory  in  His  baptism, 
when  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  upon  Him,  and  the  voice  of  the  Father  was  heard 
declaring,  "  This  is  My  well-beloved  Son."  There  was  an  imposing  glory  in  His 
transfiguration.  There  was  a  glory,  too,  in  His  very  humihation  in  His  sorrow,  in 
the  cursed  death  which  He  died.  There  was  an  evident  glory  in  His  resurrection, 
when,  having  gone  down  to  the  dark  dominions  of  death.  He  came  up  a  mighty 
conqueror,  bearing  the  fruits  of  victory,  and  holding  death  in  chains  as  His  prisoner  \ 
and  angels  believed  themselves  honoured  in  announcing  that  "  the  Lord  is  risen." 
There  was  a  glory  in  His  ascension.  "  Thou  hast  ascended  on  high,  leading 
captivity  captive  "  (Psa.  xxiv).  He  is  in  glory  now  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  which 
glory  Stephen  was  privileged  to  behold.  He  shall  come  in  glory  at  the  last  day  to 
judge  the  world.  He  shall  dwell  in  His  glory  through  all  eternity,  and  the  saints 
shall  be  partakers  with  Him  of  that  glory.  Now  all  this  glory  is  exhibited  in  the 
volume  of  the  Book,  just  as  we  have  seen  an  expansive  scene  of  sky  and  cloud,  of 
hills  and  plains,  of  streams  and  woods,  reflected  and  exhibited  before  us  in  a 
mirror,  and  we  all  with  open  face  behold  as  in  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  III. 
The  effect  produced..  This  transforming  power  of  faith  arises  from  two  sources 
not  independent  of  each  other,  but  still  separable.  1.  Faith  is  the  receiving  grace- 
of  the  Christian  character,  and  the  soul  is  enriched  by  the  treasures  poured  through 
it  as  a  channel.  Herein  lies  the  great  efficacy  of  faith  ;  it  receives  that  which  is 
given  it,  and  through  it  the  virtue  that  is  in  Christ  flows  into  the  soul,  enriches  and 
satisfies  it,  and  changes  it  into  the  same  image.  2.  Faith  produces  this  effect, 
inasmuch  as  it  makes  us  look  to  and  copy  Christ.  The  Spirit  carries  on  the  work 
of  sanctifieation  by  making  us  look  unto  Jesus,  and  whatever  we  look  to  with 
admiration  and  love  we  are  disposed  willingly,  sometimes  almost  involuntarily,  to 
imitate.  We  grow  in  likeness  to  Him  whom  we  love  and  admire.  IV.  The  agent. 
"  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord."  Note — 1.  The  harmony  between  the  work  of  the  Spirit 
and  the  principles  of  man's  mind.  He  does  not  convert  or  sanctify  sinners 
against  their  will,  but  by  making  them  a  willing  people  in  the  day  of  His  power. 
What  He  does  in  us  He  does  by  us.  It  is  when  we  are  beholding  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  Christ  that  the  Spirit  changes  us  into  the  same  image  from  glory  to 
glory.  2.  The  harmony  between  the  work  of  Christ  the  Lord  and  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord.  The  Spirit  is  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  who  takes  of  the  things 
that  are  Christ's  and  shows  them  unto  us.  The  Spirit  directs  our  eyes  to  Christ, 
and  it  is  when  we  look  to  the  Lord  Christ  that  we  are  changed  into  the  same 
image.  {J.  McCosh,  D.D.)  Transformation  by  beholding  : — I.  The  Christi.an 
LITE  IS  A  LIFE  OF  CONTEMPLATING  AND  REFLECTING  Cheist.  It  is  a  question  whether 
the  single  word  rendered  in  our  version  "  beholding  as  in  a  glass,"  means  that,  or 
"  reflecting  as  a  glass  does."  But,  whatever  be  the  exact  force  of  the  word,  the 
thing  intended  includes  both  acts.  There  is  no  reflection  of  the  light  without  a 
previous  reception  of  the  light.  In  bodily  sight,  the  eye  is  a  mirror,  and  there  is  no 
sight  without  an  image  of  the  thing  perceived  formed  in  the  perceiving  eye.  In 
spiritual  sight,  the  soul  which  beholds  is  a  mirror,  and  at  once  beholds  and  reflects. 
1.  The  great  truth  of  a  direct,  unimpeded  vision  sounds  strange  to  many  of  us. 
Does  not  Paul  himself  teach  that  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly  ?  Do  we  not  walk 
by  faith  and  not  by  sight?  "No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time,  nor  can  see 
Htm  "  ;  and  beside  that  absolute  impossibility  have  we  not  veils  of  flesh  and  sense, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  covering  of  sin.  But  these  apparent  difficulties  drop  away 
when  we  take  into  account  two  things — (1)  The  object  of  vision.  "  The  Lord  "  is 
Jesus  Christ,  the  manifested  God,  our  brother.  The  glory  which  we  behold  and 
give  back  is  not  the  incomprehensible,  incommunicable  lustre  of  the  absolute 
Divine  perfectness,  but  that  glory  which,  as  John  says,  we  beheld  in  Him  who- 


CHAP,  in.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  119 

tabernacled  with  us,  full  of  grace  and  truth.  (2)  The  real  nature  of  the  vision 
itself.  It  is  the  beholding  of  Him  with  the  soul  by  faith.  "  Seeing  is  believing," 
says  sense;  "  believing  is  seeing,"  says  the  spirit  which  clings  to  the  Lord,  "whom 
having  not  seen  "  it  loves.  A  bridge  of  perishable  tiesh,  which  is  not  myself  but 
my  tool,  connects  me  with  the  outward  world.  It  never  touches  myself  at  all,  and 
I  know  it  only  by  trust  in  my  senses.  But  nothing  intervenes  between  my  Lord 
and  me,  when  I  love  and  trust.  He  is  the  light,  which  proves  its  own  existence  by 
revealing  itself,  which  strikes  with  quickening  impulse  on  the  eye  of  the  spirit  that 
beholds  by  faith.  2.  Note  the  universality  of  this  prerogative  :  "  We  all."  This 
vision  does  not  belong  to  any  select  handful.  Christ  reveals  Himself  to  all  His 
servants  in  the  measure  of  their  desire  after  Him.  Whatsoever  special  gifts  may 
belong  to  a  few  in  His  Church,  the  greatest  gift  belongs  to  all.  3.  This  contem- 
plation involves  reflection.  What  we  see  we  shall  certainly  show.  If  you  look  into 
a  man's  eye,  you  will  see  in  it  little  pictures  of  what  he  beholds ;  and  if  our  hearts 
are  beholding  Christ,  Christ  will  be  mirrored  there.  Our  characters  will  show  what 
we  are  looking  at,  and  ought,  in  the  case  of  Christian  people,  to  bear  His  image  so 
plainly  that  men  cannot  but  take  knowledge  of  us  that  we  have  been  with  Jesus. 
And  you  may  be  quite  sure  that,  if  little  light  comes  from  a  Christian  character, 
little  light  comes  into  it ;  and  if  it  be  swathed  in  thick  veils  from  men,  thei-e  will  be 
no  less  thick  veils  between  it  and  God.  Away  then  with  all  veils !  No  reserve,  no 
fear  of  the  consequences  of  plain  speaking,  no  diplomatic  prudence  regulating  our 
frank  utterance,  no  secret  doctrines  for  the  initiated  !  Our  power  and  our  duty  lies 
in  the  fuU  exhibition  of  the  truth.  II.  This  life  of  contemplation  is  therefore  a 
LIFE  of  gradual  TRANSFORMATION.  1.  The  brightness  on  the  face  of  Moses  was  only 
skin-deep.  It  faded  away,  and  left  no  trace.  Thus  the  superficial  lustre,  that  had 
neither  permanence  nor  transforming  power,  becomes  an  illustration  of  the  power- 
lessness  of  law  to  change  the  moral  character  into  the  likeness  of  the  fair  ideal 
which  it  sets  forth.  And,  in  opposition  to  its  weakness,  the  apostle  proclaims  the 
great  principle  of  Christian  progress,  that  the  beholding  of  Christ  leads  to  the 
assimilation  to  Him.  2.  The  metaphor  of  a  mirror  does  not  wholly  serve  us  here. 
When  the  sunbeams  fall  upon  it,  it  flashes  in  the  light,  just  because  they  do  not 
enter  its  cold  surface.  The  contrary  is  the  case  with  these  sentient  mirrors  of  our 
spirits.  In  them  the  light  must  first  sink  in  before  it  can  ray  out.  They  are  not  so 
much  like  a  reflecting  surface  as  like  a  bar  of  iron,  which  needs  to  be  heated  right 
down  to  its  obstinate  black  core,  before  its  outer  skin  glow  with  the  whiteness  of  a, 
heat  that  is  too  hot  to  sparkle.  The  sunshine  must  fall  on  us,  not  as  it  does  on 
some  lonely  hillside,  lighting  up  the  grey  stones  with  a  passing  gleam  that  changes 
nothing,  and  fades  away,  leaving  the  solitude  to  its  sadness  ;  but  as  it  does  on  some 
cloud  cradled  near  its  setting,  which  it  drenches  and  saturates  with  fire  till  its  cold 
heart  burns,  and  aU  its  wreaths  of  vapour  are  brightness  palpable,  glorified  by  the 
light  which  lives  amidst  its  mists.  3.  And  this  contemplation  will  be  gradual 
transformation.  "  We  all  beholding  .  .  .  are  changed."  It  is  not  the  mere 
beholding,  but  the  gaze  of  love  and  trust  that  moulds  us  by  silent  sympathy  into 
the  likeness  of  His  wondrous  beauty,  who  is  fairer  than  the  children  of  men.  It 
was  a  deep  true  thought  which  the  old  painters  had  when  they  drew  John  as  likest 
to  his  Lord.  Love  makes  us  like.  We  learn  that  even  in  our  earthly  relationships. 
Let  that  pure  face  shine  upon  heart  and  spirit,  and  as  the  sun  photographs  itself  on 
the  sensitive  plate  exposed  to  its  light,  and  you  get  a  Ukeness  of  the  sun  by  simply- 
laying  the  thing  in  the  sun,  so  He  will  "  be  formed  in  you."  Iron  near  a  magnet 
becomes  magnetic.  Spirits  that  dwell  with  Christ  become  Christ-like.  4.  Surely 
this  message — "  behold  and  be  like  " — ought  to  be  very  joyful  and  enlightening  to 
many  of  us,  who  are  wearied  with  painful  struggles  after  isolated  pieces  of  goodness 
that  elude  our  grasp.  You  have  been  trying  half  your  lifetime  to  cure  faults,  and 
make  yourselves  better.  Try  this  other  plan.  Live  in  sight  of  your  Lord,  and 
catch  His  spirit.  The  man  that  travels  with  his  face  northwards  has  it  grey  and 
cold.  Let  him  turn  to  the  warm  south,  where  the  midday  sun  dwells,  and  his  face 
will  glow  with  the  brightness  that  he  sees.  "  Looking  unto  Jesus  "  is  the  sovereign 
cure  for  all  our  ills  and  sins.  5.  Such  transformation  comes  gradually.  "  We  are 
changed ";  that  is  a  continuous  operation.  "From  glory  to  glory";  that  is  a 
course  which  has  well-marked  transitions  and  degrees.  Be  not  impatient  if  it  be 
slow.  Do  not  be  complacent  over  the  partial  transformation  which  you  have  felt. 
See  to  it  that  you  neither  turn  away  your  gaze  nor  relax  your  efforts  till  all  that 
you  have  beheld  in  Him  is  repeated  in  you.  6.  Likeness  to  Christ  is  the  aim  of  all 
religion.     To  it  conversion  is  introductory;  doctrines,  ceremonies,  churches,  and 


120  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  in. 

organisations  are  valuable  as  auxiliary.  Prize  and  use  them  as  helps  towards  it, 
and  remember  that  they  are  helps  only  in  proportion  as  they  show  us  the  Saviour, 
the  image  of  whom  is  our  perfectness,  the  beholding  of  whom  is  our  transforma- 
tion. III.  The  life  of  contemplation  fpnally  becomes  a  lite  or  complete 
ASSIMILATION.  "  Changed  into  the  same  image,  from  glory  to  glory."  1.  The 
likeness  becomes  every  way  perfecter,  comprehends  more  and  more  of  the  faculties 
of  the  man  ;  soaks  into  him,  if  I  may  say  so,  until  he  is  saturated  with  the  glory : 
and  in  all  the  extent  of  his  being,  and  in  all  the  depth  possible  to  each  part  of  that 
whole  extent,  is  like  his  Lord.  That  is  the  hope  for  heaven,  towards  which  we 
may  mdefinitely  approximate  here,  and  at  which  we  shall  absolutely  arrive  there. 
There  we  expect  changes  which  are  impossible  here,  while  compassed  with  this 
body  of  sinful  flesh.  We  look  to  Him  to  "  change  the  body  of  our  lowliness,  that 
it  may  be  fashioned  like  unto  the  body  of  His  glory";  but  it  is  better  to  be  like 
Him  in  our  hearts.  His  true  image  is  that  we  should  feel,  think,  will  as  He  does  ; 
that  we  should  have  the  same  sympathies,  the  same  loves,  the  same  attitude  towards 
God,  and  the  same  attitude  towards  men.  Wherever  there  is  the  beginning  of  that 
oneness  and  likeness  of  spirit,  all  the  rest  will  come  in  due  time.  As  the  spu'it,  so 
the  body.  But  the  beginning  here  is  the  main  thing,  which  draws  all  the  rest  after 
it  as  of  course.  "  If  the  Spirit  of  Him  that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead  dwell  in 
you,"  &c.  2.  "  We  are  all  changed  into  the  same  image."  Various  as  we  are  in 
disposition  and  character,  differing  in  everything  but  the  common  relation  to  Jesus 
Christ,  we  are  all  growing  like  the  same  image,  and  we  shall  come  to  be  perfectly  like 
it,  and  yet  each  retain  his  own  distinct  individuahty.  Perhaps,  too,  we  may  connect 
with  this  idea  that  passage  in  the  Ephesians  in  which  Paul  describes  our  all  coming  to 
"  a  perfect  man."  The  whole  of  us  together  make  a  perfect  man  ;  the  whole  make 
one  image.  No  one  man,  even  raised  to  the  highest  pitch  of  perfection,  can  be  the 
full  image  of  that  mfinite  sum  of  all  beauty ;  but  the  whole  of  us  taken  together, 
with  all  the  diversities  of  natural  character  retained  and  consecrated,  being 
collectively  His  body  which  He  vitalises,  may,  on  the  whole,  be  not  a  wholly 
inadequate  representation  of  our  perfect  Lord.  Just  as  we  set  round  a  central 
light  sparkling  prisms,  each  of  which  catches  the  glow  at  its  own  angle,  and  flashes 
it  back  of  its  own  colour,  while  the  sovereign  completeness  of  the  perfect  white 
radiance  comes  from  the  blending  of  all  their  separate  rays,  so  they  who  stand 
round  about  the  starry  throne  receive  each  the  light  in  his  own  measure  and 
manner,  and  give  forth  each  a  true  and  perfect,  and  altogether  a  complete  image  of 
Him  that  enlightens  thfm  all,  and  is  above  them  all.  (A.  Maclaren,  D.D.)  The 
transfiguring  vision  : — 1.  The  mlrkoked  gloet.  1.  Glory  is  the  eifulgence  of  light; 
the  manifested  perfection  of  moral  character.  2.  In  the  gospel  we  have  aa 
exhibition  of  the  blended  righteousness  and  compassion  of  God ;  so  it  is  called 
"  the  gospel  of  the  glory  of  the  blessed  God."  And  since  these  attributes  shine 
with  softened  splendour  in  Christ,  it  is  caUed  the  "  gospel  of  the  glory  of 
Christ,  who  is  the  image  of  God."  3.  And  we  may  aU  behold  it.  Like  the 
famous  fresco  in  the  ceiling  of  the  cathedral,  which  was  brought  within 
easy  reach  by  reflecting  mirrors  on  the  floor.  We  could  not  all  be  contem- 
poraries of  the  living  Jesus.  But  now,  in  the  fourfold  biography,  we  may 
all  at  our  leisure  behold  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  II.  The  teansfigueing  vision. 
In  the  very  act  of  looking  we  are  "  metamorphosed."  The  same  Greek  word  used 
to  describe  the  transfiguration  of  Christ.  1.  Some  gaze  and  are  not  changed. 
They  have  never  so  felt  the  evil  of  sin  as  to  put  the  whole  soul  into  a  look.  So 
multitudes  of  hearers  have  their  minds  filled  with  Christian  truth,  but  they  do  not 
gaze  so  long,  fixedly,  lovingly,  as  to  experience  the  interior  and  radical  trans- 
formation. 2.  Others  gaze  and  are  changed.  Flinging  away  obscuring  veUs,  and 
fixing  the  steadfast  gaze  on  Jesus,  they  are  transfigured.  (1)  This  change  is  moral. 
By  the  law  of  our  inner  life  we  come  to  resemble  what  we  love.  Love  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  makes  us  like  Him.  (2)  This  change  is  gradual,  progressive,  "  from  glory  to 
glory."  The  initial  change  may  be  the  work  of  a  moment ;  the  complete  process  is 
the  work  of  a  life-time.  Comforting  thought  to  those  who  grow  weary  and  dis- 
heartened after  painful  struggles  to  reach  an  ideal  goodness  which  ever  seems  to 
elude  their  gi'asp.  Cease  from  working ;  sit  still  and  look ;  let  His  image  sweetly 
creep  into  the  eye  and  prospect  of  your  soul.  III.  Its  geeat  Authoe.  "  The  Lord 
the  Spirit."  When  the  veil  of  unbelief  is  taken  away,  the  Lord  Himself  obtains 
access  to  the  heart  and  imparts  Himself.  Where  He  is,  there,  too,  is  the  Holy 
Ghost.  He  effects  the  marvellous  transformation.  He  supplies  the  needed  illumi- 
nation.    He  reveals  the  saving  sight,  removes  obscuring  veils,  purges  the  spiritual 


CHAP,  ni.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  121 

perceptions,  and  dwells  within  as  source  of  the  transfiguring  and  assimilative 
power.  (A.  Wilson,  B.A.)  True  human  greatness  : — 1.  Every  man  has  a  strong 
natural  instinct  for  greatness  and  applause.  2.  A  wrong  direction  of  this  instinct 
originates  enormous  mischief.  3.  The  mission  of  Christianity  is  to  give  a  right 
direction  to  this  instinct.  Of  all  the  systems  on  earth  it  alone  teaches  man  what 
true  greatness  is,  and  the  way  to  attain  it.  The  text  teaches  three  things  concerning 
it.  I.  The  ideai,  of  tkue  greatness  is  Divine.  What  is  the  glory  of  the  Lord  ? 
(See  Exod.  xviii.  19).  This  passage  teaches  that  the  Eternal  regarded  His  glory  as 
consisting  not  in  the  immensity  of  His  possessions,  the  almightiness  of  His  power, 
or  the  infinitude  of  His  wisdom,  but  in  His  goodness.  The  true  greatness  of  man 
consists  in  moral  goodness.  1.  This  greatness  is  soul-satisfying — and  this  alone. 
2.  This  greatness  commands  the  respect  of  all  moral  intelligence — and  this  alone.  3. 
This  greatness  is  attainable  by  all  persons — and  this  alone.  4.  This  greatness  we 
carry  into  the  other  world — and  this  alone.  II.  The  path  of  true  greatness  is 
MORAL  transformation.  How  is  man  to  come  into  possession  of  God's  glory  ?  1., 
By  means  of  an  instrument — glass.  What  is  the  glass  ?  The  mirror  that  reflects 
the  glory  of  God.  Nature  is  a  glass.  Judaism  is  a  glass.  Christ  is  a  glass.  He 
is  the  brightest  glass  of  all — reflects  more  Divine  rays  upon  the  universe  than  any 
other.  2.  By  means  of  attention  to  that  instrument.  "  By  looking."  Men  look  at 
the  glitterings  of  worldly  glory,  not  on  the  glowing  beams  of  the  Divine,  and  hence 
they  are  not  changed  into  the  Divine.  Observe — (1)  A  concentrated  looking  on 
Christ  commands  admiration.  (2)  Admiration  commands  unitation.  Christ  is  the 
most  inimitable  being  in  the  universe,  because  His  character  is  the  most  admirable, 
the  most  transparent,  the  most  unchangeable.  (3)  Imitation  ensures  assimilation. 
Here,  then,  is  the  path  to  true  glory — a  path  clear  as  day,  certain  as  eternity.  All 
who  tread  this  path  must  become  glorious.  III.  The  law  of  true  greatness  is 
PROGRESSIVE.  "  From  glory  to  glory."  Glory  in  God  is  unprogressive,  but  in  all 
intelligent  creatures  it  is  ever  advancing.  Two  things  show  that  the  human  soul  is 
made  for  endless  advancement.  1.  Facts  in  connection  with  its  nature.  (1)  Its 
appetites  are  intensified  by  its  supplies.  (2)  Its  capacities  augment  with  its  attain- 
ments ;  the  more  it  has  the  more  it  is  capable  of  receiving.  (3]  Its  productiveness 
increases  with  its  productions.  Not  so  with  the  soil  of  the  eartn,  or  the  trees  of  the 
forest,  all  wear  themselves  out.  2.  Arrangements  in  connection  with  its  history. 
There  are  three  things  which  always  serve  to  bring  out  the  latent  powers  of  the 
Boul.  (1)  A  new  relationship.  The  wondrous  powers  and  experiences  slumbering 
in  every  human  heart  of  maternity  and  fatherhood  are  brought  out  by  relationship. 
(2)  New  sceneries.  New  sceneries  in  nature  often  start  in  the  mind  feelings  and 
powers  unknown  before.  (3)  New  engagements.  Many  a  man  who  was  thought  a 
mere  dolt  in  one  occupation,  transferred  to  another  has  become  a  brilliant  genius. 
These  three  soul-developing  forces  we  have  here,  we  shall  have  for  ever.  IV.  The 
Author  of  true  greatness  is  the  Spirit  of  God.  How  does  He  do  it  ?  As  He 
does  everything  else  in  creation — by  means ;  and  the  means  are  here  stated, 
"  Beholding  as  in  a  glass."  Conclusion :  How  transcendently  valuable  is  Chris- 
tianity, inasmuch  as  it  directs  the  human  soul  to  true  glory  and  indicates  the  way 
of  realising  it !  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  The  unfolded  glory  : — Man  has  an  instinct 
for  glory.  Religion  therefore  to  adapt  itself  to  this  instinct.  Hence  the  glorious 
character  of  the  two  dispensations  whereof  the  last  is  the  greater.  I.  The  gospel 
is  a  reflection  of  God's  glory.  1.  The  person  of  Christ  reflects  the  Divine 
nature.  2.  The  ministry  of  Christ  reflects  the  Divine  mind.  3.  His  death  reveals 
the  Divine  heart.  II.  'The  believer  reflects  the  glory  of  God.  1.  Spuitual 
mindedness  (2  Pet.  i.  4).  2.  Immortal  life.  HI.  Beholding  and  reflecting  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  is  progressive  (2  Pet.  ii.  5-7).  (T.  Davis,  Ph.D.)  Moral 
assimilation : — Our  moral  nature  is  intensely  assimilative.  The  mind  gets  like  that 
which  it  feeds  on.  Alexander  the  Great  was  incited  to  his  deeds  of  conquest  by 
reading  Homer's  "  Iliad."  Julius  Caesar  and  Charles  the  Twelfth  of  Sweden  derived 
much  of  their  military  enthusiasm  from  studying  the  life  of  Alexander.  When  a 
sensitive,  deUcate  boy,  Cowper  met  with  and  eagerly  devoured  a  treatise  in  favour 
of  suicide.  Can  we  doubt  that  its  plausible  arguments  were  closely  connected  with 
his  four  attempts  to  destroy  himself  ?  If,  however,  we  cherish  thoughts  of  the  good 
and  the  noble,  we  shall  become  both.  "  Beholding,  as  in  a  glass,  the  glory  of  the 
Lord,  we  are  changed  into  the  same  image."  Ecclesiastical  tradition  declares  that 
St.  Martin  once  had  a  remarkable  vision.  The  Saviour  stood  before  him.  Radiant 
with  Divine  beauty,  there  the  Master  appeared.  One  relic  of  His  humiliation 
remained.     What   was   it?     His   hands   retained   the   marks   of    the   naUs.     The 


122  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

spectator  gazed  sympathetically  and  intently.  So  long  did  he  look  that,  when  the 
apparition  ceased,  he  found  that  he  had  in  his  own  hands  marks  precisely 
resembling  those  of  Christ.  None  but  the  superstitious  believe  the  story  ;  never- 
theless, it  "  points  a  moral."  It  reminds  us  of  the  great  fact  that  devout  and 
affectionate  contemplation  of  our  Lord  makes  us  Christ-like.     (T.  R.  Stevenson. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Ver.  1.  Therefore  seeing  we  have  received  this  ministry. — The  apostolic  ministry : — 
Paul  represents  this — I.  As  a  ministry  of  light  (vers.  4-6).  1.  Cf.  John  i.  5. 
Nothing  could  be  more  different  than  the  minds  of  Paul  and  John,  and  yet  both 
call  revelation  "  light."  According  to  John,  to  Uve  in  sin  was  to  live  in  darkness  ; 
according  to  Paul,  it  was  to  Uve  in  blindness.  The  gospel  threw  light — (1)  On 
God :  light  unknown  before,  even  to  the  holiest.  Out  of  Christ,  our  God  is  only 
a  dreadful  mystery.  (2)  On  man.  Man,  with  godlike  aspirations  and  animal 
cravings,  asks,  "Am  I  a  god  or  beast?  "  The  gospel  answers,  "  You  are  a  glorious 
temple  in  ruins,  to  be  rebuilt  into  a  habitation  of  God."  (3)  On  the  grave  ;  for 
"  life  and  immortality  "  were  "  brought  to  light  through  the  gospel."  Until  then 
immortality  was  but  a  mournful  perhaps.  2.  Note  three  practical  deductions. 
(1)  Our  life  is  to  be  a  manifestation  of  the  gospel.  We  do  not  tamper  with  the 
Word  of  God  (ver.  2).  It  is  not  concealed  or  darkened  by  us,  for  our  very  work 
is  fearlessly  to  declare  the  truth,  and  to  dread  no  consequences.  (2)  Light  is  given 
to  us  that  we  may  spread  it  (vers.  5,  6).  If  God  has  illuminated  us,  then  we  are 
your  servants,  to  give  you  this  illumination.  This  Paul,  who  had  himseK  been 
in  darkness,  felt  vividly ;  and  shall  we  refuse  to  feel  it  ?  Perhaps  we  who  have 
been  in  the  brightness  of  his  revelation  all  our  lives  scarcely  appreciate  the  necessity 
which  he  felt  so  strongly  of  communicating  it.  (3)  It  is  the  evil  heart  which  hides 
the  truth.  Light  shines  on  all  who  have  not  deadened  the  spiritual  sense.  "Every 
one  that  is  of  the  truth  heareth  Christ's  voice."  "The  evidences  of  Christianity" 
are  Christianity.  The  evidence  of  the  sun  is  its  light.  Men  who  find  their  all  in 
the  world  (ver.  4) — how  can  they,  fevered  by  its  business,  excited  by  its  pleasures, 
petrified  by  its  maxims,  see  God  in  His  purity,  or  comprehend  the  cahn  radiance 
of  eternity  ?  II.  As  a  reflection  of  the  life  of  Christ.  1.  In  word.  Cf .  vers.  2 
and  13.  We  manifest  the  truth,  "commending  ourselves  to  every  man's  conscience," 
because  we  speak  in  strong  belief.  Observe  the  difference  between  this  and  theo- 
logical knowledge.  It  is  not  a  minister's  wisdom,  but  his  conviction,  which  imparts 
itself  to  others.  Nothing  gives  life  but  life.  Real  flame  alone  kindles  other  flame. 
We  only  half  believe.  In  ver.  5  Paul  says  he  preaches  Christ,  and  not  himself. 
The  minister  is  to  preach,  not  the  Christ  of  this  sect  or  of  that  man,  but  Christ 
fully — Christ  our  hope,  our  pattern,  our  life.  2.  In  experience.  It  ijjight  be  a 
matter  of  surprise  that  God's  truth  should  be  conveyed  through  such  feeble  in- 
struments— "  earthen  vessels "  (ver.  7).  But  this  very  circumstance,  instead  of 
proving  that  the  gospel  is  not  of  God,  proves  that  it  is.  For  what  was  the  life 
of  these  men  but  the  life  of  Christ  over  again — a  life  victorious  in  defeat?  (ver.  8-11). 
In  their  sufferings  the  apostles  represented  the  death  of  Christ,  and  in  their  in- 
credible escapes  His  resurrection.  Figuratively  speaking,  their  escapes  were  as 
a  resurrection.  In  different  periods  of  the  same  life,  in  different  ages  of  freedom 
or  pexsecution — as  we  have  known  in  the  depressed  Church  of  the  Albigenses  and 
the  victorious  Church  of  England — in  different  persons  during  the  same  age,  the 
Cross  and  the  Resurrection  alternate  and  exist  together.  But  in  all  there  is  progress 
— the  decay  of  evil  or  the  birth  of  good  (ver.  16).  (F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.)  Paul, 
the  model  minister.  I.  His  motives.  1.  His  sense  of  the  glory  of  his  office. 
"  Seeing  we  have  this  ministry."  This  arose  out  of  his  conception  of  the  glory 
of  the  gospel  (Rom.  xi.  13).  With  this  view  of  his  office  the  apostle  always  strove 
to  rise  to  the  level  of  its  dignity  (1  Thess.  ii.  4).  2.  His  sense  of  his  indebtedness 
to  Divine  mercy.  "  As  we  have  received  mercy,  we  faint  not."  His  whole  being 
was  penetrated  with  a  sense  of  the  munificence  of  God  towards  him.  He  never 
touches  upon  this  theme  but  his  words  glow  with  extraordinary  power.  3.  The 
Divine  cognition.     "In  the  sight  of  God"  (cf.  chap,  v,  11).     What  an  incentive 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  123 

to  earnestness  and  honesty  of  purpose  is  this  fact  of  God's  infinite  eye  being  ever 
upon  us !  By  these  motives  Paul  was  sustained,  so  that  he  fainted  not.  His  sail 
was  the  exalted  dignity  of  his  oiiice,  his  rudder  his  sense  of  the  Divine  eye  ever 
upon  him,  his  ballast  the  deep-felt  gratitude  of  his  heart  for  the  mercy  of  God. 
Every  Christian  minister  has  need  of  the  same  motives — (1)  To  stimulate  industry 
and  conscientiousness.  (2)  To  sustain  in  the  face  of  apparent  want  of  success.  (3) 
To  inflame  zeal  in  the  face  of  want  of  appreciation.  (4)  For  support  in  face  of  tne 
diiliculties  usually  besetting  ministerial  work.  (5)  To  guard  against  any  partial 
discharge  of  duties.  II.  His  method.  1.  Negative.  "  But  have  renounced,"  &c. 
In  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  exalted  office  he  totally  repudiated  all  methods 
and  practices  of  which  he  had  reason  to  be  ashamed.  He  entirely  avoided  "tricks 
of  the  trade."  By  his  emphatic  repudiation  he  implies — (1)  That  particular  care 
should  be  shown  by  us  to  avoid  degrading  our  office  by  resorting  to  unworthy  tricks 
and  dishonest  craft  for  securing  success.  (2)  That  peculiar  care  should  be  shown 
to  avoid  all  tampering  with  God's  Word  with  a  view  to  please  men.  2.  Positive. 
"  By  manifestation  of  the  truth."  What  does  this  involve?  (1)  An  honest,  clear, 
naked  statement  of  it.  It  is  impossible  to  convey  gospel  truth  in  too  naked  a  form. 
The  painted  window  of  the  cathedral  may  be  exquisitely  beautiful,  yet  it  dims  the 
light,  and  clothes  the  surrounding  objects  with  false  though  gorgeous  hues.  The 
window  which  does  the  greatest  justice  to  the  light  is  the  one  that  transmits  it  in 
all  its  purity,  without  manipulation  or  distortion.  (2)  A  full  statement  of  it  in  all 
its  parts  and  bearings.  It  is  only  as  it  is  thus  presented  in  its  completeness  that 
it  can  prove  a  saving  power  upon  men's  hearts.  Any  one-sided  presentation  of  it 
will  certainly  fail  to  attain  that  perfecting  effect  it  is  calculated  to  produce.  Light 
consists  of  three  primary  colours — red,  blue,  and  yellow.  Not  one,  however,  of 
these  elements  alone  will  produce  vegetable  growth  in  full  perfection.  Experiments 
have  shown  that  yellow,  while  yielding  the  largest  amount  of  light,  prevents  the 
germination  of  seed.  Under  the  red  the  most  heat  is  produced,  but  the  plant  is 
unhealthy.  Beneath  the  blue  the  strongest  chemical  effect  is  produced,  but  under 
this  influence  the  strength  of  the  plant  fails  to  keep  pace  with  its  growth.  So  a 
representation  of  the  truth  aU  doctrinal  is  like  light  all  yellow ;  it  has  in  it  only 
illumination  for  the  head.  A  representation  of  it  all  love  is  like  light  all  red ;  it 
has  in  it  only  warmth  for  the  heart.  A  representation  of  it  all  ethics  is  like  Ught 
all  blue  ;  it  has  but  chemistry  for  the  conscience.  (3)  A  manifestation  in  the  life. 
The  ministry  must  needs  be  illustrated  by  the  life.  III.  His  power.  "Commending 
ourselves  to  every  man's  conscience" — not  to  their  prejudices,  passions,  or  tastes. 
It  was  a  power  arising,  not  from  the  charm  of  office,  but^from  the  charm  of  truth, 
■earnestness,  and  holiness.     (A.  J.  Parry.) 

Ver.  2.  But  have  renounced  the  hidden  things  of  dishonesty. — The  true  minister : — 
Paul  here  introduces  himself  as  a  true  minister  appointed  by  God.  He  is  led  to 
this  assertion  by  the  insinuations  of  false  teachers.  He  gives  certain  marks  which 
characterised  his  ministry,  but  which  were  altogether  wanting  in  that  of  these  false 
teachers.  These  were — I.  Pukity  of  motive.  "  We  have  renounced  the  hidden 
things  of  dishonesty."  By  this  he  implies  that  these  false  teachers  used  such  means 
to  promote  their  schemes  as  would  need  only  to  be  known  in  order  to  ruin  the  cause 
they  were  intended  to  promote.  For  men  see  at  once  that  the  cause  cannot  be  a 
good  one  which  requires  to  promote  it  such  crafty  schemes  as  cannot  bear  the  light 
of  day.  II.  Purity  of  conduct.  "  Nor  walking  in  craftiness."  The  whole  life  of 
these  false  teachers  was  a  crafty  attempt  to  appear  what  they  were  not — to  appear 
as  if  their  actions  were  guided  by  a  changed  heart,  whereas  they  really  continued 
to  live  as  they  had  formerly  done,  without  any  change  of  life  or  conversation.  And 
what  is  he  now  but  an  impostor  who  pretends  to  teach  others  the  road  to  heaven 
without  himself  leading  the  way  ?  HI.  Purity  of  doctrine.  "  Nor  handling  the 
Word  of  God  deceitfully."  There  can,  of  course,  only  be  two  reasons  for  this 
deceitful  handling :  either — 1.  To  arrive  at  false  doctrine,  or — 2.  To  further  some 
selfish  end.  Men  do  the  first  when  they  try,  as  some  of  these  early  teachers  did, 
to  fit  Scripture  into  some  system  of  human  philosophy,  and  to  teach  as  Divine  truth 
the  views  which  they  brought  to  the  sacred  book.  And  men  do  the  latter  when, 
instead  of  preaching  Christ,  they  preach  themselves.  (J.  Clarkson.)  The  con- 
■(litions  and  character  of  a  true  ministry  : — 1.  The  common  forms  of  opposition  to 
the  Christian  ministry.  2.  The  mode  and  spirit  in  which  such  opposition  should 
be  met.  3.  What  the  Christian  ministry  must  be  if  it  is  to  overcome  all  the  opposi- 
tion that  may  be  brought  against  it.     I.  The  conditions  of  a  true  ministry  in  thk 


124  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

CntTECH  or  Chkist.  These  are  contained  in  the  first  three  clauses  of  the  verse. 
1.  "  We  have  renounced  the  hidden  things  of  dishonesty."  The  word  rendered 
"dishonesty"  occurs  six  times  in  the  New  Testament.  In  every  other  instance 
it  is  translated  "  shame,"  and  this  is  its  proper  meaning.  The  expression,  "  hidden 
things  of  shame,"  will  have  a  twofold  apphcation.  It  may  refer  to  things  "hidden" 
as  opposed  to  "  manifestation  " — that  is,  concealed  from  men  through  a  feeling  of 
shame ;  and  in  that  case  it  would  concern  the  gospel  which  the  apostle  had  to 
declare.  Or  it  may  refer  to  things  shameful  in  themselves,  carefully  hidden  from 
the  eyes  of  men ;  and  in  that  case  it  would  concern  the  apostle  himself.  Taking 
both  applications,  the  force  of  the  apostle's  statement  seems  to  be  this  :  "  There  is 
nothing  in  the  gospel  which  I  am  ashamed  to  teU  men."  "  There  is  nothing  in 
myself  which  I  am  ashamed  for  men  to  know."  The  Christian  ministry  demands 
the  utmost  honesty  on  the  part  of  those  who  are  found  in  it.  The  truths  men  are 
most  indisposed  to  hear,  and  which  are  most  likely  to  offend,  are  often  the  truths 
which  men  need  most  to  know.  The  moment  men  begin  to  suspect  that  there  are 
things  in  a  man's  life  which  will  not  bear  examination — "  hidden  things  of  shame  " 
— his  work  is  over.  The  first  condition  of  a  true  ministry  is  that  these  shall  be 
renounced.  2.  The  utter  absence  of  selfish  and  subtle  designs.  "  Not  walking  in 
craftiness."  The  word  hteraUy  means  "  unscrupulousness."  The  idea  is  that  of 
one  who  will  resort  to  any  artifice  to  secure  his  own  ends.  We  are  to  learn  that 
craftiness  is  utterly  out  of  place  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  Though  the  end 
desired  may  be  laudable,  we  are  never  justified  in  adopting  crafty  measures  for 
attaining  it.  This  has  been  the  error  into  which,  throughout  a  great  portion  of 
her  history,  the  Church  of  Christ  has  fallen,  and  from  which,  according  to  some, 
she  is  not  yet  wholly  free.  The  employment  of  craftiness  has  not  only  been  wrong- 
and  sinful,  but  a  mistake — a  failure.  It  has  been  so  in  other  domains  of  life.  It 
has  been  well  shown  by  one  writer  that  the  policy  which  thought  to  govern  India 
by  sending  out  shrewd  and  unscrupulous  men  to  meet  and  watch  the  keen,  subtle^ 
treacherous  Hindoos,  has  altogether  failed.  3.  "  Nor  handling  the  Word  of  God 
deceitfully."  We  are  not  to  tamper  with  it,  as  one  who  defaces,  injures,  impairs 
the  value  of  the  coin  of  the  reahn.  We  are  not  to  adulterate  it,  as  one  who  intro- 
duces another  and  inferior  element  into  that  which  originally  was  pure  and  good. 
n.  The  chakacteb  of  a  true  ministry.  "By  manifestation  of  the  truth  com- 
mending ourselves  to  every  man's  conscience  in  the  sight  of  God."  This  is  opposed 
to  all  reserve  and  concealment,  all  that  is  personal  and  selfish,  all  that  is  crafty 
and  deceitful.  1.  All  that  is  obscure,  and  mystical,  and  unintelligible  in  Christian 
teaching  is  excluded.  "  We  use  great  plainness  of  speech."  To  place  the  truth 
within  the  apprehension  of  all  must  be  the  one  aim  and  desire.  Not  to  envelope 
it  in  a  mysterious  symbolism,  not  to  wrap  it  up  in  strange  and  difficult  terms,  but 
to  hold  up  the  truth,  like  a  torch  uncovered,  so  that  no  human  device  shall  lessen 
its  brightness.  2.  Such  a  ministry  requires  the  utmost  sincerity  in  those  who 
sustain  it.  To  manifest  the  truth  must  be  the  one  object,  and  nothing  in  the  man 
himself  must  be  allowed  to  obscure  its  manifestation.  He  must  sink  himself  in 
the  truth  he  declares.  The  truth  is  often  obscured  by  the  person  who  proclaims  it. 
The  truth,  not  himseK — the  manifestation  of  the  truth,  not  the  presentation  of 
himself — must  be  the  grand  object.  3.  The  evidences  of  such  a  ministry  will 
appear  in  the  response  it  awakens  in  the  consciences  of  man.  "Commending 
ourselves  to  every  man's  conscience."  There  is  truth  in  every  man  corresponding 
with  the  truth  in  the  book.  "  In  the  original  structure  of  the  soul  there  is  an  un- 
written revelation  which  accords  with  the  external  revelation  of  Scripture.  Within 
the  depths  of  the  heart  there  is  a  silent  oracle  which  needs  only  to  be  rightly 
questioned  to  elicit  from  it  a  response  in  accordance  with  that  voice  which  issues 
from  the  lively  oracles  of  God."  A  Christian  minister  is  the  living  link  between 
the  truth  in  the  Book  and  the  truth  in  man.  His  work  is  so  to  manifest  the  truth 
contained  in  the  Book  that  the  consciences  of  men  shall  recognise  it  and  answer 
to  it.  This  constitutes  the  great  hope  and  confidence  of  his  ministry.  The  truth 
he  has  to  manifest  is  not  something  requiring  a  new  sense  or  a  new  faculty  in  man 
for  its  reception.  4.  The  solemnity  of  the  ministry.  "  In  the  sight  of  God."  Self 
will  obtrude  itself — pride  and  vanity  will  appear — unless  a  man  remembers  that 
all  is  done  "  in  the  sight  of  God."  (W.  Perkins.)  But  by  manifestation  of  the 
truth  commending  ourselves  to  every  man's  conscience. — Conscience  a  icitness  to 
the  truth  : — There  are  two  of  these  assertions  of  St.  Paul  which  we  wish  to  select 
and  take  as  the  subject  of  our  discourse.  The  first  is  his  assertion  as  to  his  "  not 
handling  the  Word  of   God  deceitfully " ;    the  second  is  his  assertion  as  to  his 


CHAP.  IV.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  US 

"  commending  himself,  by  manifestation  of  the  truth,  to  every  man's  conscience 
in  the  sight  of  God."  With  regard  to  handling  the  Word  of  God  deceitfully,  both 
the  promises  and  the  threatenings  of  the  Bible  may  be  handled  deceitfully.  A  not 
uncommon  error  is  the  regarding  fear  as  too  base  and  slavish  a  thing  to  be  intro- 
duced as  instrumental  to  religion.  There  is  many  a  Christian  who  is  disquieted 
by  the  thought  that  it  is  only  the  dread  of  punishment  which  withholds  him  from 
sin,  whereas  he  feels  that  he  ought  to  abhor  the  sin  itself,  and  not  merely  to  hate 
its  consequences.  But  it  is  handling  the  Word  of  God  deceitfully  when  fear  is  thus 
represented  as  unbecoming  a  Christian.  No  doubt  the  love  of  God  ought  to  be  the 
governing  principle  in  the  genuine  beUever.  Fear  ought  gradually  to  give  place 
to  a  more  generous  sentiment ;  but,  nevertheless,  fear  may  be  instrumental  to  the 
bringing  a  man  to  repentance,  and  it  ought  not  to  throw  suspicion  on  the  genuine- 
ness of  repentance  that  fear  has  been  the  agency  employed  in  its  production.  Now 
this  brings  us  to  the  second  topic  of  discourse  ;  and  that  is,  the  fact  of  there  being 
a  manifestation  of  truth  to  the  conscience  when  perhaps  it  is  not  acted  on,  nor 
even  acknowledged.  There  is  something  very  expressive  in  the  words,  "  in  the 
sight  of  God."  St.  Paul  was  satisfied  that  the  doctrines  which  he  preached,  and 
the  motives  by  which  he  was  actuated,  were  equally  such  as  approved  themselves 
to  God.  This  assurance  of  the  approval  of  his  Master  in  heaven  must  have  been 
more  to  the  apostle  than  the  applause  of  the  world,  and  might  well  compensate  for 
its  scorn.  We  wiU  confine  ourselves  to  the  alleged  manifestation  of  the  truth  to 
the  consciences  of  the  hearers.  Let  us  consider  how,  in  preaching  of  future  judg- 
ment and  a  propitiation  for  sin,  a  preacher  is  Ukely  to  commend  himself  to  the 
consciences  of  those  whom  he  addresses.  I  shall  appeal  in  evidence  to  yourselves. 
The  case  is  one  in  which  you  must  yourselves  pass  the  verdict,  otherwise  it  will 
necessarily  be  devoid  of  all  force.  We  are  now  before  you  simply  to  announce  a 
judgment  to  come ;  and  if  you  wiU  not  give  us  audience  out  of  reverence  to  Him 
in  whose  name  we  speak,  we  claim  it  on  the  ground  that  what  we  have  to  publish 
is  of  an  interest  so  overwhelming  that  no  being  with  an  understanding  and  a  heart 
can  refuse  to  give  heed.  And  it  is  a  great  source  of  encouragement  to  the  preacher 
thus  to  feel  that  he  has  conscience  on  his  side.  He  knows  that  the  message  which 
he  delivers  carries  with  it  its  own  proof.  And  on  this  account,  then,  may  we  venture 
to  speak  of  a  manifestation  to  the  conscience,  as  the  preacher,  after  wielding  the 
thunders  of  the  law,  sets  himself  to  persuade  by  the  announcements  of  the  gospel. 
Is  there  one  amongst  you  who  trembles  at  the  thought  of  appearing  as  a  sinner, 
with  the  burden  of  his  iniquities,  before  the  Being  who  is  pledged  and  armed  to 
pour  destruction  on  every  worker  of  evil  ?  Let  that  man  listen  ;  we  seek  now  to 
persuade  him.  "  God  hath  made  Him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin,  that  we 
might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him."  Oh  !  does  not  this  vast  scheme 
of  mercy  commend  itself  to  you  ?  I  think  it  must ;  I  think  that  its  very  suitable- 
ness must  be  an  evidence  with  you  of  its  truth ;  I  feel  as  if  I  were  uttering  that 
which  seeks  no  proof  but  what  it  obtains  from  yourselves.  I  appeal  to  no  prodigies, 
I  neither  quote  nor  work  miracles ;  but  I  feel  that  in  proposing  deliverance,  through 
the  blood  and  righteousness  of  Christ,  to  those  who,  weighed  down  by  their  sins, 
shrink  in  terror  from  the  judgment,  I  am  proposing  what  must  approve  itseK  to 
them,  as  bearing  the  trace  of  a  communication  from  God.  {H.  Melvill,  B.D.), 
Truth  and  the  conscience : — No  change  in  religious  thought  is  more  remarkable 
than  that  which  recognises  that  the  ultimate  appeal  is  not  to  authority  outside 
of  man,  but  to  the  authority  inside.  I  have  heard  it  solemnly  argued  that  if  men 
were  left  to  themselves,  even  though  they  followed  that  which  was  best  within 
them,  they  would  come  to  as  many  different  conclusions  as  there  are  men  to  think, 
and,  as  a  result,  each  would  be  a  law  unto  himself.  Within  a  quarter  of  a  century 
emphasis  has  been  placed  upon  the  doctrine  of  the  immanence  of  God — that  is, 
God  is  not  outside  His  universe,  beyond  the  stars  and  spaces,  but  in  the  universe, 
pervading  it,  controlling  it,  using  it,  as  the  spirit  of  a  man  uses  his  body.  With 
that  central  thought  other  truths  have  come  into  prominence.  If  God  is  within 
man,  even  though  the  Divine  may  have  little,  if  any,  opportunity  for  manifesting 
Himself,  there  is  something  to  which  appeal  can  be  made.  The  apostle  made  his 
appeal,  as  a  religious  teacher,  to  the  necessary  correspondence  between  truth  and 
conscience.  His  thought  is  something  as  follows :  A  man  may  be  surrounded  by  a 
million  of  others  and  see  no  friendly  face.  Suddenly  a  companion  of  his  boyhood 
appears.  The  recognition  is  instant.  We  are  in  a  strange  land.  Faces  are  un- 
familiar. The  speech  is  like  jargon.  The  door  opens ;  a  friend  appears ;  instantly 
the  eye  brightens,  and  the  recognition  is  complete.     In  the  same  way  truth  is 


126  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

recognised.     We  have  been  accustomed  to  be  afraid  of  conscience— to  think  that 
it  could  not  be  trusted.     But  to  it  the  Apostle  Paul  boldly  turns.     Two  questions 
arise.     What  is  the  truth  to  which  he  referred  ?     It  was  the  gospel  which  he  was 
preaching.     What  is  the  conscience  ?     That  is  a  more  difficult  question.     There 
are  many  things  which  we  know  which  we  cannot  define.     The  man  approving 
the  right  and  condemning  the  wrong  is  perhaps  all  that  can  be  said  concerning 
conscience.     The  being  never  lived  who  did  not  realise  that  he  ought  to  do  right 
and  ought  not  to  do  wi'ong.     There  have  been  many  explanations  of  this  fact. 
Where  did  it  come  from  ?     It  is  as  old  as  history.     It  is  universal.     Opinions  differ 
as  to  what  is  right,  but  not  as  to  its  authority.    For  myself  I  believe  that  conscience 
is  the  voice  of  God  in  every  man.     To  violate  conscience  is  to  disobey  God.     Now 
the  apostle,  in  his  epistle,  says  that  his  appeal  is  made  to  the  correspondence  of  the 
gospel  that  he  preaches  and  this  consciousness  of  right  in  every  man.     To  reahse 
that  there  is  something  within  ourselves  to  which  we  can  bring  all  questions,  and 
by  whose  judgment  we  must  stand  or  fall,  makes  excuse  for  wrong-doing  an  im- 
possibility.    I  ask  you  to  consider  this  appeal  of  the  apostle.     He  did  not  say  that 
conscience  was  a  revealer,  but  that  it  had  a  judicial  function.     It  judges  concerning 
what  comes  before  it,  and  its  approval  is  all  the  authority  which  any  statement  needs. 
The  truth  which  commends  itself  to  conscience  may  be  accepted  wherever  it  comes 
from.     This  text  teaches  certain  lessons  which  may  well  be  studied  by  those  who 
desire  to  know  whether  there  is  any  soUd  foundation  for  truth.     There  is  something 
in  the  natural  man  to  which  truth  may  appeal.     Paul  did  not  say  that  he  was 
commended  to  the  converted  man,  but  to  every  man's  conscience.      The  same 
thought  is  expressed  in  the  second  chapter  of  Komans :  "  For  when  Gentiles  who 
have  no  law  do  by  nature  the  things  of  the  law,  these  having  no  law  are  a  law 
unto  themselves,  in  that  they  shew  the  work  of  the  law  written  in  their  hearts, 
their  conscience  bearing  witness  therewith."     Again,  in  Eomans  xii.  1,  he  appeals 
to  reason :  "  I  beseech  you,  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  to  present 
your  bodies  .  .  .  which  is  your  reasonable  service."     If  there  is  not  something 
even  in  a  bad  man  which  can  be  trusted,  it  is  useless  to  present  to  him  truth. 
If  he  cannot  recognise  it  he  is  not  blamable  for  rejecting  it.     If  a  man  knocks  at 
your  door,  and  you  have  no  means  of  telling  whether  he  is  a  thief  or  a  friend,  you 
are  not  culpable  if  you  turn  him  away.     If  in  the  heathen,  or  those  wrecks  of 
humanity  which  we  see  in  all  great  cities,  there  is  not  something  essentially  Divine, 
they  can  never  discover  the  Divine  when  it  is  manifested.     There  is  that  in  all  men 
which  knows  the  good,  feels  the  force  of  duty,  and  recognises  the  truth  when  it  is 
presented.     Exceptions  to  this  statement  are  apparent,  but  not  real.     The  Hindu 
mother  believes  that  she  ought  to  throw  her  child  to  the  Kiver  God.     In   her 
ignorance  she  obeys.     In  the  world's  history  there  is  not  a  more  superb  example 
of  loyalty  to  conviction.     What  does  that  example  show  ?     That  the  woman  is 
ignorant  and  needs  instruction,  not  that  her  heart  is  wrong.     This  inner  light 
may  be  obscured.     The  light  in  a  lantern  may  be  hidden  by  filth  on  the  glass ; 
the  singing  of  a  bird  may  be  lost  in  the  noise  of  a  great  city  ;  the  voice  of  a  mother 
may  be  drowned  by  songs  of  dissipation.     But  the  light  in  the  lantern  is  waiting 
only  for  the  filth  to  be  removed.     This  inner  light  is  an  elemental  fact.     Elemental 
facts  are  those  which  inhere  in  the  nature  of  things.     Hunger  is  a  fact.     Love  is 
a  fact.     The  correspondence  between  the  eye  and  the  light  is  a  fact ;  and  these 
facts  are  not  affected  by  theories  concerning  their  origin.     It  is  safe  to  appeal  to 
this  moral  sense.     If  that  cannot  be  trusted,  nothing  can  be.     If  that  deceives, 
there  is  no  way  by  which  a  revelation  about,  God,  duty,  or  what  lies  beyond  the 
grave  could  be  received.     If  that  cannot  be  trusted  we  may  as  well  burn  our  Bibles, 
for  it  is  precisely  because  of  the  appeal  which  the  Scriptures  make  to  it  that  they 
get  their  authority.     Coleridge  said,  "  I  believe  in  the  Bible  because  the  Bible  finds 
me."     I  put  emphasis  on  this  fact  because  it  leaves  unbelief  without  excuse.     That 
which  satisfies  and  completes  our  moral  nature  carries  with  it  the  evidence  of  its 
own  truthfulness.     I  do  not  tell  you  to  accept  Christ  because  the  Bible  says  He  is 
Divine,  but  I  do  tell  you  that  He  will  satisfy  and  complete  your  nature  if  you  will 
only  once  bring  Him  where  your  inmost  eye  can  clearly  see  Him.     To  this  some- 
thing in  the  natural  man  the  Christian  doctrine  of  God  is  presented.     Does  it 
commend  itself  as  true,  or  is  it  repelled  as  false  ?     What  is  the  Chi-istian  doctrine 
of  God  ?     It  begins  and  ends  in  Fatherhood.     The  apostle  of  culture  says  that 
God  is  that  power  outside  ourselves  which  makes  for  righteousness,  and  that  defini- 
tion is  clear  and  beautiful  as  a  marble  statue  or  a  dome  of  ice.     There  is  nothing 
in  it  which  appeals  to  struggling  humanity.     Fatherhood  touches  all  hearts.     The 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  127 

New  Testament  says  that  God  is  Father.  That  does  not  mean  that  He  is  weak, 
the  slave  of  His  affections,  but  that  all  His  relations  towards  humanity  can  be 
best  indicated  by  the  relation  of  parent  and  child.  Then  it  is  said,  God  is  love ; 
God  is  light ;  He  makes  all  things  work  together  for  good ;  and,  It  is  His  nature 
to  seek  the  salvation  of  those  who  are  lost.  What  a  splendid  ideal  comes  from 
those  old  Hebrew  writings !  Love  must  be  severe  when  severity  is  necessary.  It 
must  cut  out  the  cancer  that  the  whole  body  may  be  saved.  It  will  punish  the 
child  to-day  that  he  may  be  a  man  to-morrow.  It  will  seek  good  at  any  cost. 
There  is  no  conflict  between  love  and  justice.  Nay,  rather,  justice  is  only  the 
shadow  of  love.  The  Christian  idea  of  God  is  so  glorious  that  I  wonder  that  any 
eve*-  turn  from  it.  Not  a  sparrow  falls  without  His  notice.  He  clothes  even  the 
lilies.  Then  what  man  is  ever  forgotten?  The  heart  of  the  gospel  is  the  pro- 
clamation of  forgiveness,  or  the  doctrine  of  salvation.  The  experience  of  guilt  is 
the  most  universal  and  terrible.  Those  who  laugh  at  the  idea  of  a  spiritual  nature 
cannot  get  away  from  this  fact.  In  all  nations  and  ages  the  conviction  of  guilt 
has  been  a  reality.  Nothing  has  been  sought  more  eagerly  than  an  answer  to  the 
question,  How  can  one  who  is  in  wi-ong  relations  with  himself  and  the  universe  be 
made  right?  The  doctrine  of  sacrifice  is  old  as  human  history.  The  inquiry  had 
been,  What  can  we  do?  How  can  we  get  rid  of  these  burdens?  What  can  we 
pay  ?  We  will  give  of  our  flocks  and  our  fields,  of  the  fruit  of  our  body  for  the 
sin  of  our  souls.  But  the  world's  guilt  grew  heavier.  The  Master  came  with  His 
message :  "  You  cannot  save  yourselves.  You  cannot  get  away  from  the  past. 
What  you  seek  in  vain  by  costly  oblations  and  wearisome  labours,  I  offer  as  a 
gift.  Believe  Me.  Y'ou  are  not  in  the  hands  of  a  tyi-ant  anxious  that  all  his  debts 
shall  be  paid ;  you  are  in  the  hands  of  a  Father  who  is  seeking  for  you  as  a  shepherd 
for  a  sheep  that  is  lost.  Believe  Me ;  if  you  will  stop  where  you  are  and  turn  from 
the  evil  of  your  life,  and  follow  Me,  you  will  be  forgiven."  What  a  wonderful 
message  !  How  simple  !  How  strangely  it  has  been  misinterpreted  !  What  shall 
I  do  to  be  saved?  Turn  from  evil ;  follow  Him  who  is  the  truth  and  the  right. 
But  how  about  that  past?  Leave  that  with  God.  That  is  the  message  of  salvation. 
Have  faith  in  Christ  when  He  tells  us  that,  if  we  confess  our  sins,  God  is  faithful 
and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness.  Is  not 
that  reasonable  ?  Has  not  difficulty  about  this  subject  of  forgiveness  arisen  from 
the  simple  fact  that  we  have  imagined  that  God  was  a  tyrant  who  demanded  some- 
thing which  could  not  be  paid,  and  we  have  said,  "  We  cannot  believe  in  such  a 
God  "  ?  But  when  we  get  to  the  Divine  revelation,  when  we  read  the  story  of  the 
prodigal,  and  see  that  the  son  came  back  and  found  the  father  waiting  for  him, 
with  a  kiss  and  a  new  robe,  and  all  that  was  necessary  for  him  to  do  was  simply 
to  come  home  and  enter  into  a  new  life,  do  we  not  find  that  which  satisfies  our 
consciousness  of  right?  Now,  you  who  are  fighting  this  or  that  theory  of  the 
atonement,  who  are  saying,  "  I  cannot  accept  Christianity,  because  it  shocks  my 
moral  sense,"  simply  take  the  parables  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  Luke,  which  are 
the  revelation  of  God's  dealing  with  the  repentant  sinner,  the  first  two  showing 
how  He  seeks  for  the  lost,  and  the  third  how  He  receives  the  penitent,  and  answer 
your  own  heart.  Is  there  anything  in  that  which  does  not  attract  ?  And  again  I 
say.  Can  that  which  satisfies  the  profoundest  longings  of  your  soul,  which  gives 
peace  in  the  midst  of  the  struggle  of  life,  be  only  a  dream  and  a  falsehood  ?  If 
now  we  turn  to  the  teaching  of  Christianity  concerning  duty,  do  we  not  find  the 
same  correspondence  ?  There  have  been  as  many  theories  of  ethics  as  there  have 
been  thinkers  to  devise  them.  The  old  problem  concerning  obligation  has  had  a 
million  answers.  How  simple  and  beautiful  is  the  teaching  of  Christ !  Make  clean 
the  inside  of  the  cup.  Pharisaism  is  hateful.  External  righteousness  may  be  a 
garment  hiding  a  corrupt  spirit.  The  devil  may  masquerade  in  a  cloak  of  light. 
Make  the  fountain  pure,  and  the  stream  will  be  pure.  Make  the  tree  good,  and 
the  fruit  will  be  good.  Think  right  thoughts,  and  there  will  be  no  trouble  about 
right  acts.  That  is  where  the  teaching  of  Christ  begins.  The  next  point  concerns 
the  value  which  should  be  placed  upon  self.  Old  theories  of  ethics  had  exalted 
the  individual.  Christ  says  it  is  the  privilege  of  the  individual  to  efface  himself 
for  the  welfare  of  the  many.  The  world  says,  "  Exalt  yourselves  " ;  Christ  says, 
"Humble  yourselves."  The  culmination  of  Christ's  ethical  teaching  was  in  the 
new  commandment  wherein  He  says,  "A  new  commandment  give  I  unto  you,  that 
ye  should  love  one  another  as  I  have  loved  you."  Nothing  indefinite  !  nothing 
mystical !  clear  as  the  light !  Do  not  ask  who  wrote  the  first  books  of  the  Bible. 
Do  not  care  whether  Jonah  is  history  or  fiction.     Simply  bring  yourself  face  to  face 


128  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

with  these  questions :  Does  Christ's  teaching  concerning  God  satisfy  my  conscience  ? 
Can  I  leave  myself  and  all  men  in  the  hands  of  such  a  Being,  assured  that  no  harm 
can  come  from  Him  to  any  one  ?  Is  there  anything  but  comfort  in  Christ's  doctrine 
of  salvation — that  He  has  come  to  give  power  to  all  those  who  will  repent  of  their 
sin  and  turn  towards  Him  to  cease  from  sinning  and  live  the  Divine  life  ?  Is  there 
anythhig  that  is  either  unreasonable  or  in  violation  of  the  moral  sense  when  He 
asks  us  to  beheve  Him  that,  as  we  forgive  our  children  when  they  repent  and  begin 
to  mend  their  ways,  so  the  heavenly  Father  forgives  us  ?  And  is  there  anything 
which  does  not  carry  with  it  the  evidence  of  its  own  truthfulness  in  these  high  and 
searching  principles  which  our  Master  emphasised  ?  Make  the  tree  right  in  order 
that  the  fruit  may  be  right.  Use  all  powers  for  the  good  of  humanity,  and  re- 
member that  those  who  haye  injured  you  most  are  those  whom  you  should  serve 
most.  "  Love  one  another  as  I  have  loved  you."  You  ask,  "  What  am  I  to  believe 
as  the  truth  of  God  ?  "  Here  is  a  statement  in  the  Bible.  It  can  be  explained  in 
two  ways.  One  way  my  moral  nature  commends ;  the  other,  I  am  told  by  those 
who  profess  to  know,  is  the  true  interpretation.  Which  one  am  I  to  accept?  I 
reply,  always  choose  that  which  commends  itself  to  your  moral  nature.  If  the 
Apostle  Paul  could  appeal  to  conscience  to  certify  truth,  you  cannot  be  wrong  if  you 
do  the  same.  [A.  H.  Bradford,  D.D.)  The  self-evidencing  nature  of  Divine  truth: — 
1.  Truth  may  either  derive  its  authority  from  the  teacher,  or  reflect  on  him  its 
authority.  As  the  receiver  of  money  may  argue  either  that  the  money  is  good 
because  it  is  an  honest  man  who  pays  it,  or  that  the  man  is  honest  because  he  pays 
good  money,  so  in  the  communication  and  reception  of  truth.  It  is  the  latter  mode 
of  inference  which  is  employed  in  the  text.  The  message  Paul  had  spoken  was 
so  completely  in  accordance  with  reason  and  conscience  that  he  needed  no  other 
credentials  in  proclaiming  it.  2.  That  there  is  an  order  of  truth  such  as  that  to 
which  the  apostle  refers,  every  thoughtful  mind  must  be  aware.  At  the  root  of  all 
knowledge  there  are  first  principles  which  are  independent  of  proof,  which  to  state 
is  to  prove  to  every  mind  that  apprehends  them — they  commend  themselves  at  once 
to  my  consciousness  in  the  sight  of  God.  Now  to  this  class  belong  many  of  the 
truths  of  revelation.  As  it  needs  no  outward  attestation  to  prove  to  the  tasteful  eye 
the  beauty  of  fair  scenes,  as  sweet  sounds  need  no  authentication  of  their  harmony 
to  the  sensitive  ear,  so,  between  the  spirit  of  man  and  that  infinite  world  of  moral 
beauty  and  harmony  which  revelation  discloses,  there  is  a  correspondence  so  deep 
and  real  that  the  inner  eye  and  ear,  if  undiseased,  discern  at  once  in  Divine  things 
their  own  best  witness  and  authority.  By  the  statement  that  the  truths  of  revelation 
commend  themselves  to  the  conscience  or  consciousness  of  man — I.  It  is  not  im- 
plied— 1.  That  man,  by  the  unaided  exercise  of  his  consciousness,  could  have 
discovered  them.  If  there  be  an  internal  revelation  already  imprinted  on  the  human 
spirit,  what  need,  it  might  be  asked,  for  any  other  ?  In  asserting  that  Divine  reve- 
lation is  self-evidencing,  do  we  not  virtually  assert  that  it  is  superfluous  ?  (1)  The 
answer  is  that  the  power  to  recognise  truth  does  not  imply  the  power  to  originate 
it.  We  may  apprehend  what  we  could  not  invent.  To  discover  some  great  law 
of  nature,  to  evolve  some  grand  principle  of  science,  implies  in  the  discoverer  the 
possession  of  mental  powers  of  the  very  rarest  order ;  but  when  that  law  or  principle 
has  once  been  pointed  out,  multitudes  who  could  never  have  discovered  it  for  them- 
selves may  be  quite  able  to  verify  it.  All  abstract  science  or  philosophy,  in  fact,  is  but 
the  bringing  to  light  of  those  truths  which  implicitly  are  possessed  by  all ;  but  these 
truths  would  never  become  really  ours  but  for  the  aid  which  the  discoveries  of  high 
and  philosophic  minds  afford  them.  So,  again,  to  what  is  it  that  the  great  poet 
owes  the  power  to  charm  the  minds  of  men  but  this — that  he  gives  expression  to 
thoughts  and  feelings  which,  though  none  but  men  of  rarest  genius  could  articulate 
them,  the  common  heart  and  soul  of  humanity  recognises  as  its  own  ?  (2)  Apply 
this  principle  to  the  case  before  us.  There  are  inscribed  on  the  mind  and  conscience 
of  man  the  characters  of  an  unknown  language,  to  which  revelation  alone  supplies 
the  key,  and  which,  read  by  its  aid,  become  the  truest  verification  of  that  which 
interprets  them.  In  that  world  of  invisible  realities  to  which,  as  spiritual  beings, 
we  belong,  there  are  mysteries  too  profound  for  fallen  humanity,  of  itself,  to  pene- 
trate. But  though  by  no  unaided  "  searching  "  could  we  "  find  out  God  "  ;  though, 
again,  the  conception  of  a  pure  and  holy  moral  law,  or  the  vision  of  a  glorious 
immortality,  be  unattainable  by  any  spontaneous  effort  of  human  reason,  yet  there 
is  wrought  into  the  very  structure  of  man's  nature  so  much  of  a  Divine  element, 
there  is  a  moral  standard  so  ineffaceably  inscribed  on  the  conscience,  there  slumbers 
in  the  universal  heart  a  desire  and  yearning  after  immortality  so  deep  and  strong, 


CHAP.  IV.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  129 

that  that  Bible  which  contains  in  it  the  revelation  of  God  and  holiness  and  heaven 
finds  in  the  awakened  soul  an  instant  response  and  authentication  of  its  teachinf^s. 
2.  That  the  consciousness  in  its  unrenewed  and  imperfect  state  is  qualified  fully 
to  recognise  and  verify  these  truths  when  discovered  to  it.  (1)  It  might  be  admitted 
that  the  mind  of  man,  in  its  perfect  state,  is  so  in  harmony  with  the  mind  of  God 
as  at  once  to  echo  and  respond  to  the  utterance  of  that  mind  in  His  revealed  Word. 
But  the  moral  reason  has  become  dimmed  and  distorted.  How,  then,  any  longer 
can  the  soul  be  regarded  as  the  criterion  of  truth  ?  How  can  it  be  asserted  that  the 
truth  commends  itself  to  every  man's  consciousness  ?  Is  not  such  a  statement  at 
variance  with  1  Cor.  ii.  14  ?  How  can  light  be  perceived  by  blind  eyes,  harmony 
by  dull  or  deaf  ears  ?  (2)  The  solution  of  this  difficulty  will  perhaps  be  found  in 
the  consideration  that  Divine  truth  exerts  on  the  mind  of  man  at  once  a  restorative 
and  a  self-manifesting  power.  It  creates  in  the  mind  the  capacity  by  which  it  is 
discerned.  As  light  opens  the  close-shut  flower-bud  to  receive  light,  or  as  the 
sunbeam,  playing  on  a  sleeper's  eyes,  by  its  gentle  irritation  opens  them  to  see  its 
own  brightness,^so  the  truth  of  God,  shining  on  the  soul,  quickens  and  stirs  into 
activity  the  faculty  by  which  that  very  truth  is  perceived.  It  is  in  this  case  as  in 
secular  studies — each  advance  in  knowledge  disciplines  the  knowing  faculty.  With 
each  new  problem  mastered,  each  difficult  step  in  science  or  philosophy  overcome, 
the  mental  habits  are  strengthened,  and  thus  a  wider  range  of  knowledge,  a  larger, 
clearer,  more  comprehensive  view  of  truth,  becomes  possible  to  the  mind.     II.  In 

WHAT  WAT  MAY  WE  CONCEIVE  OF  DiVINE  TRUTH  AS  COMMENDING  ITSELF  TO  THE  CON- 
SCIOUSNESS OF  MAN?  1.  By  reveaUng  to  man  the  lost  ideal  of  his  nature.  (1)  Whilst 
man,  fallen  and  degraded,  could  never  have  found  out  that  ideal  for  himself,  yet, 
when  it  is  presented  to  him  in  Scripture,  there  is  that  within  him  which  is  capable 
of  recognising  it  as  his  own.  You  cannot  blot  out  from  his  mind  the  latent 
reminiscence  of  a  nobler  and  better  self  which  he  might  have  been,  and  which  to 
have  lost  is  guilt  and  wretchedness.  Confront  the  fallen  moral  intelligence  with 
its  own  perfect  type,  and  in  the  instinctive  shame  and  humiliation  arising  therefrom 
there  is  elicited  an  involuntary  recognition  of  the  truthfulness  of  the  portraiture. 
(2)  Now,  such  is  the  response  which  the  spirit  of  man,  in  the  hour  of  contrition, 
renders  to  the  perfect  type  of  moral  excellence  which  the  gospel  brings  before  it. 
For  the  sorrow  and  self-abasement  which  the  "  manifestation  of  the  truth  "  calls 
forth  derive  their  peculiar  poignancy  from  the  fact  that  it  is  a  sorrow  not  so  much 
of  discovery  as  of  reminiscence.  In  the  contemplation  of  God's  holy  law,  and 
especially  of  that  perfect  reflection  of  it  which  is  presented  in  Jesus,  the  attitude 
of  the  penitent  mind  is  that  not  simply  of  observation,  but  of  painful  and 
humiUating  recollection.  The  mental  process  is  analogous  to  that  in  which  the 
mind  goes  in  search  of  some  word,  or  name,  or  thought  which  we  cannot  at  once 
recall,  yet  of  which  we  have  the  certainty  that  once  we  knew  it.  Or  it  is  still 
more  closely  parallel  to  the  feeUng  of  one  who  revisits,  in  reverse  of  fortune,  and 
after  long  years  of  absence,  a  spot  with  which,  in  other  and  happier  days,  he  was 
familiar.  At  first  such  an  one  might  move  for  a  while  amidst  old  scenes  and  objects 
unconscious  of  any  past  and  personal  connection  with  them,  until  at  last  something 
occurs  to  touch  the  spring  of  association,  when  instantly,  with  a  rush  of  recollection, 
old  sights,  impressions,  incidents,  come  thick  and  crowding  on  the  spirit,  and  the 
outward  scene  becomes  clothed  with  a  new  vividness,  and  is  perceived  with  a  new 
sense  of  identity.  Now,  if  the  hfe  of  Christ  were  an  ideal  of  excellence  altogether 
foreign  to  us,  the  shame  of  the  convicted  conscience  would  lose  half  its  bitterness. 
But  the  latent  element  that  lends  sharpness  to  the  stings  of  self- accusation  in  the 
mind  aroused  by  the  manifestation  of  the  truth  is  the  involuntary  recognition  in 
Christ  of  a  dignity  we  have  lost,  an  inheritance  we  have  wasted,  a  perfection  for 
which  the  spirit  of  man  was  formed,  but  which  it  has  basely  disowned.  Repentance 
is  the  recognition  by  the  faUen  self  of  its  true  self  in  Christ.  2.  By  discovering  to 
man  the  mode  of  regaining  it.  The  Scriptures  claim  from  the  conscience,  not  only 
a  response  to  their  description  of  the  disease,  but  also  a  recognition  of  the  suitability 
and  sufficiency  of  the  remedy  they  prescribe.  No  state  of  mind  can  be  conceived 
more  distressing  than  that  of  a  man  who,  voluntarily  or  involuntarily,  is  falling 
below  his  own  ideal.  For  a  man's  own  comfort,  he  must  either  forget  his  ideal  or 
strive  to  realise  it.  The  great  obstacles  to  the  soul's  recovery  of  its  lost  ideal  are 
the  sense  of  guilt  and  the  consciousness  of  moral  weakness.  (1)  The  soul  aspiring 
after  hohness  craves  deliverance  from  guilt ;  and  to  that  deep-felt  want  the  gospel 
responds  in  the  revelation  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  (a)  In  some  respects  the  analogous 
case  of  the  debtor's  embarrassments  may  help  us  to  conceive  of  the  needs  of  the 

9 


130  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  it. 

guilty  soul.  Debt  acts  as  a  dead-weight  on  a  man's  energies.  What  this  man 
wants  in  order  to  rouse  him  to  effort  is  to  cut  off  his  connection  with  the  past,  to 
sweep  away  its  obligations,  and  let  him  have  a  fair  start  in  life  again.  Or  reflect, 
again,  on  the  depressing  influence  often  produced  by  loss  of  character  and  reputa- 
tion in  the  world.  A  man  who  has  lost  caste  in  society  has  lost  with  it  one  of  the 
most  powerful  incentives  to  effort.  If  he  could  begin  life  anew  it  might  be  different 
with  him.  [h)  But  all  such  analogies  are  but  partial  and  inadequate  representations 
of  the  moral  hindrance  of  guilt.  An  insolvent  man  may,  by  redoubled  exertions, 
or  by  the  intervention  of  a  friend,  be  freed  from  the  depressing  responsibihty  for 
the  past.  But  in  sin  the  aroused  conscience  feels  that  there  is  a  strange  indelible- 
ness.  The  man,  again,  who  has  compromised  himself  with  human  society  may, 
by  lapse  of  time  or  removal  from  the  scene,  escape  from  the  depressing  influence 
of  social  suspicion  and  mistrust.  But  from  the  ban  of  Omniscience  there  is  no 
such  escape.  Infinite  justice  is  independent  of  space  and  time.  Nay,  even  if  God, 
by  a  simple  act  of  oblivion,  could  pass  over  the  awakened  sinner's  guilt,  his  own 
conscience  would  not  suffer  him  to  forget  it.  He  would  be  "  the  wrath  of  God  unto 
himself."  The  aroused  conscience  does  not  want  a  mere  act  of  amnesty.  Nothing 
will  satisfy  it,  unless  the  sin  be  branded  with  the  mark  of  the  law's  offended  majesty 
— unless  the  culprit  sin  be,  as  it  were,  led  out  to  execution  and  slain  before  it.  (c) 
Now,  it  is  this  deep  necessity  of  the  awakened  spirit  which  the  gospel  meets — a 
revelation  in  the  person,  life,  and  death  of  Jesus,  which  includes  at  once  the  most 
complete  condemnation  of  sin  and  the  most  ample  forgiveness  of  the  sinner.  Surely 
the  trembling  heart  may  cease  to  despair  of  itself,  or  regard  the  past  with  hopeless 
despondency,  when  that  very  Being  in  whom  all  law  and  right  are  centred  con- 
descends to  wed  the  nature  of  guilty  man  into  closest  affinity  with  Himself.  But 
more  than  this,  the  gospel  brings  relief  to  the  self-condemned  spirit  by  exhibiting 
infinite  purity  passing  through  a  history  which  brings  it  into  ceaseless  contact  with 
sin  in  all  its  undisguised  hatefulness  and  hostility  to  God.  And,  finally,  the  gospel 
permits  us  to  think  of  Christ  as  one  who,  in  conveying  pardon  to  guilt,  instead  of 
relaxing  the  strictness  or  bringing  slight  on  the  unbending  rectitude  of  God's  law, 
offers  up  the  grandest  possible  tribute  to  its  majesty  and  the  most  awful  atonement 
for  the  sins  that  infringed  it.  (2)  The  other  great  obstacle  is  the  conscious  inertness 
and  impotence  of  the  soul  in  its  endeavours  after  holiness,  [a)  It  is  in  the  attempt 
to  reach  its  lost  ideal  that  the  soul  becomes  aware  of  its  own  moral  weakness. 
It  is  not  when  the  sick  man  lies  prostrated  by  disease  that  he  feels  most  his  own 
feebleness,  but  when  he  begins  to  rally,  and  attempts  to  rise  and  walk.  When 
despotism  has  so  quelled  a  nation's  spirit  that  it  cares  not  to  put  forth  the  feeblest 
resistance  to  its  thraldom,  it  is  not  then  that  it  is  in  a  condition  to  discover  the 
hopelessness  of  its  bondage ;  but  when,  the  spirit  of  insurrection  roused,  the  attempt 
has  been  made  to  throw  off  the  hateful  yoke,  and  made  in  vain — it  is  then  that 
it  learns  the  terribleness  of  that  power  which  keeps  it  down.  So  it  is  not  when 
sin  holds  undisturbed  dominion  in  the  soul,  but  when  the  new  ideal  of  holiness 
dawns  upon  its  vision,  that,  in  the  feebleness  of  its  resolutions  and  the  miserable 
ineffectiveness  of  its  attempts  to  be  good,  there  is  forced  upon  it  the  painful  con- 
viction of  its  own  moral  weakness.  And  then,  too,  rises  the  intense  longing  for 
spiritual  help.  (6)  Now,  the  gospel  commends  itseK  to  the  consciousness  by  re- 
sponding to  this.  For  it  reveals  to  the  soul  Christ  as  not  only  outwardly  the  ideal, 
but  inwardly  the  hope  and  strength  of  humanity.  It  would  go  no  little  way  towards 
meeting  our  needs  if,  in  our  loneliness  and  weakness,  there  should  be  granted  the  per- 
petual presence  and  guardianship  of  some  lofty  angelic  nature.  Or,  better,  let  any 
contrite  soul,  longing  for  the  goodness  it  cannot  reach,  perturbed  by  the  evil  from 
which  it  cannot  escape,  think  what  it  would  be  to  have  Jesus  of  Nazareth  dwelling 
for  a  single  year  with  it  as  a  familiar  companion  and  friend.  But  how  much  more 
are  the  soul's  needs  met  in  that  which  is  the  great  crowning  blessing  of  the  gospel  — 
the  dispensation  of  the  Spirit.  A  Spirit,  would  we  but  realise  His  presence,  is  ever 
with  us  to  prompt  each  holy  thought  and  nerve  each  pure  resolve.  If  Christ,  as 
an  outward  visitant,  would  be  eagerly  welcomed  in  the  dispensation  of  His  grace, 
we  are  told  of  a  blessing  gi-eater  still — of  a  presence  of  Jesus  within  the  heart.  To 
every  soul  that  will  receive  Him,  that  very  Jesus  who  departed  as  a  visible  presence 
from  this  earth  comes  back  as  an  inward  and  invisible  comforter — "  Christ  in  you 
the  hope  of  glory."  (J.  Caird,  D.D.)  The  viisxion  of  tlie  ■pulpit  is — I.  A  mission 
OF  THE  TRUTH.  lu  this  aspect  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  exaggerate  its  importance. 
At  home  sensuality,  worklliness,  and  scepticism,  and  abroad  the  corruption  of 
apostate  Churches,  the  fanaticism  and  immorality  of  heathenism,  suffice  to  show 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  131 


that  this  mission  is  urgently  needed.  Truth  in  general  is  the  agreement  of  a  symbol 
with  the  thing  symbolised.  Science  is  truth  when  it  is  a  correct  interpretation  of 
the  phenomena  of  nature,  history  when  it  is  a  faithful  record  of  facts,  worship 
when  it  is  a  reflection  of  a  consecrated  soul,  and  doctrine  when  it  is  according  to 
godliness.  It  is  in  the  last  conception  that  the  apostle  is  treating  of  it  in  the  text. 
The  Word  of  God  is  the  fountain  and  standard  of  truth.  The  truth  is  embodied 
in  Christ,  who  is  "  the  Truth."  To  manifest  this  truth  is  the  mission  of  the  pulpit. 
The  truth  must  be  presented — 1.  Clearly.  This  is  indicated  both  by  the  force  of 
the  word  "  manifestation,"  and  by  the  contrast  between  Paul  and  the  false  teachers. 
They  traffic  with  the  hidden  things  of  dishonesty ;  we  manifest  the  truth.  The 
truth  as  revealed  in  the  Word  of  God  embraces  the  most  profound  problems,  such 
as  God,  the  creation,  the  origin  of  evil,  the  Incarnation,  &c.  And  that  these  should 
contain  things  hard  to  be  understood  is  not  surprising.  "The  things  of  God 
knoweth  no  man,  but  the  Spirit  of  God."  "  The  secret  things  belong  unto 
the  Lord  our  God,  but  the  things  which  are  revealed  belong  unto  us  and 
unto  our  children  for  ever."  They  are  expressed  m  simple  language.  Who  can 
understand,  "  God  is  love,"  "  All  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of 
God,"  "Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,"  "In  My  Father's 
house  are  many  mansions "  ?  These  are  some  of  the  primary  principles  of  that 
truth ;  and  why  should  it  not  be  presented  with  that  unsophisticated  simplicity 
in  which  it  appears  in  the  Word  of  God  ?  On  the  contrary,  it  is  sometimes 
encumbered  with  a  pompous  rhetoric  and  beclouded  by  the  jargon  of  a  vain 
philosophy.  This  is  to  hide  the  truth  rather  than  manifest  it.  The  pulpit  is  a 
lighthouse ;  and  if  the  light  shine  dimly,  or  be  permitted  to  go  out,  or  if  false  lights 
be  exhibited,  struggling  and  storm-tossed  souls  will  be  wrecked.  2.  Fully.  The 
false  teachers  handled  the  Word  of  God  deceitfully ;  they  mutilated,  perverted, 
corrupted,  and  impaired  it.  It  would,  of  course,  be  impossible  to  embody  the 
details  of  the  truth  in  the  longest  sermon ;  but  it  is  quite  possible  to  convey  the 
essentials  of  the  truth  in  the  shortest  sermon.  We  are  in  constant  danger  of  shaping 
the  truth  to  our  creeds,  instead  of  conforming  our  creeds  to  the  truth.  The  Socinian, 
the  Romanist,  and  the  Antinomian  profess  to  find  their  religion  in  the  Bible ;  but 
they  break  the  harmony  of  the  truth — they  embrace  it  in  part,  and  not  as  a  whole. 
Again,  the  preferences  of  hearers  are  sometimes  a  temptation  to  present  it  with 
studied  reserve.  The  spirituality  of  God's  law  is  an  offence  to  the  sensual,  the 
Cross  of  Christ  to  the  self-righteous,  the  new  birth  to  the  formalist,  the  judgment 
to  come  to  the  worldling.  What  then  ?  We  must  ever  be  ready  to  maintain  those 
impugned  doctrines,  to  enforce  those  neglected  duties,  to  denounce  fashionable  sins. 
3.  Authoritatively.  The  truth  authenticates  itself  no  less  by  its  internal  nature 
than  by  its  external  attestations.  It  is  not  more  certain  that  the  sun  is  the  work- 
manship of  God's  hand  than  that  Christianity  is  the  embodiment  of  His  love.  Every 
true  preacher  has  settled  this  question  in  his  own  mind  once  for  all.  "  We  have 
not  followed  cunningly  devised  fables."  We  cannot,  therefore,  regard  the  gospel 
as  a  debateable  topic.  When  Christ  gave  His  last  commission  to  His  disciples  there 
was  an  air  of  stupendous  majesty  in  His  address  which  should  remind  His  ministers 
that  they  are  sent,  not  to  prove  the  gospel,  but  to  preach  it.  II.  A  mission  to  the 
CONSCIENCE.  Conscience  is  that  simple  and  original  faculty  of  our  nature  which 
points  us  to  the  great  laws  of  duty,  pronounces  judgment  on  our  actions  as  good 
or  bad,  produces  painful  or  pleasurable  emotions  in  us,  according  to  our  conduct, 
and  by  its  combined  energy  prompts  us  to  do  that  which  is  right.  It  may  be  re- 
sisted, but  it  cannot  be  dethroned ;  it  may  be  seared,  but  it  cannot  be  destroyed. 
The  worm  that  dieth  not  is  the  avenging  power  of  an  infuriated  conscience.  This 
mission  has^l.  Its  advantages.  The  man  who  appeals  to  the  conscience  by  the 
force  of  truth  sways  a  sceptre  of  irresistible  might.  If  we  appeal  to  the  imagination, 
we  shall  be  perpetually  chasing  clouds  and  shadows ;  if  we  appeal  to  the  reason, 
we  shall  encounter  a  network  of  sophistry  and  scepticism ;  if  we  appeal  to  the 
passions,  we  shall  create  floods  of  sentimental  sorrow  and  troops  of  fictitious  saints ; 
but,  if  we  appeal  to  the  conscience  by  the  truth,  there  is  not  a  law,  precept,  prohibi- 
tion, or  warning  of  the  Word  of  God  to  which  the  conscience  will  not  instantly 
respond.  Conscience  is  the  preacher's  best  ally.  He  may  be  regarded  as  a  fanatic, 
or  as  a  fool ;  but  conscience  will  always  recognise  in  the  faithful  preacher  the  chosen 
servant  of  God.  2.  Its  difficulties.  Although  conscience  is  always  on  the  side  of 
truth,  yet  its  decisions  are  against  man,  who  is  a  sinner.  Now,  there  is  in  guilt  an 
instinctive  shrinking  from  exposure.  Just  as  a  culprit,  who,  when  pursued  for  a 
crime,  will  lurk  in  secret  to  escape  pursuers,  so  will  a  sinner  when  confronted  by 


132  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

his  conscience.  "  There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked."  They  try  to 
create  peace  by  bribing  the  conscience.  The  atheist  would  persuade  himself  that 
he  is  the  offspring  of  chance,  and  hopes  to  sleep  for  ever  in  the  grave  ;  the  pagan 
tortures  himself ;  the  Komanist  takes  asylum  in  the  confessional ;  the  Pharisee 
thanks  God  that  he  is  not  as  other  men ;  the  worldling  rushes  to  the  counting-house, 
to  the  tavern,  or  to  the  theatre  ;  and  aU  these  refuges  of  lies  must  be  stormed  and 
scattered  before  we  can  present  the  truth  to  the  conscience.  3.  Its  responsibilities. 
Conscience  is  the  great  judgment-day  in  anticipation.  A  faculty  so  wonderful  is  a 
talent  of  overwhelming  magnitude,  and  one  for  which  we  must  render  an  account 
at  the  bar  of  God.  If  conscience  were  to  be  banished,  the  earth  would  become  a 
scene  of  universal  lawlessness.  And  yet  every  man  who  conspires  to  undermine  the 
sovereignty  of  conscience  is  responsible  for  contributing  to  this  frightful  result.  It 
is  probable  that  no  impression  once  made  on  the  conscience  is  ever  wholly  lost. 
How  often  has  the  memory  of  a  person  whom  you  injured  in  days  gone  by  called 
up  your  guilt !  The  preacher  would  faint  under  the  fearful  pressure  of  his  respon- 
sibilities, but  he  knows  that  the  conscience  of  those  who  have  slighted  his  counsels 
will  acquit  him  in  the  last  great  day.  III.  A  mission  for  God.  "In  the  sight  of 
God."  Such  solemn  inspection  as  that  which  is  connected  with  the  mission  of  the 
pulpit  is — 1.  A  powerful  motive  to  diligence  in  study.  There  is  no  department  of 
Christian  service  which  demands  more  careful  preparation.  Those  who  have  had 
the  longest  experience  in  this  arduous  work  know  that  the  result  of  the  pulpit  is 
in  proportion  to  the  power  which  they  have  husbanded  in  the  study.  But  mark 
well  what  that  power  is,  and  whence  it  comes — it  is  obtained  "  in  the  sight  of  God  " 
— it  is  the  effect  of  close  communion  with  God.  The  preacher's  manual  is  God's 
Book  ;  the  preacher's  study  is  God's  presence.  The  great  preachers,  whose  memory 
is  an  everlasting  heritage,  got  then-  strength  from  the  skies,  not  by  ballooning,  but 
by  praying.  A  praying  ministry  is  often  the  result  of  a  praying  Church.  "Brethren, 
pray  for  us,  that  the  Word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course,"  &c.  2.  A  powerful 
motive  to  fidelity  in  preaching.  It  will  effectually  check  all  levity,  self-confidence, 
and  fear  of  man.  This  solemn  inspection  extends  to  the  pew  as  well  as  the  pulpit. 
You  are  listening,  while  we  are  speaking,  in  the  sight  of  God.  Do  not  shun  His 
face  ;  do  not  despise  the  riches  of  His  love ;  do  not  quench  His  Holy  Spirit.  3.  A 
powerful  motive  to  patience  in  trial.  Adversities  may  darken  around  us,  difficulties 
may  menace  us,  men  may  frown,  and  devils  rage ;  but  with  the  eye  of  God  upon 
us,  with  the  life  of  God  within  us,  and  with  the  heaven  of  God  before  us,  we  shaU 
be  able  to  breast  the  storm  and  to  seize  the  crown.  4.  An  assurance  of  ultimate 
success.  Amid  difficulties  and  discouragements,  the  promise  that  the  Word  shall 
not  return  void,  that  we  shall  reap  if  we  faint  not,  fills  us  with  an  unwavering  con- 
fidence and  an  unfaltering  hope.  The  precious  seed  possesses  an  indestructible 
vitality,  and  will  not  be  all  wasted  on  a  barren  soil.  Conclusion  :  If  our  preaching 
is  to  be  effective  we  must  preach  the  law  and  the  gospel — the  law  in  order  to  probe 
the  conscience,  the  gospel  in  order  to  heal  it.  The  preaching  of  the  law  alone  will 
lead  to  Pharisaism  ;  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  alone  wiU  lead  to  Antinomianism  ; 
the  preaching  of  both  will,  by  God's  blessing,  issue  in  a  pure  and  Uving  Christianity. 
(G.  T.  Perks,  M.A.)        The  sphere  of  the  pulpit,  or  the  mission  of  ministers  : — I.  The 

PULPIT  HAS  CHIEFLY  TO  DEAL  WITH  THE  COMMON  CONSCIENCE  OF  HUMANITY.  1.  Con- 
science is  not  so  much  a  faculty  of  being  as  the  very  stamina  and  substance  of 
being — the  "inner  man  " — the  man  of  the  man — that  without  which  we  should  be 
sensuous  organisms  or  thinking  animals,  but  not  men.  This  gives  a  felt  connection 
with  the  spiritual  universe.  As  without  the  physical  senses  I  could  never  feel  my 
connection  with  this  material  system,  so  without  this  conscience  I  could  have  no 
idea  either  of  moral  government  or  God.  2.  Now,  to  this  primary  part  of  your 
nature  the  religious  teacher  has  to  appeal.  There  is  a  ministry  which  mainly  aims 
at — (1)  The  passions.  If  the  emotions  are  stirred  the  discourse  is  considered  power- 
ful and  effective.  But  I  am  bound  to  say  that  to  aim  at  this  as  an  end  is  to  obstruct 
the  true  progress  of  virtue.  (2)  The  imagination.  Poetic  pictures  and  sonorous 
periods  are  forms  into  which  aU  the  ideas  are  thrown.  But  truth  does  not  require 
your  painting  ;  it  is  itself  beauty.  Take  your  brush  to  set  off  the  rainbow,  or  give 
a  new  tinge  of  splendour  to  the  setting  sun,  but  keep  it  away  from  the  "rose  of 
Sharon  and  the  lily  of  the  valley."  (3)  The  intellect.  Verbal  criticisms,  philosophio 
discussions,  subtle  distinctions,  are  the  staple  elements  of  its  discourses.  (4)  Now, 
I  am  far  from  supposing  that  religious  teaching  ought  not  to  wake  the  passions, 
&c. ;  but  I  do  feel  that  to  aim  at  these  as  ends  is  to  pervert  religious  teaching.  The 
true  teacher  has  to  do  with  conscience — that  which  underlies  and  penetrates  every 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  133 

other  spiritual  faculty  and  power  in  man.  3.  But,  whilst  all  men  have  consciences, 
their  consciences  are  found  existing  in  very  different  conditions.  There  is — (1)  The 
torpid  class — those  that  have  never  been  awakened,  and  those  which,  having  been 
aroused,  have  relapsed  into  insensibility  again.  The  former  comprehends  the  con- 
sciences of  children  and  uneducated  barbarians;  the  latter  involves  those  which 
were  once  awakened  by  conviction,  but  which  have  sunk  into  apathy  again.  It 
is  a  solemn  fact  that  a  state  of  torpor  is  the  general  state  in  which  the  conscience 
is  found.  (2)  The  alarmed  class.  (3)  The  peaceful  class — those  consciences  from 
which  the  sense  of  guilt  has  been  removed.  Now,  in  one  of  these  general  classes 
every  man's  conscience  is  to  be  found.  Indeed,  the  true  Christian  man  has  passed 
through  the  first  two,  and  is  settled  down  in  the  last.  In  Rom.  vii.  Paul  gives  this 
moral  history  of  the  "  inner  man."  II.  The  pulpit  has  to  deal  with  the  common 
conscience  of  humanity  thkough  the  medium  of  the  truth.  1.  "  The  truth  "  Paul 
here  calls  the  "Word  of  God,"  and  "  our  gospel."  To  him,  therefore,  the  special 
revelation  of  God  developed  in  the  teaching,  embodied  in  the  life  and  illustrated  in 
the  death  of  Jesus,  was  the  truth — the  truth  humanity  wanted  to  raise  it  from  its 
fallen  state.  2.  Now,  this  truth  Paul  sought  to  manifest,  so  as  to  commend  himself 
to  "  every  man's  conscience,"  and  this  his  history  shows  him  to  have  accomplished. 
He  manifested  the  truth,  not  as  it  appeared  in  the  traditions  of  the  fathers,  or  in 
the  formulae  of  sapless  systems,  but  as  it  appeared  "  in  Jesus  " — which  exactly 
suited  each  of  the  three  classes  of  conscience.  (1)  The  element  of  truth  in  Jesus 
required  to  rouse  the  dormant  conscience  is  the  ethical.  The  conscience  is  the 
organ  of  moral  vision  ;  but,  unless  the  light  of  moral  law  fall  on  it,  it  will  be  dead 
and  useless.  It  is  when  the  commandment  comes  that  the  conscience  sees  itself  in 
the  hght  of  God,  and  exclaims,  "  The  law  is  spiritual,  but  I  am  carnal — sold  under 
sin."  (2)  The  element  of  truth  in  Jesus  required  to  pacify  the  alarmed  conscience 
is  the  redemptive  mercy  of  God.  (3)  The  element  required  to  strengthen  and  to 
urge  on  to  nobler  efforts  and  higher  attainments  the  pacified  conscience  is  the 
alimental — the  universal  and  ever-suggesting  principles  of  Divine  truth.  3.  The 
pulpit,  then,  if  it  would  do  its  work,  must  manifest  the  truth  as  in  Jesus.  It  must 
cease  to  be  the  organ  of  party  polemics,  human  formalities,  abstract  speculations. 
It  must  become  the  mouth  of  Christ.  Truth  in  Him  is  not  a  dogma,  but  a  life ; 
not  a  mere  letter,  but  a  spirit.  It  is  a  thing  of  beauty  and  power.  It  meets  the 
moral  soul  of  humanity  as  light  meets  the  eye,  as  water  the  parched  tongue,  as 
bread  the  hungry  soul.  III.  That  the  pulpit  has  chiefly  to  deal  with  the  common 
conscience  of  humanity  through  the  medium  of  the  truth  under  the  felt  inspec- 
tion OF  Almighty  God.  The  apostle  set  the  Lord  always  before  him  :  he  toiled  and 
suffered  as  "  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible."  1.  There  are  three  causes  of  pulpit 
inefficiency  which  this  would  remove.  (1)  Man-fear.  (2)  Affectation.  (3)  Dulness. 
2.  How  are  these  causes  to  be  removed  ?  Let  the  preacher  feel  that  God  is  one  of 
his  auditors,  and — (1)  Man-fear  wiU  depart.  His  spirit  will  rise  superior  to  all  ideas 
about  the  smiles  or  favours  of  man.  (2)  AU  affectation  will  end.  His  simple  nature 
wiU  show  itself  in  every  gesture,  look,  and  tone.  (3)  All  dulness  will  pass  away. 
The  deepest  sympathies  of  the  soul  will  heave  under  the  eye  of  God,  as  the  forest 
and  field  under  the  breath  of  spring,  throwing  out  new  forms  of  life  and  beauty 
every  hour.  Conclusion :  Note — 1.  The  worth  of  the  true  pulpit.  2.  The  qualifi- 
cation for  the  true  pulpit.  Ministers  must  be  pre-eminently  men  of  conscience. 
The  moral  in  them  must  transcend  the  intellectual,  as  the  intellectual  transcends 
the  animal.     (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  The  minister's  aim,  weapons,  and  encourar/e- 

ments  : — I.  The  minister's  aim— the  conscience.  As  in  the  breast-plate  of  the  high 
priest,  amid  the  glittering  stones,  there  was  one  of  peculiar  beauty  and  lustre,  the 
Urim  and  Thummim,  which  gUstened  at  God's  "Yes,"  and  dimmed  at  God's  "ISIo," 
so  in  the  heart  of  man  there  is  the  regal  faculty  of  conscience.  We  need  not  ask 
how  it  came  there.  Enough  to  say  that  it  is  part  of  the  constitution  of  human 
nature.  In  every  man  there  is  a  conscience.  It  is  to  this  faculty  that  the  minister 
appeals.  II.  The  minister's  weapon.  "  The  manifestation  of  the  truth."  To  the 
apostle  aU  truth  is  ensphered  in  the  gospel  of  Christ.  When  we  seek  light  we  go 
to  the  sun,  though  we  do  not  deny  that  the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean  may  sparkle 
with  light  when  ploughed  by  the  keel  of  the  vessel.  Ancient  religions  have  elements 
of  truth,  and  so  have  modern  systems,  but  for  truth  in  complete  symmetry,  and  in 
perfect,  full-orbed  beauty,  we  must  go  to  Jesus  Christ.  You  remember  the  story 
of  how,  when  King  Richard  was  imprisoned  in  a  castle  of  the  Austrian  Tyrol,  his 
faithful  minstrel  went  from  castle  to  castle,  playing  under  their  steep  fastnesses  the 
songs  that  King  Richard  knew,  until  from  the  heart  of  an  old  fortress  there  came 


134  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 


back  answering  notes.  So  the  Christian  minister  has  to  come  to  the  grim  fortress 
of  many  a  life,  and  it  is  not  till  he  hears  the  answering  notes  of  conscience  that  he 
knows  that  his  message  is  received.  I  should  not  dare  to  stand  in  this  pulpit,  nor 
to  undertake  the  great  responsibilities  of  this  place,  were  it  not  that  my  message 
has  a  double  corroboration — a  witness — 1.  From  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  spake  the 
word,  and — 2.  From  the  heart  of  every  man  who  hears  it.  Sir  Walter  Scott  tells 
us  how  Old  Mortality  spent  his  days  in  removing  the  lichened  incrustations  from 
the  tombstones  of  the  martyrs,  till  the  inscriptions  could  be  read  fair  and  clear. 
Something  like  that  must  be  the  work  of  my  ministry  among  you.  III.  The 
minister's  encouragements.  1.  He  himself  has  received  mercy.  2.  He  has  the 
commendation  of  conscience.  3.  His  work  is  wrought  in  the  sight  of  God.  In 
His  sight  we  are  standing  now.  His  eye  searches  us  as  the  sun  searches  all  the 
recesses  of  the  landscape.     {F.  B.  Meyer,  B.A.) 

Vers.  3,  4.  But  if  our  gospel  be  hid,  it  is  hid  to  them  that  are  lost. — The  hidden 
(lo.fjyel : — I.  What  is  our  gospel?  You  may  call  it  either  "God's  news"  or 
"  good  news,"  for  "  God  "  and  "  good  "  are  one  and  the  same  thing.  The  "  gospel  '* 
is  God's  good  news.  And  what  is  "  the  good  news  "  ?  Now,  if  I  were  to  say  that 
God  is  our  Creator  and  Father,  this  might  be  "  good,"  but  it  would  not  be  "  news." 
Almost  all  nature  teaches  that.  And  if  I  were  to  say  that  His  Son  came  into  this 
world,  it  might  be  "  news,"  but  it  might  not  be  "good."  But  when  I  add  that  Christ 
Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  is  not  this  "  news "  ?  Is  not  this 
"  good  "  ?  II.  But  some  of  you  do  not  see  it.  1.  You  say — (1)  "  It  would  never 
do  for  God  to  forgive  sin  so  easily.  It  will  encourage  sin."  You  do  not  see  that 
the  acceptance  of  forgiveness  provides  the  cure  for  sin.  (2)  Or  you  feel "  there  is 
a  simplicity  in  that  which  is  contrary  to  all  my  ideas  of  the  greatness  of  God."  (3)  Or 
you  take  very  little  trouble  to  understand  it.  It  is  an  abstraction — like  any  other 
philosophical  dogma.  (4)  Or  you  know  it  is  true.  You  always  heard  it,  and  you 
have  been  educated  up  to  it.  But  it  has  no  power  over  your  heart.  It  is  "  hidden." 
2.  And  if  it  is  "  hidden,"  what  "  hides  "  it  ?  A  thing  may  be  "  hidden  "  from  one 
or  other  of  three  causes — (1)  The  oi'gan  of  vision  may  be  weakened  or  destroyed. 
The  apostle  assigns  to  the  Corinthians  this  cause.  "The  god  of  this  world  "  had 
"  blinded  their  minds."  The  right  image  is  not  formed.  There  is  no  reflection  of 
the  object  inwardly.  You  have  not  the  capacity  of  seeing  such  things  as  these.  (2) 
Something  has  come  in  between  you  and  truth.  A  big  sin  hinders  the  view.  (3) 
Men  drive  God  to  do  an  act  of  retributive  justice.  Neglected  light  has  been  with- 
dra\vn.  4.  What  underlies  the  threefold  process?  Your  sin.  You  were  not 
prepared  to  accept  the  gospel  of  His  grace  on  the  conditions.  And  so  sin  dulled  the 
perceptive  power  ;  sin  drew  the  veil ;  one  sin  was  punished  by  another  sin.  From 
long  darkness  your  heart  grew  dark.  III.  "  To  them  that  are  lost."  {J.  Vaughan, 
31. A.)  The  veiled  go.ipel : — I.  That  certain  states  of  mind  may  veil  or  conceal 
the  gospel  from  our  view.  That  is  the  main  idea  of  the  passage ;  notwithstanding 
its  glory,  it  may  be  a  thing  of  darkness,  a  "savour  of  death  unto  death."  In  the 
Corinthian  Church,  party  spirit,  contentions,  immoralities,  and  self-laudation, 
prevented  their  full  perception  of  the  glory  and  purity  of  the  gospel.  1.  Indifference 
may  cause  the  gospel  to  be  veiled.  We  cannot  see  anything  except  we  look  at  it. 
Having  the  gospel  is  not  examining  the  gospel.  It  has  a  personal  claim,  founded 
on  facts  of  the  most  solemn  character.  2.  Misapprehension  of  its  nature  may  veil 
the  gospel  from  our  minds.  They  have  difhculties  about  church-government,  about 
baptism,  about  election,  &c. ;  and  so  to  them  the  gospel  is  veiled.  3.  Sometimes 
the  troubles  of  hfe  may  veil  the  gospel  from  our  hearts.  4.  The  recollections  of, 
and  despair  on  account  of,  past  sins  may  veil  the  gospel  from  our  hearts.  II.  That 
the  provisions  of  the  gospel  are  all  intended  and  adapted  to  remove  these 
obstacles.  (W.  G.  Barrett.)  To  whom  and  why  the  gospel  is  hid  : — The  gospel 
which  fills  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New  is  the  most  wonderful  arrangement  that 
Divine  wisdom  and  benevolence  ever  made.  God  is  more  seen  in  the  glorious  work 
of  redemption  there  unfolded  than  in  all  His  other  works.  Unbelief  is  most  un- 
reasonable and  wicked  in  itself.  Men  do  not  reject  the  gospel  from  any  want  of 
evidence.  They  believe  a  thousand  things  on  far  less  evidence.  The  greatness  of 
the  sin  of  unbelief  appears  in  this,  that  it  opposes  all  the  manifestations  of  God 
which  are  made  in  the  Scriptures.  1.  First,  men  reject  the  Bible  because  it 
condemns  them.  It  reproves  their  sins  and  disturbs  their  conscience.  A  book  that 
does  this  is  an  uncomfortable  companion,  and  they  must  get  rid  of  it  to  preserve 
their  peace.     2.  Secondly,  men  reject  the  Bible  because  it  alarms  their  fears.     It 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  135 

speaks  of  a  judgment  to  come.  3.  Thirdly,  men  reject  the  Bible  because  it  requires 
them  to  give  up  sins  and  idols  which  they  are  loth  to  abandon.  They  love  the 
world  supremely.  4.  Fourthly,  men  reject  the  Bible  because  it  requires  them  to 
perform  duties  which  they  do  not  relish.  (1)  The  unreasonableness  and  wickedness 
of  unbelief  is,  then,  one  cause  why  the  decree  has  gone  forth,  "  He  that  believeth  not 
shall  be  damned."  (2)  Another  reason  is  that  it  necessarily  excludes  men  from  the 
only  remedy  provided.  Application  :  1.  Are  there  any  present  who  deliberately 
doubt  the  Divinity  of  the  Scriptures  ?  2.  I  will  apply  the  subject  to  those  who, 
though  they  do  not  deliberately  doubt,  are  yet  stupid  in  sin.  3.  Let  me  address 
the  subject  to  those  who,  though  not  stupid,  have  not  yet  believed  with  the  heart. 
(E.  D.  Griffin,  D.B.)  Veiling  the  gospel : — We  have  here — I.  Man  veiling  fkom  his 
OWN  EYE  A  Divinely  revealed  good.  The  gospel  facts  are  "  manifestly  set  forth," 
yet  men  hide  them  from  themselves — 1.  By  prejudice,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Jews. 
2.  By  enmity.  3.  By  fire.  4.  By  carnal  selfishness.  Love  alone  can  interpret 
love.  5.  By  despondency.  II.  Man  lost  by  the  side  of  a  po\ver  designed  and 
FITTED  TO  SAVE.  The  gospcl  offers  men — 1.  Light,  and  yet  they  walk  in  darkness. 
2.  Pardon,  and  yet  they  walk  in  condemnation.  3.  Health,  and  yet  they  groan 
with  a  moral  malady.  4.  Heaven,  and  yet  they  march  towards  hell.  How  great  at 
once  their  folly  and  guilt.  {D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  The  true  gospel  no  liiddcn  gospel : — 
The  Eevised  Version  gives  a  better  translation :  "But  and  if  our  gospel  is  veiled, 
it  is  veiled  in  them  that  are  perishing."  Paul  had  been  speaking  of  Moses  with  the 
veil  over  his  face;  our  gospel  wears  no  veil.  I.  The  gospel  is  in  itself — 1.  A 
glorious  light.  In  countless  places  it  is  so  described.  This  light — (1)  Reveals 
"  the  glory  of  Christ."  (a)  It  tells  us  that  He  is  the  eternal  Son  of  the  Father,  by 
whom  and  for  whom  all  things  were  made,  and  by  whom  they  continue  to  exist. 
This  might  not  have  been  good  news  to  us  if  it  had  stood  alone ;  but  the  gospel 
further  reveals  to  us  that  Christ  became  as  truly  man  as  He  was  assuredly  God. 
This  was  the  first  note  of  the  gospel,  and  there  was  so  much  of  delight  in  it  that 
it  set  all  the  angels  in  heaven  singing,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,"  &c. 
Furthermore  the  gospel  tells  us  that  this  same  mighty  God  dwelt  here  among  men, 
preaching  and  teaching  and  working  miracles  of  matchless  mercy.  But  the 
gospel's  clearest  note  is,  that  this  Son  of  God  in  due  time  gave  Himself  for  our  sins. 
Yet  there  is  another  note,  for  He  that  died  and  was  buried  is  risen  from  the  dead, 
and  has  borne  our  nature  up  into  the  glory,  and  there  He  wears  it  at  the  Father's 
right  hand.  He  is  by  His  intercession  saving  sinners  whom  He  purchased  with  His 
blood.  But  I  must  not  leave  out  the  fact  that  He  will  come  again  to  gather  all  His 
own  unto  Himself,  and  to  take  them  up  to  be  with  Him  where  He  is.  (2)  Reveals 
God  Himself,  for  Christ  is  the  image  of  God.  (a)  He  is  essentially  one  with  God. 
(b)  He  shows  us  what  God  is.  What  higher  conception  of  God  can  you  have  ?  (3) 
Is  light  to  us.  (a)  It  brings  illumination.  It  is  a  lighting  up  of  the  soul  "  to  know 
the  only  true  God,"  &c.  (5)  It  affords  comfort  when  under  a  sense  of  sin  ;  in  sorrow ; 
in  the  prospect  of  death.  2.  Most  plain  and  clear.  The  gospel  contains  nothing- 
which  can  perplex  anybody  unless  he  wishes  to  be  perplexed.  (1)  That  God  should 
espouse  our  nature  is  so  far  a  mystery  that  we  do  not  know  how  it  could  be  ;  but  we 
do  not  want  to  know  how  it  was  done ;  it  is  enough  for  us  that  it  was  done.  (2)  So 
with  the  doctrine  of  the  atonement.  If  God  has  set  forth  Christ  to  be  a  propitiation 
for  our  sins,  our  most  reasonable  course  is  to  accept  Him.  We  need  not  quarrel  with 
grace  because  we  cannot  understand  everything  about  it.  (3)  I  am  not  asked  tec 
understand  how  God  justifies  us  in  Christ,  but  I  am  asked  to  beUeve  that  He  does 
so.  The  fact  is  plain  enough,  and  the  fact  is  the  object  of  faith.  At  times  persons 
inquire,  "  What  is  beUeving  ?  "  WeU,  it  is  trusting,  depending,  leaning  upon, 
relying  upon — that  is  all.  Is  there  anything  hard  about  that  ?  The  shepherd  oa 
Salisbury  Plain  can  understand  the  gospel  as  well  as  the  Bishop  in  Salisbury 
Cathedral ;  and  the  Dairyman's  Daughter  can  feel  its  power  as  fully  as  a  princess. 
n.  In  the  teue  preaching  or  the  gospel  this  simplicity  is  preserved.  Paul  said, 
"  Having  this  hope  in  us  we  use  great  plainness  of  speech,"  and  "  My  speech  and 
my  preaching  was  not  with  enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom,  but  in  demonstration 
of  the  Spirit  and  of  power."  The  apostle  was  a  deep  thinker,  but  he  devoted  all  his 
energies  to  the  unveiling  of  the  gospel.  He  wrote  some  things  hard  to  be  under- 
stood, but  when  he  came  to  the  gospel  he  would  have  nothing  but  simphcity  there. 
The  true  man  of  God  will  not  veil  the  gospel  beneath  ceremonies.  I  know  numbers 
who  would  disdain  to  do  that,  and  yet  they  hide  their  Lord  under  finery  of 
language.  Let  tawdry  ornaments  be  left  to  the  stage  or  to  the  bar,  where  men 
amuse  themselves  or  dispute  for  gain.   III.  Ir  the  gospel  be  veiled  to  our  hearers 


136  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 


IT  IS  A  FATAL  SIGN.  1.  Not  to  believe  and  accept  the  gospel  is  a  sign  of  perishing. 
You  who  receive  the  gospel  are  saved  ;  faith  is  the  saving  token.  The  sun  is  bright 
enough,  but  those  who  have  no  sight  are  not  enlightened.  He  that  believes  not 
on  Christ  is  a  lost  man.  God  has  lost  you ;  you  are  not  His  servant.  The 
Church  has  lost  you  ;  you  are  not  working  for  the  truth.  The  world  has  lost  you  ; 
you  yield  no  lasting  service  to  it.  You  have  lost  yourself  to  right,  to  joy,  to 
heaven.  2.  The  apostle  explains  how  a  man  gets  into  that  condition.  He  says 
that  Satan,  the  god  of  this  world,  hath  blinded  his  mind.  What  a  thought  it  is  that 
Satan  should  set  up  to  be  a  god.  Christ  is  the  image  of  God  ;  Satan  is  the  ape  of 
God.  To  maintain  his  power  he  takes  great  care  that  his  dupes  should  not  see  the 
light  of  the  gospel.  The  veils  he  uses  are  such  as  men's  selfish  hearts  approve ;  for 
he  speaks  thus,  "  If  you  were  to  become  a  Christian,  you  would  never  get  on  in  the 
world."  3.  But  you  may  be  found  yet ;  lost  to-day,  but  you  need  not  be  lost  to- 
morrow. The  Good  Shepherd  has  come  out  to  find  His  lost  sheep.  Are  any  of  you 
blinded  ?  There  is  one  abroad  to-day  who  opens  blind  eyes.  Is  the  god  of  this 
world  your  master  ?  He  need  not  be  so  any  longer.  Whatsoever  keeps  you  from 
beholding  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ  can  be  removed.  (C.  H. 
Spurgeon.)  The  gospel  hidden  to  the  lost : — I.  To  whom  the  gospel  is  hid. 
1.  To  those  who  deny  its  Divine  authority.  2.  To  those  who  are  ignorant  of  its 
peculiar  doctrines.  3.  To  all  those  who  do  not  obey  it,  however  extensive  and 
correct  may  be  their  views  of  its  doctrines.  II.  The  danger  of  their  condition.  1. 
The  blindness  of  those  to  whom  the  gospel  is  hid  is  voluntary  and  criminal.  It 
cannot  be  ascribed  to  the  want  of  light.  2.  Their  danger  is  increased  by  the 
measure  of  light  and  evidence  which  they  resist.  3.  No  other  means  will  be  used 
for  their  salvation  but  those  which  have  been  tried  and  proved  ineffectual.  4.  They 
are  in  danger  of  being  given  up  of  God,  to  continued  ignorance  and  error.  (A''.  W. 
Taylor,  D.D.)  The  god  of  this  world  blinding  man  against  the  gospel : — And  in 
it  we  observe  these  three  particulars.  First,  the  non-proficiency  specified  and 
supposed :  "  If  our  gospel  be  hid."  Secondly,  the  censure  and  judgment  that  is 
passed  upon  it :  "  It  is  hid  to  them  that  are  lost."  It  is  a  sign,  they  are  cast  away. 
Thirdly,  the  true  cause  of  their  non-proficiency  assigned.  First,  is  the  original  and 
natural  inbred  cause  in  themselves,  that  is  infidelity,  a  voluntary  unbelief. 
Secondly,  is  a  cause  that  increases  this  non-proficiency  of  unbelief,  that  is  spiritual 
blindness  inflicted  and  wrought  into  them  :  "  Their  minds  are  blinded."  Thirdly, 
is  the  author  and  worker  of  this  blindness,  that  is  the  devil :  "  The  god  of  this 
"world."  Fourthly,  is  his  end  and  purpose  why  he  blinds  men's  minds:  "  Lest  the 
gospel  should  shine  into  them,  and  they  should  be  convei'ted."  And  this  assigning 
of  these  causes  of  their  unproficiency  removes  other  pretended  causes  of  their 
tinbelief .  They  must  be  one  of  these  three.  I.  They  will  say,  God  He  conceals 
Himself  from  them.  No  ;  it  is  the  god  of  this  world,  not  the  true  God.  II.  They 
pretend  the  gospel  is  dark  and  mysterious.  No ;  that  is  full  of  light,  of  glorious 
light,  in.  They  say  the  apostle  is  obscure  in  propounding  it  to  them.  No ;  it 
shines  evidently  to  them  in  his  preaching,  and  would  shine  into  them,  would  they 
but  open  their  eyes  and  behold  it.  The  first  thing  considerable  is  the  pretended 
obscurity  of  the  gospel,  and  so  their  unproficiency  supposed :  "If  our  gospel  be 
hid."  Here  are  three  things  considerable.  First,  is  the  special  truth  which  St. 
Paul  labours  to  free  from  obscurity,  and  the  unproficiency  under  which  he  thus 
heavily  sentences,  that  is  the  gospel.  Secondly,  is  the  special  relation  and  interest 
that  St.  Paul  claims  to  this  blessed  truth,  he  calls  it  "  our  gospel."  Thirdly,  is  the 
imputation  that  is  charged  upon  this  truth,  which  he  labours  to  remove,  that  is 
obscurity :  "  If  it  be  hidden."  I.  The  gospel  and  the  justifying  of  it  was  the  main 
scope  and  the  end  of  his  ministry.  His  employment  was  the  publishing  of  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  gospel  (Acts  xx.  21 ;  Eph.  i.  13  ;  Eom.  xi.  13 ;  Phil.  i.  17).  An 
ambassador,  in  point  of  honour,  must  maintain  his  commission,  avow  the  truth  and 
authority  of  it.  If  Paul  preaches  the  law,  he  doth  it  still  in  reference  to  the  gospel. 
1.  To  convince  you  of  your  great  necessity  to  lay  hold  on  the  gospel,  by  showing  you 
the  impossibility  of  performing  the  law.  2.  To  enforce  you  to  fly  to  the  sanctuary 
of  the  gospel,  so  to  escape  the  curse  of  the  law.  3.  To  direct  you  how  to  live  under 
the  gospel  by  that  rule  of  holiness  prescribed  in  the  law.  11.  Paul  maintains  the 
dignity  of  the  gospel,  threatens  our  unproficiency  under  it ;  because  the  gospel  is 
the  most  clear,  evident,  convincing  means  of  salvation.  They  might  more  excuse- 
ably  have  charged  obscurity  upon  the  law  of  Moses ;  there  was  some  darkness  in 
that  ministration.  But  the  gospel  is  revealed  in  all  evidence  and  manifestation 
(Rom.  i.  17).     Clearer  and  clearer  in  it  the  way  to  heaven  is  laid  open.     There  is  a 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  137 

light  in  the  law ;  but  the  gospel  is  far  more  resplendent.  III.  Paul  is  severe  against 
those  who  are  unpioficient  under  the  gospel,  because  the  gospel  is  the  most 
powerful  means  to  work  our  conversion.  In  respect  of  this  the  law  was  impotent, 
it  made  nothing  perfect  (Heb.  vii.  19).  God  accompanies  the  word  of  the  gospel 
with  the  efficacy  of  His  Spirit.  The  law  administered  no  strength ;  required  all, 
but  helped  nothing  ;  but  the  gospel,  it  is  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit.  When  that 
is  tendered  to  us  and  we  refuse  it,  then  God  saith,  "  What  can  I  do  more  than  I  have 
done  to  save  you  ?  Secondly,  the  second  thing  considerable  is  St.  Paul's  claim  and 
interest  in  the  gospel,  he  calls  it  "  our  gospel."  What  Christ  said  of  John's 
baptism,  we  may  say  of  the  gospel,  "  Is  it  from  heaven,  or  from  men  ?"  No  doubt  from 
heaven.  And  St.  Paul  elsewhere  ascribes  it  to  an  higher  author  and  owner ;  he 
calls  it  "  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ "  (2  Thess.  i.  8).  I.  It  is  St.  Paul's 
gospel,  it  was  committed  to  St.  Paul's  care  and  trust ;  he  owns  the  gospel  as  his 
chief  charge.  And  how  thankfully  he  took  this  trust ;  he  blesses  Christ  for  "  counting 
him  faithful,  and  putting  him  into  the  ministry."  II.  St  Paul  counts  the  gospel  his 
gospel ;  it  is  an  expression  of  love  and  aiJection.  It  is  the  property  of  love  to 
appropriate  what  it  loves,  and  to  account  it  its  own.  III.  "  Our  gospel,"  it  is  a  speech 
of  challenge;  he  claims  the  gospel  to  himself  against  all  carping  opposers.  IV.  "  Our 
gospel."  It  is  a  speech  of  confidence  and  full  assurance.  Paul  is  assured  the  thing 
that  he  preached  unto  them  was  the  truth  of  the  gospel.  1.  His  preaching  was 
infallible  ;  he  was  guided  by  an  unerring  Spirit.  2.  His  preaching  was  with  all 
evidence,  he  concealed  nothing,  but  acquainted  the  Churches  "  with  the  whole  counsel 
of  God."  3.  His  preaching  was  ratified  with  the  great  confirmation.  4.  Paul's 
preaching  was  most  successful.  Thirdly,  the  tliird  thing  considerable  is  the  imputa- 
tion which  is  cast  upon  the  gospel,  that  it  is  hid  and  obscure ;  and  the  apostle  seems 
to  grant  there  is  some  obscurity  in  it.  I.  It  is  true  the  gospel  in  itself,  in  its  own 
nature,  is  an  hidden,  a  secret,  reserved  thing.  It  is  the  mystery  of  God  locked  up 
in  His  secret  counsel,  naturally  unknown  to  men  or  angels.  II.  Even  after  God 
had  published  it  by  His  Son,  yet  still  it  is  an  hidden,  obscure  thing  to  every  natural 
man.  III.  The  gospel  in  some  measure  and  degree  is  hid  and  obscure,  even  to  the 
saints  of  God.  IV.  It  is  true  that  for  all  this  hiddenness  of  the  gospel,  yet  even 
those  that  are  but  wicked  men  may  attain  to  some  kind  of  knowledge  in  the  gospel, 
nay,  to  a  great  ability  of  understanding.  Balaam  may  prophesy  of  Christ,  Judas 
may  preach  Him.  1.  A  wicked  man  may  understand  the  words  of  Scripture,  but 
not  the  things  contained  in  them.  2.  Suppose  a  wicked  man  may  know  those 
things  that  are  in  the  Scriptures,  yet  his  knowledge  of  them  hath  no  spiritual 
apprehensions  of  them.  All  the  knowledge  he  hath  it  is  but  natural  and  carnal, 
where  reason  stops  he  stops  too.  As  he  that  looks  upon  a  map  judges  of  foreign 
countries  by  some  imaginations  he  fancies  to  himself,  not  by  an  immediate  clear 
apprehension  of  the  places  themselves.  3.  Suppose  a  wicked  man  may  attain  to 
some  supernatural  knowledge  of  Divine  truths,  but  his  knowledge  of  them  it  is 
merely  notional,  not  cordial  Christian  knowledge.  1.  It  is  more  certain.  I.  It  is 
more  comfortable.  As  a  man  may  guess  at  the  goodness  of  wine  by  the  colour,  but 
better  by  the  taste.  Secondly,  to  the  censure  and  judgment  that  the  apostle  passes 
upon  those  that  can  see  nothing  in  the  gospel  to  whom  it  is  an  hidden  thing.  And 
that  censure  it  is  sad  and  heavy.  And  here  are  two  things  considerable.  First,  is  the 
doom  he  passes  upon  them :  "  They  are  lost."  Secondly,  is  the  manner  of 
denouncing  this  doom  and  sentence  upon  them.  First,  the  doom  and  censure  is 
that  they  are  lost.  What  means  that  ?  How  shall  we  estimate  the  heaviness  of 
this  burden  ?  The  Scripture  accounts  us  lost  many  ways.  I.  We  are  lost  in  our 
original,  as  we  are  all  the  children  and  offspring  of  Adam.  II.  Every  sin  we 
commit  is  a  farther  loss  to  us.  The  life  of  a  sinner,  it  is  a  continual  losing  of 
himself.  HI.  There  is  yet  a  farther  loss,  that  is  a  loss  of  sentence  and  judgment ; 
when  a  sinner  is  cast  in  law,  when  sentence  and  condemnation  is  passed  upon  him, 
he  hath  incurred  that  heavy  curse  which  God's  law  threatens  against  oiienders. 
That  shuts  up  all  men  in  condemnation.  These  three — I.  The  loss  of  natural 
corruption.  II.  The  loss  of  sinful  transgression.  III.  The  loss  of  legal  malediction. 
But  this  loss  which  St.  Paul  speaks  of,  it  is  the  final,  irrecoverable  loss  beyond  all 
redemption.  It  implies  three  things.  1.  A  loss  in  declaration.  They  that  will  not 
obey  the  gospel  are  lost  in  God's  account  and  estimation.  2.  There  is  a  loss  in 
condition.  Such  as  refuse  the  gospel,  they  are  in  an  actual  state  of  perdition.  "The 
wrath  of  God  abides  upon  them"  (John  iii.  36).  Those  whom  the  gospel  cannot 
recover,  they  are  undone  for  ever.  3.  There  is  a  loss  in  destruction.  No,  if  the 
gospel  do  not  convert  thee  it  will  confound  thee ;  it  will  be  either  bliss  or  thy  bane ; 


138  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  iv. 


it  will  either  help  thee  to  heaven  or  sink  thee  to  the  bottom  of  hell.  We  have  seen 
the  doom  and  censure  which  the  apostle  passes  upon  unbelievers ;  now  let  us  take 
notice  of — Secondly,  the  manner  of  denouncing  of  it :  "If  our  gospel  be  hid,  it  is- 
hid  to  them  that  are  lost."  And  for  the  manner  of  denouncing  this  sentence,  take 
notice  of  three  quaUfications  in  it.  I.  This  form  of  denouncing  of  it  is  hypothetical, 
by  way  of  supposal  only,  if  there  be  any  such.  As  if  he  should  say,  "  It  is  strange 
and  wonderful  that  after  so  much  preaching  there  should  any  remain  ignorant, 
unteachable,  unconverted ;  it  is  alruost  incredible  men  should  neglect  so  great 
salvation.  Had  any  other  mystery  been  taught  them  of  less  advantage  than  this 
mystery  of  the  gospel,  would  they  have  contioued  ignorant  of  it  ?  II.  This  form  of 
denunciation,  it  is  illative,  brought  in  by  way  of  proof  and  inference.  It  is  not  in 
the  nature  of  an  immediate  absolute  prediction,  but  by  the  way  of  menacing,  and 
upon  presupposal  of  their  unbelief.  III.  This  form  of  sentence,  it  is  suspensive  and 
general.  "  If  it  be  hid,  it  is  hid  to  them  that  are  lost."  This  thunderbolt  hovers 
over  then-  heads  in  a  dismal  cloud  of  generaUty.  The  apostle  fastens  it  upon  no 
man's  person  in  particular.  And  so  the  observation  is  thus  much.  That  ignorance 
of  the  gospel,  and  unproficiency  under  the  ministry  of  it,  it  is  a  fearful  token  of 
perdition.  Such  an  one  had  need  look  to  himself  lest  he  prove  a  reprobate.  See 
the  truth  of  this  in  three  particulars ;  in  respect — 1.  Of  the  want  of  the  gospel.  2. 
Of  the  neglect  of  the  gospel.  3.  Of  the  rejection  of  the  gospel.  These  leave  them 
in  a  condition  of  damnation.  1.  Single  ignorance  of  Christ's  gospel  is  damnable. 
As  a  man  that  is  sick  of  a  deadly  disease,  not  only  the  refusal  of  the  sovereign 
medicine  to  cure  him,  but  the  bare  want  of  it  makes  him  irrecoverable.  Ignorance, 
it  is  the  hold  of  Satan,  where  he  keeps  his  captives  in  chains  of  darkness.  2.  A 
second  point  is  wilful  and  careless  and  supine  ignorance,  when  the  gospel  is  offered 
and  tendered  to  us  that  is  worse.  3.  A  third  point  is  obstinate,  resolved  and  final 
ignorance  and  contempt  of  the  gospel,  it  is  an  infallable  mark,  an  evident  token  of 
perdition.  Thirdly,  to  the  causes  of  this  their  unproficiency.  First,  of  the  natural, 
inbred  cause  of  this  unproficiency,  that  is  unbelief.  It  is  that  which  makes  all 
means  of  grace  unprofitiible.  An  unbelieving  heart  is  unteachable,  it  frustrates  all 
offers  of  grace  (Heb.  iv.  2) .  This  sin  of  infidehty  makes  a  stop  of  our  conversion  at 
the  very  beginning,  destroys  the  first  conceptions  of  grace.  An  unbelieving  heart, 
it  is  like  some  ill-conditioned,  cold,  barren  ground,  that  chills  and  deads  the  seed  as 
soon  as  it  is  sown.  It  is  a  sin  to  be  striven  against,  because — I.  It  is  a  sin  exceeding 
natural.  It  was  that  sin  that  gave  us  the  first  slip  in  our  first  fall,  when  we  all  fell 
from  God  in  Adam.  And  it  being  the  first  it  became  the  most  natural  sin.  And 
this  native  Ul-quality  of  unbelief  shows  itself  specially  in  refusing  the  gospel.  Three 
reasons  of  it.  1.  The  gospel  propounds  very  high,  sublime  mysteries,  truths  that 
are  exceeding  spiritual  and  Divine.  Now  the  soul  of  man  by  infidelity  is  so  bowed 
down  that  it  measures  all  truths  by  sense,  or  most  by  reason.  It  will  not  beUeve 
God  further  than  it  sees  Him.  2.  The  means  of  salvation  which  the  gospel 
propounds  seems  to  an  unbeUever  exceeding  unUkely  and  improbable,  and  so  he 
refuseth  them.  Here  is  the  perverseness  of  infidelity  ;  some  things  are  too  high  in 
the  gospel,  he  cannot  reach  to  them ;  again,  some  things  seem  so  mean  and  low,  he 
cannot  stoop  to  them.  That  our  Saviour  should  be  crucified,  and  by  such  a  death 
save  us,  it  cannot  sink  into  him.  So  all  the  means  of  grace  infidelity  judges  them 
poor  and  contemptible.  The  preaching  of  the  Word,  it  is  but  foolishness  to  them. 
The  sacraments,  how  unUkely  to  be  conveyances  of  grace  to  us  ?  3.  The  heart  of 
every  man  by  nature  is  full  of  privy  guiltiness,  conscious  to  himself,  that  all  is  not 
well  betwixt  God  and  him  ;  and  that  makes  his  heart  draw  back  by  unbeUef  and  not 
embrace  the  gospel.  This  guiltiness  of  conscience  that  God  is  become  our  enemy, 
that  heaven  and  we  are  at  variance,  makes  a  man  start  and  be  shy  at  any  appear- 
ances of  God,  at  any  message  or  tidings  from  Him.  As  an  indebted  man  or 
malefactor  is  afraid  at  the  sight  of  an  ofiicer,  he  thinks  he  comes  to  apprehend  him, 
as  Ahab  was  troubled  at  the  sight  of  the  prophet :  "  Hast  thou  found  me,  0  mine 
enemy?"  He  looks  upon  the  Scripture,  nay,  the  gospel,  as  a  writ  to  arrest  him. 
As  traitors  and  rebels  that  reject  pardon  they  will  fight  it  out,  they  look  for  no 
mercy.  That  is  the  first,  infidehty  is  a  sin  exceeding  natural.  II.  It  is  a  sin 
exceeding  difficult  and  hard  to  be  cured.  There  is  no  sin  more  inexpugnable  than 
the  sin  of  infidehty.  1.  The  long  continuance  in  our  nature  makes  it  hardly 
curable ;  like  a  tree  deeply  rooted,  it  is  hardly  digged  up.  2.  Infidehty  is  hardly 
cured,  it  is  a  disease  of  the  understanding  and  rational  soul.  And  rational  diseases 
are  most  incurable.  It  is  a  difficult  work  to  take  off  a  film  from  the  eye.  And  un- 
behef,  it  is  a  film  upon  the  understanding.    Unbehef,  it  is  hardly  removed,  because: 


<3HAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  139 

it  seems  to  be  reasonable.  What,  will  you  put  out  our  eyes  ?  bid  us  believe  we 
know  not  what  ?  make  us  go  further  than  reason  teaches  us  ?  III.  Infidelity,  it  is 
a  sin  exceeding  dangerous  and  pernicious,  of  great  provocation.  1.  It  is  very 
dangerous.  It  is  seated  in  the  most  vital  part,  in  the  mind  and  understanding. 
An  unbeliever  errs  in  the  first  principles,  and  so  errs  more  perniciously,  as  he  that 
mistakes  and  goes  wrong  at  first  setting.  It  stops  our  entrance  into  the  Church.  2. 
It  is  of  gi'eatest  provocation.  It  oilers  an  high  contempt  to  the  glory  of  God.  It 
calls  His  truth  and  goodness  into  question.  We  come,  secondly,  to  the  cause 
increasing  this  unpi'oficiency,  that  is  spiritual  blindness :  "  The  god  of  this  world 
hath  blinded  their  minds."  I.  The  author  of  this  spiritual  blindness  is  the  god  of 
"this  world.  Who  is  that  ?  It  is  a  high  title.  So,  then,  we  must  make  these  two 
inquiries.  1.  What  is  his  dominion?  2.  What  is  his  deity?  It  is  this  world. 
Here  is  one  word  seems  to  enlarge  his  dominion,  "the  world,"  a  word  of  wide  compass; 
but  here  is  another  word  that  confines  it,  it  is  "  this  world,"  that  is  a  word  of  limita- 
tion. It  spoils  his  divinity  to  limit  him.  Ye  mar  a  god,  if  ye  come  to  confine 
him.  A  wicked  man's  god  is  but  the  god  of  this  world,  both  for  extension  and 
jduration.  But  our  God,  He  is  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  there  is  the  extension  ; 
and  His  dominion  is  from  everlasting  to  everlasting,  there  is  the  duration  of  His 
dominion.  How,  then,  is  Satan  the  god  of  this  world  ?  (1)  Take  it  for  the  territory, 
and  then  I  demand.  Is  Satan  indeed  the  god  of  this  world  ?  Surely,  "  The  world  is 
the  Lord's,  and  the  fulness  thereof."  Yet  something  there  is  that  he  bears  the  sway, 
carries  the  name  of  the  god  of  this  world.  He  is  so — 1.  By  usurpation,  like  an  audacious 
traitor,  that  sets  himself  up  against  his  lawful  sovereign,  and  will  order  the  kingdom 
Avithout  him.  2.  By  God's  permission.  (2)  Take  the  world  for  the  inhabitants. 
"St.  Peter  calls  it  the  world  of  the  ungodly  (2  Pet.  ii.  5).  In  that  sense  especially 
'Satan  is  the  god  of  this  world.  Wicked  men  are  called  the  world.  1.  There  is  a 
world  of  them.  A  few  good,  very  few  in  respect  of  the  bad,  they  fill  the  woi'ld.  2. 
They  are  called  the  world,  that  is  their  proper  element.  David  calls  them  "  The 
men  of  this  world,  whose  portion  is  in  this  life."  3.  They  are  the  world,  they  bear 
all  the  sway.  2.  The  second  inquu-y  is,  What  is  Satan's  deity  ?  How  comes  Satan 
■to  this  greatness,  to  be  the  god  of  this  world  ?  I  answer,  he  attains  to  the  godship 
three  ways.  (1)  By  necessary  devolution.  If  the  Lord  be  not  our  God  then  Satan 
will  be.  (2)  Satan  becomes  the  god  of  wicked  men  by  their  real  and  voluntary 
.submission  to  him.  (3)  Satan  becomes  the  god  of  wicked  men  by  God's  just 
•desertion  and  giving  them  over.  Obstinate  sinners  God  gives  over  to  Satan ;  He 
sets  Satan  to  rule  and  to  be  effectual  in  them.  It  shows  us  the  great  calamity  that 
we  bring  upon  ourselves  by  departing  from  the  Uving  God.  (1)  Wicked  men  make 
Satan  their  master,  and  themselves  his  drudges,  and  that  is  a  base  subjection.  (2) 
Wicked  men  have  a  nearer  relation,  Satan  gets  greater  interest  in  them ;  they  make 
themselves  his  children.  A  fearful  thing  to  be  reckoned  Satan's  oli'spring.  (3)  The 
devil  gets  a  more  supreme  dominion  over  them,  he  becomes  their  king  (John  xiv. 
30).  (4)  But  of  all  submissions  this  is  the  vilest,  to  set  up  the  devil  to  be  our  god. 
It  shows  us  the  high  contempt  that  God  suffers  from  the  men  of  this  world.  A 
wicked  man,  as  much  as  in  him  lies,  puts  God  out  of  His  throne  and  places  Satan 
in  it.  The  author  of  this  spiritual  blindness  is  the  devil.  "  The  god  of  this  world." 
n.  A  second  thing  considerable  is  the  advantage  and  opportunity  that  Satan  hath 
in  wicked  men  and  unbelievers  to  blind  them,  it  is  by  being  in  them.  It  is  a  speech 
of  very  great  emphasis,  and  shows  that  power  Satan  hath  over  the  souls  of 
unbelievers — he  is  in  them  as  in  his  possession.  As  those  who  are  sanctified  and 
beUeve,  God's  good  Spirit  dwells  in  them.  So,  on  the  contrary,  every  wicked  man 
is  the  habitation  of  Satan.  Here  is  the  difference  betwixt  a  saint  and  a  sinner. 
Satan  may  busy  himself  about  a  good  man  as  an  assailant,  but  he  hath  the  full 
possession  of  a  wicked  man  as  an  inhabitant.  III.  We  proceed  to  the  third 
particular,  that  is  the  mischievous  effect  which  Satan  works  in  them ;  he  strikes 
them  with  spiritual  blindness  ;  he  blinds  the  minds  of  unbelievers.  That  increases 
their  infidelity,  makes  them  uncapable  of  the  mysteries  of  the  gospel,  they  cannot 
see  the  hght  of  it  (John  xii.  37).  Will  you  see  the  nature  of  this  woeful  disposition 
to  be  given  over  to  blindness?  There  be  many  considerations  of  it  that  make 
it  woeful,  and  those  that  are  under  it  exceeding  miserable.  1.  A  spiritual  evil ;  and 
of  all  evils  that  can  befall  us  spiritual  evils  are  most  grievious.  The  spirit  of  a  man 
is  the  chiefest  part  of  a  man.  Deformity  of  body  to  a  sober  judgment  seems 
nothing  so  evil  as  a  deformity  in  the  soul.  Bodily  blindness  is  a  rueful  spectacle, 
tut  to  have  the  eye  of  the  soul  darkened  is  much  more  grievous.  2.  Blindness  in  our 
minds,  it  is  a  woeful  blindness.     Why  the  mind  it  is  the  highest  faculty  of  the  soul 


140  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  m 

of  man.  3.  This  spiritual  blindness,  it  is  a  just  judgment  that  befalls  unbelievera 
thus  to  be  struck  with  this  woeful  blindness.  It  is  most  just  and  suitable  to  their 
sin.  They  will  not  understand,  and  therefore  they  shall  not  understand.  This  is  the 
proportion  of  God's  rewarding  and  punishing.  He  rewards  our  faith  with  increase 
of  faith,  and  our  good  use  of  grace  with  more  abundant  grace.  But  He  punishes 
the  neglect  of  grace  with  the  loss  of  grace.  He  blows  out  the  candle  when  men  wUl 
not  work  by  it.  4.  This  evil,  it  is  the  heaviest  judgment  that  can  be  inflicted,  thus  to 
be  given  over  to  this  spirit  of  blindness.  Oh,  it  is  a  heavy  judgment  not  to  be 
able  to  see  Christ  and  the  means  of  salvation  ;  such  a  man  bears  the  brand  of  God's 
heavy  displeasure.  Of  all  punishments  those  are  the  most  deadly  by  which  we  are 
given  over  to  sin  more  wickedly.  5.  Spiritual  blindness,  it  is  a  great  evil,  it  lays  us 
open  to  all  other  evils.  A  man  struck  with  this  blindness  is  prone  to  fall  into  the 
grossest  errors,  strong  delusions,  unreasonable  apprehensions.  Even  those  truths 
that  they  know  shall  vanish  away.  Voluntary  blindness  brings  penal  blindness. 
Then  the  inquiry  must  be  how  Satan  works  this  spiritual  blindness.  Fhst,  he 
doth  it  not  by  any  violent  means.  Satan  cannot  offer  any  violence  to  our  souls. 
Secondly,  nor  can  he  do  it  by  any  immediate  action  upon  our  souls,  by  any  intimate 
real  working  upon  our  understandings.  The  soul  of  man  is  out  of  the  reach  of 
Satan.  How  is  it  then?  I.  He  bhnds  men's  minds  by  the  efficacy  of  some  false 
persuasions,  by  which  he  deludes  them.  He  persuades  most  men  there  is  no  such 
danger  as  these  preachers  do  talk  of.  He  persuades  men  there  is  no  such  necessity 
of  knowledge  of  the  gospel  as  they  would  bear  us  in  hand.  That  is  the  first  way, 
false  persuasions.  H.  Satan  works  this  blindness  in  men  by  the  efficacy  of  errors 
and  deluding  superstitions.  When  he  cannot  keep  religion  out  of  the  world,  then 
he  bewitches  men  with  erroneous,  and  false,  and  superstitious  religions.  HI. 
Satan  works  this  blindness  by  the  efficacy  of  divers  lusts  that  he  nourishes  in  the 
hearts  of  men,  and  they  steam  up  into  the  understanding,  and  overcloud  and  darken 
it.  IV.  It  is  for  some  special  purpose  that  here  Satan,  that  is  said  to  blind  men's 
minds,  is  called  the  god  of  this  world.  It  points  us  out  the  main  instrument  which 
he  uses  to  work  this  mischief,  and  that  is  the  love  of  this  world.  He  knows  full  well 
that  the  love  of  the  world  and  the  love  of  religion  can  never  stand  together.  The 
bribes  of  the  world  will  blind  the  eyes  of  the  wisest  men.  Satan  hath  more 
confidence  to  keep  us  off  from  religion  by  this  love  of  the  world  than  any  other  lust. 
His  persuasions  drawn  from  this  sin.  1.  They  are  more  cunning.  He  will  tell  us 
that  the  world  and  the  profits  of  it  are  real  and  substantial ;  you  may  see  it  and 
enjoy  it,  full  bags  and  full  barns.  He  will  tell  us  that  the  world  and  the  wealth  of 
it  is  a  present  good  ;  here  it  is,  we  are  sure  of  it,  and  you  may  now  presently  enjoy 
it.  This  sin  is  more  persuasive,  because  it  pleads  with  appearance  of  reason.  2. 
The  god  of  this  world  hath  most  confidence  in  this  lust  of  the  world,  thereby  to 
blind  us  to  keep  men  off  from  religion,  because  it  is  a  most  commanding  lust.  It 
bears  the  greatest  sway  in  a  man's  heart  more  than  any  other  lust.  The  devil 
makes  the  world  his  viceroy.  Now,  then,  if  Satan  can  get  this  sin  into  our  hearts,  it 
will  bear  such  sway  in  our  soul  that  there  can  be  no  entrance  for  Christ  or  reUgion. 
Such  a  man  sees  so  much  in  the  world  that  he  can  see  nothing  in  the  gospel.  So, 
then,  are  unbelievers  blinded  by  Satan,  is  this  their  condition?  Of  it  let  us  make 
some  use.  I.  Are  unbelievers  blind  by  nature  and  blinded  by  Satan  ?  It  removes 
the  scandal  of  the  gospel  that  so  few  in  comparison  do  embrace  it.  11.  Are  un- 
believers blind  men  ?  It  slights  the  prejudice  that  such  men  have  of  religion.  Are 
unbelievers  worldly  men,  bUnded  in  matters  of  religion  ?  Then  regard  not  their 
judgment,  be  not  troubled  at  their  censures  which  they  pass  upon  religion.  They 
understand  not  what  they  censure,  therefore  regard  them  not.  IH.  Are  men  that 
believe  not  no  other  than  blind  men  ?  It  should  move  us  to  pity  them  in  their 
errors  and  mistakes  in  religion.  And,  as  the  effect  is  mischievous,  to  strike  them 
with  blindness,  so  his  intent  is  malicious.  He  blinds  their  minds,  lest  the  light  of 
the  glorious  gospel  of  Christ,  who  is  the  image  of  God,  should  shine  unto  them. 
The  first  thing  considerable  is,  what  that  is  which  Satan  mainly  opposes,  that  is  the 
gospel.  Of  aU  the  ways  and  works  of  God  his  greatest  spite  is  against  the  gospel ; 
his  greatest  endeavour  is  to  hinder  the  success  of  that.  And  the  apostle  doth  not 
barely  name  it,  but  with  a  magnificent  expression.  He  calls  it  "the  light  of  the 
glorious  gospel  of  Christ,  who  is  the  image  of  God."  I.  Let  us  take  notice  of  it  as  it 
is  a  description  of  gospel.  And  here  observe  two  things.  1.  Paul  calls  it  so.  He 
names  it  with  this  addition  of  excellency,  the  glorious  gospel.  (1)  It  is  the 
expression  of  his  affection  that  he  bare  to  the  gospel.  The  honour  of  the  gospel  was 
dear  to  St.  Paul,  he  could  never  say  enough  of  it,  never  sufficiently  admii-e  it.     There 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  141 

are  three  things  that  St.  Paul  never  spake  of  but  with  great  ravishments  of  affections. 
(2)  Jesus  Christ.    (3)  A  second  thing  which  Paul  mentions  with  much  affection  and 
dehght  is  free  grace  (Eph.  i.  7,  ii.  7).     (4)  A  third  thing  Paul  speaks  of  with  great 
affection,  it  is  the  gospel  (2  Cor.  iii.  9).     And  this  St.  Paul  doth  both  as  a  Christian 
and  as  a  minister.     (2)  Paul  calls  it  a  glorious  gospel,  in  opposition  to  that  con- 
tempt which  they  in  Corinth  put  upon  the  gospel.     They  slighted  it,  they  saw  no 
glory  nor  excellency  in  it.     That  is  the  first,  Paul  calls  it  a  glorious  gospel.     And  as 
St.  Paul  calls  it  so — 2.  The  gospel  is  "  a  glorious  gospel."     So  then  we  have  here 
a  magnificent  description  of  the  gospel.     (1)  Here  is  the  quality,  the  gospel,  it  is  full 
of    light.     That    is   one    degree   of   dignity  in  the   gospel.     It   is   an   excellency. 
Creatures,  the  more  Ughtsome  they   are  the   more  noble  they  are  and  of  greater 
dignity.     Now  what  is  sphitual  hght  but  truth  ?     So  then  the  gospel  is  a  shining 
light,  that  is,  it  is  the  manifestation  of  saving  truth.     The  better  to  conceive  that  the 
gospel  is  light,  we  may  understand  it,  as  light  stands  in  a  double  opposition.     1. 
Light  is  opposite  to  darkness.     2.  Light  is  opposite  to  dimness.     We  live  in  days  of 
actual  truth,  saving  truth  is  unveiled  to  us.     If  thou  missest  the  way  to  heaven, 
thou  mayest  accuse  thine  own  blindness,  thou  canst  not  plead  the  gospel's  darkness. 
(2)  Here  is  the  excellency  of  this  quaUty,  it  is  "  glorious."     There  is  light  in  a  beam 
of  hght ;  but  glory,  it  is  the  collection  of  all  the  beams  of  Ught,  as  when  the  sun 
shines  forth  in  his  full  strength.      Indeed  light,  it  is   a  most  glorious  creature. 
Truth,  the  more  clearly  it  shines,  the  more  fully  it  is  manifested,  it  is  the  more 
glorious.     It  is  a  preposterous  way  to  think  to  honour  truth  by  concealing  of  it. 
Were  it  not  so  common,  so  much  preachcJ,  it  would  be  more  reverenced.     Nay, 
verily,  the  more  it  is  preached,  as  it  should  be,  the  more  the  glory  of  it  appears.    True 
worth  the  more  it  appears  the  more  it  excels.     So  then  the  gospel,  it  is  a  glorious 
gospel.     Wherein  doth  the  glory  of  the  gospel  consist  ?     I  reduce  it  to  two  heads. 
1.  The  doctrine  of  the  gospel,  it  is  a  glorious  doctrine,  because  in  it  the  glory  of  God 
is  most  conspicuous.     And  wherein  God  appears  most  there  is  most  glory.     Glory 
is  nothing  but  the  shining  forth  of  His  majesty.     And  as  that  glorious  mystery  of 
the  Trinity,  so  that  gracious  mystery  of  redemption,  the  glory  of  it  shines  in  the 
gospel.     2.  The  gospel,  it  is  a  glorious  gospel,  because  the  state  of  the  gospel  is  a 
glorious  state.     The  Christian  Church  under  the  gospel  is  made  exceeding  glorious. 
"  Glorious  things  are  spoken  of  thee,  thou  city  of  God."     The  prophet  Haggai  teUs 
us  "  that  Christ,  at  His  coming,  will  fiU  His  Church  with  glory."   Glorious  privileges, 
glorious  ordinances,  glorious  endowments ;  with  all  these  He  hath  enriched  His 
Church.     Our  calling  to  the  gospel,  it  is  a  glorious  calUng  (2  Pet.  i.  3).     The  spirit 
of  the  gospel  it  is  termed  a  spirit  of  glory  (1  Pet.  iv.  14).     The  hope  which  the  gospel 
propounds  to  us  is  a  glorious  hope  (Col.  i.   27).     (3)  Here  is  the  derivation  of  this 
excellency  of  the  Gospel,  from  whence  it  hath  all  its  glory.     A  double  derivation — • 
(1)  Is  that  which  is  direct  and  immediate,  that  is  from  Christ.    It  is  the  gospel  of 
Christ.     That  makes  it  glorious  that  Christ  shines  in  it  (2  Thess.  i.  8).     All  other 
treasures  of  knowledge,  they  are  but  trifles  to  this  great  wisdom  (Eph.  iii.  19).     A 
glorious  author  makes  his  work  glorious  (Gal.  i.  11).     The  second  derivation  of  this 
glory^(2)  Is  mediate,  and  by  reflection  from  the  excellent  glory  of  God  the  Father. 
It  is  the  gospel  of  Christ,  who  is  the  image  of  God.     For  better  understanding  this 
great  mystery,  that  Christ  is  the  image  of  God,  we  must  conceive  two  things  are 
implied  in  the  nature  and  being  of  an  image.     The  first  is  an  impression.     The 
second  is  an  expression.     In  both  respects  Christ  is  the  image  of  God.     First,  take 
Him   in   His   Divine  nature ;    so   He   bears   upon  Him   the   impression   of   God. 
Secondly,  take  Him  in  His  ofl&ce,  as  He  is  our  incarnate  Mediator,  so  He  is  the 
lively  expression  of  God  the  Father,   and  of  His  wiU  and  pleasure.     Take  Him 
in  the  first  respect,  so  He  doth  perfectly  exemplify  Him.     Take  Him  in  the  second 
respect,  in  His  office  of  Mediator,  so  He  doth  perfectly  notify  Him,  and  fully  declare 
Him.     If  it  be  a  perfect  and  exact  image,  it  must  be  a  complete  similitude.     Not  a 
likeness  in  some  one  part  or  respect  only,  and  defective  in  the  rest,  but  it  must  be 
commensurate  and  fully  equal  to  that  whose  image  it  is.     Now,  in  all  these  respects 
to  the  full  Christ,  and  only  Christ,  as  the  second  person  of  the  Trinity,  is  the  image 
of   God   the   Father.     I.  Christ  is  the  unage  of  God,  He   bears   His   similitude. 
Indeed,  in  substance  they  are  both  one.     II.  Christ  is  the  image  of  God,  such  a 
likeness  as  is  betwixt  a  father  and  his  own  natural  and  genuine  son.     The  eternal 
generation  of  the  second  person  from  the  first,  that  is  the  ground  of  this  derivation. 
He  is  therefore  like  Him,  because  He  is  begotten  of  Him.     III.  Christ  is  the  image 
of  God,  not  only  in  some  general  notion,  but  He  is  the  image  of  God  in  His  most 
special  and  proper  being.     Not  only  as  God  is  a  substance,  so  the  Son  of  God  is  a. 


142  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

substance  ;  nor  only  as  God  is  a  spirit,  so  His  Son  is  a  spirit ;  but  He  is  the  image 
of  God,  as  He  is  God,  the  holy  and  Divine  nature  of  the  Godhead  as  communicated 
to  Him.  IV.  Christ  is  the  adequate,  exact,  and  complete  image  of  God.  All  the 
excellencies  and  perfections  of  God  are  entirely  in  Christ.  All  the  glory  of  God  the 
Father  is  communicated  to  His  Son.  EquaUty  of  nature  requues  equality  of  glory 
(John  V.  23).  That  is  the  first  consideration  of  Christ's  being  God's  image,  as  an 
image  betokens  an  impression,  and  so  doth  exemplify.  Secondly,  an  image  serves 
for  expression,  it  is  of  use  to  notify  and  make  known  that  thing  whose  image  it  is. 
As  the  former  belonged  to  His  person,  so  this  shows  us  the  ofiBce  of  Christ. 
Wouldst  thou  acquaint  thyself  with  God  ?  Behold  Him  shining  in  His  Son 
Christ  as  His  Uving  image  (John  xiv.  8).  So  then,  from  this  description  of  the 
gospel,  take  notice  of  these  two  corollaries.  First,  take  notice  of  the  truth  and 
blessedness  of  our  Christian  religion.  Secondly,  let  us  take  notice  of  the  reason  of 
Satan's  opposing.  The  gospel  is  a  most  glorious  image  of  God,  and  therefore  the 
devU  do  so  much  malign  it.  He  is  the  prince  of  darkness,  and  is  an  enemy  to  any 
light,  but  his  main  spite  is  at  the  light  of  the  gospel.  First,  he  can  better  endure 
the  hght  of  nature,  that  is  a  dim  light,  and  imperfect.  Secondly,  there  is  another 
light  which  Satan  can  better  endure,  that  is  the  hght  of  the  law.  Sunder  it  from 
the  gospel,  it  is  but  a  dead  letter.  Thirdly,  this  expression  is  purposed  as  an 
aggravation  of  the  great  sin  of  rejecting  the  gospel.  It  puts  upon  this  sin  a  three- 
fold aggravation.  First,  it  makes  it  a  most  audacious  presumptuous  sin.  Dost 
thou  offer  contempt  to  the  gospel?  Thou  offerest  contempt  to  Christ,  to  God 
Himself,  who  shine  forth  in  the  gospel  and  offer  themselves  to  thee.  Secondly,  it 
makes  a  sin  inexcusable.  He  that  opposes  the  gospel  sins  against  a  clear,  glorious 
light.  Such  cannot  plead  ignorance.  Thirdly,  it  makes  it  to  be  a  malicious  sin, 
and  of  the  greatest  impiety.  Why  so  ?  Because  it  opposes  the  glory  of  God  that 
wherein  God's  glory  doth  shine  most  clearly.  Secondly,  what  is  the  opposition  he 
makes  against  it  ?  What  is  the  course  he  takes  to  hinder  it  ?  It  is  by  keeping  the 
world  in  desperate  ignorance  and  obstinate  infidelity.  Satan  had  other  practices 
to  hinder  it,  as — I.  Falsifications  of  truth  by  heresies.  II.  False  imputations  by 
slanders  and  infamy.  III.  Persecutions  by  bloodshed  and  all  kind  of  cruelty.  But 
the  main  engine  is  infidelity.  Thirdly,  what  is  the  end  of  Satan's  opposition  ? 
That  the  light  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  should  not  shine  unto  them.  Satan  envies  the 
world  the  benefits  of  this  blessed  light  which  is  shed  abroad  by  the  gospel.  What 
are  they?  Take  these  four.  I.  This  light  of  the  gospel,  it  is  "  The  light  of  life  " 
(John  viii.  12).  It  is  a  quickening  and  enhvening  light.  That  makes  Satan 
malign  and  oppose  it.  The  region  of  death,  that  is  the  territory  of  Satan.  The 
gospel  recovers  us  out  of  that  woeful  condition  and  restores  us  to  life.  II.  This 
light  of  the  gospel,  it  is  a  discovering  light.  It  lays  open  aU  the  impostures  of 
Satan.  That  wisdom  detects  his  impostures,  and  that  makes  him  envy  it.  HI. 
This  light  of  the  gospel,  it  is  a  light  to  direct  and  guide  our  feet  into  the  ways  of 
peace.  It  makes  our  way  to  heaven  plain  before  us.  FV.  The  Hght  of  the  gospel, 
it  is  a  refreshing,  cheering,  and  comforting  hght,  and  that  Satan  envies  us.  Light 
and  gladness,  darkness  and  sadness,  they  go  together.  Now  the  gospel  ever  brings 
joy  with  it.  {Bp.  Brownrigg.)  In  whom  the  god  of  this  world  hath  blinded  the 
minds  of  them  which  believe  not. — The  thwarting  tendency  in  life  : — There  are  two 
very  curious  tendencies  in  the  development  of  human  character  which  always  give 
interest  to  the  study  of  our  individual  life.  1.  The  first  of  these  is  the  thwarting 
tendency,  or  the  appearance  of  the  unlooked-for  in  our  human  nature.  Children 
grow  up  to  a  certain  age,  when  suddenly  some  strange  and  unlooked-for  tendency 
asserts  itself.  It  is  like  some  blight,  or  seam,  or  gnarled  deformity  in  a  tree,  or 
plant,  or  flower.  Eight  across  our  hopes,  and  prayers,  and  efforts  this  thwarting 
power  appears.  But  this  strange,  mysterious,  thwarting  tendency — be  it  from  in- 
heritance, be  it  from  habit,  or  be  it  from  the  devil — makes  itself  felt  in  our  daily 
lives !  It  hangs  about  us  like  a  fog  ;  it  pollutes  us ;  it  laughs  at  our  bondage  to  the 
flesh.  Our  nature  suffers  an  eclipse  from  it ;  the  evolution  of  our  characters  is 
imperfect ;  the  revelation  of  God  to  us  is  hidden  under  the  presence  of  this  infirmity. 
We  are  lost  in  the  growth  of  something  which  once  was  not  in  us,  but  which  has 
after  a  while  appeared!  2.  The  other  tendency  of  our  nature  is  the  "blinding 
tendency."  A  very  curious  study  of  human  character  is  this  shutting  of  the  eyes  to 
the  unwelcome  facts  and  truths  which  face  us  in  our  daily  life,  and  this  leaping 
through  the  dark  into  nowhere,  or  else  into  ruin.  The  social  world  of  to-day  is  filled 
with  these  moral  wrecks.  These,  then,  are  the  two  tendencies  which  help  to  spoil 
our  spiritual  nature  in  the  fight  of  life.    The  first  is  the  thwarting  tendency  from 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  143 

■without ;  the  second  is  the  blinding  tendency  from  within.  Before  this  thwarting 
principle  gains  greater  headway,  before  this  blinding  principle  puts  out  the  light  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  our  lives,  I  beg  you,  struggling,  tempted  fellow-suiTerers  in  the 
discipline  of  existence,  to  get  our  souls  out  of  the  ruts  of  indifference,  indecision,  and 
•decay.  Do  not  let  this  growth  of  your  evil  nature  choke  that  seed  of  immortality 
which  you  feel  at  times  is  within  you.  Do  not  let  the  brute  god  of  this  world  blind 
your  eyes.  (W.  Wilberforce  Neivton.)  The  mind  Minded  against  the  U(jht : — 
Consider — I.  The  gospel  as  light.  1.  Light  penetrates,  so  does  the  gospel  (Heb.  iv. 
12).  We  all  know  the  difficulty  of  excluding  light.  If  there  be  a  crevice,  however 
small,  light  will  enter.  And  so  man  may  despise  the  truth,  may  hate  it,  as  Ahab 
hated  Micaiah,  the  preacher  of  the  truth ;  but,  if  it  be  the  Lord's  will.  He  will  find 
some  crevice  in  the  heart  through  which  the  light  of  the  gospel  will  penetrate.  2. 
Light  enables  us  to  see  (Eph.  v.  13 ;  cf.  Psa.  xix.  113).  The  gospel — (1)  Opens  up 
to  us  the  nature  of  sin.  Men  do  not  really  know  what  sin  is,  except  by  the  Word  of 
God.  (2)  Enlightens  us  upon  the  remedy  for  sin.  Man  would  have  found  out  the 
■atonement  except  it  had  been  revealed  in  the  gospel.  (3)  Shows  how  sin  may 
be  overcome.  3.  Light  has  a  guiding  power — so  that  by  it  we  may  know  our 
way.  Just  as  a  Ught  carried  before  us  in  the  dark  night  is  "  a  light  unto  our  feet, 
and  a  lamp  unto  our  path,"  so  the  gospel  shows  us  Him  who  is  "  the  way,  the 
truth,  and  the  life."  4.  But  the  text  tells  us  that  the  gospel  is  a  glorious  light, 
because — (1)  Of  its  author— God.  (2)  Of  its  substance — Jesus,  "  the  brightness 
'Of  the  Father's  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  His  person."  (3)  It  opens  up  to  us 
all  the  glorious  riches  of  Christ.  II.  The  great  hindrance  to  the  reception  of  the 
•GOSPEL.  "  The  god  of  this  world."  While  the  gospel  shows  us  Christ  in  aU  His 
beauty,  it  leads  us  also  to  see  clearly  what  Satan  is.  Now  Satan  employs  a  variety 
■of  means ;  therefore,  "  be  not  ignorant  of  his  devices,"  which  are — 1.  Pride. 
You  look  within  and  say,  "  Men  are  not  so  bad  as  they  are  described  "  ;  and  as  for 
the  commandments,  "  All  these  things  I  have  kept  from  my  youth  up."  Pride  is 
that  shutter  put  up  by  the  devil  to  keep  the  light  of  the  truth  from  entering  your 
hearts.  2.  Prejudice  against  the  gospel.  3.  Evil  passions.  III.  How  the 
HINDRANCE  MAY  BE  REMOVED.  1.  Satan,  "  a  stroug  man  armed,"  who  keeps  what  he 
has  just  as  long  as  he  can — not  as  long  as  he  would.  AU  depends,  therefore,  upon 
our  finding  a  "  stronger  than  he."  I  look,  therefore,  for  Him  who  "  is  light "  ;  and  I 
know  that  the  Spmt  of  God  can  open  my  eyes,  and  make  me  see  that  light  which  is 
able  to  set  me  free,  and  deliver  me  from  the  power  of  Satan.  2.  If  you  are  really 
desirous  of  having  the  light,  go  and  plead  God's  promises  in  prayer.  3.  If  you 
■want  now  to  receive  the  gospel,  exertion  on  your  own  part  is  necessary.  "  Awake 
thou  that  sleepest,"  &c.  (Bp.  Montagu  Villiers.)  The  blinded  ones  : — 1.  These 
are  awful  words — a  hidden  gospel !  a  lost  soul !  2.  The  expression  "  hid,"  signifies 
veiled,  or  covered  over.  It  was  probably  suggested  by  the  language  of  the  preceding 
chapter.  The  will  of  God,  under  the  Mosaic  dispensation,  was  revealed  through 
types  and  shadows,  but  that  veil  is  done  away  in  Christ.  3.  But  if  the  gospel  be  so 
clear,  how  is  it  that  so  many  who  hear  it  continue  unenlightened  and  unbelieving? 
The  answer  is,  the  veil  is  no  longer  upon  the  dispensation,  but  upon  the  heart.  But 
from  whence  comes  this  veil  on  the  heart  ?  The  text  gives  the  answer,  they  are 
blinded  by  the  devil !  Note — I.  The  characters  spoken  of.  They  are  "  lost."  1. 
What  are  meant  by  the  lost  ?  (1)  Not  those  who  are  now  in  hell.  True,  they  are 
•lost ;  but  not  in  the  sense  in  which  the  term  is  used  in  the  text.  (2)  But  to  those 
•who  are  alive  now,  who  are  spiritually  dead  ;  alive,  but  perishing.  The  same 
■expression  is  made  use  of,  and  in  the  same  sense,  in  Matt.  x.  6  ;  Luke  xv.  4,  xix. 
10.  Then,  by  the  lost  are  meant — (1)  All  who  have  not  come  to  Christ.  Coming 
to  Christ  is  the  first  step  towards  salvation.  (2)  All  the  unconverted.  I  speak  thus 
widely  because  it  embraces  every  shade  and  degree  of  sinner  out  of  Christ.  (3)  All 
unbelievers.  "  Them  which  believe  not."  Now,  under  this  character  may  be 
classed — (a)  The  unbelieving  Jews,  who  still  reject  the  Lord  of  glory  as  their 
Messiah  (John  viii.  24).  (b)  All  who  do  not  savingly  believe  in  Christ.  There  is  a 
"vast  difference  between  belief  and  saving  belief.  We  may  believe  Christ  to  be  the 
Saviour  of  sinners,  and  yet  know  nothing  of  Him  as  our  individual  Saviour.  II. 
Their  AWFUL  condition.  1.  "They  forsake  their  own  mercies."  Awful  thought !  to 
exclude  oneself  from  mercy,  to  reject  the  only  Friend  who  can  extend  mercy  to  us. 
Jesus  seeks  the  lost.  2.  Their  ignorance  of  it.  They  are  like  a  blind  man  on 
the  brink  of  an  awful  precipice,  ignorant  of  their  danger,  although  the  very  next 
•step  may  plunge  them  into  irretrievable  ruin,  both  of  body  and  soul.  3.  Abiding 
wrath,  at  any  moment,  may  become  executed  wrath.     III.  The  cause  of  their 


144  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  rv. 

AWFUL  CONDITION.  1.  Who  is  the  person  who  blinds  the  minds  of  them  which 
believe  not.  "  The  god  of  this  world  "  (John  xii.  31,  xiv.  30 ;  Eph.  ii.  2).  The  name 
is  given  him,  not  because  he  has  any  of  the  attributes  of  God,  but  because  he 
actually  has  the  homage  of  the  men  of  this  world ;  and  though  they  do  not  worship 
him  in  words,  yet  they  do  so  practically,  by  pursuing  his  plans,  yielding  to  his 
temptations,  and  by  submitting  to  his  rule.  But  will  Satan  be  "the  god  of  this 
world"  for  ever?  No!  His  time  is  limited,  and  he  knows  it  (Rev.  xi.  15).  2. 
What  is  the  particular  character  under  which  Satan  is  represented?  "  The  blinder 
of  them  which  believe  not."  He  blinds — (1)  By  not  permitting  the  word  to  take 
root  in  the  unbeliever's  heart  (Mark  iv.  3,  4,  14,  15).  (2)  By  producing  a  dispropor- 
tionate view  of  the  value  of  objects.  A  very  small  object  will  obscure  the  light  of  the 
sun ;  and  a  very  small  object  will  hide  from  us  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Eighteous- 
ness.  Satan  therefore  places  between  the  unbelieving  and  the  glory  of  the 
gospel  the  things  of  a  perishing  world.  We  have  a  remarkable  illustration  of  this 
in  the  case  of  the  young  man  in  the  gospel,  who  asked,  "Good  Master,  what  shall  I 
do  that  I  may  inherit  eternal  life  ?  "  (3)  By  representing  in  a  false  light  the 
effects  of  the  gospel  on  mankind.  He  insinuates  that  to  be  religious  is  to  be 
melancholy.  This  is  as  false  as  its  author.  It  is  living  in  sin  which  causes- 
real  unhappiness.  "  There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked."  True^ 
Satan  may  make  sin  pleasant  now,  hiding  from  the  eyes  of  the  perishing  its 
awful  consequences;  but,  too,  on  the  other  hand,  the  gospel  is  glad  tidings 
of  great  joy.  (4)  By  making  men  love  sin.  Consequently,  they  cannot  see 
the  beauty  of  holiness.  3.  The  design  for  which  Satan  blinds  the  minds  of  men. 
"  Lest  the  light  of  the  glorious  gospel,"  &c.  (1)  There  is  implied  here  that  the 
gospel  is  God's  instrument  for  the  salvation  of  men.  There  is  not  one  now  in  glory 
who  was  not  saved  by  means  of  the  gospel,  which  is  "the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth."  (2)  See  now,  more  especia,lly,  Satan's 
design  to  hide  this  gospel  from  perishing  men.  (a)  His  craftiness.  Satan  dreads 
the  gospel ;  he  knows  that  the  gospel  and  himself  cannot  reign  in  the  same  heart ; 
that  just  as  the  natural  sun  scatters  the  shades  of  night,  so  does  the  light  of  the 
glorious  gospel  of  Christ,  received  into  the  heart,  dispel  the  darkness  in  which  he 
has  enveloped  the  soul.  Hence  he  seeks  to  prevent  this  light  shining  into  the  souls 
of  his  victims.  He  tries  to  make  them  believe  that  there  is  no  devil,  no  hell,  (b) 
His  hatred.  His  object  is  to  destroy  the  soul,  and  therefore  he  places  every  possible 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  a  sinner's  conversion ;  he  hides  from  him  the  hght  of  the 
gospel,  that  he  may  perish.  {A.  W.  Snape,  M.A.)  Strong  delusion: — I.  The 
GOSPEL  IS  THE  TRUE  LIGHTHOUSE.  First,  then,  the  gospel  is  the  true  lighthouse.  The 
gospel,  like  its  glorious  Author,  is  the  hght  of  the  world.  H.  By  whose  agency  is 
THIS  LIGHT  HID  FROM  ANY?  "The  god  of  this  woild  hath  blinded  the  minds  of  them 
which  believe  not."  How  does  Satan  seek  to  hide  the  light?  1.  By  a  show  of 
wisdom.  He  endeavours  to  persuade  such  that  the  light  of  reason  and  conscience 
is  sufficient.  2.  But  there  are  others,  and  these  are  the  young,  especially,  who  are 
blindfolded  by  Satan  with  a  show,  not  of  wisdom,  but  enjoyment.  Satan  en- 
deavours to  prove  that  the  world  can  yield  all  the  happiness  they  want,  and  that 
religion  tends  only  to  mar  it.  3.  But  there  are  others  more  advanced  in  life,  who 
are  engrossed  and  distracted  with  manifold  cares  and  anxieties,  and  earnest  pursuit 
of  earthly  things.  IH.  The  state  of  those  from  whom  the  gospel  is  hid.  They 
are  said,  here,  to  be  lost,  as  if  they  were  already  lost,  because  they  are  as  good  as 
lost — "  He  that  believeth  not  is  condemned  already."  As  we  would  say  of  a  ship, 
drifting  with  the  wind  and  tide  towards  a  ledge  of  rocks,  she  is  lost,  although  she 
has  not  yet  struck;  even  so,  we  cannot  but  say  of  every  unconverted  impenitent 
soul,  that  he  is  a  lost  man.  [H.  Verschoyle.)  Unbelieving  men  blinded  : — Note — I. 
Satan's FORsnDABLE title.  "The  god  of  this  world."  1.  Elsewhere  he  is  called  "the 
prince  of  this  world."  He  and  his  allies  are  denominated ' '  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of 
this  world."  This  designation  belongs  to  a  personal  being.  The  devil  is  no  mere  power 
or  principle  of  evil.  When  he  is  named  here  "  god,"  it  is  not  in  the  strict  sense  of  the 
term,  but  because  he  possesses  a  god-like  authority,  and  receives  a  god-like  sub- 
mission. The  sphere  of  his  dominion  is  "  this  world."  There  it  is  that  he  reigns 
and  ravages.  2.  But  remember— (1)  His  power  is  not  supreme.  There  is  a  Lord 
above  Satan.  The  Maker  of  this  world  is  its  real  Monarch.  (2)  His  power  is  not 
legitimate.  It  has  its  origin  in  usurpation.  It  is  founded  on  fraud,  conspiracy^ 
rebellion.  Jesus  had  not  to  satisfy  but  to  vanquish  the  devil,  and  this  He  did 
pre-eminently  upon  the  Cross.  II.  His  fatal  work.  "  Hath  blinded  the  minds  of 
ihem  that  believe  not."     1.  He  has  blinded  the  minds  of  all  natural  men  by  the  sin 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  145 

into  which  he  seduced  the  race  at  first.  But  not  satisfied  with  that  old  and  far- 
reaching  achievement  of  his,  he  carries  on  a  constant,  present  process  of  blinding 
in  the  case  of  all  thus  brought  under  his  terrible  power.  By  error,  sin,  and  ten 
thousand  devices  suited  to  the  characters  and  circumstances  of  his  victims,  he 
withdraws  them  ever  farther  from  the  perception  and  appreciation  of  spiritual 
truths  and  objects.  He  rears  up  vast  systems  of  darkness  and  delusion,  under  the 
influence  of  which  the  minds  and  hearts  of  millions  are  brought  into  a  state  of  the 
most  absolute  and  abject  bondage.  And  his  efforts  are  very  specially  directed 
against  those  who  are  surrounded  by  the  light  and  plied  with  the  overtures  of  the 
gospel.  There  is  reason  to  fear  that  the  light  may  break  in,  revealing  their  real 
condition,  and  leading  on  to  their  deliverance.  Hence  he  blinds  them  by  every 
method  he  can  devise,  and  often  in  ways  the  direct  opposite  of  each  other.  (1) 
Thus  he  does  it  alternately  by  ignorance  and  knowledge,  (a)  By  ignorance.  He 
shuts  men  out,  if  he  possibly  can,  from  all  acquaintance  with  the  gospel.  He  keeps 
from  as  many  as  he  can  the  benefits  of  a  Christian  education — all  religious 
teaching  ;  and  what  he  cannot  prevent  he  labours  to  weaken  and  neutralise.  He 
leaves  no  lights  burning  which  he  can  extinguish ;  and  when  he  is  unable  to  put 
them  out,  he  is  an  adept  at  dimming  their  brightness,  (b)  But  when  he  cannot 
exclude  knowledge,  he  skilfully  turns  it  into  an  instrument  of  his  own  purposes. 
How  many  does  he  bewilder,  blind,  and  destroy  by  means  of  a  boasted  science  and 
philosophy !  Frequently,  the  higher  persons  rise  in  mere  mental  gifts,  the  lower 
do  they  sink  in  spiritual  capacities  and  tastes.  (2)  He  does  it  alternately  by 
worldliness  and  godliness,  (a)  How  does  worldliness  often  put  out  any  eyes  the 
poor  soul  ever  had !  The  eager  pursuit  of  business  or  pleasure  has  a  strongly 
carnalising,  corrupting  influence,  (h)  And,  stranger  far,  he  does  the  same  by 
godliness — that  is,  godliness  in  its  profession  and  forms,  not,  of  course,  in  its  power. 
The  shadow  is  put  for  the  substance,  the  appearance  for  the  reality  ;  and  by  such 
means  the  devil's  purpose  is  effectually  served.  2.  This  blinding  is  here  attributed 
to  Satan,  the  god  of  this  world,  but  the  subjects  of  it  are  not  mere  helpless  victims, 
they  are  active  co-operators.  They  are  to  be  pitied,  but  they  are  also  to  be  blamed. 
The  devil  has  a  terrific  power,  but,  in  a  sense,  he  has  none  except  what  we  our- 
selves give  him.  He  cannot  blind  us  against  our  wills.  HI.  His  malignant  pur- 
pose. "  Lest  the  light  of  the  glorious  gospel  of  Christ,"  &c.  1.  Light  here 
denotes  light  shining  out  with  radiant  lustre.  There  is  not  only  light  latent  in  the 
gospel,  but  light  streaming  out,  and  falling  on  all  who  hear  it  preached,  or  are 
otherwise  brought  into  contact  with  the  truth — light  pouring  around  them  as  from 
a  spiritual  orb,  and  ready  to  pour  into  them,  but  for  the  internal  barriers  which  are 
placed  in  its  way — the  blindness  of  mind  and  heart  which  shuts  out  all  its  bright- 
ness from  the  darkened  bosom.  The  gospel  ia  well  entitled  to  be  thus  characterised. 
It  is  glorious,  because  it  contains  and  reveals  the  glory  of  Christ,  its  great  author 
and  subject.  It  is  fuU  of  His  excellence  ;  it  is  radiant  with  His  brightness.  It  all 
treats  of  Him — His  person.  His  offices,  His  work ;  and  in  every  part  of  it  we  meet 
with  His  Divine  lustre.  Take  Him  out  of  it — His  deity.  His  atonement.  His 
righteousness.  His  Spirit,  His  distinctive  features  and  actings — and  you  leave  it  a 
hollow,  dark,  worthless  thing,  a  casket  from  which  the  jewels  have  been  stolen,  a 
sun  from  which  the  Ught  has  departed,  turning  it  into  a  black,  charred,  unsightly 
mass  of  dead  matter.  2.  Now,  Satan's  object  is  to  prevent  this  light  from  shining 
into  men,  into  their  darkened  minds  and  hearts  ;  for  this  is  what  saves,  overthrows 
his  kingdom,  deprives  him  of  his  subjects.  It  is  the  light  of  life  quickening  the 
soul,  in  the  moment  of  its  entrance  with  the  power  of  the  Spirit.  And  in  how  many 
is  the  dark  design  of  this  world's  god  realised.  It  is  so  in  the  case  of  all  the 
unbelieving,  and  who  can  tell  their  number  ?  Alas !  the  blind  are  walking  around 
us,  sitting  among  us  in  our  houses  and  churches.  Are  we  blind  also  ?  3.  Mark 
here  that,  to  be  effectual,  the  gospel  must  shine  into  us.  It  is  a  great  blessing  to 
have  it  pouring  its  light  around  us — making  known  to  us  the  way  of  salvation,  and 
inviting  us  to  enter  on  that  way.  But  it  can  benefit  us  really  and  eternally,  only  by 
breaking  through  the  barriers  of  ignorance,  pride,  and  worldliness,  and  penetrating 
the  hidden  chambers,  the  deepest  and  darkest  recesses  of  our  being.  (J.  Adam, 
D.D.)  The  gospel  and  its  adversaries  : — Note — I.  The  eepresentation  given  of 
Christ.  "The  image  of  God"  (Heb.  i.  3).  This  representation  is  not  a  solitary 
one.  1.  The  allusion  is  to  the  Divine  nature  of  Christ,  especially  with  reference  to 
the  incarnation.  What  an  "image  of  God"  Christ  was  in  all  His  movements! 
Who  can  read  those  movements  without  being  constrained  to  say,  This  is  some 
person  higher  than  a  creature  !    2.  The  subject  throws  great  light  on  the  truthful- 

10 


146  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

ness  and  the  inspiration  of  the  N.T.  writers.  They  who  could  describe  such  a 
character  as  Christ,  "  the  image  of  God,"  must  have  been  inspired  by  God,  no 
uninspired  men  could  write  such  a  character.  Heathens  tried  to  do  something  in 
this  way  ;  but  their  deities  were  the  personifications  of  wickedness.  3.  Do  you  love 
"this  Christ — this  "image  of  God"?  Have  you  embraced  Him?  Have  you  grate- 
iully  acknowledged  Him  as  your  Saviour  and  King  ?  U.  The  desceiption  givek  of 
THE  woEK  of  Cheist.  "  The  light  of  the  glorious  gospel."  1.  The  meaning  of 
gospel  is  "  glad  tidings."  In  the  Saxon  there  was  but  one  word  for  "  God  "  and 
"  good."  God  is  goodness,  and  there  is  none  good  but  God.  Then  the  expression 
"  spell,"  is  not  only  news  or  tidings,  but  an  attraction  or  charm.  The  gospel  is 
God's  charm,  God's  spell,  or  gospel.  Indeed,  it  ought  to  act  as  a  charm,  for  unless 
the  Son  of  God  had  died,  you  must  have  been  ruined.  2.  The  expression 
"glorious"  may  mean — (1)  " Brilliant,"  because  it  is  a  striking  description  of  the 
character  of  Godhead.  Nowhere  have  we  such  an  exhibition  of,  e.g.,  God's  justice, 
as  the  suiJerings  and  death  of  Christ,  "  the  image  of  God."  But  the  gospel  is 
"  glorious,"  not  because  it  brightens  one  attribute  of  deity,  but  because  it  shows 
forth  all  His  attributes,  His  greatness,  righteousness,  truth,  and  also  His  grace, 
lovingkindness,  and  compassion.  (2)  Excellency  displayed — something  super- 
excellent  ;  nothing  could  ever  be  conceived  like  the  gospel.  Look  at — (a)  Its  design — 
to  save  poor  sinners  from  impurity,  and  raise  them  to  holiness ;  from  wretchedness,  and 
to  raise  them  to  happiness  for  ever,  {b)  Its  results.  It  is  true  the  proud  and  the 
Iiaughty  reject  it,  but  the  poor  are  blessed  by  it ;  the  man  who  feels  himself  a 
smner  is  blessed  by  it.  3.  The  glorious  gospel  of  Christ  is  the  great  light — it  is  a 
light  to  the  sinner's  wants  and  necessities — it  empties  him  of  all  self-dependence, 
and  points  to  Christ  as  one  who  can  fill  the  soul  with  pardon  and  peace.  HI. 
The  dangeeous  hindeances  in  the  way.  The  devil  acts  by  means  of  sin 
and  temptation ;  he  has  been  nearly  six  thousand  years  practising  upon  our 
race — so  that  he  knows  our  weak  points.  Note  a  few  of  the  many  ways  in 
which  he  makes  his  attacks.  1.  By  positive  and  direct  influences.  2.  By  in- 
direct agency — (1)  By  encouraging  infidel  philosophy.  (2)  By  the  encouragement 
of  false  religion.  If  men  will  not  do  without  Christianity,  he  will  try  and  make 
them  accept  of  a  false  system.  (3)  By  representing  things  in  undue  proportions. 
He  exaggerates  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  a  godly  life,  and  flatters  the  pleasures 
of  a  sinful.  (4)  By  stimulating  men's  passions.  One  man  is  fond  of  pleasure, 
another  of  society,  and  another  of  amassing  property,  &c.  (5)  But  the  great 
hindrance,  "  unbelief."  "  The  mind  of  them  that  believe  not."  {H.  Allon,  D.D.) 
The  glorious  gospel  of  Christ. — The  glorious  gospel  : — All  the  works  of  God  are 
glorious.  I.  The  gospel  of  Christ.  Notice — 1.  The  gospel,  or  the  glad  tidings  of 
salvation  (Luke  ii.  10).  2.  It  is  designated  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Sometimes  called 
the  "gospel  of  God"  (Eom.  i.  1).  "Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God"  (Acts  xx.  24). 
"  Gospel  of  the  kingdom  "  (Matt.  xxiv.  14).  "  Gospel  of  peace."  It  is  emphatically 
the  gospel  of  Christ.  (1)  As  Christ  is  its  author.  (2)  He  is  the  subject  of  the 
gospel.  (3)  He  is  the  great  end  of  the  gospel.  The  gospel  is  designed  to  make 
known  Christ — to  exalt  Christ — to  attract  the  souls  to  Christ.  II.  Its  globt. 
"  The  glorious  gospel  of  Christ."  The  gospel  is  glorious — 1.  In  the  discoveries  it 
reveals.  2.  In  the  benefits  it  confers.  3.  In  the  influence  which  it  imparts.  (1) 
A  holy  influence.  (2)  A  happy  influence.  (3)  An  exalting  influence.  (4)  A 
supporting  influence.  4.  On  account  of  the  discoveries  which  it  unfolds.  This 
glorious  gospel  is — 1.  The  great  theme  of  evangelical  preaching.  2.  The  only  hope 
of  the  guilty  sinner.  3.  And  the  joy  and  transport  of  the  humble  believer.  4.  He 
who  believeth  it  shall  be  saved — the  unbeliever  will  most  certainly  perish.  (J.  Burns, 
D.D.)  Christ  who  is  the  image  of  God. — The  image  of  the  invisible  God  : — I. 
Cheist,  by  the  eye  of  faith,  is  appeehended  as  "  the  image  of  the  invisible  God." 
"  No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time."  Yet  a  vision  of  God  is  a  vital  necessity 
for  the  soul.  "  He  that  hath  seen  Me  hath  seen  the  Father."  Christ,  however,  is 
only  "seen"  by  faith.  1.  Character.  2.  Purpose.  II.  Theough  the  medium  of 
His  histoey.  1.  By  immutable  facts.  2.  By  its  uniqueness.  Among  all  histories 
that  of  Christ  stands  alone — (1)  In  moral  sublimity.  (2)  In  loftiness  of  en- 
deavour. (3)  In  spiritual  power.  3.  By  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Whence 
comes  the  faith  which  removes  the  veil  and  floods  the  soul  with  "  the  light  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ "  ?     {Homilist.) 

Vers.  5,  6.  For  we  preach  not  ourselves,  but  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord. — The  Christian 
ministry  and  its  message  : — I.  The  true  position  of  the  Christian  minister — Hia 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  147 

RELATION  TO  THOSE  TO  WHOM  HE  MINISTERS — is  here  clearly  set  forth  as — 1.  A  position 
of  humble  servitude.  "  We  preach  .  .  .  ourselves  as  your  servants  (lit.,  bond- 
servants)." He  cannot  preach  Christ  effectively  who  has  not  first  learned  the 
spkit  of  Christ — the  spirit  of  complete  self-sacrifice  and  self-abasement.  He  Him- 
self,  though  Lord  of  all,  took  upon  Himself  the  form  of  a  servant.  The  service  of 
the  servants  of  God  means  the  dedication  of  the  inner  man.  The  fetters  of  Christ 
are  upon  his  heart.  2.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  position  of  the  Christian 
minister,  as  here  indicated,  is  one  of  noble  independence.  "  Your  servants  for 
Jesus'  sake  (ht.,  on  behalf  of  Jesus)."  To  the  preacher  the  exhortation  comes  with 
special  force,  "One  is  your  Master,  even  Christ."  And  this  complete  independence 
of  the  Chi'istian  minister  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  faithful  discharge  of  his 
duties.  He  is  not  set  to  please  men.  For  only  in  liberty  can  he  be  strong,  and 
only  in  bondage  to  Christ  can  he  be  free.  H.  The  subject-matter  of  the  message  ^ 
OR,  the  preacher's  only  theme.  "  We  preach  .  .  .  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord."  1. 
Observe  the  uncompromising  exclusiveness  of  this  theme.  It  is  a  theme  which 
must  never  be  relinquished,  or  even  temporarily  lost  sight  of.  Nothing  else  must 
ever  be  allowed  to  take  its  place.  The  subject-matter  of  the  message  is  not  morality ; 
it  is  neither  duty  nor  dogma,  but  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord.  2.  But  although  this 
theme  is  exclusive  it  is  by  no  means  narrow.  I  ask  you  to  note  its  infinite  compre- 
hensiveness. It  is  not  morality,  yet  it  is  all  morahty.  It  is  not  duty,  yet  it  includes 
every  duty.  It  is  not  dogma,  yet  it  comprises  the  entire  chcle  of  Divine  doctrine. 
In  Chi'ist  there  is  the  fulness  of  manhood,  as  well  as  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead ; 
and  out  of  His  fulness  may  we  all  receive  encouragement  and  helpfulness  in  every 
chcumstance  of  life.  IH.  The  preacher's  high  responsibility.  "  Not  ourselves." 
(J.  Pollock.)  An  apostolic  ministry  ; — I.  The  subject-matter  of  the  apostle's 
MINISTRY — Christ  Jesus  the  Lord.  Wherever  he  went  he  preached  nothmg  else. 
There  are  some  who  say  that  there  is  a  certain  style  of  preaching  for  the  poor  and 
unlearned,  and  a  different  style  for  the  cultivated.  But  Paul  preached  the  same 
gospel  in  Athens  and  Jerusalem.  He  preached  Jesus  as  the  Christ — the  Messiah 
predicted  in  the  O.T.,  and  typified  by  the  ceremonies  of  the  Mosaic  economy.  He 
preached  Jesus  as  the  Messiah  whom  the  world  at  that  time  felt  convinced  that 
they  needed.  He  preached  Him  also  as  the  Prophet  and  the  Priest,  and  the  King  of 
His  Church.  He  preached  Him  further  in  the  dignity  of  His  person,  and  in  the 
combmation  of  two  natures  represented  in  one  person.  He  preached  Christ  in  the 
grandeur  of  His  miracles,  in  His  wondrous  atonement,  in  all  the  purity  and  power 
of  His  righteousness.  He  preached  Him  as  the  Lord  of  the  conscience.  We  preach 
Him,  then,  as  the  Lord  in  every  sense  of  the  term — the  Lord  over  the  body  as  well 
as  the  soul.  The  Lord  over  our  conscience,  over  our  property,  of  our  hopes,  of  our 
love  and  desires;  the  Lord  of  our  future,  and  the  Lord  of  our  confidence  here.  Our 
Lord  in  times  of  prosperity  and  in  times  of  trial,  in  times  of  joy,  and  when  on  a 
sick-bed ;  in  the  dying  moment,  at  the  day  of  judgment,  and  in  eternity.  H.  Hi3_ 
mode.  Paul  regarded  himself  as  the  servant  of  the  Church.  The  minister  of 
reUgion  should  give  to  the  Church,  first  of  all,  the  entire  of  his  time  and  ability, 
and  should  be  with  his  people  in  times  of  trial,  and  especially  in  times  of  affliction. 
The  minister  has  to  do  many  things  that  other  men  will  not  do,  and  perhaps  are 
not  called  upon  to  do.  Let  us  look  at — IH.  His  motive.  I  am  Christ's  ambassador, 
and  for  His  sake  I  will  be  your  servant.  {H.  Alton,  D.D.)  Self  disclaimed  and 
Christ  exalted  : — I.  What  that  selfishness  is  which  the  apostle  here  disclaims, 
&c.  1.  It  is  not  that  regular  self-love  that  induces  mmisters  to  zeal  and  faithful- 
ness in  the  discharge  of  their  sacred  trust,  from  the  consideration  of  future  rewards 
and  punishments.  2.  This  disclaiming  ourselves  does  not  imply  a  total  disregard 
to  our  reputation  and  character  among  men,  for  on  this  the  success  of  our  mmistry, 
and  consequently  the  advancement  of  the  Eedeemer's  kingdom,  may  in  some  measure 
depend.  But,  positively,  the  selfishness  here  disclaimed  is,  in  general,  that  which 
stands  in  direct  opposition  to  the  honour  of  God  and  the  interest  of  Jesus  Christ, 
which  sets  up  self  in  the  place  of  God  in  our  estimation,  affections,  intentions,  and 
pursuits.  1.  Then  ministers  may  be  said  to  preach  themselves  when  the  matter 
of  their  public  preaching  is  such  as  tends  rather  to  promote  self-honour  and  self- 
interest  than  the  honour  of  God  and  the  interest  of  Jesus  Christ.  2.  This  selfishness 
respects  the  form  as  well  as  the  matter  of  our  preaching — i.e.,  the  governing  principle 
from  which  we  act  in  our  public  ministry,  and  the  ultimate  end  we  have  in  view. 
And  this  is  doubtless  the  principal  thing  here  intended ;  for,  be  the  matter  of  our 
preaching  ever  so  good,  yet  self  may  be  the  root  of  it  all,  and  the  object  of  our 
principal  aim.    II.  To  consider  some  or  the  operations  of  this  corrupt  principle. 


148  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 


IN    THOSE    PARTICtlLAB    INSTANCES    THAT   TEND   TO   DISCO VEK  ITS  EEIGNING  DOMINION.       A 

faithful  discharge  of  this  important  trust  requires  more  self-denial  than  any  em- 
ployment under  the  sun,  yet  there  are  many  things  in  the  sacred  office  that  may 
be  alluring  baits  to  men  of  corrupt  minds.     A  life  of  study,  and  an  opportunity  to 
furnish  the  mind  with  the  various  improvements  of  human  science,  may  be  an 
inducement  to  those  who  have  a  turn  for  speculation,  and  would  be  willing  to  shine 
in  literature,  from  mere  selfish  principles,  to  undertake  the  ministry.     And  as  these 
undertake  the  sacred  employment  for  themselves,  and  not  for  God,  so  they  will 
ever  "  preach  themselves,  and  not  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord."     And,  when  self  has 
done  its  work  in  their  study,  and  made  their  sermon,  it  will  attend  them  even  to 
tlie  pulpit,  and  there  it  wiU  form  their  very  countenance  and  gesture,  and  modulate 
their  voice,  and  animate  their  delivery.     And  when  the  sermon  is  ended  self  goes 
home  with  the  preacher,  and  makes  him  much  more  solicitous  to  know  whether 
he  is  applauded  than  whether  he  has  prevailed  for  the  conversion  of  souls.     Some- 
times this  selfish  disposition  will  work  up  envious  thoughts  against  all  those  who 
they  imagine  stand  in  their  light,  or,  by  out-shining  them,  eclipse  their  glory,  and 
hinder  the  progress  of  their  idolised  reputation.     III.  What  it  is  to  preach  Christ. 
"  We  preach  not  ourselves,  but  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord."     As  it  respects  the  matter, 
it  includes  in  general  the  whole  sum  of  gospel  doctrine  relating  to  man's  salvation 
by  Jesus  Christ — the  original  contrivance,  the  meritorious  imputation,  and  actual 
application  of  it,  through  His  blood  and  spirit.     But  particularly — 1.  To  preach 
Christ  is  to  hold  Him  forth,  not  merely  as  a  lawgiver,  to  be  obeyed,  but  chiefly  as  a 
law-fulfiller,  to  be  believed  in  for  pardon,  righteousness,  and  everlasting  life.     2.  To 
preach  Christ  is  to  exhibit  to  view  His  infinite  Divine  fulness  and  the  freeness  of 
His  unbounded  grace,  His  almighty  power  to  save,  and  His  willingness  to  exert 
that  power.     3.  To  preach  Christ  is  to  make  Him  the  grand  centre  of  all  the  variety 
of  subjects  we  enter  upon  in  the  whole  credenda  and  agenda  of  religion.     As  to  the 
formal  manner,  it  implies  that  we  aim  at  the  honour  of  Christ  and  the  advance- 
ment of   His   interest.     Let   me   now  endeavour  to  improve   this   subject   by  an 
inference  or  two  from  each  of  the  principal  foregoing  heads,  and  then  conclude 
with   a  particular  application.     And — 1.    If   ministers   are   not   to   preach   or  to 
seek  themselves  in   the  execution  of   the  sacred  office,  then  none  can  ever  dis- 
charge  this   important  trust    acceptably   in   the    sight   of    God   who    are    under 
the  reigning  dominion  of   mercenary  and    selfish   principles.     2.    If   the  business 
of   gospel   ministers   be  to   preach   Christ,  hence   see  the   honour  and  dignity   of 
their   office.     Let   us   guard   against   that  fear  of  man   which   selfishness   would 
prompt  us  to.     If   the    reigning   dominion   of   selfishness   is   inconsistent  with  a 
ministerial,  it  is  equally  inconsistent  with  a  truly  Christian,  character.     (D.  Bost- 
wick,  M.A.)         Christ  the  supreme  theme  of  a  gospel  ministry  : — I.  That  to  preach 
Christ  Jesus  the  Lord  is  the  distinguishing  characteristic  and  proper  employ- 
ment of  a  gospel  minister.     It  may  be  affirmed  that  something  concerning  Christ 
hath  been  the  principal  subject  of  every  revelation  that  came  from  God,  downward 
from  the  original  promise  made  to  our  first  parents  (Acts  x.  43 ;  1  Pet.  i.  10).     And 
if  Christ  was  an  object  of  such  importance  to  those  who  lived  before  His  manifesta- 
tion in  the  flesh,  it  cannot  surprise  us  to  find  that  they  who  could  testify  that  He 
was  come,  and  had  finished  the  work  that  was  given  Him  to  do,  should  in  all  their 
writings  and  discourses  dwell  upon  Him  as  their  constant  theme.     But  what  are 
we  to  understand  by  preaching  Christ?     1.  It  plainly  imports  that  we  make  Christ 
the  principal  subject  of  our  sermons.     2.  To  preach  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord  is  to 
handle  every  other  subject  of  discourse  in  such  a  way  as  to  keep  Christ  continually 
in  the  eye  of  our  hearers.     We  must  acknowledge  Him  as  the  author  of  the  truths 
we  deliver,  and  improve  them  so  as  to  lead  men  to  Him.     The  apostles  introduced 
upon  all  occasions  the  peculiar  doctrines  of  Christianity,  both  into  their  discourses 
and  epistles,  and  never  failed  to  press  the  duties  they  enjoined  by  those  regards 
which  are  due  to  Christ  Himself.     Thus  humility  and  self-denial  are  recommended 
by  the  lowliness  and  patience  of  Christ.     Husbands  are  charged  to  love  their  wives, 
"  as  Christ  loved  His  Church."     8.  To  preach  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord  is  to  make 
the  advancement  of  His  kingdom  and  the  salvation  of  men  the  sole  aim  of   our 
preaching.     II.  That  preaching  Christ  is  the  proper  business  and  the  distin- 
guishing characteristic  of  a  gospel  minister.     Can  anything  be  more  reasonable 
than  that  they  who  profess  to  derive  their  authority  from  Christ  should  make  Him 
the  principal  subject  of  their  sermons,  and  recommend  Him  to  the  esteem  and  love 
of  their  hearers  ?     But  what  I  would  chiefly  observe  is  that  preaching  Christ  Jesus 
the  Lord  is  the  great  means  which  God  hath  appointed  for  the  conversion  of  sinners; 


CHAP.  IV.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  149 

and  thei-efore  it  is  not  only  highly  reasonable,  but  absolutely  necessary.  (R.  Walker.) 
Self  rejected  and  Christ  exalted: — I.  What  we  do  not  preach.  "Ourselves."  1. 
This  practice  is  prevalent,  and  ought  to  be  censured.  Men  preach  themselves  when 
they  preach — (1)  Only  to  promote  their  own  interest.  (2)  Only  to  display  their  own 
talents.  (3)  Only  to  maintain  some  particular  system,  regardless  of  the  glory  of 
Christ  and  the  salvation  of  souls.  2.  This  practice  is  not  apostolical,  and  should 
be  avoided.  (1)  Was  emolument  their  object  ?  "  Silver  and  gold,"  said  they,  "  we 
have  none."  (2)  Did  they  seek  the  applause  of  men  ?  They  were  content  to  be 
"esteemed  as  the  filth  of  the  earth,"  &c.  (3)  Were  they  ambitious  to  display  their 
owTi  talents?  "  We  came  to  you,  not  with  excellency  of  speech,"  &c.  (4)  Had 
they  a  system  of  their  own  to  establish — any  human  institutions  to  contend  for  ? 
No.  "We  determined  to  know  nothing  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him 
crucified."  3.  This  practice  is  ruinous,  and  ought  to  be  condemned.  It  is,  indeed, 
to  defeat  the  very  design  of  the  gospel,  and  entails  eternal  ruin  on  those  who  persist 
in  it.  n.  What  we  do  pre.\ch.  "  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord."  How  wide  the  extreme ! 
From  an  object  the  most  contemptible  we  turn  to  one  the  most  dignified.  1.  What 
is  implied  in  preaching  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord  ?  (1)  That  His  person  and  work  be 
the  principal  subject  of  our  preaching.  It  is  not  enough  that  we  speak  of  Him 
occasionally.  He  must  be  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega.  In  every  science  there  are 
first  and  general  principles  to  which  every  teacher  of  that  science  constantly  refers ; 
and  the  first  principles  of  the  science  which  is  to  make  men  wise  unto  salvation 
are  found  in  the  scheme  of  redemption.  (2)  That  His  glory  must  be  the  aim  and 
the  end  of  our  preaching.  Our  own  glory  is  to  be  placed  quite  out  of  the  question  ; 
nor  must  we  seek  to  please  men,  "  for,"  saith  the  apostle,  "  if  I  seek  to  please  men 
I  should  not  be  the  servant  of  Christ."  His  own  glory  is  the  great  end  which  God 
has  in  view  in  all  His  works.  It  is  impossible  it  should  be  otherwise.  What  is  the 
great  end  of  all  the  works  of  creation?  "  For  Thy  glory  they  were  and  are  created." 
What  is  His  great  object  in  the  government  of  the  world  ?  That  He  may  direct 
everything  to  the  grand  consummation  of  that  day  in  which  the  whole  scheme  of 
His  moral  government  shall  be  accomplished.  But  what  is  the  glory  of  creation 
and  providence  compared  with  that  which  shines  in  the  great  work  of  redemption  ? 
Hence — 2.  The  absolute  necessity  of  thus  preaching  Christ  in  order  to  attain  the 
great  object  of  our  ministry.  (1)  It  is  the  only  object  for  which  it  has  been  appointed. 
Suppose,  instead  of  setting  up  the  brazen  serpent,  Moses  had  elevated  a  figure  of 
bimseK,  not  many  only,  but  all  the  people,  would  have  perished.  (2)  Its  peculiar 
adaptation  to  all  the  purposes  of  our  ministry  proves  the  necessity  of  preaching 
Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  (a)  Do  we  attempt  to  awaken  the  sinner,  to  arouse  the 
careless  ?  Shall  we  have  recourse  to  moral  suasion  ?  Shall  we  exhibit  the  enor- 
mities of  vice  and  the  beauties  of  virtue,  or  the  punishment  due  to  the  one  and 
the  rewards  promised  to  the  other  ?  Alas !  the  moral  history  of  the  world  is  but 
a  uniform  record  of  the  inefficacy  of  these  efforts.  But  he  who  is  insensible  to 
every  other  attraction,  and  resists  every  other  impression,  is  often  affected  by  an 
exhibition  of  the  Cross,  (b)  By  what  means  shall  we  administer  consolation  to 
the  wounded  spirit?  Palliatives  may  be  easily  found.  Hence  the  complaint,  "  They 
have  healed  the  hurt  of  the  daughter  of  My  people  slightly."  But  has  the  arrow 
of  conviction  pierced  the  conscience?  What  can  effect  a  cure  but  the  balm  in 
GQead,  applied  by  the  hand  of  the  Physician  there  ?  (c)  Do  we  seek  to  promote 
the  edification,  the  holiness,  the  comfort  of  believers?  These  objects  will  be  attained 
only  as  we  preach  "  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord."  That  knowledge  which  is  unto  salva- 
tion is  the  knowledge  of  Him  (John  xvii.  3).  Your  holiness  consists  in  conformity 
to  His  image.  Comfort  can  only  be  given  by  Him  who  is  the  consolation  of  Israel. 
(3)  It  is  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  without  which  our  ministry 
must  be  altogether  ineffectual.  Success  depends  upon  His  influence.  "  He  shall 
glorify  Me ;  for  He  shall  receive  of  Mine,  and  shall  shew  it  unto  you."  Conclusion: 
We  are  taught  from  this  subject — 1.  The  intrinsic  value  of  the  Christian  ministry 
is  to  be  estimated  by  the  degree  of  attention  it  pays  to  the  Kedeemer,  and  the  place 
■which  it  assigns  to  Him,  in  the  discharge  of  its  functions.  Bank,  intellectual  en- 
dowment, literary  attainment,  graces  of  oratory,  are  only  subservient  to  the  nobler 
pursuits  of  the  Christian  minister.  2.  As  it  is  the  duty  of  ministers  to  preach 
Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  it  is  equally  the  duty  of  those  who  hear  to  receive  Him. 
Without  this,  the  most  eminent  ministry  will  be  in  vain.  3.  Are  you  willing  to 
Teceive  Him  ?  He  is  willing  to  receive  you.  "  He  waiteth  to  be  gracious."  4. 
Have  you  received  Him?  Eemcmber  your  obligations,  and  seek  to  glorify  Ilim. 
5.  The  certain  perdition  of  all  who  reject  Christ.     (J.  Hunt.)         Christ  as  Lord  : — 


150  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  iv, 

1.  "  We  preach."  Preaching  is  a  peculiar  function.  No  other  religion  but  Chris- 
tianity has  preaching  in  it.  It  is  not  discussion  or  mere  explanation ;  it  is  the 
proclamation  of  gospel  truth  in  such  a  way  that  the  lives  of  men  may  be  made 
Christian.  The  Christian  preacher  must  never  wear  a  muzzle.  He  must  pray  for 
boldness,  and  his  hearers  must  above  all  ask  God  to  give  him  this  gift.  The  surgeon 
needs  a  firm  hand  to  perform  an  operation ;  the  captain  needs  a  clear  utterance  tc 
keep  the  vessel's  head  well  to  the  storm.  2.  "  We  preach  not  ourselves."  Preachers 
may  have  some  influence,  but  it  is  absolutely  of  no  worth  if  it  glorifies  the  man. 
People  soon  tire  of  a  prophet  whose  prophecy  is  only  about  himself  or  in  his  own 
name.  If  he  gain  influence,  it  is  through  his  service.  3.  Is  he,  then,  to  be  a  kind 
of  spiritual  servant  of  all  work  ?  No  ;  he  is  your  servant  for  Jesus'  sake.  An  am- 
bassador is  a  servant  that  waits  in  a  foreign  court ;  but  it  is  to  do  the  will  of  the 
monarch  who  sent  him.  Now,  what  is  the  substance  of  the  message  which  a  Chris- 
tian preacher  has  to  bring  ?  "  Christ  Jesus  as  Lord."  We  preach — I.  The  Divinb 
PERSONALITY  IN  Christ.  Man's  greatest  need  is  to  see  God.  All  BibUcal  history 
is  a  series  of  pathways  leading  to  God.  And  if  this  be  so  the  Bible  was  leading 
through  the  O.T.  to  Christ.  All  the  history  of  God's  dealings  with  men  sums  itself 
up  in  Christ  as  Lord.  If  aU  men  need  to  see  God,  the  proof  that  Christ  is  God 
will  be  this — that  men  do  actually  see  God  when  Christ  is  preached  to  them.  The 
real  proofs  of  Christ's  Divinity  are  in  the  spiritual  experiences  of  men  who  love 
Christ.  1.  Christ  legislates  as  God.  When  men  hear  Him  they  feel  He  speaks 
with  authority.  The  world  knows  in  its  heart  that  it  would  be  a  Godlike  world 
if  it  would  but  listen  to  Jesus.  2.  He  judges  like  God.  He  divides  man  from  man, 
nation  from  nation,  Church  from  Church,  with  unerring  vision.  3.  He  loves  like 
God.  If  He  loves  only  Peter  and  James  and  John,  what  thanks  has  He,  for  these 
love  Him  in  return  ?  But  when  He  loves  Judas,  Mary  Magdalene,  Pontius  Pilate, 
and  the  poor  dying  thief,  then  men  feel  that  a  new  manifestation  of  Divine  love 
has  come  to  them.  H.  The  Divine  propitiation  through  Christ.  When  Paul 
first  went  to  Corinth  he  made  a  special  resolution — "  to  know  nothing  save  Jesus 
Christ  and  Him  crucified."  And  there  are  people  in  all  our  large  cities  who  need 
such  a  treatment  as  this  to-day,  because  Christ  crucified  meets  their  central  want. 
It  is  not  that  they  do  not  want  good  books,  music,  politics,  houses,  &c.,  but  the 
want  that  towers  over  all  is  that  they  want  a  Saviour.  If  man  is  morally  diseased 
he  needs  a  remedy,  and  that  remedy  is  in  Christ,  who  was  crucified  on  the  Cross 
for  our  sins.  The  word  "  propitiation  "  refers  to  Christ's  death,  whereby  God's 
mercy  is  brought  to  us  as  sinners.  But  "  mercy  "  is  a  very  humbling  word.  Yet, 
when  conviction  has  been  brought  home  to  us  that  we  are  guilty,  it  is  the  one  word 
out  of  God's  rich  vocabulary  that  we  most  of  all  need.  "  Mercy"  is  a  twofold  word. 
1.  It  is  a  cry.  You  are  labouring  under  one  fell  complaint,  and  you  must  cry  for 
help.  The  prisoner  has  had  a  fair  trial,  and  his  guilt  has  been  brought  home  to 
him.  You  are  that  prisoner.  2.  It  is  an  offer.  The  sick  man  need  not  die,  for 
the  Good  Physician  has  come ;  the  prisoner  need  not  suffer,  for  Christ  has  borne 
the  burden  and  curse  of  his  sin.  in.  The  Divine  sovereignty  in  Christ.  "  Christ 
Jesus  as  Lord."  We  are  apt  to  let  this  idea  shp  out  of  our  conceptions  of  evan- 
gelical religion.  As  soon  as  we  have  apprehended  Christ  as  Saviour,  we  suppose 
sometimes  that  the  work  is  done,  whereas  it  is  but  just  begun.  Christ  is  Saviour 
in  order  that  He  may  be  King.  If  Christ  does  not  rule  men  He  has  failed  in  the 
purpose  that  called  Him  here.  Christ  is  Lord  of  man ;  Lord  of  the  woman ;  Lord 
of  the  child;  Lord  of  the  home,  determining  its  expenditure,  its  giving,  its  habits, 
its  prayers,  and  its  purposes;  Lord  of  the  Church;  Lord  of  the  state,  decreeing 
justice  to  all,  bringing  law  into  harmony  with  Divine  teaching ;  Lord  of  the  world, 
driving  back  the  darkness,  destroying  false  religion,  bringing  in  the  true,  making 
earth  like  heaven.  That  lordship  of  Christ  will  not  let  us  put  on  our  rehgion  and 
put  it  off  like  our  Sunday  clothes.  It  calls  upon  Christians  to  be  the  subjects  of 
Christ  everywhere — to  obey  Christ  in  business,  in  the  home,  in  politics,  in  reading, 
in  talking,  in  amusements,  in  social  life,  in  crying,  in  laughing,  in  giving,  in  dying. 
There  is  a  majesty  about  this  name  that  men  have  not  yet  felt.  (S.  Pearson,  M.A.) 
For  Jesus'  sake. — The  great  argument : — 1.  A  melting  argument.  Of  all  the  argu- 
ments that  address  the  emotional  nature  of  man,  none  can  have  such  force  as  that 
which  addresses  him  by  the  love  of  God — "For  Jesus'  sake."  2.  A  winning  argu- 
ment. It  does  not  repel  the  soul ;  it  draws  it.  It  does  not  compel  it  unwillingly  ; 
it  is  an  argument  of  love  that  wins  a  willing  mind.  Are  you  a  man  or  woman  of 
taste  ?  If  you  will  own  the  truth,  that  Jesus  is  the  author  of  all  the  beauties  that 
salute  your  senses,  not  only  as  the  Creator,  "  without  whom  was  not  anything  made- 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  151 

that  was  made,"  but  as  the  Eedeemer,  without  whose  sacrifice  the  human  race 
would  not  have  any  more  blessings  than  the  fallen  angels  had,  then  all  the  separate 
beauties  of  art  and  nature  will  be  so  many  alluring  voices  to  wm  you  to  Jesus.  Are 
you  a  man  or  woman  of  intellectual  acquirement?  Go  through  the  round  of  human 
studies.  Revel  in  all  the  glories  of  the  visible  creation  and  of  mind,  and  while 
you  are  doing  it  rise  to  the  dignity  of  the  fact  that  the  master  mind  of  your 
Creator — Redeemer — was  the  glorious  model  in  which  all  these  magnificent  things 
were  cast,  and  how  will  you  be  allured  to  give  yourself  up  to  the  worship  and 
service  of  your  blessed  Master !  3.  A  commanding  argument.  Oh,  there  is  that 
in  the  offices  of  our  Redeemer,  as  governor  of  the  nations  and  judge  of  the 
race,  that  invests  the  argument  of  our  text  with  a  commanding  power  which 
nothing  can  equal!  4.  A  comforting  argument.  "For  Jesus'  sake"  has  brought 
the  sublimest  joys  that  earth  ever  witnessed,  even  amid  the  deepest  distresses  that 
earth  ever  endured.  5.  An  ennobling  argument.  6.  An  all-embracing  argument. 
7.  A  comprehensive  argument.  It  appeals  to  us  to  forsake  all  sin.  "For  Jesus' 
sake  "  let  us  put  away  all  sin.  It  appeals  to  us  to  perform  all  duty.  (^Y.  D. 
Williamson.)  For  God,  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine,  hath  shined  in  our 
hearts. — Ti'tie  soul  light : — There  are  two  lights  in  the  soul.  There  is — 1.  The 
"  light  of  nature."  This  consists  of  those  moral  intuitions  which  heaven  implanted 
within  us  at  first.  These  intuitions  are  good  enough  for  angels,  did  for  Adam 
before  he  fell,  but  now,  through  sin,  they  are  so  blunt  and  dim  that  the  soul  is 
in  moral  darkness.  2.  The  light  of  the  gospel.  This  comes  because  the  light  of 
nature  is  all  but  gone  out,  and  this  is  the  light  to  which  the  text  refers.  I.  It 
EM.\NATES  FROM  THE  HIGHEST  SOURCE.  "  God."  The  reference  is  to  Gen.  i.  3.  It 
reminds  us — 1.  Of  antecedent  darkness.  The  state  of  the  soul  before  this  light 
enters  it  is  analogous  to  the  state  of  the  earth  before  God  kindled  the  lights  of  the 
firmament.  2.  Of  almighty  sovereignty.  "Let  light  be,  and  light  was."  The 
luminaries  of  the  firmament  were  kindled  by  the  free,  uncontrolled,  almighty  power 
of  God.  So  it  is  with  real  spiritual  light.  It  comes  because  God  wills  it.  II.  It 
REVEALS  THE  GRANDEST  SUBJECT.  "  The  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God."  Gospel 
light  entering  the  soul  makes  God  visible  as  the  eternal  reality  and  the  fountain  of 
being,  and  the  source  of  all  blessedness.  Where  this  gospel  light  is  not  th/s  soul 
either  ignores  or  denies  Him,  or  at  most  speculates  about  Him,  and  at  best  has  now 
and  then  flitting  visions.  III.  It  streams  through  the  sublimest  medium.  "  In 
the  face  of  Jesus  Christ."  In  the  person  of  Christ  the  glory  of  God  shone  clearly, 
and  the  divinity  appeared  without  a  veil.  This  light  coming  through  Christ,  who 
is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  is — 1.  True  hght.  He  is  the  truth.  2.  Softened 
hght.  The  soul  could  not  stand  the  light  coming  directly  from  the  infinite  source 
— it  is  too  dazzling.  3.  Quickening  light.  It  falls  on  the  soul  like  the  sunbeam  on 
the  seed  quickening  into  life.  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  Divine  knowledcfe  : — I.  Its 
NECESSITY.  1.  When  God  viewed  the  earth  it  was  formless  and  void,  "  and  dark- 
ness was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep."  So,  when  He  comes  to  the  soul.  He  sees  it 
full  of  disorder  and  ignorance.  (1)  It  is  hard  to  determine  at  what  period  idolatry 
commenced.  But  there  were  "lords  many  and  gods  many."  As  the  object  of 
worship  was  misunderstood,  so  the  service  rendered  Him  was  no  longer  a  reasonable 
service.  Even  human  blood  streamed  upon  their  altars.  (2)  Some  acknowledge 
this  to  be  a  just  statement  of  the  heathen  world,  but  will  not  allow  it  as  regards 
nations  blessed  with  the  gospel.  But  are  men  secure  from  error  and  delusion  in 
a  land  of  vision  ?  Do  we  not  often  see  their  ignorance  in  their  views  of  the  evil 
of  sin  and  of  the  way  of  salvation — in  their  subjection  to  the  world  and  their  dis- 
affection to  God  ?  The  rays  of  the  sun  may  shine  around  a  man,  while  yet, 
because  of  his  blindness,  he  may  grope  in  darkness  at  noonday.  We  may  be 
delivered  from  gross  idolatry,  and  yet  indulge  in  a  more  refined  species  of  it,  and 
which  is  equally  destructive  to  the  soul.  Many  make  "  gold  their  hope,  and  fine 
gold  their  confidence."  2.  But  this  knowledge,  of  which  we  are  destitute,  is  in- 
dispensable. "For  the  soul  to  be  without  knowledge,"  says  Solomon,  "it  is  not 
good  "  ;  it  is  like  the  body  without  the  eye,  or  the  earth  without  the  sun.  The  devil 
maintains  his  empire  by  error,  but  God  maintains  His  cause  by  truth.  One  reigns 
in  a  kingdom  of  darkness,  the  other  in  a  kingdom  of  light.  All  God's  operations 
in  His  people  are  begun  and  carried  on  in  the  illumination  of  the  mind.  Repen- 
tance, faith,  patience,  courage,  love,  result  from,  and  are  influenced  by,  just  views 
of  things,  which  supply  what  we  call  motives.  II.  Its  medium.  "  The  face  of  Jesus 
Christ"  (John  i.  18).  He  declared  Him,  not  only  by  the  doctrines  He  taught,  but 
I7  the  work  to  which  He  was  appointed,  and  by  His  temper,  His  life.  His  chaiaeter. 


152  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

If  we  would  know  what  God  is,  we  must  learn  of  Him  "  who  went  about  doing 
good,"  and  who  said  to  Phihp,  "He  that  hath  seen  Me  hath  seen  the  Father." 
Hence  He  is  called  "  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  brightness  of  His  glory," 
&c.  1.  Much  of  God  is  indeed  displayed  in  the  works  of  nature.  2.  It  is  in  Christ 
that  we  see  the  glory  of  God  without  being  dazzled  to  death  by  the  effulgence. 
There  it  is  approachable,  inviting.  There  we  have  the  only  discovery  of  Him  that 
could  meet  our  case.  HI.  Its  residence — the  heart.  We  may  perish  not  only  by 
ignorance,  but  by  knowledge.  The  head  may  be  clear  while  the  heart  is  cold.  The 
knowledge  of  which  the  apostle  speaks  is  distinguishable  from  mere  opinion  and 
speculation  ;  it  has  to  do  with  the  heart.  It  affects  it — 1.  In  a  way  of  godly  sorrow. 
There  is  a  "  broken  heart  "  which  "  God  will  not  despise,"  and  here  it  is  produced. 
"They  shall  look  upon  Him  whom  they  have  pierced,"  <i'C.  2.  In  a  way  of  desire. 
The  man  longs  to  appropriate  what  he  discovers.  It  is  called  "  hungering  and 
thirsting  after  righteousness."  3.  In  a  way  of  complacency.  The  behever  not  only 
submits,  but  acquiesces.  His  necessity  is  his  choice.  4.  In  a  way  of  gratitude. 
"We  love  Him  because  He  first  loved  us,  and  cannot  but  ask.  What  shall  we  render 
unto  the  Lord  for  all  His  benefits  towards  us  ?  IV.  Its  author — God  Himself. 
When  Peter  had  made  a  good  confession,  our  Lord  said  to  him,  "Flesh  and  blood 
hath  not  revealed  this  unto  thee,  but  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  The  same 
may  be  said  of  every  enlightened  sinner.  "  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them 
that  fear  Him,  and  He  will  show  them  His  covenant."  The  nature,  efficacy,  blessed- 
ness of  this  knowledge  prove  it  to  be  of  a  Divine  original.  And  to  this  every  believer 
readily  subscribes.  [W.  Jay.)  To  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory 
of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ. — The  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ : — 
Note — I.  The  subject  of  that  knowledge  in  which  Paul  delighted — God.  A  most 
needful  knowledge.  For  a  man  not  to  know  his  Maker  is  deplorable.  The  proper 
study  of  mankind  is  God.  Paul  does  not  mean  the  knowledge  of  the  existence  or 
character  of  God ;  he  had  known  that  from  the  O.T.  before  his  conversion.  He 
meant  that  now  he  knew  God  in  a  clearer  and  surer  way,  for  he  had  seen  Him  in 
the  person  of  Christ.  He  had  also  received  the  knowledge  of  "  the  glory  of  God." 
He  had  seen  that  glory  in  creation  and  in  the  law ;  but  now,  beyond  all  else,  he  had 
come  to  perceive  it  in  the  face,  or  person,  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  this  had  won  his 
soul.  Consider  this  glory  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ — 1.  Historically.  In  every 
incident  of  His  life  God  is  seen.  (1)  At  Bethlehem  I  perceive  a  choice  glory,  for 
God  despises  the  pomp  which  little  minds  esteem  so  highly.  The  glory  of  God  in 
Christ  asks  no  aid  from  the  splendour  of  courts  and  palaces.  Yet  mark  how  the 
Magi  and  the  shepherds  hasten  to  salute  the  new-born  King.  (2)  In  the  temple. 
What  wisdom  there  was  in  that  Child !  "  The  foolishness  of  God  is  wiser  than 
men."  (3)  In  the  carpenter's  shop.  See  there  how  God  can  wait !  We  should 
have  hastened  to  begin  our  hfe-work  long  before.  (4)  In  His  pubhc  ministry. 
Behold,  while  He  feeds  five  thousand,  the  glory  of  God  in  the  commissariat  of 
the  universe.  See  Him  cast  out  devUs,  and  learn  the  Divine  power  over  evil.  Hear 
Him  raise  the  dead,  and  reverence  the  Divine  prerogative  to  kill  and  to  make  alive. 
Hear  how  He  speaks  and  infaUibly  reveals  the  truth,  and  you  wUl  perceive  the  God 
of  knowledge  to  whom  the  wise-hearted  owe  their  instruction.  When  He  receives 
sinners,  what  is  this  but  the  Lord  God,  merciful  and  gracious  ?  (5)  But  never  did 
the  love  of  God  reveal  itself  so  clearly  as  when  He  laid  down  His  life  ;  nor  did  the 
justice  of  God  ever  flame  forth  as  when  He  would  suffer  rather  than  sin  should  go 
unpunished  and  the  law  be  dishonoured.  (6)  In  His  resurrection  He  spoiled  princi- 
palities and  powers,  led  death  captive,  and  rifled  the  tomb.  (7)  In  His  ascension 
His  Godhead  was  conspicuous,  for  He  again  put  on  the  glory  which  He  had  with 
the  Father  or  ever  the  world  was.  (8)  In  heaven  they  never  conceive  of  Jesus  apart 
from  the  Divine  glory  which  perpetually  surrounds  Him.  (9)  The  glory  of  God 
will  most  abundantly  be  seen  in  the  second  advent.  2.  By  way  of  observation. 
In  the  material  universe  the  reverent  mind  perceives  enough  of  the  gloiy  of  God 
to  constrain  worship,  and  yet  after  a  while  it  pines  for  more.  Even  when  your 
thought  sweeps  round  the  stars,  and  circumnavigates  space,  you  feel  that  even  the 
heaven  of  heavens  cannot  contain  Him.  In  Christ,  however,  you  have  a  mirror 
equal  to  the  reflection  of  the  eternal  face,  for  "  in  Him  dwelleth  aU  the  fulness  of 
the  Godhead  bodily."  He  is  the  image  of  God.  In  the  person  of  Jesus  we  see  the 
glory  of  God — (1)  In  the  veiling  of  His  splendour.  The  Lord  is  not  eager  to  display 
Himself.  "  Verily  thou  art  a  God  that  hidest  Thyself."  God's  glory  in  the  field 
of  creation  is  as  a  light  shaded  to  suit  the  human  eye,  and  in  the  face  of  Christ 
it  is  so.     How  softly  breaks  the  Divine  glory  through  His  human  life !     When 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  153 

Moses'  face  shone  the  people  could  not  look  thereon,  but  when  Jesus  came  from 
His  transfiguration  the  people  ran  to  Him  and  saluted  Him.  In  Him  we  see  God 
to  the  full,  but  the  Deity  so  mildly  beams  through  the  medium  of  human  flesh  that 
mortal  man  may  look  and  live.  (2)  In  the  wondrous  blending  of  the  attributes, 
behold  His  mercy,  for  He  dies  for  sinners ;  but  see  His  justice,  for  He  sits  as  judge 
of  quick  and  dead.  Observe  His  immutability,  for  He  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day. 
and  for  ever;  and  see  His  power,  for  His  voice  shakes  not  only  earth,  but  also 
heaven.  See  how  infinite  is  His  love,  for  He  espouses  His  chosen ;  but  how  terrible 
His  wrath,  for  He  consumes  His  adversaiies.  (3)  In  the  outgoing  of  His  great 
heart ;  for  He  is  altogether  unselfish  and  unsparingly  communicative.  We  may 
conceive  a  period  when  the  Eternal  dwelt  alone.  He  must  have  been  incon- 
ceivably blessed  ;  but  He  was  not  content  to  enjoy  perfect  bliss  alone.  He  began 
to  create,  and  probably  formed  innumerable  beings  long  before  this  world  came  into 
existence ;  and  He  did  this  that  He  might  multiply  beings  capable  of  happiness. 
This  is  His  glory,  and  is  it  not  to  be  seen  most  evidently  in  Christ,  who  "  saved 
others.  Himself  He  could  not  save  "  ?  Neither  in  hfe  nor  in  death  did  Christ  live 
within  Himself ;  He  hved  for  His  people,  and  died  for  them.  (4)  There  are  two 
things  I  have  noticed  in  the  glory  of  God.  I  have  stood  upon  a  lofty  hill  and 
looked  abroad  upon  the  landscape — (a)  I  have  felt  the  outflow  of  Deity.  Even  as 
the  sun  pours  himself  over  all  things,  so  does  God  ;  and  in  the  hum  of  an  insect, 
as  well  as  in  the  crash  of  a  thunderbolt,  we  hear  a  voice  saying,  "  God  is  here." 
Is  not  this  the  feeling  of  the  heart  in  the  presence  of  Christ  ?  Is  not  He  to  us  the 
everybody,  the  one  only  person  of  His  age  ?  I  cannot  think  of  Ceesar  or  Rome,  or 
aU  the  myriads  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  as  being  anything  more  than  small  figures 
in  the  background  of  the  picture  when  Jesus  is  before  me.  (b)  I  also  have  felt  the 
indrawing  of  all  things  towards  God  as  steps  to  His  throne,  and  every  tree  and  hill 
has  seemed  to  return  to  Him  from  whom  it  came.  Is  it  not  just  so  in  the  life  of 
Christ  ?  "  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  Me."  3.  By  way  of  experience. 
Have  you  ever  heard  Christ's  doctrine  in  your  soul  ?  If  so,  you  have  felt  it  to 
be  Divine.  Has  your  heart  heard  the  voice  of  Christ  speaking  peace  and  pardon 
through  the  blood  ?  If  so,  you  have  known  Him  to  be  Lord  of  all.  There  are 
times  when  the  elevating  influence  of  the  presence  of  Christ  has  put  His  Godhead 
beyond  the  possibility  of  question.  II.  The  nature  of  this  knowledge.  How, 
and  in  what  respects,  do  we  know  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ  ? 
1.  By  faith.  Upon  the  testimony  of  the  Word  we  beheve  that  God  is  in  Christ. 
The  Lord  hath  said,  "  This  is  My  beloved  Son,  hear  ye  Him"  (1  John  v.  20).  2. 
By  consideration  and  meditation.  The  more  carefully  we  pay  attention  to  the  four 
evangelists  the  more  is  our  understanding  persuaded  that  no  mere  man  stands 
before  us.  3.  By  inward  consciousness.  We  have  come  into  contact  with  Christ, 
and  have  known,  therefore,  that  He  is  God.  We  love  Him,  and  we  also  love  God, 
and  we  perceive  that  these  two  are  one.  It  is  by  the  heart  that  we  know  God  and 
Christ,  and  as  our  affections  are  purified  we  become  sensible  of  God's  presence  in 
Christ.  4.  Moreover,  as  we  look  at  our  Lord  we  begin  to  grow  like  Him.  Our 
beholding  Him  has  purified  the  eye  which  has  gazed  on  His  purity.  The  light 
of  the  sun  bhnds  us,  but  the  light  of  Jesus  strengthens  the  eye.  III.  The  means 
OF  THIS  knowledge.  1.  Why  did  not  everybody  see  the  glory  of  God  in  Christ  when 
He  was  here  ?  Answer  :  It  mattereth  not  how  brightly  the  sun  shineth  among  blind 
men.  Now,  the  human  heart  is  blind,  and,  moreover,  there  is  a  god  of  this  world, 
the  prmce  of  darkness,  who  confirms  the  natural  darkness  of  the  human  mind. 
He  bUnds  men's  minds  with  error,  ignorance,  or  pride.  As  only  the  pure  in  heart 
can  see  God,  we,  being  impure  in  heart,  could  not  see  God  in  Christ.  What,  then, 
hath  happened  to  us?  That  same  God  who  said,  "Light  be,"  and  light  was,  hath 
shined  into  our  hearts.  2.  Do  you  see  the  glory  of  God  in  Christ  ?  Then  let  that 
sight  be  an  evidence  to  you  of  your  salvation.  When  our  Lord  asked,  "  Whom  do 
men  say  that  I,  the  Son  of  Man,  am?  "  Peter  answered,  "  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  the  living  God."  And  our  Lord  replied,  "  Flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed 
it  unto  you,  but  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  "  No  man  can  say  that  Jesus  is 
the  Christ  but  by  the  .Holy  Ghost."  "  Whosoever  beUeveth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ 
is  born  of  God."  IV.  The  EESPONSisrLiTiES  of  this  knowledge.  Some  expositors 
make  the  verse  run  thus :  "  God  .  .  .  hath  shined  in  our  hearts,  that  tve  might  give 
out  again  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ." 
Never  is  a  gleam  of  light  given  to  any  man  to  hide  away.  Only  think  of  a  person, 
when  his  room  is  full  of  sunlight,  saying  to  his  servant,  "  Close  the  shutters,  and 
let  us  keep  this  precious  light  to  ourselves."     So,  when  a  child  of  God  gets  the  light 


154  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  it. 

from  Christ's  face,  he  must  not  say,  "  I  shall  keep  this  to  myself,"  for  that  would 
shut  it  out.  No ;  you  have  the  light  that  you  may  reflect  it.  If  you  have  learned 
the  truth,  make  it  plain  to  others.  Let  Jesus  manifest  Himself  in  His  own  Ught ; 
do  not  cast  a  light  on  Him,  or  attempt  to  show  the  sun  with  a  candle.  Do  not  aim 
at  converting  men  to  your  views,  but  let  the  light  shine  for  itself  and  work  its  own 
way.  Scatter  your  light  in  all  unselfishness.  Wish  to  shine,  not  that  others  may  say 
"  How  bright  he  is  !  "  but  that  they,  getting  the  light,  may  rejoice  in  the  source  from 
which  it  came  to  you  and  to  them.  (C  H.  Spurgeon.)  The  glory  of  God  in  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ : — "  The  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God."  A  ques- 
tion arises  as  to  the  meaning  of  this  expression.  The  knowledge  of  God  is  here 
metaphorically  represented  to  be  light.  Now,  as  light,  in  Scripture  language,  is 
an  emblem  of  purity,  and  as  the  glory  of  God  is  just  the  manifestation  of  the  Divine 
character  and  attributes,  the  meaning  of  the  whole  expression,  "  the  light  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God,"  will  be  the  correct  knowledge  ;  viewed  in  reference 
to  ourselves,  the  correct  and  clear  apprehension  of  the  Divine  character  and  attri- 
butes.    This,  the  text  tells  us,  is  obtained  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.     I.  We  are 

TO  CONSIDER  THIS  KNOWLEDGE  IN   THE    MEDIUM  OF   ITS   MANIFESTATION.       1.    And   here  I 

would  observe,  this  knowledge  is  gloriously  manifested  in  the  person  of  Christ.  It 
is  true  that  the  whole  universe  manifests  forth  the  glory  of  God.  In  all  that  He 
does  He  shows  Himself  to  be  inconceivably  wise  and  good  and  great  and  excellent. 
"  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God."  But  how  vastly  are  these  views  of  the 
Divine  character  strengthened,  extended,  and  intensified  by  contemplating  the 
glorious  person  of  Jesus !  Why,  the  gospel  narratives  furnish  a  convincing  proof 
of  their  truth  and  inspiration  merely  from  the  fact  of  the  moral  grandeur  with 
which  they  invest  the  person  of  Jesus.  2.  I  observe,  further,  that  the  knowledge 
of  God  is  gloriously  manifested  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ.  There  is,  so  to  speak,  a 
heartfelt  harmony  between  the  person  of  Christ  and  the  doctrines  which  He  taught. 
The  manifold  excellences  which  encircle  the  former  find  their  appropriate  expres- 
sion in  the  sublime  benevolence  which  forms  the  very  essence  of  the  latter. 
3.  I  observe,  finally,  that  the  knowledge  of  God  is  gloriously  manifested  in  the 
work  of  Christ.  The  work  of  Christ  is  the  foundation  of  the  doctrines  which  He 
taught.  Moreover,  the  benevolence  of  this  work  is  equalled  by  the  vastness  of  its 
aims.  Where  can  the  knowledge  of  God  be  more  gloriously  manifested  than  in  the 
work  of  the  incarnate  Son  ?  Here  we  see  God  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto 
Himself,  seeing  He  hath  made  Hun  to  be  sin  for  us  who  knew  no  sin.    U.  Consider 

THIS  knowledge    IN   REGARD   TO   THE    OBJECT    ON  WHICH    IT   OPERATES THE  HEART.       1. 

And  here  I  remark  that  it  operates  on  the  heart  first  in  the  way  of  illumination — 
it  makes  the  heart  acquainted  with  itself.  To  make  the  heart  acquainted  with  itself 
is  no  easy  task.  Indeed,  the  difiiculties  to  be  encountered  in  a  work  of  this  kind 
are,  to  a  merely  human  power,  entirely  insurmountable,  for  the  heart  has  no  desire 
to  be  acquainted  with  itself,  but,  instead  of  this,  the  most  sensitive  aversion  to  every- 
thing like  self-knowledge.  But  this  is  not  all.  It  invariably  resorts  to  those  shifts 
and  expedients  which  serve  to  make  the  light  little  better  than  darkness.  How 
often  do  we  find,  when  examining  ourselves,  that  our  hearts  interpose  to  exhibit 
everything  through  a  false  and  flattering  medium.  And  there  is  no  difficulty  in 
accounting  for  this.  Knowledge,  which  is  external  to  ourselves,  flatters  our  vanity, 
raises  us  in  the  eyes  of  our  neighbours,  and  adds  to  our  importance  in  the  world. 
But  a  severe  and  searching  inquiry  into  the  state  of  our  own  hearts  wounds  our 
pride  and  lowers  us  in  our  own  esteem.  Now,  it  is  upon  this  dark,  deceitful  heart 
that  the  knowledge  of  God  operates.  It  may  be  asked.  What  effect  does  this  revela- 
tion to  him  of  the  state  of  his  heart  have  upon  the  sinner  ?  The  sinner  trembles 
as  he  sees  the  sentence  of  condemnation  which  his  conscience,  now  thoroughly 
aroused,  writes  on  the  scroll  of  his  spiritual  vision  as  in  characters  of  fire ;  and, 
however  self-satisfied  he  might  formerly  have  been,  now  that  he  sees  himself  in 
the  light  of  Divine  truth,  he  readily  confesses  with  Job,  "Behold,  I  am  vile  ;  what 
shall  I  say  unto  Thee?"  2.  I  remark,  further,  this  knowledge  operates  upon  the 
heart  in  the  way  of  purification.  "  The  man  that  hath  this  hope  in  Him  purifieth 
himself,  even  as  He  is  pure."  Every  follower  of  Christ  must  strive  to  be  hke  Him 
— like  Him  in  benevolence  and  benignity  of  character ;  like  Him  in  purity  and 
elevation  of  soul ;  like  Him  in  thought,  feeling,  and  action ;  like  Him  in  all  those 
qualities  which  constitute  His  true  and  proper  humanity — "  till  he  come  through 
the  unity  of  the  faith  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  to  a  perfect  man,  to  the 
measure  of  the  fulness  of  Christ  Jesus."  III.  Consider  this  knowledge  in  relation 
10  ITS  author — "  God,  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness."     1. 


CHAP.  IV.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  155 


Now,  in  a  certain  sense  God  is  the  author  of  all  things  in  relation  to  us.  He  made 
us,  and  not  we  ourselves.  Our  circumstances  in  life,  our  natural  endowments,  our 
means  of  instruction  and  improvement,  and,  as  a  consequence,  our  position  in  and 
influence  upon  the  world,  fall  out  according  to  the  wise  and  beneficent  arrangements 
of  His  providence.  But  while,  in  relation  to  these  matters,  God  may  be  said  to  act 
by  natural  established  laws,  in  certain  other  things  in  relation  to  us  He  acts  by  a 
direct  creative  act  of  His  almighty  power.  It  is  "  God,  who  commanded  the  light 
to  shine  out  of  darkness,"  who  shines  in  our  hearts.  In  this  descriptive  appellation 
of  God  the  apostle  refers  to  the  grandest  exhibition  of  almighty  power  the  universe 
ever  beheld.  2.  Further,  the  Divine  authorship  of  this  knowledge  is  apparent  from 
its  nature.  You  cannot  more  surely  trace  a  ray  of  light  to  its  source  in  the  sun 
than  you  can  trace  the  moral  lineaments  of  that  Being  who  is  holy,  wise,  just,  and 
good,  in  the  revelation  which  He  has  given  of  Himself  in  Jesus  Christ.  The  Divine 
authorship  of  any  work  is  held  to  be  proved  when  the  means  by  which  it  is  brought 
about  are,  humanly  speaking,  inadequate  to  the  ends  in  view.  Where  are  these 
conditions  more  amply  fulfilled  than  in  the  revelation  which  God  has  given  of 
Himself  in  Christ  Jesus?  Why,  the  work  to  be  done  is  confessedly  the  most 
dilficult  in  the  world.  3.  Finally,  the  Divine  authorship  of  this  knowledge  is 
apparent  by  the  blessedness  its  possession  brings.  This  blessedness  is  altogether 
of  a  singular  kind.  It  is  singular  as  to  its  origin.  It  is  not  produced  by  the  most 
fortunate  collusion  of  outward  circumstances,  neither  is  it  affected  by  the  discon- 
tinuance of  these.  The  world  cannot  give  it,  and  the  world  cannot  take  it  away, 
I  would  call  upon  all  of  you  to  remember  that  by  nature  we  are  all  ignorant  of  the 
knowledge  referred  to  in  the  text.  God's  willingness  to  impai't  the  knowledge  of 
Himself,  and  the  preciousness  of  this  knowledge.  Note  the  apostle's  language 
here.  He  does  not  state  it  as  a  thing  that  may  be,  or  a  thing  that  will  be, 
but  he  states  it  as  a  thing  that  has  actually  occurred^God  hath  shined  in  our 
hearts.  (J.  Inirie,  M.A.)  God's  glory  in  Christ: — 1.  In  order  to  the  percep- 
tion of  God's  material  creation,  two  things  are  indispensable — the  presence  of 
light  and  the  possession  of  an  eye  as  the  perceiving  power  or  medium.  So,  in 
order  to  the  knowledge  of  the  highest  spiritual  truth,  there  must  be  a  revelation 
and  an  appropriate  organ  or  state  of  the  soul.  "  Spiritual  things  "  are  "  spii'itually 
discerned."  2.  But  reference  is  not  merely  to  the  receiving,  but  also  to  the 
imparting,  of  light.  See  preceding  verses  and  chap.  iii.  "  If  we  appear  to  be 
the  speakers,  it  is  nevertheless  Christ,  who  works  by  us,  and  who  inwardly  en- 
lightens us,  in  order  that  we  should  enlighten  others."  Nor  need  we  confine  the 
design  of  such  enlightenment  to  apostles  or  ministers.  Every  Christian  is  to  be 
a  "  light-giver  in  the  world."  Observe — I.  That  the  glory  of  God  is  most  clearly 
AND  FULLY  REVEALED  IN  THE  FACE  OF  Christ.  In  Christ  we  behold — 1.  The  real 
and  direct  expression  of  God.  In  nature  we  have  the  indirect — in  the  ancient  modes 
of  revelation  the  typical — expressions  of  God,  in  Christ  the  direct  and  true.  2.  The 
Divine  excellences  embodied  in  a  hving  person.  The  attributes  of  God,  considered 
abstractly,  have  httle  influence  compared  with  that  exerted  by  their  personal 
embodiment  in  Jesus  Christ.  3.  The  expression  of  the  Divine  perfections  in  their 
human  form — perfections  which,  from  their  very  glory  and  exaltation,  we  regard 
as  beyond  our  imitation.  In  Christ,  however,  we  see  holiness,  not  merely  in  con- 
junction with  infinite  power,  but  in  human  circumstances,  contending  with  human 
weakness  and  difficulties.  And  then  His  love — how  human,  tender,  touching!  He 
reveals  the  heart  of  God.  4.  The  perfect  blending  of  aU  God's  attributes  in  beautiful 
harmony.  In  other  revelations  of  God  you  have  the  divided,  and  sometimes  dis- 
torted, beam ;  here,  in  the  face  of  Christ,  shines  the  pure  and  perfect  light.  II. 
That  God  gives  a  state  of  soul  adapted  to  receive  and  realise  His  glory  in  the 
FACE  of  Christ.  1.  The  appropriate  state  of  soul  is  specially  a  heart  preparation. 
"  In  our  hearts."  Unlike  other  truths,  which  need  to  be  understood  in  order  to  be 
loved,  religious  truths  require  to  be  loved  in  order  to  be  known.  How  can  the  carnal 
mind,  at  enmity  with  God,  perceive  the  beauty  of  holiness,  or  the  narrow,  selfish 
heart  realise  a  love  which  is  as  wide  as  the  world,  which  stoops  from  the  highest 
glory  to  the  deepest  abasement,  and  gives  itself  forth  unto  death  that  others  might 
have  eternal  life  ?  The  heart  must  be  opened,  purged,  clear,  to  receive  the  light 
of  the  knowledge  of  Christ.  2.  Such  preparation  is  a  great  and  Divine  work.  No 
mere  resolutions  or  arguments  can  accomplish  the  new  creation  in  the  soul.  Gently 
and  almost  unconsciously  are  men  often  led  to  behold  the  glory  of  God  in  Christ, 
as  the  eyelids  unclose  beneath  the  brightening  beams  of  morning.  III.  That  the 
ruBPosE  FOR  which  God  gives  His  light  to  some  is  that  they  may  l^ipaut  it  to 


156  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

OTHEES.  1.  The  fact  of  our  having  received  light  enables  us  to  impart  it ;  and  the 
more  we  receive,  the  more  shall  we  be  able  to  give.  2.  This  fact  also  renders  it  a 
most  solemn  duty,  incumbent  on  all  who  have  received  the  truth,  to  impart  it  to 
others.  3.  And  should  we  not,  too,  by  dwelling  on  the  glory  of  God  in  Christ,  be 
inspired  with  motives  sufficiently  strong  to  bear  us  through  all  the  difficulties  at- 
tending the  endeavouV  to  diffuse  the  truth?  {B.  Dale,  M.A.)  The  face  of  Jesus 
Christ : — 1.  How  much  is  contained  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  Everything — 
the  glory  of  God,  for  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God ;  all  that  pertains  to  ideal  humanity, 
for  Christ  is  true  man ;  the  history  of  everything  pertaining  to  redemption  is 
written  there.  2.  The  Bible  is  a  photographic  album.  It  is  full  of  faces  taken 
from  God's  camera.  Chief  among  these  is  the  face  of  Jesus.  It  is  a  remark- 
able thing  that  nowhere  have  we  any  clue  to  Christ's  physical  identity.  We 
have  no  portrait  of  His  person,  nor  have  we  any  authentic  description  of  it. 
Coins  and  statues  reveal  the  features  of  some  contemporaries  of  Jesus,  and 
history  gives  pen-pictures  of  Socrates,  (fee. ;  but  of  Him,  the  one  historic  per- 
sonage of  whose  form  and  face  the  whole  world  most  desires  some  knowledge, 
there  is  not  a  trace  in  the  Bible.  3.  Why  this  absence  of  Christ  in  marble  or 
on  canvas?  Why  this  silence  of  inspired  biographers?  I  believe  it  was  from 
God.  God  sets  Christ  forth  as  man,  and  not  as  any  particular  man,  so  that  He 
may  not  be  localised.  4.  We  are  satisfied  with  this  way  of  presenting  the  face 
of  Jesus  Christ.  While  we  do  not  have  His  features,  we  have  His  mind.  His 
moral  qualities.  His  spiritual  nature.  After  all,  is  it  not  the  aim  of  true  art  to  set 
forth  these  qualities  ?  A  true  artist  is  not  satisfied  with  putting  mere  physical 
beauty  upon  the  canvas.  Let  us  turn  the  pages  of  the  Bible  album  and  look  into 
some  of  the  faces  of  Jesus  Christ.  There  is — I.  The  heroic  face  (Luke  ix.  41). 
1.  That  face  turned  Jerusalem-ward  is  a  mirror.  He  kept  His  face  fronting  awful 
realities.  That  fixed  face  ought  to  move  our  souls,  and  react  in  our  fidehty  to  Him 
and  His  cause.  2.  Do  not  undervalue  His  heroism  as  seen  in  this  face.  He  did 
not  find  it  easy  to  walk  to  Jerusalem.  The  shrinking  of  His  sensitive  humanity 
stood  in  the  way.  The  words  imply  a  desperate  conflict,  and  victory  won  only  by 
means  of  it.  3.  This  heroic  face  helps  to  set  forth  the  fierceness  of  the  battle  of 
Calvary,  which  He  won  as  our  champion.  II.  The  face  bruised  by  human  con- 
tempt AND  intolerance.  This  picture  is  a  revelation  of  the  patience  of  Jesus.  He 
was  keenly  sensitive,  and  yet  He  bore  all  this  indignity  without  a  murmur.  III. 
The  face  in  the  dust  (Matt.  xxvi.  39).  Gethsemane  was  to  the  prostrate  form 
Calvary  before  its  time.      Gethsemane  means  simply  Christ  shrinking  from  sin. 

IV.  The  face  awfully  makred  (Isa.  liii.).  This  is  the  face  of  Christ  when  sin  and 
suffering  have  completed  their  work.  The  hand  of  time  takes  the  human  face  and 
works  into  it  every  experience  through  which  the  man  passes,  just  as  the  sculptor 
works  his  thoughts  into  a  piece  of  marble.  His  earthly  career  was  enough  to  mar 
any  face,  and  especially  a  face  which  belonged  to  a  nature  so  exquisitely  constructed. 

V.  The  transfigured  face.  This  revelation  is  better  than  the  face  of  God  in 
nature.  When  we  look  into  the  face  of  history  the  different  attributes  of  God  seem 
to  clash ;  but  in  the  life  of  Jesus  all  the  attributes  of  God  are  brought  into  play, 
and  they  work  together  in  perfect  harmony.  VI.  The  face  in  the  white  throne. 
We  can  only  recognise  the  fact  that  this  face  is  there.  VII.  The  flashing  face 
AMID  the  golden  CANDLESTICKS  (Rev.  i.).  In  the  face  buried  in  the  dust  we  saw  a 
reflection  of  the  dark  past ;  in  the  flashing  face  amid  the  golden  candlesticks  we 
see  a  reflection  of  the  glorious  future.  Conclusion :  1.  Our  treatment  of  the  face 
of  Jesus  Christ  is  an  index  of  our  character.  Among  our  privileges  is  access  to  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ.  If  we  avail  ourselves  of  this  privilege  we  indicate  a  familiarity 
with  Christ,  and  a  knowledge  of  Christ,  and  a  desire  and  a  love  toward  Christ.  We 
indicate  that  we  are  born  from  above  and  are  the  sons  of  God.  2.  The  face  of 
Christ  affords  an  inexhaustible  and  soul-satisfying  study.  Looking  forward  to  his 
awakening  from  the  grave,  the  Hebrew  poet  sings,  "  As  for  me,  I  shall  behold  Thy 
face  in  righteousness ;  I  shall  be  satisfied  when  I  awake  with  Thy  likeness."  The 
highest  prayer  which  Christ  found  it  possible  to  pray  for  us  was,  "Father,  I  will 
that  they  also,  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me,  be  with  Me  where  I  am;  that  they  may 
behold  My  glory."  (D.  Gregg.)  The  face  of  Jesus  : — Let  us  consider  this  as — 
I.  Grandly  typical.  Of  what?  Of  the  family  of  Mary?  No.  Of  the  tribe  of 
Judah  from  which  He  sprang?  No.  Of  the  Jewish  race?  Nay,  for  He  was  less 
a  Jew  than  a  man.  The  appellation  by  wl  h  He  designates  Himself  about  sixty- 
six  times  is  "  Son  of  Man,"  as  if  the  blood  of  the  whole  human  race  was  in  His 
veins.    1.  His  face  had  no  distinct,  narrow,  national  type.    Grecian,  Eoman,  Syrian, 


CHAP.  IV.]   ,  II.  CORINTHIANS.  15T 

Jew,  ever  bore  the  distinctive  features  of  their  age  and  nation.  Not  so  with  Christ.. 
The  whole  world  can  claim  kindred  here  and  have  the  claim  allowed.  In  His  heart 
there  is  room  for  all ;  in  His  atoning  blood  there  is  merit  for  all.  2.  His  face 
typified  the  ideal  man.  He  was  "  fairer  than  the  children  of  men,"  the  perfect 
type  of  moral  and  spiritual  excellency.  Our  best  aspirations  can  never  go  beyond 
the  infinite  heights  of  holiness  upon  which  He  trod.  The  face  of  man  is  an  index 
to  his  character.  Place  a  light  within  a  marble  vase,  and  it  becomes  translucent. 
Let  holy  principles  dwell  within  a  man,  and  they  will  give  an  expression  to  the 
face.  But  on  no  human  face  yet  were  all  excellences  ever  expressed.  One  has 
patience,  another  generosity,  another  gentleness,  another  boldness.  But  from  the 
countenance  of  Jesus  there  beamed  forth  every  ray  from  a  full-orbed  and  complete 
character.  His  heart  was  bold  as  a  lion's,  yet  gentle  as  a  lamb's.  II.  Touchixgly 
HISTORICAL.  It  doubtless  laughed  in  infancy  upon  a  mother's  breast.  To  behold 
it  sages  travelled  far,  and  lowly  shepherds  bowed  befoi'e  it  with  reverence  and  awe. 
When  Simeon  beheld  it,  he  said,  "  Now  lettest  Thou  Thy  servant  depart  in  peace, 
for  mine  eyes  have  seen  Thy  salvation."  In  the  temple  doctors  gazed  upon  His 
face  with  wonder.  From  before  it  devils  fled  in  fear,  while  poor  sufferers  sought  it, 
finding  it  to  be  like  a  rising  sun  with  healing  in  its  beams.  Often  and  often  during 
the  night-watches  was  it  upturned  for  hours  in  prayer.  Three  times  at  least  was 
it  bedewed  with  tears.  The  fiendish  mob  spat  in  it  and  smote  it,  which  indignity 
He  bore  with  Godlike  fortitude  (Isa.  1.  6,  liii.  14).  On  the  Mount  "  His  face  did 
shine  as  the  sun,"  but  on  the  Cross  unutterable  anguish  found  dread  expression 
there.  And  yet,  to  hearts  instructed  as  to  the  cause  of  this  grief,  that  fair  face  was 
never  more  lovely  than  when  ploughed  with  furrows  and  stained  with  blood.  A. 
mother,  young  and  beautiful,  once  dashed  into  the  flames  of  a  burning  chamber, 
and  thus  saved  her  child ;  but  to  her  dying  day  she  bore  in  charred  cheeks  the 
effects  of  that  awful  moment.  But  who  shall  say  her  face,  to  husband  and  child 
at  least,  was  not  more  beautiful  than  before  ?  In  rescuing  us  the  face  of  Jesus 
became  more  marred  than  that  of  any  man,  and  to  those  who  know  His  love  His 
face  of  sorrow  is  resplendent  with  the  glory  of  God.  Yet  that  face  is  very  different 
now  (Rev.  i.).  It  is  the  light  of  heaven,  and  all  who  trust  and  follow  Him  shall  see 
it.  Underneath  the  thin  veil  which  covered  the  Athenian  Jove,  the  worshippers 
could  see  the  sharp  outline  of  his  countenance  and  some  of  his  more  prominent 
features.  But  on  the  festive  days,  when  he  was  uncovered,  and  the  sun  shone  upon 
that  magnificent  statue,  women  fell  down  fainting,  and  strong  men  were  overcome ; 
hence  the  proverb  that  was  circulated  through  Greece — "Unhappy  is  the  man  that 
has  not  seen  the  Athenian  Jove."  Whatever  veil  of  flesh  or  sense  hides  from  us  the 
face  of  our  Well-Beloved,  the  day  is  coming  when  it  shall  be  taken  away,  and  as  we 
gaze  we  shall  feel,  "Unhappy  they  who  have  not  seen  Thy  face."  And  yet,  under 
one  aspect  or  another,  all  must  see  it ;  "  for  every  eye  shall  see  Him,  and  they  also 
which  pierced  Him."  HI.  Instructively  beautiful.  "  The  glory  of  God  "  was 
the  specific  name  for  the  Shekinah,  and  by  it  we  understand  the  pouring  out  from 
Himself  of  the  perfectness  and  beauty  of  His  own  character.  The  glory  of  God 
may  be  said  to  bear  a  similar  relation  to  "  the  Father  of  Lights"  as  the  rays  of  the 
sun  bear  to  the  great  orb  of  day.  By  "  the  face  of  Jesus"  we  need  not  necessarily 
understand  His  countenance,  for  in  Scripture  the  face  is  often  taken  to  mean  the 
person  (Exod.  xxxiii.  14).  The  text  means  that  the  perfections  of  the  Divine  nature 
were  in  the  person  of  Jesus.  Never  had  these  been  manifested  so  clearly,  so  fully, 
as  now.  Notwithstanding  the  wonderful  disclosures  of  the  Deity  under  the  old 
dispensation,  Jehovah  was  still  a  God  that  did  hide  Himself.  But  aU  the  fulness 
of  the  Godhead  was  in  Christ.  In  Christ  we  have — 1.  Deity  sweetly  conspicuous. 
"  He  that  hath  seen  Me  hath  seen  the  Father."  The  Divine  indignation  against 
sin,  the  Divine  love  for  humanity,  the  gentleness,  patience,  and  mercy  of  God  are 
more  fuUy  revealed  to  us  in  Christ  than  in  aU  other  revelations  combined.  2.  Deity 
sweetly  attractive.  The  glory  of  God  as  seen  in  nature  and  providence  often  repels 
by  its  awful  majesty.  But  in  Jesus  we  see  His  glory  in  a  human  face — a  face  so 
gentle  that  children  might  well  be  attracted  to  it,  and  the  most  timid  natures  feel 
safe  in  its  presence.     (W.  Williams). 

Ver.  7.  But  we  have  this  treasure  in  earthen  vessels. — The  treasure  in  earthen 
vessels  : — I.  Compares  the  ministers  op  the  gospel  to  earthen  vessels.  A  vessel 
contains  what  is  put  into  it.  The  vessels  of  the  temple  were  some  of  gold,  others  of 
silver,  and  they  were  consecrated  to  God.  In  the  most  ancient  times  there  were 
vessels  of  gold.     This  may  remind  you  of  Enoch.    It  must  have  seemed  strange  to 


158  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

observe  one  so  much  devoted  to  God  as  he  was.  He  persuaded  few.  The  treasure 
then,  as  now,  was  little  esteemed.  Silver  vessels  may  represent  the  prophets.  As 
the  vessels  of  silver  v/ere  the  ornaments  of  the  sanctuary,  so  were  the  prophets  the 
ornaments  of  the  Church.     Earthen  vessels  may  represent  the  weakness  of  man. 

II.  The  gospel  is  compared  to  a  treasuke.  The  gospel  finds  man  in  a  state  of 
poverty,  and  he  must  remain  in  the  same  state  unless  enriched  by  it.  The  gospel 
is  a  treasure  that  the  soul  can  enjoy.  The  gospel  is  a  treasure  which  the  thief 
cannot  touch.     The  gospel  is  a  treasure  which  will  not  leave  the  Christian  at  death. 

III.  The  gospel  gains  glory  from  the  meanness  op  the  vessels  in  which  it  is 
CONTAINED.  It  is  wondcrful  that  such  a  treasure  is  in  earthen  vessels,  because  it 
exceeds  the  expectation  of  men.  God  is  more  observed  when  the  instrument  is 
weak.  Such  as  are  furnished  with  this  treasure  ascribe  it  all  to  the  goodness  of 
God.  We  shall  now  make  a  few  inferences.  1.  Is  it  so,  that  there  is  a  treasure  ? 
Then  it  requires  diligence  to  secure  it.  Nb  man  succeeds  in  this  world  who  is  not 
active.  2.  Is  it  so,  that  there  is  a  treasure?  Then  take  heed  that  you  do  not 
despise  it.  When  the  Spaniards  conquered  South  America,  they  made  it  evident 
that  they  adored  its  gold,  and  they  practised  every  exertion  to  obtain  it.  Let  the 
Christian  show  that  he  values  the  heavenly  treasure  by  his  diligence  in  seeking  it. 
3.  Is  it  so,  that  this  treasure  may  be  obtained  by  all  ?  Then  value  it.  It  is  not  in 
the  power  of  all  to  be  rich.  (W.  Syme.)  Divine  power  illustrated  by  the  triumphs 
of  the  gospel : — God  designs  His  glory  as  the  result  of  the  instrumentality  He 
employs.  What  apparently  could  be  more  visionary  than  the  design  of  Moses  to 
deliver  the  Israelites  ?  But  God  chose  to  illustrate  His  power  by  "  leading  His 
people  like  a  flock  by  the  hands  of  Moses  and  Aaron."  But  the  twelve  fishermen 
of  Galilee  appeared,  in  fanaticism,  to  exceed  all  their  predecessors.  But  ere  they 
died  they  had  filled  the  world  with  their  doctrine.  I.  It  states  an  important  fact. 
"We  have  this  treasure  in  earthen  vessels."  •  1.  The  depositaries  of  Divine  truth. 
Need  I  specify  the  truths  of  which  they  wei'e  made  the  depositaries  ?  They  received 
"  Christ  crucified  "  ;  they  were  put  "  in  charge  of  the  gospel" ;  the  doctrine  of  man's 
ruin  by  nature,  and  his  recovery  by  sovereign  grace.  These  truths  are  beautifully 
styled  a  treasure.  (1)  Think  on  their  value.  (2)  Think  on  their  magnitude.  (3) 
Think  on  their  permanence.  There  is  a  sense,  peculiar  to  the  apostles,  in  which 
they  were  made  the  depositaries  of  this  treasure.  Most  of  them  had  been  admitted 
to  personal  converse  with  the  Lord  of  heaven  ;  the  Spirit  had  taken  of  the  things 
of  Christ  and  showed  to  them  what  they  had  heard.  2.  The  instruments  of  Divine 
agency.  "  That  the  power  may  be  of  God."  All  believers  have  this  invaluable 
treasure,  but  to  some  it  is  committed  with  a  more  extensive  design  than  to  others. 
Jehovah's  wise  and  gracious  plan  is  that  of  co-operation,  and  when  He  blesses  any 
being  it  is  to  make  him  a  blessing.  Thus  the  world  of  grace  corresponds  with  that 
of  nature.  The  sun  has  the  treasure  of  light  and  heat.  Why?  That  he  may 
shine — may  display  the  glory  of  God,  and  show  through  nature  His  handy  work ; 
may  fertilise  the  ground — may  illuminate  the  system,  and  shed  a  lustre  which  some 
of  the  receivers  shall  again  reflect.  The  recommendation  of  Divine  truth,  according 
to  the  station  which  we  fill,  necessarily  results,  not  only  from  the  Divine  appoint- 
ment, but  from  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  itself.  It  is  a  treasure  which  cannot  be 
concealed.  3.  The  occasions  of  Divine  glory.  "The  power" — "the  excellence  of 
the  power" — reminds  us  that  something  worthy  of  God  is  produced.  What  has 
been  the  effect  upon  society.  In  the  metaphorical  language  of  Scripture,  "  the 
wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  was  glad  for  them,  and  the  desert  rejoiced  and 
blossomed  as  the  rose."  II.  As  the  statement  of  a  principle  which  religion  will 
improve.  The  excellence  of  the  power  is  of  God.  Let  us  consider  it — 1.  With 
reference  to  God.  He  will  be  acknowledged ;  He  has  written  His  name  in  all  His 
hands  have  made.  Jehovah's  eternal  praise  is  to  result  from  the  redemption  of  a 
lost  world.  By  it  His  nature  is  exhibited.  His  perfections  are  displayed,  His  govern- 
ment is  illustrated.  By  this  method  He  impresses  us  with  the  nature  and  impor- 
tance of  salvation  ;  for  we  see  the  necessity  of  His  immediate  agency  to  effect 
it.  2.  With  reference  to  ourselves.  "The  excellency  of  the  power"  is  "of  God, 
and  not  of  us."  This  conviction  is  calculated  to  qualify  for  the  engagement. 
It  is  adapted — (1)  To  keep  us  humble.  (2)  Therefore  the  conviction  is  further  cal- 
culated to  keep  us  near  to  Himself.  (3)  This  principle,  further,  will  prevent  our 
discouragement.  "  Therefore,  seeing  we  have  this  ministry,  as  we  have  received 
mercy,  we  faint  not."  3.  With  reference  to  our  hearers.  (1)  It  will  produce  in 
them  satisfaction  with  our  message.  They  will  remember  that  our  doctrine  and 
our  reproofs  are  not  ours,  but  His  that  sent  us.     (2)  Again,  the  beUef  of  the  truth 


CHAP,  iv.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  159 

in  our  text  will  induce  our  hearers  to  aid  us — to  aid  us  by  their  prayers.    {J.  Inneti). 
The  gospel  treasure  in  earthen  vessels  .-—I.  The  gospel  as  a  treasure.     1.  There 
are  on  earth  many  mines  of  material  treasures,  but  the  mine  which  contains  this 
is  the  Word.     Here  are  contained  all  things  which  "  are  profitable."     2.  But  while 
this  treasure  is  spiritual,  it  is  invaluable.     "Man  knoweth  not  the  price  thereof, 
neither  is  it  found  in  the  land  of  the  living."     And  if  you  ask  for  the  evidence  of 
this,  you  may  see  the  price  that  it  cost — not  silver  and  gold,  but  the  precious  blood 
of  Chi-ist.     3.  Spu-itual  and  invaluable  as  it  is,  it  is  an  obtained  treasure.     "  We 
have  it."     II.    This   treasure  is  deposited  "  in  earthen  vessels."     III.    This 
treasure  is  contained  in  earthen  vessels  to  show  that  the  power  is  Divine.     1. 
When  God  predicted  the  success  of  the  gospel,  He  said,  "  My  Word  shall  not  return 
unto  Me  void."   When  the  apostles  looked  upon  their  hearers,  they  said,  "  The  power 
is  of  God."     And  even  now,  when  the  gospel  is  preached,  that  mind  which  authority 
could  not  govern,  nor  vengeance  terrify — how  often  has  it  been  carried  captive  by 
Christ !     And  how  excellent  is  this  power !     It  keeps  the  heart  and  mind  in  the 
knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ ;  it  is  a  good  hope  through  grace.     2.  Now,  had  an  angel 
been  the  depository  of  this  treasure,  we  might  have  been  ready  to  give  praise  to  the 
angel's  eloquence  and  power;  but  it  is  not  so  now,  "for  God,"  saith  the  apostle, 
"  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  things  which  are 
mighty."     {J.  Alexander.)         The  gospel  treasure  .-—I.  That  the  gospel  of  Christ 
IS  A  treasure  indeed,  and  it  is  our  unspeakable  privilege  that  we  have  that 
treasure.     The  gospel  of  Christ  is  indeed  a  treasure,  for — 1.  There  is  in  it  an 
abundance  of  that  which  is  of  inestimable  value.     "The  topaz  of  Ethiopia  cannot 
equal  them,  the  onyx,  or  the  sapphire  "  (Job.  xxviii.  19).     There  are  treasures  of 
wisdom  and  knowledge  in  the  truths  which  the  gospel  discovers  to  us.     There  are 
treasures  of  comfort  and  joy  in  the  offers  which  the  gospel  makes  us,  and  the 
blessings  it  assures  to  all  believers.     These  are  things  of  value  to  the  soul  of  man. 
And  there  is  an  abundance  of  them,  infinitely  exceeding  that  of  light  in  the  sun  or 
water  in  the  sea.     In  Christ  there  is  enough  of  all  that  our  souls  need.     2.  This  is 
safely  laid  up  for  a  perpetuity,  and  therefore  it  is  a  treasure.     It  is  deposited  in  good 
hands.     It  is  hid  in  God — in  His  wisdom  and  counsel.     It  is  hid  in  Christ  and  in 
His  undertaking  for  us,  which  contain  all  that  we  need  as  sinners.     It  is  hid  in  the 
Scripture.     There  it  may  be  found ;  thence  it  may  be  fetched  by  faith  acting  on 
Divine  revelation,  assenting  to  it  with  application  and  resignation.     It  is  a  treasui'e, 
for  it  is  laid  up  for  hereafter.     The  bulk  of  these  riches  is  that  which  is  reserved  in 
heaven  for  us — a  gloi-y  that  is  to  be  revealed  in  due  time.     3.  It  is  of  universal  use 
to  us,  and  therefore  it  is  a  treasure.     It  is  not  only  valuable  in  itself,  but  every  way 
suitalDle  and  serviceable  to  us.     It  is  a  treasure  in  the  world ;  it  puts  honour  upon 
it,  and  puts  good  into  it.     It  is  a  treasure  to  any  nation  or  people.     It  is  a  treasure 
in  the  heart  of  every  true  believer  who  receives  it.     II.  Ministers  are  earthen 
VESSELS  IN  whom  THIS  TREASURE  IS  PUT.     They  are  said  to  have  this  treasure,  not 
only  because  they  ought  to  have  it  in  their  hearts  themselves  firmly  to  beheve  it, 
but  because  they  have  the  dispensing  of  it  to  others.     1.  They  are  but  vessels  that 
afford  no  more,  no  other,  than  what  is  put  into  them,  nor  can  give  but  just  as  they 
have  received.     God  is  the  fountain  of  light  and  life.     Ministers  must  remember 
this  and  religiously  adhere  to  their  instructions.     People  must  remember  this,  and 
not  expect  more  from  their  ministers  than  from  vessels.   We  have  a  gospel  to  preach, 
not  a  gospel  to  make.     2.  They  are  but  earthen  vessels.     Some  think  here  is  an 
allusion  to  Gideon's  soldiers,  who,  advancing  to  battle  in  the  night;  took  lamps  in 
their  earthen  pitchers,  with  the  glaring  light  of  which,  upon  breaking  the  pitchers, 
the  enemy  was  discomfited.     By  such  unlikely  methods  is  Christ's  cause  carried  on, 
and  yet  is  victorious.     Let  us  see  why  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  are  here  compared 
to  earthen  vessels.     (1)  They  are  made  of  the  same  mould  with  other  people.     All 
the  children  of  men  are  earthen  vessels;  the  body  is  the  vessel  of  the  soul,  and  it 
is  of  the  earth,  earthy.     We  are  not  only  children  of  men,  as  you  are,  but  we  are 
by  nature  children  of  wrath,  even  as  others.     (2)  They  are  oftentimes,  in  respect 
of  their  outward  condition,  mean  and  low  and  of  small  account,  as  earthen  vessels 
are  ;  not  only  men,  but  men  of  low  degree,  sons  of  earth,  as  the  Hebrew  phrase  is. 
Their  family,  perhaps,  like  Gideon's,  poor  in  Manasseh.     The  first  preachers  of  the 
gospel  were  poor  fishermen — earthen  vessels  indeed — bred  up  to  the  sea.     (3)  They 
are  subject  to  many  infirmities,  to  like  passions  as  other  men,  and  upon  that  account 
they  are  earthen  vessels ;  they  have  their  faults,  their  blemishes,  as  earthen  vessels 
have.     (4)  They  are  made  of  different  sorts  of  earth,  as  earthen  vessels  are — all  of 
the  same  nature,  but  not  all  of  the  same  natural  constitution.     The  bodies  of  some 


160  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

are  of  a  stronger  make,  and  more  cut  out  for  labour,  while  others  are  feeble,  and 
soon  foiled.  But  those  of  the  finest  mould,  even  the  china  vessels,  are  but  earthen 
ones.  A  great  deal  of  difference  there  is  likewise  between  some  and  others  of  those 
earthen  vessels  in  respect  of  natural  temper  ;  some  are  more  bold,  others  more 
timorous ;  some  more  warm  and  eager,  others  more  soft  and  gentle.  (5)  They  are 
of  different  shapes  and  sizes,  as  earthen  vessels,  notwithstanding  which  they  may 
all  receive  and  minister  the  treasure  according  to  their  different  capacities.  (6) 
They  are  all  what  God,  the  great  potter,  makes  them.  Therefore  we  ought  not  to 
envy  the  gifts  of  those  who  excel  us.  (7)  They  are  all  vessels  of  use  and  service  in 
the  family,  though  they  are  but  earthen  ones.  (8)  They  are  oftentimes  despised  by 
men,  notwithstanding  the  honour  God  has  put  upon  them,  and  are  thrown  by  as 
broken  vessels  in  which  is  no  pleasure.  It  has  often  been  the  lot  of  some  of  the 
most  faithful  ministers  of  Christ  to  be  loaded  with  reproach.  (9)  They  are  frail 
and  mortal  and  dying,  and  upon  that  account  they  are  earthen  vessels.  Thus  the 
apostle  explains  it  here  :  "  We  which  live  are  always  delivered  unto  death."  They 
are  worn  out  with  their  labours,  and  are  spent  in  the  service  of  Christ  and  souls. 
III.  God  has  put  the  treasure  of  the  gospel  into  earthen  vessels  that  the  Divine 

POWER  WHICH    GOES  ALONG  WITH    THE    GOSPEL    MAY    BE    SO    MUCH    THE    MORE    GLORIFIED. 

The  great  design  of  the  everlasting  gospel  is  to  bring  men  to  fear  God  and  give  glory 
to  Him.  There  was  an  excellency  of  power  going  along  with  the  apostles  which 
appeared  to  be  of  God,  and  not  of  themselves.  1.  To  strengthen  them  for  the  work 
they  were  employed  in.  To  preach  down  Judaism  and  paganism,  and  to  preach  up 
the  kingdom  of  a  crucified  Jesus,  was  a  service  that  required  a  far  greater  strength, 
both  of  judgment  and  resolution,  than  the  apostles  had  of  themselves.  2.  To  support 
them  under  the  hardships  that  were  put  upon  them.  3.  To  give  them  success  in 
that  great  work  to  which  they  were  called.  Now  for  the  application  of  this.  1.  It 
may  be  many  ways  instructive  to  us  who  are  ministers,  and  may  remind  us  of  our 
duty.  (1)  Are  we  earthen  vessels  ?  Then  we  have  reason  to  be  very  humble  and 
low  in  our  own  eyes,  and  to  take  great  care  that  we  never  think  of  ourselves  above 
what  is  meet,  but  always  think  soberly.  (2)  Are  we  earthen  vessels  ?  Then  let  us 
not  be  indulgent  of  our  bodies,  nor  of  their  ease  or  appetites.  What  needs  so  much 
ado  about  an  earthen  vessel  when,  after  all  our  pains  about  it,  we  cannot  alter  the 
property  of  it.  (3)  Are  we  earthen  vessels  ?  Then  let  us  not  be  empty  vessels.  A 
vessel  of  gold  or  silver  is  of  considerable  value  though  it  be  empty  ;  but  an  earthen 
vessel,  if  empty,  is  good  for  little,  but  is  thrown  among  the  lumber.  (4)  Are  we 
earthen  vessels  ?  Then  let  us  be  clean  vessels.  (5)  Are  we  earthen  vessels  ?  Then 
let  us  take  heed  of  dashing  one  against  another,  for  nothing  can  be  of  more  fatal 
consequence  than  that  to  earthen  vessels — no,  nor  to  the  treasure  that  is  deposited 
in  them.  (6)  Are  we  earthen  vessels  ?  Then  let  us  bear  reproach  with  patience, 
and  not  think  it  strange,  or  fret  at  it.  (7)  Are  we  earthen  vessels  ?  Then  let  us 
often  think  of  being  broken  and  laid  aside,  and  prepare  accordingly.  2.  This  doctrine 
may  be  of  use  to  you  all.  Are  your  ministers  earthen  vessels  ?  (1)  Thank  God  for 
the  gospel  treasure,  though  it  be  put  into  earthen  vessels — nay,  thank  God  that  it 
is  in  such  vessels,  that  it  may  be  the  more  within  your  reach.  (2)  Esteem  the 
earthen  vessels  for  the  treasure's  sake  that  is  put  into  them.  (3)  Bless  God  that 
the  breaking  of  the  earthen  vessel  is  not  the  loss  of  the  heavenly  treasure.  Ministers 
die,  but  the  Word  of  the  Lord  endureth.  (4)  Let  the  glory  of  all  the  benefits  you 
have,  or  may  have,  by  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  be  given  to  God— to  Him  only,  to 
Him  entirely — for  from  Him  the  excellency  of  the  power  is.  (5)  Let  the  considera- 
tion of  the  frailty  and  mortality  of  your  ministers  quicken  you  to  make  a  diligent 
improvement  of  their  labours  while  they  are  continued  with  you.  (Matthew  Henry.) 
The  gospel  treasure  in  earthen  vessels : — I.  The  excellency  of  the  gospel.  The 
gospel  is  described  as  a  treasure  for — 1.  Its  value.  By  some  it  is  not  estimated  as 
a  very  great  treasure ;  but  let  a  man  be  convinced  of  sin,  or  be  threatened  with 
death,  and  he  will  prove  its  value.  (1)  Is  a  Saviour  of  any  value  to  the  lost  and 
the  guilty  ?  Why,  this  is  a  revelation  of  Christ  and  of  salvation  by  Him.  (2)  Is 
free  favour  of  any  value  to  the  poor  criminal,  whereby  the  judge  tells  him  the  king 
has  pardoned  him  ?  Then  the  gospel  is  precious  to  such  a  mind,  for  it  is  the  gospel 
of  the  grace  of  God.  (3)  Is  life  valuable  to  a  dying  man  ?  Then  the  gospel  is 
precious,  for  it  is  the  word  of  life,  and  he  that  believeth  it  hath  everlasting  life.  (4) 
Is  light  valuable?  This  is  "  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ."  (5)  Is  wisdom  precious  ?  All  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge  are  summed  up  in  the  gospel.  (6)  Is  not  food  precious?  "I  have 
estimated  the  words  of  His  lips  more  than  my  necessary  food."     2.  Its  abundance. 


CHAP.  IV.]  .  II.  CORINTHIANS.  161 

It  is  the  glory  of  the  gospel  that  in  it  atonement  is  complete.  All  the  influence 
necessary  to  apply  this  gospel  with  Divine  power  to  the  heart  is  treasured  up  in 
Christ.  When  the  Spanish  ambassador  was  shown  the  treasures  of  St.  Mark  in 
Venice,  he  immediately  groped  to  find  the  bottom  of  the  treasure,  and  a  page  who 
was  standing  by  said,  "In  this  my  master's  treasure  excels  yours — in  that  it  has 
no  bottom."  So  we  say  of  the  gospel.  None  have  ever  reached  the  depth  and 
sufficiency  of  this  heavenly  treasure.  Millions  in  all  ages  have  received,  and  yet 
there  is  abundance.  There  are  in  it  the  riches  of  pardon,  justification,  sanctifica- 
tion,  expectation ;  and  hence  proceeds  satisfaction.  A  man  is  never  satisfied  till  he 
enjoys  the  gospel.  3.  Its  duration.  "Riches  and  honour  are  with  Me;  yea,  durable 
riches  and  righteousness."  Other  treasures  make  to  themselves  wings,  and  fiee 
away.  Does  it  announce  mercy?  "  The  mercy  of  the  Lord  is  from  everlasting  to 
everlasting."  Does  it  speak  of  joy  ?  "  The  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  come  to 
Zion  with  everlasting  joy  upon  their  heads."  Does  it  tell  me  of  love?  It  is  "the 
everlasting  love  wherewith  God  has  loved  me."  Does  it  tell  me  of  strength  which  I 
am  to  receive?  Well  then,  it  is  "  everlasting  strength."  Does  it  speak  to  me  of  sal- 
vation ?  "  Israel  shall  be  saved  in  the  Lord  with  an  everlasting  salvation."  Does  it 
speak  of  the  habitations  beyond  the  grave  ?  These  are  "  everlasting  habitations."  11. 
The  instruments  who  proclaim  the  gospel — earthen  vessels.  And  ministers  are  so 
called  for  various  reasons.  1.  As  to  their  origin.  2.  As  to  the  estimation  in  which 
they  are  held.  They  are  received  by  the  world  only  as  earthen  vessels — their 
poverty,  their  appearance.  Paul's  bodily  presence  was  weak  and  his  speech  con- 
temptible. Moses  said,  "  I  am  not  eloquent  heretofore  nor  since  Thou  hast  spoken 
unto  Thy  servant."  Amos  was  a  herdsman  and  a  gatherer  of  sycamore  fruit.  Peter 
■was  a  fisherman,  Matthew  a  publican,  John  Bunyan  a  tinker,  Whitfield  a  servitor 
at  coUege.  3.  As  to  their  bodily  constitution.  Are  you  sick  and  dying  ?  So  are 
we.  Are  you  subject  to  infirmities  ?  So  are  we.  Earthen  vessels  are  subject  to 
knocks,  to  falls,  and  speedUy  to  be  broken ;  they  last  generally  but  a  short  time. 
This  has  been  the  case  with  some  of  the  most  eminent  servants  of  Jesus  Christ.  4. 
As  to  their  usefulness.  An  earthen  vessel  is  useful  for  reception  and  effusion.  Some- 
thing must  be  put  in,  and  something  must  be  poured  out.  III.  The  reason  why 
THIS  treasure  is  GIVEN  TO  SUCH  INSTRUMENTS  TO  DISPENSE.  "  That  the  cxcellency 
of  the  power,"  &c.  Now,  this  Divine  power  is  almighty,  and  therefore  not  all  the 
powers  of  hell,  of  prejudice,  of  error,  of  ignorance,  of  obstinacy  and  blindness,  can 
stand  before  it.  But  it  is  not  a  power  which  subjects  an  individual  against  his  own 
wUl,  but  it  is  the  power  of  light  discovering  darkness  to  the  mind ;  of  mercy  showing 
the  way  of  escape  from  the  wrath  to  come;  of  truth  overcoming  error  and  prejudice 
in  the  mind ;  of  love  silently  yet  effectually  drawing  the  soul  to  attend  to  Christ's 
voice.     {J.  Sherman.) 

Vers.  8-12.  We  are  troubled  on  every  side,  yet  not  distressed. — Trials  in  the 
cause  of  Christ : — I.  The  trials  encountered  in  the  cause  of  Christ  are  sometimes 
VERY  great.  "  We  are  troubled  on  every  side."  The  man  who  is  earnestly  engaged 
in  any  cause  in  this  world  will  have  to  encounter  trials.  The  old  prophets  had 
theirs ;  some  were  insulted,  some  incarcerated,  some  martyred.  So  with  John  the 
Baptist,  and  so  with  the  apostles,  so  with  the  confessors,  reformers,  and  revivalists. 
II.  However  great  the  trials  encountered,  they  are  not  beyond  bearing.  "  Yet 
not  distressed,"  or  straitened ;  though  "perplexed,"  or  bewildered,  yet  not  benighted  ; 
though  "persecuted,"  or  pursued,  yet  not  "forsaken,"  or  abandoned;  though  "cast 
down,"  or  stricken  down  with  a  blow,  yet  not  perishing.  The  true  labourer  in  the 
cause  of  Christ,  however  great  his  trials,  is  always  supported — 1.  By  the  approba- 
tion of  his  own  conscience.  2.  By  the  encouraging  results  of  his  own  labours.  3. 
By  the  sustaining  strength  of  God.  "As  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be."  III. 
The  bight  bearing  of  these  trials  subserves  the  good  of  souls.  In  the  right 
bearing  of  these  sufferings  the  sufferer — 1.  Pie  veals  the  life  of  Christ  to  others 
(ver.  10).  Who  that  has  witnessed  the  true  Christian  languishing  on  the  bed  of 
suffering  and  death  has  not  seen  the  spirit  of  the  life  of  Christ  revealed  ?  2. 
Promotes  in  himself  and  others  the  Christian  life  (ver.  11).  "God,"  says  Dean 
Alford,  "  exhibits  death  in  the  living  that  He  may  also  exhibit  life  in  the  dying." 
(D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  Cast  down,  but  not  destroyed. — Growth  under  pressure  : — 
"  Sub  pondere  cresco " — I  grow  under  a  weight — was  the  motto  on  the  crest  of 
John  SpreuU,  of  Glasgow,  who  for  his  defence  of  religious  liberty  in  the  times  of 
Claverhouse  was  imprisoned  on  the  Bass  Eock,  in  the  Frith  of  Forth.  This  is 
the  great  motto  of  the  world.     Nature  is  like  a  huge  watch,  whose  movements 

11 


162  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

are  caused  by  the  compression  of  the  mainspring.  Only  by  restraint  is  life 
possible.  The  forms  of  all  living  things,  from  the  smallest  moss  to  man 
himself,  are  determined  by  the  extent  and  degree  to  which  the  force  of  lii'e 
overcomes  the  dead  forces  of  nature.  The  simple  principle  of  growth  under 
limitation  will  account  for  the  shape  of  every  leaf,  and  the  formation  of  every 
organ  of  the  human  body ;  for  the  germination  of  a  seed,  and  for  the  beating 
of  the  heart  within  the  breast.  The  blossom  of  a  plant  is  produced  by  growth 
under  restraint.  At  the  point  farthest  away  from  the  root  the  vital  forces  are 
weakest,  and  the  supply  of  nourishment  almost  exhausted  ;  and  therefore  the  ordi- 
nary leaves  are  compressed  by  their  diminished  power  of  resistance  to  the  forces  to 
which  they  are  subjected,  and  modified  into  the  strange  shapes  and  changed  into 
the  beautiful  colours  of  the  flower.  The  compression  goes  on  farther  in  the  interior 
parts  of  the  flower,  according  as  the  resisting  power  becomes  less,  until  at  last,  in 
the  innermost  central  part,  the  forces  are  brought  to  an  equihbrium,  and  the  plant 
finds  rest  in  the  round  seed,  which  is  simply  the  most  complete  compression  of 
which  the  leaves  are  capable.  The  head  of  man  is  in  the  same  way  only  a  modifica- 
tion of  the  vertebral  column,  and  his  brain  a  compression  of  the  spinal  marrow,  by 
the  mechanical  conditions  under  which  they  are  developed.  Have  you  ever  watched 
a  bubble  of  air  rising  up  from  the  bottom  of  a  clear  pond  to  the  top  ?  If  so,  you 
cannot  fail  to  have  noticed  that  it  ascends  not  in  a  straight  line,  but  in  a  corkscrew 
or  si^iral  form.  The  force  which  draws  it  upwards  to  rejoin  the  native  air  from 
whicii  it  has  been  separated,  would  do  so,  if  left  to  itself,  by  the  shortest  course  ;  but 
it  encounters  continually  the  resistance  of  the  denser  element  of  the  water,  and  this 
pressure  delays  its  ascent  through  it,  and  makes  it  take  a  longer  zig-zag  path.  If 
you  understand  the  reason  of  this  simple  phenomenon,  you  will  understand  the  way 
in  which  every  herb  and  tree  grows  in  the  air,  and  why  their  shapes  are  what  we  see 
them  to  be.  They  all  grow  in  the  most  varied  and  complicated  spiral  forms 
because  they  gi'ow  under  resistance.  This  is  the  simple  method  of  nature's  working, 
the  law  which  determines  all  her  forms.  The  same  law  obtains  throughout  the 
spiritual  world.  There,  too,  growth  is  under  resistance.  The  law  of  the  spirit,  of 
life  in  Christ  Jesus,  contends  against  the  law  of  sin  and  death ;  the  law  in  the 
members  wars  against  the  law  of  the  mind.  The  most  essential  character  of 
spiritual  life  is  that  it  depends  upon  the  resistance  or  contest  of  one  form  of  moral 
force  by  another  :  its  tension  is  holiness,  righteousness,  seK-control.  We  grow  in 
grace  as  the  trees  grow  in  space — under  limitations ;  and  the  various  forms  and 
degrees  of  spiritual  life  which  men  exhibit  are  due  to  the  extent  of  these  limitations. 
Spiritual  life  does  not  assume  one  stei-eotyped  monotonous  pattern.  There  is  the 
same  infinite  variety  in  the  spiritual  woi'ld  that  there  is  in  the  natural,  arismg  from 
similar  causes.  As  no  two  plants  grow  in  precisely  similar  circumstances,  so  no  two 
human  beings  are  exposed  to  the  same  spiritual  influences.  Of  course  there  can  be 
no  growth  without  life.  If  the  soul  has  no  resisting  power  within,  then  the  forces 
of  the  world  without  simply  destroy  it.  If  the  soul  is  dead,  all  things  deepen  its 
death.  But  if  it  has  spiritual  life,  then  all  things  help  to  maintain  and  develop  it. 
Like  the  sailing-boat  that  tacks  to  the  wind,  it  takes  advantage  even  of  the  contrary 
currents  of  life  to  reach  its  end.  We  may  compare  the  soul  that  is  dead  and  the 
soul  that  has  spiritual  life  to  two  seeds,  one  infertile  and  the  other  fertile.  The 
forces  of  nature  play  upon  both  seeds  in  the  same  way.  In  the  case  of  the  seed  that 
has  no  life  in  it,  these  forces  are  unresisted  ;  they  have  their  own  way,  and  they 
proceed  to  corrupt  or  break  up  the  elements  of  which  it  is  composed,  until  nothing 
of  it  remains.  In  the  case  of  the  seed  that  is  possessed  of  life,  the  forces  of  nature 
are  resisted,  and  this  resistance  becomes  the  source  of  living  action,  the  very  power 
of  growth.  The  changes  which  the  seed  undergoes  in  germinating  under  the  influ- 
ence of  those  forces,  duly  controlled,  form  the  basis  of  all  the  subsequent  develop- 
ments. And  like  these  two  seeds  are  dead  and  living  souls.  If  the  soul  is  dead  it 
yields  helplessly  to  the  corruption  that  is  in  the  world  through  lust ;  if  the  soul  is 
living,  it  resists  these  disintegrating  forces  of  the  world,  and  uses  them  to  increase 
its  spiritual  life  and  to  build  up  its  spiritual  structure.  It  is  only,  therefore,  of  those 
who  have  spiritual  life  in  themselves  that  it  can  be  said,  that  though  "  cast  down 
they  are  not  destroyed."  To  such,  justification  is  a  living  doctrine — not  merely  part 
of  a  formal  creed,  nor  an  intellectual  abstraction.  Their  faith  is  alive,  and  can 
prove  its  vitality  by  its  energy.  And  the  force  of  this  life  is  remarkable.  This  faith 
can  overcome  the  world.  It  can  rise  supei'ior  to  all  its  temptations  and  trials.  The 
force  of  natural  life  even  in  the  lowest  forms  is  extraordinary.  The  soft  cellular 
mushroom  has  been  known  to  lift  up  heavy  masses  of  pavement  by  its  expansion 


CH-u-.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  163 

beneath  them  ;  the  tender  root  of  a  tree  insinuating  itself  in  a  crevice  of  the  rock 
spUts  it  up  by  its  growth.  And  if  life  in  its  feeblest  form  can  do  such  wonderful 
things,  what  may  not  be  expected  from  spiritual  and  eternal  life  ?  The  life  that 
is  in  Christ  Jesus  by  mere  formality  and  profession,  is  like  a  dead  branch  that  is 
merely  mechanically  united  to  the  tree,  and  which,  destitute  of  the  tree's  vital  sap 
and  force,  yields  inevitably  to  the  forces  of  nature,  decays,  and  drops  off  into  dust 
and  ashes.  But  the  life  that  is  in  Him  by  faith  is  hke  a  Uving  branch  that  becomes 
partaker  of  the  whole  force  of  the  tree,  and  grows  with  its  growth,  and  flourishes 
with  its  strength  and  beauty.  "  Whatsoever  is  born  of  God  overcometh  the  world." 
It  grows  strong  by  opposition ;  it  flourishes  in  the  most  adverse  circumstances  ;  it 
uses  all  the  conditions  of  life  for  its  maintenance  ;  it  makes  even  its  hindrances  to 
advance  its  life-work.  1.  What  casts  us  down  most  of  aU  is  the  burden  of  sin.  In 
the  unrenewed  heart  this  burden  is  unfelt.  We  are  unconscious  of  the  enormous 
pressure  of  the  atmosphere  upon  us,  because  our  bodies  are  pervaded  with  air  which 
counterbalances  the  superincumbent  air.  But  were  the  air  within  us  removed,  the 
pressure  of  the  air  without  would  crush  us.  And  so,  being  sinful  ourselves,  we  are 
unconscious  of  the  weight  of  sin.  But  when  the  love  of  sin  is  taken  away,  then  sin 
becomes  a  burden  which  is  too  heavy  for  us.  We  feel  ourselves  like  Christian  in 
the  "  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  with  his  huge  bundle  upon  his  back.  This  pressure  of  sin 
has  drawn  tears  from  eyes  which  would  have  looked  unmoved  upon  the  martyrs' 
fires.  Sin  is  indeed  the  great  adversity,  the  only  thing  that  is  truly  hostile  to  us ; 
and  yet,  in  contending  with  it,  we  can  use  it  as  a  fulcrum  to  remove  the  obstacles 
that  lie  in  the  soul's  upward  path.  But  though  this  great  adversity  be  taken  away 
by  faith  in  Christ,  other  evils  are  not  taken  away,  for  that  would  be  to  take  away 
what  determines  the  strength  and  shape  of  the  spiritual  life  :  that  would  leave  it  a 
weak  and  powerless  thing.  The  Christian  is  not  exempt  from  ordinary  troubles.  2. 
In  the  world  he  has  tribulation ;  and  many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous.  In 
addition  to  the  ordinary  trials  of  all  men,  he  has  troubles  of  his  own  that  are  peculiar 
to  the  spiritual  life.  And  these  are  felt  most  in  proportion  to  the  strength  and 
vigour  of  the  spiritual  life ;  only  that  in  his  case  what  crushes  others  proves  a  means 
of  growth,  calls  forth,  exercises,  and  educates  all  the  powers  of  his  soul,  and  brings 
down  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come  to  shape  his  character  and  conduct.  Some- 
times, indeed,  the  weight  is  too  much.  There  are  many  of  God's  people  who  are 
so  cast  down  by  their  circumstances  that  they  seem  almost  destroyed.  They  are 
like  a  tuft  of  grass  growing  under  a  stone.  The  stone  does  not  destroy  the  grass, 
nor  prevent  it  from  growing,  for  the  vital  force  is  stronger  than  the  mechanical ;  but 
it  dwarf s  and  distorts  it;  it  blanches  its  colour,  and  it  defoims  its  shape.  Thus 
many  lives  are  prevented  from  being  what  they  might  otherwise  have  been  by  the 
crushing  circumstances  of  life.  3.  Poverty  often  lies  like  a  stone  upon  them.  The 
sordid  care  for  things  that  perish  in  the  using  seems  to  dwarf  the  immortal  nature 
to  the  level  of  these  things — seems  to  make  the  soaring  spirit  a  part  of  the  dull 
material  world.  The  toU  that  is  needed  to  support  the  body  leaves  little  time  or 
inclination  for  the  cultivation  of  the  soul.  Though  poor  in  itself  it  can  make  many 
rich.  It  is  when  the  plant  is  poorest  in  material,  and  most  limited  in  force,  that  it 
produces  the  blossom  and  the  fruit  by  which  the  world  is  adorned  with  beauty  and 
the  generations  of  hving  creatures  are  fed.  And  so  the  poverty  of  the  Christian 
may  blossom  and  fruit  for  others.  How  often  has  this  been  the  case  in  the  history 
of  the  world !  Few  of  the  world's  greatest  benefactors  have  had  worldly  advan- 
tages. The  inventions  and  discoveries  that  have  been  of  the  greatest  use  to 
society  have  been  made  by  persons  who  had  little  wealth.  It  is  an  axiom  in 
nature  that  motion  takes  the  direction  of  least  resistance.  Poverty,  therefore, 
must  be  eminently  helpful  to  the  growth  of  the  soul,  insomuch  as  it  removes 
many  of  the  hindrances  which  make  it  hard  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  kingdom ' 
of  heaven.  If  the  aspiration  of  the  soul  is  heavenward,  then  a  poor  man 
encounters  less  opposition  in  that  aspiration  from  his  circumstances  than  one  who 
is  rich  and  increased  with  goods.  He  is  relieved  of  that  weight  of  worldliness 
— of  those  cares  and  anxieties  which  oppress  the  soul  and  give  it  an  earthward 
tendency.  4.  Sorrow  is  the  commonest  of  all  pressures  that  cast  down  the  soul. 
This  experience  belongs  to  no  class  or  condition  of  life  exclusively.  It  is  the  great 
mystery  of  Providence  that  there  should  be  such  a  prodigality  of  pain — how  God  can 
permit  such  forms  of  anguish.  But  the  greatness  of  our  sorrow  is  owing  to  the 
greatness  of  our  nature.  The  highest  mountains  cast  the  largest  shadows ;  and  so 
the  dark,  wide  shadows  of  human  experience  witness  to  the  original  loftiness  of  our 
being.     Sorrow  gives  a  tragic  touch  to  the  meanest  personality.     God  has  ordered 


164  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  iv.' 

that  sorrow  should  be  the  most  powerful  factor  in  the  education  of  our  race.  In  the 
histories  of  the  patriarchs  and  saints  we  see  how  suffering,  deep  and  long-continued, 
ministered  to  a  noble  development.  We  see  the  baser  earthy  element  in  them 
crystallised  into  the  purity  and  transparency  of  heaven  through  the  fires  of  pain  and 
sorrow.  Many  of  the  weights  that  press  down  the  Christian  life  are  visible  and 
palpable.  But  as  the  palm-tree  is  pressed  on  every  side  by  the  viewless  air,  as  it  is 
exposed  to  the  resistance  of  forces  which  the  eye  cannot  see  nor  the  hand  feel,  so  the 
heaviest  weights  which  drag  down  the  Christian  life  are  often  invisible.  Its  crosses 
cannot  be  displayed.  Many  of  its  troubles  are  of  a  spiritual  nature.  It  is  cast  down, 
not  by  circumstances,  but  by  the  state  of  the  soul.  And  these  spiritual  sorrows  are 
the  evidences  of  the  reality  of  the  work  of  grace ;  for  where  there  is  the  principle 
of  life  there  must  be  the  changes  of  life.  The  form  of  godliness  is  a  dead,  invariable 
thing  ;  whereas  the  power  of  godliness  has  its  winter,  its  summer,  and  its  autumn 
states.  Sorrow  arises  in  the  case  of  most  believers  from  inability  to  realise  the 
ideal,  to  reach  the  mark  of  attainment  they  have  set  themselves.  They  have  sorrow 
because  of  the  remembrance  of  past  sins  and  shortcomings.  They  have  sorrow 
because  of  the  sins  of  the  world.  All  this  is  the  godly  sorrow  that  worketh  repen- 
tance unto  life.  In  this  winter  state  the  spiritual  life  is  collecting  and  concentrating 
itself  for  renewed  effort  when  the  spring  of  revival  is  come.  It  waits  upon  the  Lord, 
and  so  renews  its  strength.  No  life  can  grow  or  support  itself  in  the  void  by  its 
spontaneous  buoyancy.  All  life  upholds  itself  in  the  air  by  continuous  eifort.  The 
humblest  life  is  a  vortex  of  unceasing  forces.  Much  more  is  this  the  case  in  regard 
to  the  highest  life  of  the  soul,  the  life  that  is  breathed  into  us  by  God's  Spirit  and 
formed  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  It  has  ever  to  do  an  uphill  work.  It  has  to  grow 
against  the  gravitation  of  sin.  But  this  resistance  is  meant  to  bring  out  all  that  is 
best  in  us,  to  stimulate  our  most  strenuous  exertions,  to  cultivate  our  patience,  to 
educate  our  faith  and  hope,  to  mould  us  after  the  Divine  pattern.  It  is  the  weight 
of  the  architrave  upon  the  pillar  that  gives  it  stability  and  endurance ;  and  it  is  the 
fightings  without  and  the  fears  within  that  give  strength  to  the  character  and  perse- 
verance to  the  life.  What  a  beauty  and  grace  does  the  spiritual  life  take  from  the^ 
pressure  of  the  light  afflictions  that  are  but  for  a  moment  and  that  work  out  for  us 
a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory !  The  thorny  sorrow  that  springs 
from  the  grave  of  some  dead  love  or  hope  forms  the  richest  adornment  of  life.  Not 
only  is  the  outward  form  of  the  Christian  Ufe  moulded  into  shapes  of  moral  beauty 
— into  whatsoever  things  are  pure,  and  honest,  and  lovely,  and  of  good  report — but 
its  inner  substance  is  also  made  more  lovely  by  the  pressure  of  external  shocks  and 
internal  sufferings.  It  is  not  the  tree  that  grows  in  a  rich  soil  and  in  a  sheltered 
situation  that  produces  the  richly  gi'ained  wood  which  is  selected  to  adorn  our  finest 
furniture ;  but  the  tree  that  is  exposed  in  its  bleak,  shelterless  situation  to  every 
storm  of  heaven.  The  wild  forces  that  beat  upon  it,  and  which  it  successfully  over- 
comes, develop  in  it  the  beautiful  veins  and  markings  which  are  so  highly  prized  by 
man.  And  so  it  is  not  when  growing  up  in  luxurious  ease  and  comfort  that  we  pro- 
duce the  gifts  and  graces  which  enrich  and  ennoble  the  Christian  life.  The  natures 
that  have  the  richest  variety  and  the  greatest  interest  are  ever  those  which  have 
grown  under  pressure  of  suffering,  and  by  a  vital  faith  have  overcome  the  world. 
The  Apostle  Paul  is  an  illustrious  example  of  the  law  in  question.  His  growth  in 
grace  was  indeed  under  pressure  of  the  most  trying  outward  circumstances,  and 
yet  what  a  marvellous  fulness  and  variety  of  form  did  it  display !  No  man  was 
more  many-sided  in  his  Christian  attainments.  We  are  not  at  the  mercy  of  the 
thousand  contingencies  of  life.  The  troubles  that  come  to  us  are  not  accidents. 
Divine   wisdom   is   shaping  aU  our  ends.     (H.  Macmillan,  D.D.)  The  frailty 

of  the  instruments  and  the  excess  of  the  power : — I.  Ckushed,  but  not  penned  in  a 
corner.  The  idea  is  that  of  being  jostled  in  a  crowd  (Mark  iii.  9).  They  are 
hard  pressed  for  space,  but  not  driven  into  hopeless  straits.  II.  In  difficulties 
as  to  the  ways  and  means  of  carrying  on  their  ministry  effectually,  but  not  reduced 
to  utter  helplessness.  III.  Persecuted,  but  not  left  in  the  enemies'  hands — not 
given  over  to  the  persecutors.  IV.  Thrown  to  the  ground,  but  not  destroyed.  The 
notion  is  the  pursuit  of  a  fugitive  in  war,  who,  when  overtaken  and  thrown  down, 
is  usually  slain.  Here  was  the  overthrow,  but,  by  God's  grace,  not  the  slaughter. 
[Archdeacon    Evans.)  The    broken   life : — The    mystery    of    evil    has    many 

aspects.  There  is  one  that  is  contained  in  that  sad  word  "waste."  The 
germs  of  life  that  wither  before  they  are  sprung  up,  the  lives  often  so  full  of 
power  and  promise  that  we  see  cut  off  in  their  prime,  the  gifted  minds  that  are 
sunk  in  unconsciousness  or  madness.     But  there  is  another  consideration  that  is 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  165 

still  more  practical,  and  that  comes  home  to  all  men  individually.  How  much  that 
was  born  with  each  one  of  us  must  pass  unused  and  undeveloped  into  the  grave ! 
The  profession  on  which  a  young  man  has  set  his  heart  may  be  really  the  one  best 
suited  to  him,  and  if  he  might  enter  on  the  preparation  for  it  with  his  enthusiasm, 
his  success  might  be  morally  certain,  and  the  natural  growth  of  character  assured. 
But  other  wiUs  have  to  be  consulted  beside  his  own ;  there  are  money  difficulties 
'which  are  thought  to  be  insurmountable,  or  there  is  a  fear  of  some  loss  of  caste, 
or  of  some  problematical  moral  consequences  which  are  apprehended.  And  so  the 
first  flush  of  hope  and  resolution  is  checked  by  an  untimely  frost,  and  the  leading 
sapling  is  nipped.  Will  the  tree  grow  straight  afterwards?  That  is  the  question. 
lOr  the  life  of  the  affections  has  been  in  some  way  warped  or  stunted.  Some.early 
'disappointment,  the  discovery  of  some  unknown  defect  for  which  no  one  living  is 
,to  blame,  some  hardly  avoidable  error,  makes  us  conscious  of  failure  and  limitation 
jhere,  where  the  longing  for  the  infinite  is  most  insatiable.  From  this  point  onwards 
|What  is  the  life  to  be  ?  These  are  marked  instances  of  what  we  all  find  out  at  some 
point  in  our  course — that  feeling  and  energy  have  to  be  adapted  to  circumstance ; 
,that  while  desires  and  aims  may  be  boundless,  opportunity  and  time  and  human 
power  are  limited.  And  it  is  here  that  the  difference  becomes  apparent  between 
the  true  and  false  resolution  and  enthusiasm.  We  have  attempted  the  impossible. 
iThe  possible  remains.  But  does  there  remain  in  us  the  strength  and  will  to  do  it  ? 
'Disappointment  will  have  a  weakening  effect  for  a  while,  but  it  will  only  be  for  a 
while  if  we  have  any  strength  in  us.  The  effect  is  various.  The  more  speculative 
and  dreamy  temper  discovers  that  the  world  is  out  of  joint,  and  begins  spinning 
theories  of  a  new  and  regenerate  condition  of  society,  in  which  every  nature  shall 
grow  without  painful  effort  into  the  fulness  of  its  ideal  form.  The  more  practical 
lose  sight  of  their  ideal  altogether,  and  fall  into  a  narrow,  dull  routine.  The  bolder 
nature  becomes  cynically  embittered,  the  softer  loses  heart  and  subsides  in  caution 
and  timidity.  These  are  the  subterfuges  of  weakness,  and  we  must  arise  and  shake 
ourselves  from  these  if  we  would  be  spiritually  healthy  and  strong.  Suppose,  then, 
the  discovery  to  have  been  made,  that  of  many  plans  only  the  one  that  seemed  the 
least  interesting  can  be  pursued  ;  that  of  many  powers  of  which  we  have  been  con- 
scious, only  some  of  the  more  ordinary  can  find  their  natural  fulfilment ;  that  of  all 
to  which  our  hearts  once  clung,  aU  but  some  poor  fragment  has  been  taken  out  of 
reach.  Imagine  the  great  soldier,  struck  down  in  middle  life  and  doomed  to  drag 
out  the  rest  of  his  time  in  feebleness  and  inaction.  What  then  remains  for  us  ?  If 
we  are  true  to  ourselves,  perhaps  the  most  fruitful  portion  of  our  lives.  It  is  true 
that  the  desire  granted  is  a  tree  of  life,  that  there  are  some  kinds  of  growth  which 
can  only  come  through  the  intensity  or  the  continuance  of  joy.  But  it  is  also  true 
that  still  deeper  sources  of  life  and  growth  are  opened  in  times  of  sorrow  and  gloom 
for  those  who  have  recourse  to  them  aright.  Let  us  return  to  Him  who,  by  the 
finger  of  His  providence,  has  shown  us  the  limits  of  our  appointed  way.  Let  us 
devote  ourselves  anew  to  do  and  suffer  according  to  His  will,  and  we  shall  find 
springing  by  the  strait  and  narrow  road  many  an  unlooked-for  blessing.  If  love 
and  truth,  humility  and  deep  contentment  be  there,  if  the  finite  being  is  rooted  in 
the  infinite,  there  will  be  enlargement  even  in  the  least  hopeful  lot.  The  gifts  that, 
with  concurrent  circumstances,  might  have  adorned  the  literature  of  a  nation,  or 
made  a  lasting  name  in  painting,  or  music,  or  some  other  path  of  art,  may  be  con- 
centrated on  the  training  of  one  or  two  children,  so  laying  up  a  store  of  usefulness 
for  the  coming  time.  The  same  energy  which  in  some  lives  is  seen  breaking  forth 
victoriously  in  all  the  brilliance  of  success  has  wrought  not  less  heroically  in  others, 
underground,  as  it  were,  unsuspected  and  unseen  except  by  very  few,  in  a  struggle 
with  adverse  fortune  or  adverse  health.  Viewed  "  under  the  form  of  eternity,"  the 
one  life  is  no  less  complete  and  no  less  successful  than  the  other.  Both  pass  into 
the  hidden  world  with  equal  gain.  If  there  be  the  fixed  determination  to  do  what 
the  hand  findeth  to  do,  even  though  it  may  seem  poor  and  mean,  to  do  it  trusting 
in  the  eternal  strength  and  wisdom  of  Him  who  ordereth  all  things  according  to 
the  good  pleasure  of  His  will,  we  need  not  fear  that  any  experience,  any  aspiration, 
any  love,  any  effort  of  our  past  lives  will  be  utterly  lost  to  us.  To  act  in  the  present 
is  not  necessarily  to  break  with  the  past.  We  learn  to  take  up  mangled  matters  at 
the  best.  We  perhaps  find  out  a  way  of  turning  to  account  even  the  accidents  of 
life,  and  weaving  them  into  the  fabric  of  our  design.  Nor  is  experience,  whether 
of  success  or  failure,  ever  profitable  for  ourselves  alone.  The  narrowest  and  most 
deserted  life  need  not  be  lived  wholly  in  isolation.  If  failure  and  sorrow  have  left 
the  heart  still  fresh  and  sweet,  as  it  will  be  if  it  have  clung  to  a  Divine  support. 


166  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

then,  -wherever  there  are  human  beings,  a  way  will  be  found  of  pouring  the  oil  of 
consolation  and  the  wine  of  gladness  into  other  lives.  There  is  so  much  that  wants 
doing  in  the  world,  so  few  hitherto  who  have  been  roused  to  do  even  what  they  can. 
It  is  terrible  to  think  that  we  may  miss  doing  the  little  that  is  laid  to  our  hands. 
Let  us  not  waste  time  in  vain  regrets,  or  in  vague  dreams  of  what  experience  has 
clearly  shown  to  be  impossible,  but  let  us  gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain. 
Though  sometimes  we  may  be  cast  down,  let  us  know  that  we  are  not  destroyed. 
(Prof.  Lewis  Campbell.)  Not  destroyed  : — Many  kinds  of  seeds  are  gifted  with 
powers  not  merely*  of  retaining  life  under  the  ordinary  cu'cumstances  of  nature,  but 
of  resisting  the  most  terrible  attacks.  When  wine  has  been  made  from  raisins,  and 
the  refuse  has  been  scattered  over  the  fields  as  manure,  it  has  been  observed  that 
the  grape-seeds  have  vegetated  and  produced  young  vines,  and  this  notwithstanding 
the  boiling  and  fermentation  they  have  had  to  endure.  The  seeds  of  elder-berries 
have  been  observed  to  grow  after  similar  trials.  Many  experiments  have  been  made 
to  ascertain  exactly  what  amount  of  unnatural  heat  seeds  can  bear  without  being 
destroyed.  It  considerably  exceeds  that  which  plants  can  bear ;  and  the  same  is 
the  case  with  extreme  cold.     [Scientific  Illustrations  and  Symhols.) 

Vers.  10-12.  Always  bearing  about  in  the  body  the  dying  of  the  Lord  Jesus. — 

Bearing  about  the  dying  of  Christ : — The  first  and  literal  meaning  of  these  words 
is  that  Paul  and  his  friends  were  in  daily  peril  of  such  a  death  as  Christ's  was,  and 
that  their  trials  left  sorrowful  trace  upon  form  and  feature.  It  is  not  so  that  we 
are  called  to  be  "conformable  to  the  death"  of  our  Eedeemer.  The  days  of  martyr- 
dom are  gone.  There  are  those  who  thmk  to  exemplify  the  text  by  bearing  about 
with  them  the  material  representation  of  the  Eedeemer's  death — the  crucifix.  Ah  ! 
you  may  do  that,  and  yet  be  hundreds  of  miles  away  from  any  compliance  with  the 
spirit  of  the  text.  Our  Lord  requires  of  us  the  devotion  of  the  heart ;  it  is  spiritually 
that  we  are  to  bear  about  our  Saviour's  dying.  I.  We  may  bear  about  the  memory 
OF  IT.  1.  Nothing  can  be  more  plain  than  that  we  ought  never  to  forget  our 
Eedeemer's  death.  When  some  one  very  near  to  you  died,  even  after  the  first 
shock  was  past,  and  you  could  once  more  with  some  measure  of  calmness  set  your- 
self to  your  common  duties  again,  did  you  not  still  feel,  in  the  greater  sympathy 
with  the  sorrows  of  others,  in  the  quieter  mood,  that  you  had  not  quite  got  over 
your  trial,  that  you  were  still  bearing  about  with  you  the  dying  of  the  dear  one  that 
was  gone  ?  2.  The  remembrance  of  our  Lord's  death  should  influence  all  our  views 
and  doings.  The  kind  mother  who  wore  out  her  life  in  toiling  for  her  child  might 
well  think  that  the  child  might  sometimes  come  and  stand  by  her  grave,  and 
remember  her  living  kindness  and  her  dying  words  when  she  was  far  away.  And 
oh  !  when  we  think  what  our  Saviour  Christ  has  done  for  us  by  His  dying — when  we 
think  that  every  hope,  every  blessing,  was  won  for  us  by  that  great  sacrifice — surely 
we  might  well  determine  that  we  never  shall  live  as  if  that  death  had  never  been ! 
You  hear  people  say — truly  enough,  perhaps — that  this  world  has  never  been  the 
same  to  them  since  such  a  loved  one  died — that  their  whole  life  has  been  changed 
since  then.  It  is  sad  to  see  a  Christian  living  in  such  a  fashion  as  to  show  plainly 
that  he  has  quite  forgot  how  his  Eedeemer  died !  (1)  When  we  think  of  sin,  let 
us  see  it  in  the  light  of  Christ's  death,  and  hate  it  because  it  nailed  Him  to  the 
tree.  (2)  Or  is  it  suffering  and  sorrow  that  come  to  us,  and  are  we  ready  to  repine 
and  to  rebel?  Then  let  us  call  to  mind  the  dying  of  our  Eedeemer,  and  it  will  not 
seem  so  hard  that  the  servant  should  fare  no  better  than  the  Master.  (3)  Or  are 
we  pressed  with  the  sense  of  our  sinfulness  and  the  fear  of  God's  wrath  for  sin  ? 
Then  let  us  remember  how  Jesus  died  for  us,  the  just  for  the  unjust— how  His 
blood  can  take  all  sin  away.  II.  We  may  show  in  odb  daily  life  its  transfoeming 
power.  Our  whole  life,  changed  and  affected  in  its  every  deed  by  the  fact  that 
Christ  died,  may  be  a  standing  testimony  that  thei-e  is  a  real  power  to  affect  the 
character  in  the  death  of  the  Saviour ;  and  thus  we  may,  in  a  very  true  and  solemn 
sense,  be  always  bearing  about  with  us  His  death  by  bearing  about  with  us  a  soul 
which  is  what  it  is  mainly  because  He  died.  1.  When  in  the  view  of  the  Cross  we 
see  how  bitterly  and  mysteriously  evil  and  ruinous  sin  is,  surely  the  practical  lesson 
is  plain  that  we  should  resolutely  tread  it  down,  and  earnestly  seek  for  deliverance 
from  the  curse  of  that  fearful  thing  which  brought  such  unutterable  agony  upon 
our  Eedeemer,  and  constantly  pray  for  that  blessed  Spirit  who  will  breathe  new  life 
into  every  good  resolution,  and  vivify  into  sunlight  clearness  every  sound  and  true 
belief.  2.  When  sorrow  and  suffering  come,  think  of  them  as  in  the  presence  of 
the  Eedeemer's  death,  and  you  will  learn  the  lesson  of  practical  resignation.     3. 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  167 

And  in  days  of  fear  and  anxiety,  when  you  do  not  know  how  it  will  go  with  you, 
look  to  Jesus  on  the  Cross,  and  learn  the  lesson  of  practical  confidence  in  God's 
disposing  love  and  wisdom.  4.  And,  to  sum  up  all,  let  us  daily  bear  about  His 
dying  by  dying  to  sin  and  living  to  holiness.  That  is  the  grand  conformity  which 
is  open  to  all  of  us — that  is  the  fashion  in  which  we  may  be  "crucified  with  Christ." 
Conclusion:  "Always."  Yes,  always  bear  it ;  never  lay  that  burden  down.  Always 
bear  it ;  not  in  sourness — not  in  that  hard,  severe  type  of  religion  which  we  may 
see  in  some  mistaken  and  narrow-hearted  believers.  Bear  it  in  humility,  kindness, 
charity,  hopefulness,  and  cheerfulness.     (A.  K.  H.  Boyd,  D.D.)  The  Cltriatian's 

fellownhlp  in  the  death  of  Christ : — How  do  we  bear  about  daily  the  dying  of  the 
Lord  Jesus?  I.  By  chemshing  faith  in  a  crucified  Saviour.  1.  The  death  of 
Christ  is — (1)  The  most  wonderful  of  all  facts,  and  we  should  not  be  warranted  to 
believe  it  unless  it  were  authenticated  to  us  by  Divine  testimony.  (2)  The  most 
interesting.  It  is  the  foundation  of  all  that  is  dear  to  man.  It  is  the  most  interest- 
ing of  all  the  facts  that  are  recorded,  not  only  in  human  narrative,  but  in  the  Book 
of  God  and  in  the  annals  of  the  universe.  (3)  The  most  influential.  It  spreads 
itself  through  the  whole  revelation  and  economy  of  God,  and  pervades  the  moral 
government  of  the  Most  High.  It  is  in  the  Book  of  God  the  first,  if  not  in  pomt 
of  order,  yet  of  importance.  "  I  delivered  to  you,  first  of  all,  how  that  Christ  died 
for  our  sins,"  &c.  2.  To  cherish  faith  in  this  fact,  then,  is  the  first  duty  of  man, 
and  by  so  doing  we  become  partakers  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ.  II.  By  a  continued 
REMEMBRANCE  OF  THIS  GREAT  EVENT.  That  which  wc  bclieve  most  assuredly,  in  which 
we  feel  the  deepest  interest,  and  to  which  we  give  the  highest  place,  will  be  best 
remembered  by  us ;  and  the  death  of  Christ,  possessing  all  those  requisites,  with  a. 
good  man  will  impress  itself  deeply  on  his  mind.  To  help  us  in  this  great  exercise 
is  the  most  obvious  design  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  If  we  forget  Jesus  who  died  for 
us,  whom  and  what  shall  we  rationally  and  religiously  remember  ?  III.  By  a  pro- 
gressive IMPROVEMENT  OF  THIS  GREAT  EVENT.  The  decease  of  our  Lord  is  set  forth 
in  the  Word  of  God  and  in  the  Lord's  Supper,  not  merely  for  contemplation,  or  for 
curious  inquiry,  but  for  deep  meditation  and  practical  improvement.  Now,  a  good 
man  is  anxious  to  improve  this  death  for  all  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  appointed 
of  God  and  endured  by  Christ.  Others  may  gaze  upon  the  Cross  ;  he  glories  in  it. 
Others  may  cast  a  passing  glance  upon  the  Divine  Sufferer  ;  he  hangs  upon  the 
Cross — he  lives  by  it.  IV.  By  imbibing  more  and  more  of  His  Spirit,  j^nd  what 
was  this  spirit?  It  was  a  spirit — 1.  Of  holy  love.  "He  loved  us  with  an  ever- 
lasting love,"  and  thence  "  gave  Himself  for  us."  2.  Of  holy  submission  to  the 
Divine  appointment.  "  Lo,  I  come  to  do  Thy  wUl,  0  My  God  "  ;  and  He  well  kuevw-^ 
all  that  that  involved.  3.  Of  determined  decision  in  His  great  work.  "  I  have  & 
baptism  to  be  baptized  with,  and  how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accomplished  !  "  4. 
Of  holy  purity.  He  was  the  Lamb  of  God,  "  without  blemish  and  without  spot." 
5.  Of  invincible  faith.  "  My  God,  My  God ! "  He  cried,  claiming  an  interest  ia 
Him  when  the  waters  overwhelmed  His  soul.  6.  Of  entire  resignation  to  God  amid 
the  agonies  of  death  and  the  prospect  of  dying.  "  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  com- 
mend My  spirit."  Now,  a  good  man  bears  about  the  dying  of  the  Lord  Jesus  by- 
seeking  to  drink  continually  mto  Christ's  spirit,  and  by  exemplifying  it  more  and 
more.  V.  By  a  practical  illustration  of  that  great  decease,  of  its  character 
AND  power.  Although  it  was  not  the  only,  or  even  the  main,  end  of  His  coming  in 
the  flesh  to  exhibit  a  sublime  example  of  perfect  morality,  yet  doubtless  He  came  to- 
present  to  us  a  pattern  of  all  goodness  and  godliness.  Hence  we  are  told  that  He- 
hath  "  set  us  an  example  that  we  should  foUow  His  steps."  VI.  By  a  frequent' 
SOLEMN  commejioration  OF  HiM.  (./.  Mitchell,  D.D.)  That  the  life  also  of  Jesus 
might  be  made  manifest  in  our  body. — The  manifestation  of  the  life  of  Christ : — 
1.  There  is  something  beautifully  emphatic  in  the  idea  that  it  is  the  life  of  Jesus 
that  is  manifested  in  the  Christian.  Century  after  century  hath  rolled  away,  and 
He  who  won  to  Himself,  by  agony  and  death,  the  lordship  of  this  lower  creation 
hath  not  visibly  interfered  with  the  administration  of  its  concerns.  The  time, 
indeed,  will  come  when  sensible  proof  shall  be  given,  and  every  eye  shall  gaze  on 
the  Son  of  Man  seated  on  the  clouds  and  summoning  to  judgment.  But  we  are 
free  to  own  that,  since  under  the  present  dispensation  there  are  no  visible  exhibitions 
of  the  kingship  of  Christ,  it  is  not  easy,  if  the  authority  of  Scripture  be  questioned, 
to  bring  forward  satisfactory  proof  that  Jesus  is  alive.  2.  Yet  we  are  not  ready  to 
admit  the  total  absence  of  direct,  positive,  practical  witness.  We  thus  bring  the 
statement  of  our  text,  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  the  manifestation  of  the  life  of 
the  Kedeemer.    It  was  possible  enough  that  the  malice  of  persecutors  might  wear 


168  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  rv. 

down  to  the  wreck  the  body  of  the  apostle ;  but  there  were  such  continued  miracles 
in  his  being  sustained  in  the  battle  with  principalities  and  powers  that,  if  challenged 
to  prove  that  his  Lord  was  alive,  he  could  point  to  the  shattered  tabernacle,  and 
answer  triumphantly,  the  life  also  of  Jesus,  as  well  as  the  death,  was  made  manifest 
in  that  his  body.  3.  The  doctrine  of  Christ's  hving  for  us  is  every  whit  as  closely 
fcound  up  with  our  salvation  as  that  of  His  having  died  for  us.  The  resurrection 
■was  God's  attestation  to  the  worth  of  the  atonement.     I.  The  persecutions  which 

THE  apostles  UNDERWENT,  AS  WELL  AS  THE  PROCLAMATIONS  WHICH  THEY  UTTERED,  WENT 

TO  THE  PROVING  THAT  Jesus  WAS  ALIVE.  1.  The  rulers  said  the  body  was  stolen ;  the 
apostles  said  the  body  was  quickened.  Who  sees  not  that,  by  persecuting  the  apostles 
in  place  of  proving  them  liars,  the  rulers  themselves  bore  witness  to  the  fact  that 
Jesus  was  alive  ?  They  had  no  evidence  to  produce  of  the  tru^a  of  their  own  state- 
ment, and  they  set  themselves  therefore  to  get  rid  by  force  of  the  counter-statement. 
Power  was  substituted  for  proof,  cruelty  for  argument.  We  therefore  contend  that 
Tio  stronger  atlestation  could  have  been  given  to  the  fact  of  Christ's  life  than  the 
persecutions  to  which  the  apostles  were  subjected  for  maintaining  that  fact.  2.  We 
may  yet  further  argue  that  by  submitting  to  persecutions  the  apostles  showed  their 
own  beUef  that  Jesus  was  alive.  There  is  a  limit  which  enthusiasm  cannot  pass. 
Had  not  the  apostles  believed  Christ  alive  they  would  not  have  joyfully  exposed 
themselves  to  peril  and  death.  H.  The  grand  manifestation  op  the  life  of  Jesus 
xiES  in  the  suppokts  and  consolations  vouchsafed  to  the  persecuted.  1.  When 
the  malice  of  the  ungodly  was  allowed  to  do  its  worst,  there  was  administered  so 
much  of  supernatural  assistance  that  all  but  the  reprobate  must  have  seen  that  the 
power  of  the  Lord  was  sustaining  the  martyi-s.  They  went  out  of  the  world  with 
gladness  in  the  eye  and  with  triumph  on  the  lip,  confident  that  their  Master  lived 
to  welcome  them,  and  therefore  able  to  cry  out  with  Stephen,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive 
my  spirit."  2.  Now,  we  maintain  that,  whenever  God  directly  interposes  to  preserve 
an  individual  while  publishing  a  doctrine,  God  virtually  gives  testimony  to  the  truth 
■of  that  doctrine.  If  the  published  doctrine  were  the  reverse  of  truth  He  would  never 
mark  the  publisher  with  His  approval ;  and  thus  we  have  a  decisive  and  vivid 
manifestation  of  the  life  of  Christ  in  the  sufferings  of  the  apostles.  3.  Whilst 
Christ  sojourned  on  earth  He  told  His  disciples  that  persecution  would  be  their 
lot,  but  also  that  He  would  be  alive  to  act  as  their  protector.  When,  therefore,  all 
occurred  as  Christ  had  predicted,  when  the  supports  were  administered  which  He 
liad  pointed  out  as  the  result  of  His  life,  what  can  be  fairer  than  maintaining  that 
the  supports  were  a  proof  of  the  hfe?  III.  We  would  not  have  you  think  that 
the  manifestation  of  the  life  of  the  Kedeemer  was  confined  to  the  apostles. 
Take  any  one  who  now  is  walking  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight.  He  will  tell  you  that 
his  whole  conduct  is  ordered  on  the  supposition  that  he  has  a  Saviour  ever  living 
to  intercede  in  his  behalf.  He  will  tell  you,  further,  that  never  has  he  found  the 
supposition  falsified  by  experience.  He  goes  to  Christ  sorrowful,  believing  that  He 
lives ;  he  comes  away  comforted,  and  thus  proves  that  He  lives.  He  carries  his 
burdens  to  Christ,  supposing  Him  alive;  he  finds  them  taken  away,  and  thus 
demonstrates  Him  alive.  All,  in  short,  that  is  promised  as  the  result  of  Christ's 
life  comes  into  his  possession,  and  is,  therefore,  an  evidence  of  Christ's  life.  If  I 
am  a  believer,  I  look  to  Christ  as  living  for  me ;  I  go  and  pray  to  Christ  as  living 
for  me ;  and,  if  I  am  never  disappointed  in  my  reference  to  Christ  as  living  for 
me,  is  there  no  strong  testimony  in  my  own  experience  that  Jesus  lives?  In  short, 
if  the  Christian  live  only  by  faith  in  the  living  Saviour,  his  life  must  be  the  mani- 
festation of  the  life  of  the  Saviour.  If  Christ  be  not  alive,  how  comes  it  that  they 
who  act  upon  the  supposition  that  He  is  alive  find  the  supposition  perpetually 
verified  and  in  no  instance  falsified — verified  by  the  assistance  vouchsafed,  by  the 
promises  fulfilled,  by  the  consolations  enjoyed  in  these  mortal  bodies,  which  are 
the  theatres  of  truceless  warfare  with  a  corrupt  nature  and  apostate  spirits  ?  Con- 
clusion :  What  we  wish  for  you  is  that  you  might  manifest  the  life  of  the  Redeemer 
—manifest  it  in  the  vigour  with  which  you  resist  the  devil,  break  loose  from  the 
world,  and  set  yourself  to  the  culture  of  holiness.     (H.  Melvill,  B.D.) 

Ver.  13.  We  having  the  same  spirit  of  faith,  according  as  it  is  written,  I 
believed  and  therefore  have  I  spoken. — Faith  the  mainspring  of  action : — I.  First, 
A  man  must  have  faith  before  he  can  hope  to  speak  successfully.  Believing 
deeply  must  go  before  speaking  heartily.  Take  it  with  regard  to  any  department 
of  human  science ;  suppose  a  man  did  not  believe  in  the  principles  of  astronomy 
or  of  geology,  and  yet  pretended  to  teach  these  sciences,  his  heartlessness  would 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  COniNTHTANS.  169 

quickly  make  his  teaching  useless.  For  suppose  a  man  not  to  have  this  faith, 
how  often  will  his  judgment  be  at  fault  ;  how  often  will  his  spirit  fail  in 
the  day  of  adversity ;  how  often  will  his  zeal  expend  itself  in  worthless  ob- 
jects. II.  That  in  proportion  to  oub  faith  will  be  the  energy  of  our  speech. 
Peter  and  John  believed,  when  they  stood  calm  and  self-reliant  before  the 
Sanhedrim.  Whitfield  and  Wesley  believed  when  they  roused  the  religious 
convictions,  and  awakened  the  dormant  consciences  of  this  country  in  the  last 
century.  III.  When  a  man  believes,  he  is  bound  to  speak.  It  is  a  heaven- 
prescribed  duty ;  his  soul-enshrined  obligation.  The  whole  problem  of  human 
progress  hinges  upon  this  obligation.  It  is  "  a  day  of  good  tidings ;  and  we  do  not 
well  if  we  hold  our  peace."  {W.  G.  Barrett.)  Faith  and  its  utterances  : — We 
'  have  here  a  description  of  a  true  prophet.  A  mere  official  speaks  because  he  is 
expected  to  say  something :  a  true  prophet  speaks  because  he  has  something  to  say. 
I.  I  BELIEVED.  These  words  refer — 1.  To  the  truths  that  God  teaches.  (1)  God's 
truths  are  all  vital  truths.  The  subject  on  which  they  treat  is  life.  Clearly  to  see 
truth,  and  to  firmly  grasp  it,  is  the  life  of  reason.  To  choose  the  right,  to  do  it,  and 
to  rejoice  in  it,  is  the  life  of  the  conscience.  To  have  passions  and  feelings  which 
invigorate,  comfort,  and  ennoble  is  the  life  of  the  soul.  Man  is  related  to  a  Being 
who  can  give  to  him  the  light  of  reason,  peace  of  conscience,  holy  and  joyful 
emotions,  and  the  favour  of  that  great  Being  is  life.  His  displeasure  is  death. 
Such  is  the  momentous  subject  on  which  God's  truth  speaks.  (2)  And  as  the 
subject,  such  also  is  the  matter  of  God's  truth.  It  consists  of  directions  how  to 
attain  life,  and  how  to  escape  death.  Under  any  circumstances  the  knowledge  of 
these  directions  would  be  of  first  importance.  Some  parts  of  the  world  are  visited 
with  the  plague.  Now  suppose  that  a  remedy  were  revealed,  would  it  not  be  a 
great  truth,  and  would  we  not  be  eager  to  proclaim  it  far  and  wide?  But  how 
incomparably  greater  is  that  truth  which  is  God's  salvation  unto  the  uttermost  ends 
of  the  earth  1  II.  The  manner  in  which  God  teaches  these  truths.  The  truth  as 
it  is  taught  by  God  exists  in  man.  1.  As  a  clear  apprehension.  There  is  a  great 
difference  between  clearly  seeing  a  truth,  and  having  only  a  general  and  confused 
notion  of  it.  When  you  look  at  a  landscape  in  a  fog  you  can  form  no  distinct 
conception  of  its  characteristics.  Truth,  under  similar  circumstances,  can  produce 
no  impression  on  the  soul.  Its  beauty,  importance,  value  are  all  lost  upon  him 
who  has  but  a  confused  conception  of  it.  Many  think  they  have  looked  upon 
the  Cross,  but  can  see  no  glory  in  it.  They  have  not  really  seen  it.  They  are  like 
the  man  who  sees  a  landscape  in  a  fog.  It  is  owing  to  this  that  a  general  view  of 
the  Cross  is  often  nothing  more  than  a  misconception ;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
a  true  insight  into  the  Cross  stirs  up  the  soul  from  its  lowest  depths.  It  is  a 
heart-penetrating,  soul-transforming  vision  ;  it  leads  the  sinner  to  turn  his  back  for 
€ver  on  the  world,  and  to  worship  the  crucified  One.  2.  As  an  irresistible  convic- 
tion. You  believe  in  your  own  consciousness  ;  you  ask  for  no  arguments  to  prove 
that  your  own  consciousness  is  not  always  deceiving  you.  You  believe  in  an 
external  world ;  you  ask  for  no  arguments  to  prove  that  an  external  world  is  not  a 
mere  optical  delusion.  A  child  has  faith  in  its  nurse  ;  it  believes  that  its  nurse  will 
feed  and  love  it  and  not  hurt  or  destroy  it.  So  he  who  is  taught  of  God  would  be  as 
able  to  disbelieve  his  own  consciousness  as  to  disbelieve  that  Jesus  Christ  came  into 
the  world  to  save  sinners.  III.  Therefore  have  I  spoken.  It  is  natural  for  the 
tongue  to  express  what  the  soul  knows  and  the  heart  feels  ;  but  there  are  two 
reasons  in  relation  to  gospel  truth  which  turn,  what  in  other  cases  is  but  natural, 
into  a  moral  necessity.  1.  Divine  truth  is  of  universal  concernment.  When 
*'  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness  "  the  news  was  important  alike  to 
every  serpent-bitten  Israelite ;  so  this  "  faithful  saying  is  worthy  of  all  acceptation 
that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners."  The  antidote  to  sin's 
poison  should  be  made  known  wherever  that  poison  rages.  2.  The  faith  which  the 
Church  has  received  is  one  which  peculiarly  prompts  the  utterance  of  the  tongue. 
{W.  Alliott.)  Believing  speech  the  evangelising  organ  of  Christianity  : — I.  In 
contradistinction  to  believing  literature.  Literature  is  one  of  the  mightiest 
of  human  institutions,  and  of  all  literature  that  produced  by  believers  on 
Christian  subjects  is  incomparably  the  most  valuable.  But  the  best  of  these 
is  destitute  of  the  power  which  goes  with  believing  speech.  The  latter  has 
the  presence  of  the  author.  The  presence  of  a  man  before  his  brother  is  itself 
a  power.  Truth  through  the  pen  is  truth  in  lunar  ray.  However  clear,  it 
is  cold.  Under  its  influence  landscapes  will  wither  and  rivers  freeze.  Truth 
in  the  living  voice,  is  a  sunbeam  penetrating  the  cold  regions  of  death,  and 


170  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  nr, 

touching  all  into  life.  Hence  Christ,  who  knows  human  nature  and  how  best  to 
influence  it,  committed  the  propagation  of  His  gospel  to  the  living  voice.  He 
commanded  His  disciples  to  go  everywhere  and  preach  the  gospel.  H.  In  contra- 
distinction TO  PROFESSIONAL  TALK.  Millions  are  preached  to  every  Sunday  who  are- 
never  effectively  influenced  by  the  truth.  Why?  There  is  the  living  voice,  but 
that  voice  is  not  the  organ  of  the  believing  soul.  1.  Evident  honesty.  Few 
hearers  can  fail  to  detect  the  difference  between  the  utterance  of  conviction  and 
that  of  a  mere  professional  talker.  2.  Living  manhood.  The  man  who  speaks- 
those  things  which  have  never  become  convictions  with  him  stands  before  his 
audience  only  as  a  piece  of  mechanism.  The  mechanism  may  be  symmetrical  in 
form,  graceful  in  movement ;  still  it  is  mechanism,  not  manhood.  But  he  who 
speaks  his  convictions  rings  out  his  manhood  in  his  words.  3.  Irrepressible 
influence.  The  man  who  preaches  without  faith  does  his  work  more  or  less  as  a 
task.  Two  things  give  this  irrepressibiUty.  (1)  The  relation  of  the  subjects 
believed  to  his  social  affections.  The  subjects  of  Christianity  are  essential  to  the 
salvation  of  the  race,  and  his  philanthropy  urges  him  to  make  them  known.  (2) 
The  relation  of  these  subjects  to  his  reUgious  sympathies.  They  have  to  do  with 
the  glory  of  God,  whom  he  loves  supremely,  and  hence  his  piety  urges  him  to 
proclaim  them.  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  Christian  niissions  the  necessary  result  of 
Christian  faith  : — The  spirit  of  faitn  has  in  aU  ages  been  the  power  under  whose 
inspiration  the  conflict  against  evil  has  been  maintained  and  the  victories  of  truth 
and  righteousness  won.  Without  faith  the  position  of  the  apostles  would  have 
been  discouraging  indeed.  Here,  in  this  world  of  sight  and  mere  reason,  there  was 
everything  to  depress.  There,  in  the  faithful  Word  of  their  unchanging  God,  in  the- 
presence  of  their  living  Lord,  in  the  assurance  of  those  mighty  spiritual  influences' 
which  were  to  crown  their  work  with  success,  was  everything  to  stimulate  and. 
strengthen.  They  saiv  that  the  whole  world  was  moved  against  them ;  they 
believed  that  they  worked  for  God,  and  that  God  worked  for  them.  Whether  other- 
men  understand  it  or  not,  our  principle  remains  the  same — "  We  believe,  and 
therefore  speak."  I.  Faith  as  the  constraining  principle  of  our  work.  Every- 
where faith  and  speech  ought  to  be  united.  The  man  who  speaks  what  he  does  not 
believe  is  a  hypocrite.  The  man  who  believes  what  he  will  not  speak  is  a  coward. 
It  is  not  only  that  we,  under  the  impulse  of  chivalrous  devotion  to  the  cause  we- 
have  espoused  and  the  leader  whom  we  follow,  choose  to  speak,  but  that  we  are- 
under  a  power  which  renders  it  impossible  for  us  to  keep  silence.  The  love  of 
Christ  constrains  us  that  we  must  speak  and  work  for  Him.  1.  Faith  inspires  a 
sentiment  of  loyalty  to  the  truth  which  we  believe.  The  feeling  is  not  so  rare 
surely  that  its  existence  in  Christian  men  should  be  regarded  as  strange  and 
inexplicable.  The  hatred  of  mere  show  and  tinsel,  the  desire  to  be  true  and 
genuine,  have  given  a  character  to  our  art  m  that  realism  which  is  one  of  its  most 
prominent  features.  The  noblest  poetry  of  the  times  has  been  inspired  by  a 
similar  sentiment.  This  power  of  truth  has  made  itself  felt  in  the  world  of 
politics,  overthrowing  many  a  time-honoured  abuse,  compelling  every  institution, 
however  venerable,  to  vindicate  its  right  to  exist  by  giving  the  proof  of  its  hai-mony 
with  the  eternal  laws  of  right  and  the  best  interests  of  society.  Above  all  is  it 
manifest  in  the  realm  of  scientific  inquiry,  where  even  the  simplest  principle  has  to- 
verify  itself  by  unquestionable  evidence.  In  this  hungering  after  truth  we  must 
sympathise.  What  we  ask,  however,  is  that  these  searchers  after  truth  recognise 
the  reasonableness  of  the  homage  to  truth  which  is  rendered  in  the  missionary 
enterprise.  Marvel  if  you  will  at  the  greatness  of  our  faith,  but  admit  that  with 
our  faith  any  other  line  of  conduct  would  be  treason  to  that  truth  for  which  you  as 
well  as  we  profess  reverence.  We  have  ourselves  tasted  and  handled  of  the  good 
Word  of  Life.  To  us  the  gospel  is  the  true  light,  but  should  we  refuse  it  to  the- 
world  we  create  a  doubt  whether  we  regard  it  as  a  light  from  heaven  at  all,  and 
whether  there  may  not  be  a  lurking  suspicion  in  our  own  minds  that  it  may  be,  as 
its  enemies  allege,  an  illusion  of  human  fancy  or  a  human  superstition.  2.  Faith 
strengthens  our  sense  of  obligation  by  teaching  us  that  the  gospel  is  not  only  truth 
but  that  it  is  the  truth.  The  exclusiveness  of  the  gospel  is  one  of  its  most  marked 
characteristics.  It  does  not  point  to  one  Saviour  among  many,  but  distinctly  tells 
us  that  there  is  but  one  name  given  under  heaven  among  men  whereby  we  can  be 
saved.  That  such  a  provision  would  have  been  made  if  man  could  have  been  saved 
independently  of  it  is  a  supposition  which  cannot  be  entertained  by  any  one  who 
has  marked  the  wondrous  economy  of  all  the  Divine  procedure.  All  analogy 
teaches  us  that  if  man  could  have  achieved  salvation  as  easily  as  he  has  discovered 


<!HAP.  IV.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  171 

scientific  truth  God  would  certainly  have  left  him  to  do  the  one  as  well  as  the  other. 
That  God  has  sent  His  only-begotten  Son  into  the  world  to  redeem  the  world  is  the 
proof  that  without  Him  there  could  have  been  no  redemption.  But  how  tremen- 
dously weighty  are  the  obligations  which  the  belief  that  this  is  the  one  message  of 
the  Father's  love  to  His  rebellious  children  and  that  we  are  entrusted  with  the 
delivery  of  that  message  imposes.  Ask  us  why  we  should  take  so  much  trouble  to 
•disturb  the  faith  of  peoples  who  are  quite  satisfied  with  then-  old  creeds — the 
question  should  rather  be  how  it  is  possible  for  us,  holding  such  a  faith,  to  be 
<3ontent  with  the  feeble  attempts  which  the  Church  is  making  to  instruct  the 
millions  who  are  alienated  from  God  by  reason  of  the  darkness  that  is  in  them. 
3.  Faith  calls  into  action  a  still  mightier  principle — loyalty  to  our  Lord.  The 
power  of  a  creed,  a  sentiment,  a  principle,  is  weak  compared  with  that  of  devotion 
to  a  person.  And,  while  we  love  Him,  we  must  share  His  passion  for  saving  souls. 
There  can  scarcely  be  a  surer  proof  of  the  want  of  accord  between  our  heart  and 
.that  of  the  Master  than  apathy  in  relation  to  the  spread  of  His  kingdom  in  the 
•world,  n.  Faith  as  giving  us  our  assurance  of  success.  1.  Christian  men  cannot 
be  astonished  at  the  utterly  hopeless  aspect  which  their  enterprise  wears  in  the 
eyes  of  those  who  judge  it  on  the  principles  of  mere  reason.  The  purest  form  of 
jour  religion  is  not  that  which  has  been  able  to  command  the  largest  amount  of 
support.  If  reason  holds  so  little  sway  and  superstition  has  such  powerful  attrac- 
■tions,  even  among  the  peoples  who  have  come  under  the  teaching  of  Christianity, 
what  are  we  to  anticipate  from  those  who  hear  its  doctrines  for  the  first  time  ?  To 
such  reasonings  we  have  nothing  to  answer.  If  we  are  to  look  only  to  the  "  things 
which  are  seen,"  we  must  confess  that  our  enterprise  is  a  wild  extravagance.  A 
iew  missionaries  dwelling  in  an  humble  home  in  one  of  those  marvellous  cities  of 
the  Eastern  world,  gathering  a  few  children  into  their  schools,  or  a  miserable 
iraction,  at  best,  of  the  whole  population  into  their  chapels,  to  hear  the  Word  they 
have  to  preach,  and  hoping  in  this  way  to  overthrow  an  ancient  religion  and 
convert  an  idolatrous  people,  present  a  spectacle  which,  to  any  eye  but  that  of  faith, 
has  something  of  the  ludicrous  belonging  to  it.  If  we  are  to  judge  by  appearances 
Alone,  no  conflict  could  seem  so  unequal,  no  issue  so  certain.  It  is  because  we 
believe  that  there  are  other  forces  which  we  do  not  see,  but  which  are  mightier  than 
all  the  power  that  can  be  an-ayed  against  them,  that  we  look  forward  with  assured 
confidence  to  the  result.  It  is  in  these  things  that  are  unseen,  the  force  of  truth, 
the  armour  of  righteousness,  the  omnipotence  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  the  things  that 
cannot  be  shaken,  but  are  eternal,  that  we  trust.  "  Some  trust  in  chariots,  and 
some  in  horses,  but  we  will  remember  the  name  of  the  Lord  our  God."  2.  The 
real  power  of  these  unseen  forces,  which  men  are  prone  to  value  so  lightly,  but 
which  ever  and  anon  vindicate  their  majesty  in  such  wondrous  ways,  is  not  now  to 
be  learned  for  the  first  time,  and  the  absurdity  which  some  discover  in  our  expec- 
tations disappears  when  we  attempt  to  cast  the  horoscope  of  the  future  by  the  help 
of  the  history  of  the  past.  Who  would  have  dared  to  prophesy  at  the  time  when 
the  words  of  our  text  were  written  that  when  everything  else  belonging  to  that 
■famed  city  of  Corinth  had  passed  away,  when  her  altars  and  her  gods  had  sunk 
together  in  the  dust,  that  the  one  thing  which  would  live  and  would  carry  the  fame 
of  Corinth  into  regions  where  otherwise  her  name  would  never  have  been  heard, 
would  be  the  gospel  taught  by  that  Jewish  stranger.  What  happened  in  those  first 
days  has  happened  again  and  again  since.  3.  If  ever  there  was  an  age  which 
ought  to  distrust  the  boastful  confidence  which  men  are  wont  to  express  in  mere 
material  strength  it  is  the  present.  It  has  not  to  search  in  the  records  of  the  past, 
for  it  has  had  under  its  own  eyes  evidence  which  ought  to  have  convinced  the  most 
sceptical  that  there  is  truth  and  righteousness  a  power  mightier  than  the  strength 
of  armies,  than  the  overwhelming  force  of  public  opinion,  than  the  prestige  of  rank 
and  fashion,  than  the  union  of  all  the  forces  which  the  world  can  employ  on  behalf 
of  terror.  If  it  has  not  learned  that  there  are  mighty  forces  battling  on  the  side  of 
truth  and  righteousness,  we  know  not  what  signs  and  miracles  would  remove  its 
Ignorance  or  shake  its  obstinate  unbelief.  To  us  at  least  they  are  as  new  calls  to 
put  our  trust  in  God,  not  neglecting  the  employment  of  all  the  means  which  He 
may  place  in  our  power.  The  victory  may  be  declared  in  a  very  unexpected  way 
and  at  a  time  most  unexpected.  Some  succession  of  events  will  disclose  the  secret 
weakness  of  those  proud  systems  whose  outward  show  of  strength  and  glory  has 
•deceived  the  world  as  to  their  true  character.  Institutions  which  looked  as  strong 
[have  fallen,  though  wise  men  said  they  could  not,  and  proud  men  said  they  should 
iiiot  fall,  though  their  assailants  were  as  hopeless  as  their  friends  were  confident, 


172  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.    '  [chap.  vr. 

though  everything  was  for  them  except  only  the  power  of  truth.  4.  This,  then,  is 
our  faith,  and  in  that  faith  we  speak  and  act.  But  let  us  beware  lest  our  own 
conduct  falsify  our  professions  and  inflict  on  our  cause  an  injury  more  serious  than 
any  which  it  could  receive  from  its  enemies.  The  assertion  of  our  faith  has  value 
and  efiiciency  only  so  far  as  it  can  point  to  practical  results.  Mere  evanesceni 
excitement  not  only  works  no  good,  but  helps  to  deceive  our  hearts.  It  is  a 
miserable  thing  indeed  if  we  have  to  throw  ourselves  back  upon  the  triumphs  of 
the  past  to  find  some  consolation  amid  signs  of  weakness  in  the  present.  Where  is 
its  power  now  ?  What  it  once  had  it  can  have  again.  There  is  no  motive  which  it  I 
has  ever  called  into  play  that  does  not  retain  all  its  ancient  force,  there  is  no' 
promise  on  which  it  rests  that  does  not  remain  firm  and  unchanging,  there  is  no 
force  which  it  has  employed  in  the  past  that  is  not  equally  at  its  command  to-day. 
We  profess  to  have  the  same  faith  which  inspired  the  heroes  of  our  Christian 
chivahy  in  the  days  that  are  past,  and  if  it  does  not  work  out  a  heroism  as  noble  in 
us  it  is  because  our  souls  have  not  been  submitted  to  its  power.  5.  Lord,  increase 
our  faith.  Then  we  shall  cherish  a  broader  and  deeper  sympathy  with  humanity. 
Then  shall  we  hear  the  voice  of  our  King,  bidding  us  go  forth  in  His  name  and  by 
His  strength  to  conquer  all  falsehood,  all  sin,  all  tyranny,  aU  priestcraft.  Then 
will  our  consecration  be  more  perfect,  and  our  zeal  will  put  forth  an  energy  and 
liberality  whose  large-hearted  and  generous  deeds  shall  put  to  shame  the  niggard 
offerings  of  the  present.     (J.  G.  Rogers,  B.A.) 

Vers.  14,  15.  Knowing  that  He  which  raised  up  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  raise  us  up 
also. — Soul-inspiring  facts  : — I.  That  Chkist  was  eaised  from  the  de.u).  "Know- 
ing," &c.  No  fact  in  history  is  more  firmly  estabUshed.  11.  That  the  genuine 
disciple  of  Chbist  will  also  be  raised.  "  Shall  raise  us  up  also,"  &c.  IH.  That 
ALL  things  are  FOR  THE  GOOD  OF  THE  GOOD.  "All  things  ai'c  for  your  sakes  "  (Rom. 
viii.  28 ;  1  Cor.  21-23).  IV.  That  all  things  in  life  should  result  in  the  true 
WORSHIP  OF  God.  "  That  the  abundant  grace,"  (fee.  It  is  only  in  worship  that  the 
soul  can  find  the  free  and  harmonious  development  of  all  its  spiiitual  powers. 
Worship  is  heaven.     (D.  Thomas,  D.D.) 

Vers.  16-18.  For  which  cause  we  faint  not ;  but  though  our  outward  man  perish, 
yet  the  inward  man  is  renewed  day  by  day. — Dual  manhood  : — I.  There  is  a  duality 
IN  Christian  manhood.  The  apostle  was  not  only  a  great  theologian,  but  also  a  great 
philosopher.  He  here  speaks  of  an  "  outward  "  and  an  "  inward  "  man,  and 
speaks  of  them  as  distinct,  though  in  this  world  they  are  wedded  together.  This 
outer  man  is  part  of  us — is  ours,  but  not  us.  I  feel  this  body  is  mine,  but  it  is  not 
me.  In  the  outward  man  there  dwells  an  inward  man,  invisible  to  the  eyes  of 
sense ;  it  loves,  believes,  hopes,  (fee,  and  accomplishes  many  acts  which  the  outer 
man  cannot  do.  Innumerable  troubles,  like  an  attacking  army,  were  assailing 
Paul's  "  outward  man,"  and  at  any  moment  it  might  be  destroyed  ;  but  his  "  inward 
man  "  was  calm  and  safe — as  within  the  walls  of  a  castle,  and  grew  stronger  and 
braver  as  the  battle  waxed  hotter.  H.  The  growth  oe  decay  of  this  dual  manhood 
IS  NOT  NECESSARILY  CO-ORDINATE.  A  man  may  grow  outwardly,  and  his  possessions 
may  enlarge,  while  his  mental  and  moral  powers  may  dwindle  away,  and  vice-versa. 
The  outward  man,  or  casket,  may  decay,  while  the  inward  man,  or  jewel,  is  being 
polished  day  by  day,  and  fitted  for  the  Redeemer's  crown.     III.  These  facts 

PRESENT  BLESSED  HOPE  AND  ENCOURAGEMENT  TO  THE  GOOD.  {F.  W.  BrOWn.)  The 

•perishing  and  the  renewed  man : — I.  God  has  set  some  types  of  this  great  truth 
OF  the  text  in  objects  that  we  see.  1.  There  is  a  fruit  tree.  Wood,  bark, 
leaves,  make  up  its  visible  figure.  Every  year  it  changes  a  little  for  the  better  or 
the  worse,  and  every  season  gives  some  sign  that  it  is  growing  old.  Does  every- 
thing about  the  tree,  then,  at  last,  perish  ?  No.  Underneath  this  visible  form  and 
colour  there  is  a  mysterious  power  at  work.  This  does  not  grow  old  or  decay. 
When  this  particular  tree  has  done  its  whole  work,  that  secret  element  of  life  is  all 
hidden  away  in  some  seeds  that  survive.  2.  You  pass  a  cornfield.  Last  April  that 
ground  was  bare  and  brown.  Some  weeks  hence  and  the  ground  will  be  as  bare  and 
brown  as  when  the  last  snow  melted  from  it.  Yet  in  the  granary  is  stored  up  the 
life  of  the  harvest.  The  outward  part  returns  to  the  earth  as  it  was  ;  the  inward 
part  is  renewed,  and  lives  on.  3.  Take  machinery.  Those  levers,  wheels,  rollers, 
blades,  valves,  are  continually  wearing  out.  But  there  is  a  subtle  power  of  nature 
operating  through  it  which  never  wears  out.  The  fruit  of  our  industry  often,  at 
least,  remains  a  lasting  benefit.     4.  In  almost  all  our  employments  there  are  two 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  173 

such  elements.  First,  there  is  the  external  apparatus  necessary  to  carrying  on  the 
business,  and  always  perishing.  Besides  this,  there  is  the  less  palpable  but  far 
more  important  and  abiding  product  of  the  business  in  the  man  that  does  it.  5.  A. 
great  nation,  by  the  outlay  and  sacrifice  of  a  desolating  war  of  defence,  may  be 
replenishing  all  the  nobler  sources  of  permanent  peace  and  honour.  At  any  rate, 
and  in  all  times,  the  individual  and  his  contemporaries  disappear,  but  the  national 
character  goes  on  forming.  II.  Now  open  youe  Bible.  In  what  new  clearness  this 
truth  is  written  there  !  Here  we  have  the  key  to  all  these  ciphers  in  nature,  which 
otherwise  would  be  but  an  unintelligible  riddle.  Here  we  pass  beyond  aU  faint 
intimations  out  into  the  broad  sunshine,  where  life  and  immortality  are  brought 
completely  to  light.  1.  Something  about  you  is  transient.  (1)  In  this  mortal  part 
Paul  includes  the  visible  gains  of  labour  and  calculation,  the  surroundings  of 
estates  and  furniture  and  dress ;  and,  more  than  these,  aU  intellectual  accomplish- 
ments, social  refinements,  and  advantages  of  rank  and  position  which  are  not 
consecrated  by  faith  and  made  a  part  of  the  spmtual  man  (1  Cor.  xiii.  8).  (2)  The 
"  inward  man  "  is  one  simple,  definite  thing.  It  is  that  wherein  the  Uving  Christ 
dwells  through  faith.  There  is  not  only  a  formal  beUef  in  an  atonement  wrought 
out  by  Him  ages  ago,  but  a  hearty  and  loving  reception  of  Him  as  a  present  and 
personal  life.  2.  Day  by  day  the  true  Chiistian  soul's  inner  life  grows  deeper, 
stronger,  and  richer.  It  is  not  only  a  future  immortality,  but  the  heavenliness 
begins  here.  Never  satisfied  with  the  holiness  attained,  its  large  expectation  is  that 
of  an  unbounded  faith,  and  according  to  its  faith  it  is  done,  till  this  worn-out  body 
is  exchanged  for  the  resurrection  body,  awaking  in  the  Lord's  hkeness,  and  satisfied 
with  it.  3.  In  this  way  and  no  other  the  believer  is  able  to  look  calmly  on  the 
changes  of  his  mortality,  on  the  flight  of  time,  on  the  advance  of  age,  on  pain  and 
infii-mity,  on  disorder,  on  death  itself.  The  outward  man  perisheth.  Let  it  perish  ; 
its  perishing  will  only  set  the  inward  man  free,  in  an  infinite  and  everlasting 
liberty.  So  martyrs  sing  their  Uves  away  in  the  fire.  So  sufferers  in  our  common 
dwellings  give  God  thanks  in  the  midst  of  agony,  their  eyes  fixed  on  a  continuing 
city  and  a  more  enduring  substance.  Conclusion — 1.  Healthy,  happy,  vigorous 
youth !  Every  day  your  body  is  gaining  strength.  Who,  then,  wiU  say  that  this 
"  outward  "  man  of  yours,  which  maketh  daily  increase,  is  perishing  ?  The  clock 
says  so,  with  every  second's  stroke.  This  growth  and  gain  of  your  body  are  only  a 
prelude  for  the  inevitable  decay  which  is  close  at  hand.  A  few  swift  months  more, 
and  there  will  be  some  sign  given  that  the  hiU-top  is  crossed.  What  will  the  end 
be  ?  The  grave  ?  Oh,  you  would  not  have  it  so !  Where,  then,  is  the  inward  life  ? 
The  soul  has  only  one  life,  which  is  life  in  Christ.  It  has  but  one  death.  UnbeUef, 
selfishness,  sensuaUty,  passion,  vanity,  the  love  of  the  world,  kill  it.  2.  Here  is 
comfort  for  old  age.  You  have  found  that  long-worn  and  tired  body  of  yours  less 
prompt  than  it  used  to  be  to  do  the  bidding  of  your  will.  But  if  your  old  age  is 
Christian,  the  maker  and  Father  of  yom'  life  wUl  see,  as  He  has  promised,  that  your 
inward  man,  which  is  His  image,  shall  never  die.  Let  the  earthly  tabernacle 
crumble.  You  will  only  see  more  of  the  sky.  {Bp.  Huntington.)  Newness  of 
life : — If  a  man  is  renewed  day  by  day  there  will  be  something  new  for  him  to 
learn,  some  fresh  experience  for  him  to  teU ;  the  world  will  be  a  new  world,  the 
Bible  will  be  a  new  Bible.  We  so  seldom  get  a  new  light  on  a  truth.  People  tire 
of  the  same  testimony  in  the  same  form.  It  grows  rancid  and  musty  ;  there  is  an 
unpleasant  flavour  about  it.  It  seems  as  if  the  doors  were  opened  into  a  room  that 
had  been  growing  faded  and  dank  and  dismal.  AU  the  furnishings  hang  rotting  on 
the  worm-eaten  beams.  Nothing  has  been  renewed  and  replenished  from  the  first 
day  to  this.  It  is  just  the  same.  It  stands  just  as  it  has  always  done.  And  there 
the  poor  soul  stands  that  was  once  well  furnished,  but  that  now  is  the  sorrowful 
tenement  of  decaying  experiences,  vestiges  of  a  past  beauty,  rehcs  of  a  bygone  day. 
Men  tell  us  to-day  that  the  Christian  experience  is  not  interesting.  It  does  not  seem 
to  grow.  We  are  just  where  men  were  a  thousand  years  ago.  Life  in  every  other 
department  is  progressing  to  a  goal.  New  discoveries  are  made  everywhere  else. 
But  here  all  is  antiquated.  Its  devotion  to  the  past  may  be  as  pathetic  as  that  stUl 
and  decaying  chamber  that  is  preserved  at  Hampton  Court  to  show  you  exactly  how 
it  stood  on  some  memorable  historical  occasion,  but  it  is  fruitful  only  of  despan-  and 
death.  The  inward  man  must  be  renewed  day  by  day.  A  httle  whUe  ago  an 
American  preacher,  well  known  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  but  whose  name  is 
not  so  familiar  to  us,  wrote  these  words,  which  I  wUl  venture  to  read  to  you  because 
they  put  this  truth  in  his  terse  American  way.  "  There  is  nothing  in  God's  earth," 
he  says,  "  that  grows  rank  and  foetid  sooner  than  an  experience.     Our  hymn  asks — 


174  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

"  '  Where  is  the  blessedness  I  knew 
When  first  I  saw  the  Lord  ?  ' 

Don't  know,  and  it  wouldn't  do  you  any  good  if  you  had  it.  Blessedness  wont 
keep.  It  is  one  of  the  all-pervading  principles  that  the  more  delicate  a  thing  is, 
and  the  more  finely  organised,  the  more  directly  it  will  decay  and  fall  to  pieces 
when  once  it  has  parted  from  the  root  it  sprang  from.  Strayed  or  stolen — a 
religious  experience !  The  hymn  just  quoted  from  is  an  advertisement  for  a  lost 
joy.  It  is  like  hunting  after  the  blaze  of  the  lamp  that  the  oil  is  all  burnt  out  of. 
Keep  the  wick  trimmed  and  the  lamp  filled,  you  will  have  blaze  enough,  without 
advertising  for  last  night's  blaze  ;  you  don't  know  where  that  is,  and  you  could 
make  nothing  of  it  if  you  did.  Good  things  have  to  be  made  over  and  over,  and 
everlastingly  reduphcated.  The  fresh  river  must  incessantly  draw  on  the  young 
rivulets  that  incessantly  trickle  from  the  hillside.  Christian  joy  that  does  not  bear 
the  stamp  of  this  very  day  and  date  is  a  silurian  deposit,  an  evangelical  relic,  a 
fossilised  piety."  Now  I  venture  to  think  that  there  is  underneath  this  somewhat 
remarkable  form  a  great  deal  of  sterling  teaching.  Once  let  a  man's  prevaUing 
tone  of  mind  be  the  contemplation  of  what  he  was,  and  not  of  what  he  is,  and 
spiritual  dotage  has  begun.  Just  as  Dean  Swift  could  read  over  again  his  early 
writings  and  say,  "  What  a  genius  I  was  when  I  wrote  that  book  ! "  so  the  Christian 
whose  spiritual  life  has  grown  old  and  weak,  and  whose  spiritual  experiences  have 
been  made  up  again  and  again,  cut  and  trimmed  and  dyed  every  colour  the  imagi- 
nation can  conceive^such  an  one,  I  say,  looks  back  on  the  original  and  now  distant 
experiences,  and  derives  his  sole  melancholy  satisfaction  from  the  contemplation  of 
what  he  was.  Beheve  me,  unless  the  present  is  the  greatest  hour  in  the  history  of 
a  Church,  unless  this  passing  moment  is  the  best  in  the  spiritual  experience  of  the 
individual  Christian,  there  is  something  wrong.  I  want  to  say  that  I  do  not  beUeve 
we  have  even  begun  to  grasp  the  wonder  of  the  spirit  of  man.  I  do  not  believe  we 
have  begun  to  grasp  the  extent  to  which  we  make  life  and  thought  and  everything, 
just  as  God  made  man,  "after  our  own  image."  The  man  whose  spirit  is  new 
every  day  lives  in  a  new  world,  and  does  not  tire  of  the  world  in  which  he  lives  ; 
reads  a  new  Bible,  and  never  tires  of  the  Bible  which  he  reads.  You  do  not  want 
a  new  world  to  make  heaven,  but  just  a  new  soul  to  live  in  it,  and  to  love  the  earth 
and  the  sea  and  the  sky  and  the  God  that  dwells  in  all.  Here  is  the  unrenewed 
man  with  his  unrenewed  soul  and  his  weary  look  of  ennui,  tired  of  life,  absolutely 
blase,  and  you  suggest  to  him  some  change  of  scene.  "  Oh,"  he  says,  "  but  I've 
been  there  "  ;  "  I've  done  that."  He  wants  a  change.  Yes,  so  he  does  ;  he  wants  a, 
change  inside.  It  is  the  renewal  of  the  inward  man  that  he  needs.  He  is  just  the 
sort  of  man  who  says,  "Ah,  yes,  I've  read  the  Bible  ;  I  wish  you  could  recommend 
another  book."  He  has  read  it,  and  he  wants  a  change  ;  and  so  he  does,  I  say 
again — he  wants  a  renewal  of  the  inward  man.  This  is  what  will  save  this  heavy, 
wearied,  bored  society  which  has  grown  up  to-day,  and  which  yearns  for  some  new 
iihing  to  read  and  to  see ;  a  baptism  of  the  inward  man.  I  trust  I  have  carried 
you  with  me  in  this  attempt  to  show  you  that  what  we  need,  if  our  religious  life  is  to 
become  interesting,  is  new  life — life  as  new  as  the  last  ray  of  the  sun  that  has 
Teached  us,  the  last  drop  of  dew  that  has  trembled  on  the  blade  of  grass.  We 
want  this  ever-flowing,  ever-growing  life.  We  want  to  make  contact  with  the 
source  of  life.  There  are  so  many  people  whose  spiritual  life  is  governed 
on  the  seven-day  clock  principle.  It  is  effectually  wound  up  on  the  Sunday, 
and  it  is  effectually  exhausted  on  the  Saturday  following.  And  the  coming 
Sunday  will  find  it  where  the  last  Sunday  found  it.  There  will  be  no  real 
progress,  no  gain,  no  growth.  The  play  of  the  living  spirit  of  a  man  about 
and  around  the  facts  and  truths  of  the  world  makes  them  to  live  anew.  The 
play  of  the  Divine  Spirit  around  the  spirits  of  men  makes  them  to  Uve  anew.  God 
recreates  men,  and  by  doing  so  recreates  eternally  the  world  that  He  created. 
Jlere,  for  instance,  are  the  eight  notes  of  music  and  the  semitones,  and  the  human 
spirit  has  played  around  them  and  blended  them  into  infinite  variations  through  in- 
definite centuries.  But  they  are  not  exhausted  yet.  The  new  man  will  find  as  much 
music  in  them  still  as  has  been  found  in  them  in  the  past.  And  so  with  the  truths 
of  revelation.  Infinite  combinations,  infinite  interpretations,  but  underneath  all  the 
same  great  foundation  of  the  spiritual  thought.  So  every  new  man  makes  a  new 
theology,  and  renews  his  own  day  by  day.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  point  out  to 
you  the  practical  application  of  such  a  law  as  this.  To  the  Apostle  Paul  it  was  the 
principle  of  his  religious  life.     He  was  a  very  busy  man  ;  he  was  the  greatest 


-CHAP.  IV.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  175 

preacher  of  his  age ;  but  he  had  always  something  new  to  say.  He  spoke  out  of  a 
heart  that  was  in  constant  touch  with  Christ.  On  what  do  you  depend  for  the 
renewal  of  your  spiritual  life  ?  Do  not  answer  it  hastily,  but  press  this  question 
home  to  your  own  consciences  :  "Do  I  depend  on  men  or  on  God  ?  Do  I  find  my 
inward  life  duU  and  sluggish  if  I  do  not  hear  my  favourite  preacher?"  On  what 
do  you  depend  for  the  renewal  of  your  spiritual  life  ?  Do  you  require  a  peculiar 
type  of  aesthetic  service  ?  On  what  do  you  depend  ?  I  can  conceive  of  nothing  so 
perilous  as  that  this  matter  of  eternal  moment  should  be  allowed  to  depend  on 
persons  or  places  that  are  subject  to  change.  Eenewal  is  from  above.  (C.  Sih'ester 
Home.)  The  inward  man  : — There  is  much  in  this  world  to  make  men  faint ! 
Health  is  seldom  long  unbroken.  Success  is  gained,  and  its  sweetness  lost,  by  the 
death  of  those  we  sought  to  secure  it  for  !  In  religion,  too,  there  would  seem  to  be 
tendencies  toward  the  same  disappointment.  Paul  speaks  of  trouble  on  every  side, 
•of  being  perplexed,  &c.  But  two  especial  sources  of  strength  are  referred  to.  In 
the  "  spirit  of  faith  "  (ver.  13),  and  the  sustaining  hope  which  springs  from  Christ's 
resurrection  (ver.  14).  These  were  antidotes  to  all  depressions,  and  remembering 
that  his  own  bearing  as  a  Christian  soldier  would  naturally  affect  the  ranks,  Paul 
adds  :  "  For  all  things  are  for  your  sakes"  (ver.  15),  and  then  explains  the  apostolic 
position  in  the  text.  Notice  the  position — thus  :  I.  The  man — visible.  Paul  does 
not  speak  contemptuously  of  the  body,  nor  did  he  encourage  maceration  or  court 
martyrdom.  He  says,  "  Though  the  outward  man  perish."  It  might  happen,  he 
weU  knew,  and  it  did  happen  to  him,  but  he  was  ready.  "  For  which  cause  we 
faint  not,"  &c.  Our  circumstances  differ  widely  from  his,  but  we  too  are  tempted 
in  ten  thousand  ways.  Let  me  therefore  remark— 1.  That  Christians  fret,  but  do 
not  faint.  They  are  still  human.  They  fret  when  disappointments  come,  when 
vexatious  law-suits  have  to  be  fought  out— when  impoverishment  of  the  home-life 
comes.  But  the  difference  between  them  and  the  children  of  this  world  lies  here — 
they  do  not  faint — they  stand.  This  word  faint  means  to  turn  out  a  coward.  "  For 
which  cause  we  are  not  cowards,  but  though  our  outward  man,"  &c.  2.  That 
Christians  fail,  but  do  not  faint.  Our  lives  are  stories  of  failure  as  weU  as  of 
success.  "  Armies,"  says  Alexander  Fmith,  "  are  not  always  cheering  on  the 
heights  they  have  won."  No  ;  there  are  retreats,  and  baggage-waggon  captures  and 
desperate  frays  with  advanced  pickets,  and  sudden  and  sharp  conflicts.  So  it  is 
with  the  Christian ;  he  does  not  always  come  off  victorious.  No ;  he  fails  !  And 
iihen  he  gathers  together  the  scattered  forces  of  his  moral  life — he  takes  unto  him 
"  the  whole  armour  of  God,"  probably  having  neglected  some  part  of  it  before,  and 
again  he  renews  the  war.  3.  That  Christians  die,  but  do  not  faint.  Physical 
■weakness  and  decay  will  come!  "The  outward  man  "  must  perish.  Time  is  as 
stern  an  executioner  as  the  headsman  of  old.  "  It  is  appointed  unto  all  men  once  to 
die."  But  the  Christian  looks  for  "an  inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  which 
fadeth  not  away."  And  that  inheritance  is  in  germ  abeady  within  him.  "  Though 
the  outward  man  perishes,"  the  great  life-work  is  going  on  within  ;  there  the  work 
of  grace  is  meetening  for  the  life  of  glory.  I  will  ask  two  questions.  (1)  Who  can 
wonder  that  worldly  men  so  often  faint  ?  Ai'tificial  stimulants  can  only  sustain  for 
a  time.  Society,  friendship,  enlivening  pursuits — these  often  hide  for  a  time  the 
stern  realities  of  life.  Then  the  dream-land  of  joy  is  broken  in  upon,  and  the  man 
awakes  to  his  delusions.  Then  comes  the  indescribable  f  aintness  of  a  soul  that  has 
no  everlasting  arm  to  rest  on,  no  promises  to  console,  no  inheritance  to  anticipate. 
If  we  are  worldly,  we  too  shall  faint.  (2)  Who  else  can  supply  what  Christ 
provides  ?  We  have  not  in  all  history  such  records  of  consolation  amid  the  changes 
of  life,  and  in  the  coming  of  death,  as  we  have  in  the  Word  of  God.  Nowhere 
else  but  in  the  gospel  have  we  the  power  which  gives  spirituality  to  life,  and  solace 
in  the  hour  of  death,  "  For  which  cause  we  faint  not."  II.  The  man— ixvisibi.e.  1. 
There  is  an  inner  man.  This,  indeed,  has  been  the  great  teaching  of  Revelation 
from  the  commencement.  Man  is  separated  from  all  other  forms  of  created  life  by 
this — he  has  a  soul.  The  inner  man  asserts  itself.  Argue  against  its  existence  as 
man  will,  there,  in  the  depths  of  consciousness,  is  the  irresistible  argument — "  I 
am."  This  inner  man  may  become  weakened,  debased,  depraved — it  is  a  fact  of 
history  and  experience  that  it  has  become  so — day  by  day.  It  is  in  Christ  that  we 
have  Ufe ;  this,  too,  is  a  fact  of  history  and  experience.  It  is  in  this  inner  man 
■we  must  find  the  seat  of  strength,  and  the  spring  of  consolation.  Let  that  be 
reached,  and  then  we  shall  be  able  to  triumph  over  the  ills  to  which  flesh  is  heir. 
We  are  strengthened  with  all  might  by  Christ's  Spirit,  says  the  apostle,  in  "  our 
inner  man."     2.  This  inner  man  is  renewed.     Renewal  is  a  series  of  acts.     Just  as 


176  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  iv- 

life  is  one  gift,  but  the  daily  renewal  of  it  by  food,  by  air,  by  exercise,  is  a  series  of 
acts.  Thinkers  must  constantly  study,  meditate,  read ;  or  the  old  stores  would 
actually,  to  a  large  extent,  die  out.  So  yesterday's  religion  is  a  thing  of  yesterday. 
We  need  fresh  draughts  of  living  water,  fresh  breakings  of  the  heavenly  bread, 
fresh  communings  of  conscience  and  heart  with  the  Divine  Lord.  3.  This  renewal 
is  a  daUy  one.  Not  a  mere  Sabbath  one.  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread !  " 
Day  by  day.  {W.  M.  Statham.)  The  renewal  of  life  : — The  "  outward  man  "  is- 
the  visible,  mortal  man,  which  feels  the  exhaustion  of  endurance  and  endeavour. 
There  is  no  magic  fountain  in  which  we  can  wash  and  be  young.  But  the  inward 
man  must  not  decay.  Its  faculties  are  to  be  perennially  vigorous — the  inner  eye 
clear,  the  hearing  acute,  the  sensibility  delicate,  the  step  firm,  the  voice  that  of 
them  who  overcome.  If  this  power  and  freshness  are  to  be  preserved  the  inward 
man  must  be  "  renewed  day  by  day."   I.  Only  through  habitual  devotion  can  the 

FACULTIES  OF   THE  SOUL   BE    PEESEBVED   AND    PEEFECTED.       Darwin  wrotC — "  Up  tO  the 

age  of  thirty,  or  beyond  it,  poetry  .  .  .  gave  me  great  pleasure.  .  •  .  Formerly 
pictures  gave  me  considerable  and  music  very  great  delight.  But  now  for  many 
years  I  cannot  endure  to  read  a  line  of  poetry  ...  I  have  also  almost  lost  my 
taste  for  pictures  or  music.  .  .  .  My  mind  seems  to  have  become  a  kind  of 
machine  for  grinding  general  laws  out  of  large  collections  of  facts.  ...  If 
I  had  to  live  my  life  again,  I  would  have  made  a  rule  to  read  some  poetry 
and  listen  to  some  music  at  least  once  every  week,  for  perhaps  the  parts  of 
my  brain  now  atrophied  would  thus  have  become  active  through  use.  The 
loss  of  these  tastes  is  a  loss  of  happiness,  and  may  possibly  be  injurious 
to  the  intellect,  and  more  probably  to  the  moral  character,  by  enfeebling  the 
emotional  part  of  our  nature."  Note  here — 1.  That  mental  faculties  may  be- 
entirely  extirpated  by  disuse.  This  is  true  touching  spiritual  gifts.  Spiritual 
sensibility,  imagination,  sympathy,  aspiration,  may  be  starved  and  lost  by  men 
utterly  immersed  in  secular  life,  and  if  the  perishing  of  the  sesthetic  sense  is  a 
melancholy  loss,  as  Darwin  felt  it  to  be,  the  loss  of  the  diviner  faculty,  by  which 
we  appreciate  the  eternal  beauty  and  glory  of  the  moral  universe,  is  yet  infinitely 
more  deplorable.  2.  That  constant  culture  is  necessary  to  keep  the  intellectual 
faculties  alive.  And  if  we  are  to  preserve  the  precious  affinities,  and  energies  of 
our  deepest  nature  we  must  constantly  stir  up  the  gift  that  is  in  us — contemplating 
the  highest  beauty,  listening  to  the  music  of  eternity,  holding  loving  fellowship 
with  the  perfect  life  and  righteousness.  II.  The  lines  of  devotion  in  which  we 
MUST  HABITUALLY  EXEECiSE  ouESELVES.  1.  "Day  by  day"  we  must  instruct  and 
elevate  our  mind  by  communion  with  God's  Word.  Goethe  said  that  every  man 
should,  every  day,  see  at  least  one  fine  work  of  art,  hear  one  sweet  strain  of  music, 
read  one  beautiful  poem.  But  we  not  only  need  the  daily  bread  of  mental 
deUght,  we  need  also  daily  manna  for  our  spirit.  Here,  then,  we  must  be- 
spiritually  mindful,  and  eat  uninterruptedly  immortal  bread.  Observe  in  Psa.  cxix. 
the  contiauousness  of  the  Psalmist's  fellowship  with  the  God  of  truth.  The 
virtue  of  this  continuousness  is  implied  in  the  closing  words  of  our  Lord 
(John  XV.  3-7).  The  fuU  beauty  and  fruition  of  the  branch  is  dependent 
upon  its  complete  and  constant  identification  with  the  tree.  The  Orientals 
express  the  persistence  of  the  friendship  of  the  noble  in  their  saying,  "  When 
the  lotus  is  broken  its  fibres  stLU  remain,"  and  whilst  the  frailest  thread  of 
connection  remains  the  flower  does  not  at  once  miss  all  its  bloom ;  so  even  in  the 
believer's  declensions  Christ  still  insinuates  fresh  energy  into  the  soul  by  secret 
fibres  of  union ;  yet  the  f uU  beauty  and  f ruitfulness  of  life  are  soon  missed  if  we 
permit  our  fellowship  with  the  truth  in  Jesus  to  become  hmited  and  irregular.  We 
are  often  deeply  anxious  about  the  outer  world,  its  clouds,  temptations,  &c.,  but 
really  our  concern  lies  chiefly  with  the  depth  and  force  of  the  life  within  us.  The 
authorities  declare  that  it  is  not  so  much  a  matter  of  atmosphere  with  the  London 
trees  as  it  is  of  soil  and  draining  ;  let  the  trees  be  right  at  the  roots,  and  they  will 
battle  triumphantly  with  poisoned  air.  "Being  rooted  and  grounded  in  love  "  and 
knowledge,  we  may  defy  aU  storms  and  deadly  atmospheres,  and  put  on  and  ever 
wear  all  the  beauty  of  the  summer  (Psa.  i.  3).  2.  "  Day  by  day  "  we  must  purify  our 
soul  in  fellowship  at  God's  throne.  No  greater  mistake  could  be  made  than  to 
allow  the  vigour  of  a  church  to  decline  with  the  idea  that  periodical  revival  services 
would  recover  lost  ground.  And  in  our  personal  hfe  we  must  not  expect  by  extra- 
ordinary devotion  to  recover  in  an  hour  what  we  have  neglected  in  a  week.  Only 
through  constant  communion  with  God  can  we  perfect  and  preserve  the  purity  of 
our  spirit.     We  must  attend  to  our  toilet  every  day,  many  times  a  day,  if  we  are  tO' 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  177 

continue  altogether  presentable.  And  this  is  equally  true  of  our  inward  life,  with 
its  thousand  possibilities  of  defilement.  The  housekeeper  cannot  afford  to  let  the 
furniture  be  tarnished  with  the  design  of  restoring  all  things  to  brightness  by  some 
energetic  periodical  cleansing ;  the  house  can  be  maintained  in  true  purity  and 
comeliness  only  through  daily  industry  and  thoroughness.  Thus  is  it  also  with 
character.  What  do  days  of  neglect  mean  in  a  garden  ?  What  do  days  of  neglect 
mean  on  shipboard  ?  And  the  days  of  dulness  and  faithlessness  in  our  life  leave 
results  of  secret  flaws  and  failures  of  character  which  many  days  of  humiliation 
and  painful  striving  may  hardly  retrieve.  We  must  meet  the  wear  and  tear  of 
probation  by  constant  renewal  in  secret  intercourse  with  God.  3.  "  Day  by  day  " 
we  must  make  the  best  of  life's  opportunities.  (1)  We  must  make  the  best  of  life's 
opportunities  in  getting  good.  The  moral  wealth  of  life  is  not  minted  out  of 
great  occasions  and  extraordinary  circumstances  only,  but  through  the  wise 
economy  of  routine.  Most  people  know  about  the  gold  and  diamonds  of  Brazil ; 
and  yet  the  exports  of  sugar  and  coffee  from  that  country  in  one  year  are  of  more 
value  than  all  the  gold  and  jewels  found  in  it  in  half  a  century.  (2)  And  in  doing 
good  there  must  be  the  same  faithful,  systematic  improvement  of  small  oppor- 
tunities. As  Miss  Havergal  writes :  "  The  bits  of  wayside  work  are  very  sweet. 
Perhaps  the  odd  bits,  when  all  is  done,  will  really  come  to  more  than  the 
seemingly  greater  pieces :  the  chance  conversations  with  rich  and  poor,  the  seed 
sown  in  odd  five  minutes."  Our  condemnation  is  that  we  let  the  days  slip  away 
despising  the  many  simple  chances  they  give  for  speaking  kind  words,  doing  little 
graceful  acts  by  the  wayside  and  the  hearth.  The  wealth  and  beauty  of  the  world 
spring  not  from  the  rare  aloe  whose  scarlet  splendour  flames  out  once  in  t\.  onty, 
fifty,  or  a  hundi'ed  years ;  but  from  the  grass  which  grows  upon  the  mountain,  and 
which  is  green  the  year  round.  We  sometimes  see  a  man  in  a  comparatively 
small  way  of  business  ;  he  makes  the  very  least  noise,  and  yet  when  he  dies  every- 
body is  astonished  by  the  large  fortune  he  leaves  behind  him.  So  it  is  spiritually. 
Solomon  appointed  the  priests  to  their  service,  the  Levites,  and  the  porters,  "  as  the 
duty  of  every  day  required."  And  it  is  by  accomplishing  our  service  "  as  the  duty 
of  everyday  requires "  that  we  become  "rich  toward  God."  (IF.  L.  Watkinaon.} 
The  inner  man  or  soul  growth  : — 1.  Man  has  two  natures.  2.  The  outward  nature 
is  subject  to  the  law  of  decay.  The  law  of  dissolution  is  operating  on  the  body 
every  moment.  Particle  after  particle  departs  with  every  pulsation.  3.  Whilst  the 
outward  man  decays,  the  inner  man  may  grow  in  strength.  We  would  not 
depreciate  the  assistance  which  "  the  inner  "  derives  from  "  the  outer."  Like  the 
atmosphere  to  the  seed,  the  body  is  the  medium  which  conveys  to  the  soul  those 
sunbeams  and  showers  which  quicken  it  into  life  and  nourish  its  powers.  All  that 
is  taught  is  that  the  soul  can  grow  even  while  the  body  is  decaying.  Note— I. 
The  conditions  of  this  soul  growth.  1.  There  can  be  no  growth,  of  course,, 
without  life.  All  plants  and  animals,  however  young,  cease  to  grow  the  moment 
life  departs.  But  the  life  must  be  healthful.  What  is  the  healthful  life  of  a  soul  ? 
Supreme  sympathy  with  God.  2.  There  must  be  wholesome  nutriment.  No  life 
can  live  upon  itself.  3.  There  must  be  proper  exercise.  Christianity  has  a  power 
to  impart  the  life,  supply  the  nourishment,  and  stimulate  the  exercise.  II.  The. 
CHAEACTERisTics  OF  THIS  SOUL  GROWTH.  1.  Beautifulncss.  The  growth  of  a 
flower  is  beautiful,  so  is  the  growth  of  a  child,  so  is  the  growth  of  an  empire.  But 
the  growth  of  a  soul  in  virtue,  in  usefulness,  in  assimilation  to  God,  is  a  more 
beautiful  object  than  these.  That  flower  will  wither,  but  the  soul  will  advance  for 
ever— rise  from  "glory  unto  glory."  2.  Constancy.  Growth  is  not  a  thing  of  fits 
and  starts.  The  plant,  the  child,  grow  every  hour  ;  they  do  not  grow  one  day  of 
the  week  and  pause  on  the  others.  If  we  are  not  religious  always  we  are  never 
religious.  3.  Blessedness.  A  growing  state  is  a  happy  tate.  See  the  lambs,  the 
little  bird,  the  child,  &c.  If  you  are  growing  in  soul  you  are  happy.  4.  Endlessness. 
The  capacity  for  growth  in  all  other  life  under  the  sun  is  hmited.  The  tree  that 
grows  a  thousand  years  finds  a  point  at  which  it  stops  and  decays ;  not  so  with  the 
soul.  "  It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be."  5.  Eesponsibleness.  Man  may 
not  be  responsible  always  for  the  growth  of  his  body ;  if  he  has  a  dwarfish  body, 
he  cannot  help  it,  but  if  he  has  a  dwarfish  soul  he  himself  is  to  blame.  We  learn 
from  this  subject^l.  The  necessary  condition  of  man's  well-being.  It  is  not  that, 
your  wealth  should  increase,  your  influence  extend,  your  social  circle  widen,  for 
your  body  decays,  and  with  this  all  these  things  lose  their  worth,  but  it  is  the  growth 
of  the  soul.  2.  The  absolute  necessity  of  the  gospel.  You  cannot  grow  without 
spiritual  Ufe,  nourishment,  and  incentives  to  action.    And  nothing  but  the  gospel 

12 


178  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chai-.  iv. 

can  give  you  these.  3.  The  true  method  of  using  the  world.  It  is  to  make  it 
promote  the  growth  of  the  soul.  4.  The  Christian's  view  of  death.  It  is  nothing 
but  a  change  in  the  mere  costume  of  our  being.  "  This  mortal  must  put  on  immor- 
tality !  "  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  The  growth  of  the  spiritual  life  : — It  is  assumed — I. 
That  spibitual  life  exists.  The  phrase,  "  inward  man,"  has  the  same  meaning 
as  the  "new  man."  The  agent  producing  this  hfe  is  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  and  whilst 
there  is  great  variety  in  the  means  employed  to  produce  it,  its  main  features  are 
always  the  same,  the  character  and  habits  brought  into  conformity  with  God's  will. 
II.  That  this  spiritual  life  is  susceptible  of  geowth.  This  growth  consists — 1. 
In  the  more  vivid  apprehension  of  spiritual  reahties.  Spirituahty  of  mind 
distinguishes  the  sincere  Christian  from  the  formaUst.  2.  In  the  development  of  a 
holy  character.  The  influence  of  truth  upon  the  character  of  a  good  man  is  hke 
that  of  the  sun  upon  the  blossom,  which  causes  it  to  expand  in  fragrance  and 
beauty.  3.  In  a  more  enhghtened  and  comprehensive  view  of  spiritual  truth. 
"  When  I  was  a  child,"  &c.  III.  That  the  gkowth  of  this  spiritual  life  is  best 
promoted  by  the  faithful  and  ACTrvE  discharge  of  duty.  Here  were  men  who 
sought  no  monastic  seclusion,  who  resigned  themselves  to  no  luxurious  meditations 
who  had  no  time  for  any  lengthened  seasons  of  retirement,  and  yet  whose  spiritual 
life  grew.  Conscientious  obedience  to  the  will  of  God  will  be  followed  by  the 
advancement  of  the  spiritual  hfe.  By  this  obedience  we  exercise  its  faculties  and 
display  its  moral  excellences.  True,  intercourse  with  the  world  has  its  dangers,  but 
our  dangers  are  our  discipline,  and  it  is  by  discipline  that  the  spiritual  life  attains 
to  maturity.  IV.  That  the  growth  of  this  spiritual  life  is  gradual  as  well  as 
progressive.  "Day  by  day."  Elsewhere  we  read  of  "the  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost."  There  is,  then,  continuous  agency  on  the  part  of  God,  and  there  are 
continuous  efforts  on  the  part  of  man.  1.  This  daily  renewal  of  the  inner  life  is 
needed.  There  is  the  influence  of  a  depraved  nature,  and  the  constant  presence  of 
natural  objects,  and  these  would  exhaust  and  enfeeble  its  strength.  2.  Is  accom- 
plished by  all  the  events  and  circumstances  of  our  ordinary  life.  This  was  the  case 
with  the  apostles,  who  rendered  prosperity  and  adversity  subservient  to  the 
promotion  of  their  spiritual  growth.  V.  That  the  physical  life  declines  whilst 
THE  spiritual  LIFE  ADVANCES.  "  The  outward  man  perisheth."  True,  that  body  is 
the  workmanship  of  God.  A  fitting  palace  for  the  immortal  guest  within,  but  taken 
from  the  dust  it  must  return  to  that  from  which  it  was  taken.  Contrast  with  this, 
the  immortality  of  the  spiritual  life.  In  the  forests  of  South  America,  it  is  no 
uncommon  spectacle  to  see  the  trunks  of  aged  trees  covered  with  the  joyous 
blossoms  of  climbing  plants  that  have  twined  around  them,  as  if  Nature,  with  her 
kindly  hand,  sought  to  conceal  and  even  beautify  the  corruption  which  she  could 
not  stay.  In  like  manner,  the  beauty  of  the  spiritual  life  appears  amidst  the 
decrepitude  of  the  perishing  body,  giving  grace  and  dignity  to  that  which  otherwise 
it  would  be  pitiable  to  behold.  Conclusion — 1.  The  words  of  the  text  suggest  to 
us  that  the  better  part  of  our  nature  is  the  spiritual.  2.  They  furnish  consolation  to 
those  Christians  who  are  advancing  in  life.  3.  Let  each  examine  into  his  spiritual 
condition.  (H.  Gamble.)  Compensation  : — That  there  is  an  inward  invisible  man 
who  makes  himself  visible  by  the  body  and  uses  it  as  his  instrument,  is  admitted  in 
some  form  by  all.  The  inward  and  outward  man  are  felt  occasionally  to  have 
different  interests,  and  there  is  a  necessity  laid  on  man  to  choose  between  these. 
The  outward  man  is  doomed  to  perish,  and  often  is  seen  rapidly  decaying,  while  the 
mental  and  moral  powers  are  as  visibly  increasing  in  elevation  and  intensity. 
Why  should  the  course  of  the  one  be  upward,  whUe  that  of  the  other  is  downward  ? 
Why  should  men  have  experience  at  the  same  time  of  two  opposite  processes? 
Let  us  fix  our  attention,  in  considering  this  subject,  on — I.  The  two  contrasted 
but  closely  related  processes.  These  illustrate  the  la^'  of  compensation  which 
runs  through  all  things.  1.  Often  the  most  painful  and  humiliating  losses  have 
the  highest  kind  of  compensation.  (1)  When  a  man  first  loses  his  sight  how 
irreparable  the  loss  appears.  But  from  the  very  moment  of  the  loss  a  principle  of 
compensation  is  at  work.  His  hearing,  by  the  increased  strain  upon  it,  becomes 
acute ;  his  sense  of  touch  grows  keen  and  discriminating.  But  more  ;  how  often 
does  the  blind  man,  shut  out  from  the  visible  world,  retire  into  the  world  of 
reflection.  The  objects  of  thought  grow  real  to  him  ;  he  acquires  a  command  over 
his  faculties,  and  a  power  of  working  on  without  external  aid.  (2)  When  wealth  is 
lost,  life  seems  emptied  out.  But  even  in  the  first  shock  there  is  a  stirring  up  of 
the  man,  a  groping  about  for  something  to  take  the  place  of  the  lost  wealth.  And 
thus  gradually  higher  qualities  are  called  out,  a  determined  energy  to  recover,  if 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  179 

possible,  what  has  been  lost,  or  a  falling  back  on  the  higher  wealth  of  the  soul. 
Have  we  not  here  an  approach  to  the  compensation  of  the  text,  as  if  the  inward 
man  were  becoming  younger,  while  the  outer  man  was  growing  old.  And  this  is  in 
very  truth  what  the  compensation  comes  to.  The  renewal  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
the  rising  and  widening  of  the  being  towards  its  true  nature,  its  immortal  ideal. 
2.  This  compensation  is  the  solidest  and  greatest  of  all  realities  in  the  present.  To 
become  like  God,  this  alone  is  greatness  and  blessedness,  and  this  carries  eternity 
in  it.  I  watched  once  a  series  of  dissolving  views.  One  especially  riveted  my 
attention — a  beautiful  scene  in  Italy.  On  the  verge  stood  a  ruin,  which  lent  to  the 
scene  pathos  and  romance;  but  while  it  faded  there  rose,  dim  at  first,  but  ever 
clearer,  the  outUne  of  another  picture,  tiU  at  last,  when  the  old  had  wholly  gone, 
there  stood  forth  in  majesty,  a  picture  of  the  sea,  the  mountains,  and  the  stars 
overhead.  The  eternal  had  taken  the  place  of  the  transient.  The  same  lesson  is 
read  to  us  every  evening.  The  bright  day  departs ;  but  when  earth  is  hidden, 
heaven  begins  to  unfold  its  treasures ;  when  we  lose  this  little  world  we  gain 
innumerable  worlds.  So  in  the  renewal  of  the  inner  man  we  have  both  a 
transcendent  compensation  in  the  present,  and  the  pledge  of  a  glorious  and  eternal 
future,  which  also  enriches  and  glorifies  the  present.  3.  Look  at  the  special 
form  of  compensation  seen  in  successive  coverings  and  materials  which  perish  and 
leave  gain  behind  them.  The  warrior's  armour  is  his  most  outward  man  inspired 
and  guided  by  the  inward  man  of  his  courage  and  skill.  The  armour  is  broken, 
but  the  warrior  may  survive  many  helmets  and  suits  of  armour.  Dress  is  the 
ordinary  outward  man.  It  is  that  by  which  he  is  known  to  his  fellows.  His  life  is 
preserved  and  even  dignified  by  it.  But  in  thus  adorning  man  apparel  decays,  yet 
the  benefit  it  has  conferred  remains.  The  child  has  been  growing  all  the  while  that 
the  raiment  that  sheltered  him  has  been  decaying.  The  ship  that  carries  the 
emigrant  to  the  land  of  his  hopes  may  be  sorely  battered  on  its  course,  and  at  last 
shivered  on  the  rock-bound  coast,  but  it  has  borne  its  passengers  across  the  ocean. 
They  escape  and  thrive  in  that  new  land  ;  it  perishes  and  sinks  beneath  the  waves. 
Every  book  and  pen  which  the  child  uses  and  wears  out  adds  to  his  knowledge  and 
facility.  The  paint  and  brush  of  the  artist  are  used  and  expended  by  him  in 
giving  birth  to  that  which  endures,  while  his  own  faculty  also  is  increased.  4. 
Human  life  thus  yields  innumerable  examples  of  the  gain  remaining  from  materials 
that  disappear.  Shall  not  decay  of  the  body,  the  decisive  and  the  saddest  decay, 
afford  the  highest  example  ?  If  the  body  in  its  labour  and  decay  does  not  work 
out  permanent  results  of  the  best  kind  on  the  soul  it  accomplishes  no  result.  It  is 
only  that  which  enters  into  the  spirit  that  can  survive  death.  If  there  is  no 
compensation  for  the  loss  of  the  outward  man,  what  an  illusion  are  all  the 
examples  of  the  principle  in  the  constitution  of  things.  If  the  law  fails  here, 
what  can  it  bring  to  us  but  sadness,  however  bright  its  manifestations  elsewhere  ? 
And  if  there  is  compensation,  it  must  be  in  the  sphere  of  the  inward  man.  When 
the  temple  falls,  the  priest  will  rise  to  the  temple  made  without  hands,  eternal  in 
the  heavens.  H.  The  points  of  coKitESPONDENCE  that  should  exist  between  the 
TWO  PROCESSES.  1.  Decay  is  constant.  Each  of  us  may  say,  "  I  die  daUy."  Our 
motion  is  ever  onward  to  death.  We  ought  then  to  have  in  this  a  constant 
stimulus  to  renewal  of  inward  Ufe.  Let  renewal  day  by  day  be  our  conviction,  our 
task,  and  our  joy.  2.  Decay  has  times  of  special  impulse  when  more  progress  is 
made  toward  dissolution  in  a  few  days  than  in  many  years.  But  this  has  its 
counterbalance  in  floods  of  grace,  bursts  of  light,  accesses  of  love  and  enthusiasm, 
that  lift  up  and  strengthen  and  gladden  the  inward  man.  3.  There  is  a  waste 
caused  by  toil  and  a  decay  that  goes  on  in  rest ;  so,  on  the  other  hand,  renewal  is 
furthered  by  exertion  and  by  quiescence.  To  labour  and  to  rest  in  God  are  bolh 
necessary.  We  must  contend  against  evil,  and  labour  earnestly  to  be  filled  with  the 
fruits  of  righteousness ;  but  often  renewal  comes  more  from  keeping  the  soul  in  a 
right  attitude  toward  God.  4.  Extremes  and  sudden  changes  hasten  the  decay  of 
the  outward  man,  so  extremes  and  sudden  changes  of  condition  may  hasten  the 
renewal  of  the  inward  man.  Some  of  these  extreme  and  sudden  changes  you 
remember  well ;  is  it  not  true  that  they  shook  and  roused  you  in  an  altogether 
peculiar  way,  and  opened  up  for  you  unknown  reaches  of  thought  and  aspiration  ? 
5.  The  outward  man  decays  both  by  pain  and  pleasure ;  the  inward  man  should  be 
renewed  both  by  sorrow  and  joy.  Have  you  known  the  power  of  physical  pain  in 
bringing  down  the  outward  man,  and  shall  you  not  welcome  the  pains  of  the 
spirit  which  elevate  and  emancipate  the  inward  man?  Are  there  any  that 
have  known   the   weakening  influence  of  unhalloived  pleasures  and  joys?     WiU: 


180  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

Dot  they  of  all  others  pursue  the  joys  that  strengthen  the  soul  and  heart  ? 
6.  Decay  sometimes  proceeds  from  without  inwards,  as  in  the  ease  of  external 
injury ;  sometimes  it  proceeds  from  the  very  heart,  and  slowly  makes  itself  felt  in 
the  outer  activity.  Is  there  not  a  similar  twofold  process  in  the  renewal  of  the 
inner  man  ?  7.  The  whole  outward  man  perishes.  But  the  renewal  of  the  inward 
man  often  bears  a  most  imperfect  correspondence  in  this  respect.  A  man  cannot 
exempt  any  particular  portion  of  his  body  from  decay,  but  he  can  shut  out 
whole  regions  of  his  inward  nature  from  renewal.  How  often  it  seems  as  if  some 
parts  of  a  man  are  like  deseiii,  while  others  are  like  Eden,  as  if  a  portion  of  a  man 
were  inhabited  by  Satan,  and  another  portion  by  Christ.  But  should  not  men  who 
know  their  whole  outward  nature  to  be  decaying,  and  doomed  to  perish,  be 
constantly  reminded  of  the  need  of  the  whole  inward  nature  being  permeated  by 
life  ?  8.  Decay  is  sometimes  accelerated  by  materials  and  means  which  usually 
strengthen  or  heal ;  so  in  the  inward  man  renewal  may  be  promoted  by  things 
whose  natural  influence  and  effect  is  to  corrupt  and  destroy.  Often  the  debilitated 
frame  is  injured  by  the  most  healthful  influences.  The  bracing  air  pierces  it,  the 
genial  heat  of  the  sun  oppresses  it.  Food  turns  to  poison.  Healing  medicine  kills. 
But  over  against  this  is  the  great  and  cheering  fact  in  the  spiritual  world — that 
temptations  to  evil  may  be  the  most  potent  means  for  good ;  that  a  wholly  corrupt 
social  atmosphere  may  disgust  a  man  with  evil,  and  throw  him  with  intensity  into 
a  spiritual  sphere;  that  doubts  may  conduct  straight  to  the  clearest  faith;  that  there 
is  no  difficulty  that  threatens  to  swallow  a  man  which  may  not  issue  in  high  and 
lasting  gain.  All  poisons  are  changed  into  food  and  medicine  to  him  who  keeps 
near  to  Christ.  9.  Decay  sometimes  proceeds  at  a  constantly  increasing  rate.  But 
if  there  is  a  downward  gravitation  there  is  also  an  upward.  We  caU  it  natural  that 
a  stone  should  fall  faster  and  faster  as  it  approaches  the  earth,  it  is  equally  natural 
that  a  soul  should  be  renewed  increasingly,  should  rise  faster  and  faster  as  it 
approaches  heaven.     {J.  Leckie,  D.D.) 

Vers.  17,  18.  For  our  light  affliction  .  .  .  worketh  for  us  a  .  .  .  weight  of 
glory. — Light  affliction  and  eternal  glory  : — I.  A  few  peeliminaet  obsebvations 
UPON  AFFLICTION.  1.  There  are  afHictious  which  are  common  to  humanity.  Disease 
and  death  (Gen.  iii.  17-19).  2.  There  are  afflictions  which  are  of  a  self-procured 
character.  We  can  no  more  sin  with  impunity  against  physical  laws  than  we  can 
against  moral  laws.  3.  There  are  afflictions  which  are  of  Divine  appointment. 
4.  Afflictions  are  not  meritorious.  They  cannot  make  atonement  for  sin,  nor 
regenerate  our  nature.  5.  Afflictions  in  themselves,  abstractly  considered,  are 
heavy,  but  light  when  compared  with  those  of  others.  II.  Let  us  ponder  our 
AFFLICTIONS.  They  are  light — 1.  When  compared  with  the  demerit  of  our  sins.  2. 
When  compared  with  those  of  our  forefathers.  The  saints  have  had  to  suffer 
hunger,  thirst,  nakedness,  fire,  faggot,  sword,  imprisonment,  and  death  (Heb.  xi.). 
3.  When  compared  with  those  of  Christ.  4.  When  compared  with  the  weight  of 
glory  referred  to  in  the  text.  5.  Being  but  for  a  moment  when  compared  with  the 
eternity  of  glory.  6.  When  compared  with  the  exceeding  greatness  and  infinite 
excellence  of  the  glory.  III.  Consider  the  beneficial  and  gracious  tendency  op 
ouK  afflictions.  All  trials,  whether  personal,  relative,  or  national,  may  be  regarded 
in  the  light  of  a  gracious  discipline.  The  tendency  of  affliction  in  the  saint  is — 1.  The 
development  and  maturity  of  moral  purity.  There  is  much  about  him  which  needs 
correction  and  refinement.  Afflictions  operate  as  fire  upon  metal  (Heb.  xii.  5,  11 ; 
James  i.  2-4,  12).  2.  The  development  and  exhibition  of  principle  and  character. 
It  is  possible  for  a  man  not  to  know  his  own  real  character  and  strength  of  principle, 
till  cast  upon  his  own  resources.  What  a  living  embodiment  of  magnanimity,  self- 
denial,  goodness,  and  moral  sublimity  in  the  lives  and  deaths  of  many  of  the  people 
of  God  !  3.  To  test  the  truthfulness  of  our  Christianity  and  exhibit  its  character 
before  the  world.  4.  The  exercise  and  perfection  of  our  faith.  Faith  is  a  principle 
which  is  strengthened  by  exercise.  In  trials  faith  finds  ample  scope  for  action 
(Heb.  xi.).  IV.  The  future  glory  of  the  saint  is — 1.  Substantial.  The  word 
' '  weight ' '  gives  us  the  idea  of  ponderousness.  The  Greek  word ' '  doxa  "  and  the  Hebrew 
word  "kabhodh"  mean  an  opinion,  doctrine  ;  and  then  praise,  dignity,  splendour,  and 
perfection.  The  words  are  applied  to  the  visible  manifestations  of  the  Divine 
Being.  Heaven  is  spoken  of  as  a  most  glorious  locality.  It  is  compared  to  "a 
house  eternal  in  the  heavens,"  a  "mansion,"  "an  inheritance  incorruptible,"  a 
"  great  city,"  and  "  a  prepared  kingdom."  There  will  be  perfect  correspondence 
betwixt  the  resurrection  body  of  the  saint  and  heaven  as  an  abode  (1  Cor.  xv.  39-58 ; 


<5HAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  181 

Phil.  iii.  20,  21 ;  1  John  iii.  2).  Glory  embraces  also  the  perfection  of  the  soul. 
We  shall  be  perfect  in  body  and  in  mind.  Enjoyments  and  employments  will  be 
all  complete.  2.  Ever-enduring.  "  The  perpetuity  of  bliss  is  bliss."  3.  Ever- 
increasing.  Progi-ess  is  as  essential  to  man's  nature  as  gravitation  to  the  universe, 
and  light  and  heat  to  the  sun.  (C.  Bri(]gs.)  The  work  of  affliction : — 1.  The  text 
contains  a  repetition  of  v-n-ipfioXr),  which  is  generally  used  when  a  person  in  any 
excited  manner  oversteps  the  truth.  What  the  apostle  means,  therefore,  is  that  no 
proportion  whatever  can  be  instituted  between  present  affliction  and  future  glory. 
2.  Now,  there  is  much  in  God's  dealings  with  our  race  which  seems  hopelessly 
intricate,  and  we  satisfy  ourselves  by  referring  to  the  disclosures  of  another  world 
■when,  evolving  order  from  confusion,  God  shall  vindicate  His  proceedings  on  the 
broad  stage  of  the  judgment.  But  while  in  the  main  this  course  may  be  correct,  we 
must  take  heed  that  we  do  not  refuse  to  be  wise  up  to  what  is  revealed.  It  would 
be  a  great  clue  for  us,  in  the  labyrinth  of  Providence,  if  we  were  to  regard  all  that 
takes  place  in  the  body  as  preparatory  to  the  dispensation  of  another  state :  e.g.,  we 
ought  to  be  able  to  show  that  all  which  a  righteous  man  suffers  goes  to  heighten 
and  multiply  his  future  enjoyments;  so  that  each  sorrow  shall  not  only  be  counter- 
balanced, but  shall  be  distinctly  preliminary  to  some  portion  of  happiness.  The 
apostle  speaks  of  the  affliction  as  "  working  out  for  us  glory."  There  is  a  vast  deal 
more  asserted  than  the  mere  succeeding  of  glory  to  affliction ;  there  is  the  connection 
of  cause  and  effect ;  the  present  and  the  future  are  so  linked,  that  the  two  may  be 
surveyed  as  parts  of  the  same  dispensation.  I.  In  what  sense  can  it  be  true  that 
"  ATFLicTioN  woRKETH  FOR  US  GLORY  "  ?  1.  It  cannot  be  that  suffering  in  this  present 
life  is  to  be  accounted  a  make-weight  for  punishment  in  the  next.  We  have  heard 
persons  express  a  hope  that  they  should  endure  all  their  pains  on  this  side  the 
grave,  as  though  pain  had  a  power  of  making  compensation  for  sin.  No  doubt  pain 
is  the  consequence  and  punishment  of  sin  ;  but  it  is  evident  that  the  future  and  not 
the  present  is  the  time  at  which  God's  threatenings  are  especially  to  take  effect. 
And  if  present  suffering  do  not  pass  instead  of  future,  much  less  can  it  procure  for 
us  favour  and  enjoyment.  The  splendours  of  eternity  are  too  rare  and  costly  to  be 
procured  out  of  the  anguish  of  the  sinful.  2.  But  if  affliction  do  not  procure  for  us 
glory  through  any  inherent  merit,  it  must  have  a  working  power ;  it  must  be 
because  of  the  discipline  which  affliction  exerts.  Whatever  was  required  for  the 
pardon  of  our  sins,  was  wrought  out  for  us  by  our  Surety.  Nothing  more  is  needed 
in  order  to  our  being  freely  forgiven  and  graciously  received.  But  while  all  this  has 
been  done  for  us,  there  is  something  which  remains  to  be  done  in  us.  This  is  what 
Scripture  calls  "the  being  made  meet  for  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light."  It 
■were  comparatively  but  little  worth  that  we  should  be  admitted  into  God's  presence, 
if  there  were  no  change  rendering  us  capable  of  enjoying  what  is  celestial  and  pure. 
To  effect  this  work  is  the  office  of  affliction.  When  you  have  admitted  the  need  of 
refining,  you  must  expect  that  the  furnace  of  affliction  will  be  placed  in  tho  pathway 
of  the  Christian.  3.  Our  text  goes  further.  Not  merely  is  affliction  preparatory  to 
glory,  but  that  glory  is  to  be  increased  by  affliction.  One  Chi'istian  is  evidently 
much  more  tried  than  another.  The  meekest  and  most  devoted  are  often  most 
so.  Therefore  we  conclude  that  affliction  produces  different  degrees  of  fitness,  and 
that  with  these  different  degrees  of  fitness  are  proportioned  different  degrees  of 
blessedness  in  the  scale  of  future  rewards.  Upon  this  supposition,  but  on  no 
•other,  that  as  "  one  star  differeth  from  another  star  in  glory,"  so  does  one 
saint  in  heaven  differ  from  another — can  fuU  force  be  ascribed  to  the  language 
■of  our  text.  II.  The  notices  of  the  invisible  world  which  we  may  extract  from 
THE  passage.  1.  That  there  shall  be  different  degrees  in  the  happiness  of  the  saints 
in  heaven.  The  dispositions  and  faculties  of  our  fellow-men  are  almost  infinitely 
various.  If  this  variety  did  not  exist  a  dull  monotony  would  be  introduced.  Yes, 
religious  men  are  cast  in  great  varieties  of  mould.  The  lines  of  distinction  are 
strongly  marked  between  Peter  and  James  and  Paul.  So  one  apostle  was  fitted  for 
■engaging  in  enterprises  which  would  not  have  suited  another.  And  so  with  all.  There 
are  no  two  Christians  who  are  quite  alike  as  Cliristians.  One  is  remarkable  for  his 
humility,  another  for  his  love,  a  third  for  his  faith,  and  a  fourth  for  his  zeal.  And 
Ood  places  each  Christian  just  where  there  is  scope  for  his  particular  gifts.  If 
there  were  no  difference  amongst  Christians,  the  Church  would  lose  its  beauty  and 
power.  Is  it,  then,  to  be  for  a  moment  imagined  that  heaven  alone  should  not 
consist  of  this  wonderful  diversity  ?  Shall  death  produce  over  the  whole  face  of 
humankind  that  uniformity  against  which  God  has  now  marvellously  provided  ? 
This  does  not  interfere  in  the  remotest  degree  with  the  perfection  of  the  happiness 


182  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  iv: 

of  every  justified  saint.  That  being  is  perfectly  happy  who  has  just  as  much 
happiness  as  he  is  capable  of  enjoying.  And  besides  these  arguments  from  analogy, 
you  find  in  Scripture  abundant  reason  for  the  opinion,  that  in  hell  the  quantity  ot 
misery  is  not  the  same  to  all,  and  that  in  heaven  the  quantity  of  happiness  is  not- 
the  same  to  aU.  By  being  enormous  in  guilt,  we  may  increase  the  capacity  for 
pain ;  and  by  being  eminent  in  piety,  we  may  increase  the  capacity  for  pleasure.. 
We  should  conclude  indeed  rashly  if  we  should  set  down  a  beUever  more  than 
ordinarily  tried  as  designed  for  one  of  the  highest  places  in  heaven  :  for  we  cannot, 
tell  what  ti'aining  we  may  requhe  for  the  lowest  place  in  heaven.  But  putting^ 
together  the  simple  propositions,  that  there  are  degrees  of  happiness  above,  and 
that  affliction  is  one  of  the  chief  modes  by  which  God  prepares  man  for  happi- 
ness, it  foUows  that  the  sufferings  we  endure  may  have  an  effect  in  fitting  us  for  a 
loftier  throne,  a  richer  crown,  a  nobler  heritage ;  and  thus  may  the  apostle's  words 
most  literally  come  true.  2.  There  is  much  material  for  thought  in  the  hint  that 
affliction  at  the  most  is  "  light,"  and  at  the  longest  "  but  for  a  moment."  Now  we 
can  hardly  expect  that  such  verdicts  will  be  assented  to  while  we  are  on  earth. 
The  soul  must  be  in  glory  before  they  can  be  pronounced  with  a  deep  feeling  of 
their  truth.  3.  Observe,  in  order  to  the  obtaining  a  better  glimpse  of  things  within, 
the  veil,  that  the  aim  of  the  creature  has  always  been  independence,  and  one  great 
object  of  God's  dealings  with  our  race  has  been  to  prove  the  nothingness  of  the 
creature,  by  placing  him  in  a  variety  of  estates,  in  none  of  which  he  is  able  to  sustain 
himself.  And  we  may  well  believe  that  the  lesson  thus  painfully  and  woefully 
taught  shall  be  continually  in  the  view  of  the  glorified  multitude.  Shall  they  not 
be  conscious  that  Christ  not  only  brought  them  to  glory,  but  that  Christ  also 
supports  them  in  glory  ?  We  find  an  intimation  of  this  in  a  "  weight  of  glory." 
The  Greek  word  is  always  used  of  something  massive  and  hard  to  be  borne ;  and  it 
seems  implied  that  the  glory  itself  will  be  so  ponderous,  that  the  saints  need  help 
in  sustaining  it.  In  other  words,  they  will  be  no  more  able  to  do  without  Christ 
in  wearing  their  crown,  than  they  could  do  without  Christ  in  winning  their  crown. 
(H.  Melvill,  B.D.)        How  we  ought  to   view   our  afflictions  : — Consider — I.  The 

MANNER  IN  WHICH  THE  APOSTLE    TEACHES    CHRISTIANS   TO    VIEW   THEIR   AFFLICTIONS.       1. 

We  are  apt  to  magnify  our  troubles  rather  than  to  diminish  them.  In  the  human 
mind  there  is  a  strong  aversion  to  trouble  of  any  kind.  It  is  indeed  true  that 
affliction,  in  itself,  is  not  agreeable.  "  Now  no  affliction  for  the  present  seemeth  to 
be  joyous,  but  grievous."  But  here  the  apostle  makes  it  out  to  be  a  very  insignificant 
thing.  You  think  it  heavy — a  burden  greater  than  you  can  bear,  but  the  apostle 
says  that  it  is  light.  And,  besides,  you  think  the  time  of  your  affliction  long> 
however  short  it  may  be,  and  anxiously  desire  its  removal ;  but  the  apostle  wishes 
you  to  view  it  even  as  momentary.  But  Paul  is  here  speaking  comparatively.  His 
eye  was  full  of  an  exceeding  weight  of  glory  which  language  could  not  express  ;  in 
comparison  to  that  his  affliction  was  levity  itself,  and  by  faith  he  saw  the  eternity 
of  that  glory,  and  then  it  seemed  contracted  into  a  point  that  was  invisible.  2.  You 
cannot  feel  sympathy  with  the  apostle,  in  this  exalted  view  of  affliction,  if  you 
remain  on  the  low  ground  of  this  world,  where  you  are  involved  in  darkness.  You 
must  aspire  to  attain  the  height  of  the  subject.  You  must  endeavour,  in  some 
measure,  to  comprehend  the  glory  to  be  revealed.  IE.  The  influence  of  affliction 
IN  PREPARING  CHRISTIANS  FOR  FUTURE  GLORY.  "  Woikcth  for  US."  Affliction  is  part 
of  the  discipline  of  the  covenant  of  grace ;  and  it  worketh  the  peaceable  fruit  of 
righteousness  in  all  who  are  properly  exercised  under  it.  1.  Afflictions  work 
in  Christians  a  meetness  or  suitableness  for  glory.  Naturally  they  are  un- 
prepared, and  corruption  is  strong  within  them.  But  afflictions  weaken  the 
power  of  corruption.  The  mind  of  the  Christian  may  be  unduly  set  upon 
worldly  objects.  These  are  removed,  and  then  the  Christian  seeks  his  enjoy- 
ment in  God,  and  raises  his  mind  to  heaven.  2.  In  proportion  to  the  extent 
of  the  affliction  of  Christians  will  be  their  future  glory.  All  that  you  can  do  or 
suffer  for  Christ,  in  itself,  is  without  merit,  but  yet  it  will  be  rewarded.  III.  What 
THIS  GLORY  IS.  Who  Can  describe  the  greatness  of  things  eternal?  We  can  only 
judge  from  what  we  see ;  and  it  must  be  confessed  that  in  the  visible  universe 
there  is  much  that  impresses  us  with  the  greatness  and  the  power  of  God.  But 
we  must  beware  of  losing  ourselves  in  generalities.  We  are  not  destitute  of  definite 
ideas  on  which  to  fix  our  minds.  1.  This  is  an  exceeding  weight  of  glory ;  it  will,  in 
its  very  nature,  be  substantial,  weighty,  solid.  Now  this  forms  a  striking  contrast 
to  the  objects  of  the  world,  even  the  weightiest  and  most  important  of  them.  But 
men  consider  wealth  weighty.     It  is,  however,  all  a  mistake,  "for  riches  make  to 


CH.u-.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  183 

themselves  wings."  All  the  riches  of  this  world  are,  in  comparison,  less  than 
nothing  and  vanity.  2.  This  is  such  a  weight  of  glory  that  Christians  could  not 
sustain  it  if  they  were  not  prepared  and  strengthened  by  Omnipotence  to  do  it. 
Even  in  the  world  men  are  not  always  able  to  sustain  their  circumstances.  Some 
sink  under  the  load  of  affliction,  prosperity.  Now  to  bear  up  under  this  weight  of 
glory  it  is  necessary  that  the  soul  of  the  Christian  should  be  absolutely  perfect,  com- 
pletely dehvered  from  sin ;  and  at  the  last  day,  when  there  will  be  a  vast  accession 
to  the  glory,  a  body  fashioned  like  unto  Christ's  will  be  necessary :  thus  the  soul  and 
body  of  the  Christian  will  not  only  be  adapted  to  each  other,  but  they  will  also  be 
adapted  to  the  glory  which  is  to  be  bestowed  upon  them.  At  the  present  time  you 
could  not  bear  this  glory.  3.  And  what  will  it  be  ?  It  will  be  aU  the  fulness  of  the 
Deity — all  the  glory  of  God  in  Christ.  (1)  You  will  be  blessed  with  all  knowledge ; 
all  mysteries,  in  nature,  providence,  and  grace,  will  shine  out  clearly  in  your  view. 

(2)  Immense  dignity  will  be  conferred  upon  us ;  in  the  presence  of  the  greatest 
spirits  you  will  be  honoured  by  God  HimseK,  and  wiU  be  exalted  to  sit  on  the 
throne  of  Christ.  (8)  Your  happiness  will  be  complete;  you  will  experience  the 
fulness  of  joy.  (4)  Add  to  all,  it  will  be  eternal,  unlike  the  glories  of  the  world, 
which  are  evanescent.  Now,  with  this  prospect,  will  not  Christians  welcome  aU 
their  affliction  ?  (T.  Swan.)  Affliction  and  its  issues  : — ^In  the  words  there  is  an 
elegant  antithesis  of  our  future  estate  to  our  present.  In  our  future  glory  there 
is — 1.  SoUdity  and  excellency.  Glory  is  called  a  weight,  because  the  same  word, 
"  chabod,"  which  signifieth  a  weight,  signifieth  also  glory,  and  weight  addeth  to  the 
value  of  gold  and  precious  things.  All  words  are  too  weak  to  express  heaven's 
happiness,  and  therefore  he  heapeth  expression  upon  expression.  2.  Eternity. 
This  is  opposed  to  the  momentariness  of  our  affliction.  Both  properties  suit  with 
God's  infiniteness  and  eternity.  In  the  other  world  God  will  give  like  Himself.  See 
how  the  apostle  doth — I.  Lessen  the  afflictions  of  our  present  condition,  that  we 
may  not  faint  under  them.  1.  The  evil  expressed,  "  our  affliction."  God  will  have 
aU  tried,  and  the  most  eminent  most  tried  (Rev.  vii.  14).  Christ  Himself  was  made 
low  before  He  was  exalted.  And  the  members  follow  the  head  by  a  conformity  of 
suffering  (Acts  xiv.  22).  2.  The  evil  lessened.  The  highest  comfort  which 
philosophy  could  afford  was,  that  if  afflictions  were  great,  they  were  short ;  it  long, 
Light ;  meaning  thereby,  that  if  their  afflictions  were  grievous,  they  would  shorten 
their  hves  ;  if  of  long  continuance,  by  bearing  they  learned  the  better  to  bear.  But 
here  both  light  and  short,  too,  in  respect  of  our  glorious  reward,  which  being 
infinite,  maketh  them  hght,  and  being  eternal,  makes  them  short.  (1)  Our  affliction 
is  light,  not  in  itself  but-— (a)  Comparatively,  in  respect  of  the  excellency  and 
infiniteness  of  the  heavenly  glory  (Rom.  viii.  18).  The  trouble  is  nothing  to  the 
recompense,  nor  the  cross  to  the  crown,  (b)  Copulatively.  Though  affliction  be 
not  light  in  itself,  yet  by  the  strong  support  and  comfort  of  the  Spirit,  God  maketh 
it  Mght  and  easy  to  us.  To  a  strong  back  a  burden  is  light  which  crusheth  the 
weak  and  faint ;  a  man  well  clad  may  without  great  annoyance  bear  the  cold  of 
winter,  which  pincheth  the  naked  (chap.  i.  5 ;  Rom.  viii.  37).  Now  there  is  a  more 
liberal  allowance  of  these  comforts  and  supports  to  God's  suffering  servants  than  to 
those  who  hve  at  ease  (1  Pet.  iv.  14).  (2)  It  is  short  as  well  as  light.  If  they 
should  last  for  our  whole  lives,  they  are  but  momentary  compared  with  eternity. 

(3)  To  make  this  more  evident,  let  us  consider  how  the  afflictions  of  God's  people 
are  long  and  short,  (a)  Concerning  their  length.  They  seem  long  to  those  that 
reckon  by  time  and  not  by  eternity.  The  longest  time  to  eternity  is  nothing 
(Psa.  xc.  4).  They  seem  long  because  of  the  impatiency  of  the  flesh.  We  love  our 
own  ease,  and  therefore  affliction  soon  groweth  irksome.  An  hour  seemeth  a  day, 
and  a  day  a  week.  Winter  nights  seem  long  in  the  passing,  (b)  For  their  short- 
ness ;  they  seem  short,  partly  because  they  are  not  so  long  as  they  might  be  in 
regard  of  the  enemies'  rage  (Zech.  i.  15).  Satan  and  wicked  men  know  no  bounds. 
Partly  they  are  not  so  long  as  we  deserve.  The  evil  of  one  sin  cannot  be  expiated 
in  a  thousand  years;  but  God  "in  the  midst  of  judgment  remembereth  mercy" 
(Hab.  iii.  2).  Partly  they  are  not  so  long  as  they  might  be  in  regard  of  second 
causes  and  probabilities  (Hab.  iii.  2).  Partly  because  faith  will  not  count  it  long ; 
for  to  the  eye  of  faith  things  future  and  afar  off  are  as  present  (Heb.  xi.  1).  Partly 
because  love  will  not  count  it  long  (Gen.  xxix.  20).  If  we  had  any  love  to  Christ, 
we  would  be  willing  to  suffer  a  little  while  for  His  sake.  But  chiefly  in  regard  of 
our  eternal  reward  and  blessedness ;  so  it  is  a  light  affliction,  that  is  but  for  a 
moment,  like  a  rainy  day  to  an  everlasting  sunshine.  II.  Greater  heavenly 
THINGS.    They  are  set  forth  by  unwonted  forms  of  speech,  but  such  as  you  may 


184  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

observe   an   exact   opposition  of  our  happiness  to  our  misery.     1.  Affliction   and 
glory.     In  our  calamities  we  are  depressed  and  put  to  shame,  but  whatever  honour 
we  lose  in  this  mortal  life  shall  be  abundantly  recompensed  in  heaven.     (1)  Are  you 
pained   with   sickness   and   weariness   of   the  flesh?      In   heaven   we   shall  have 
everlasting   ease    (Heb.   iv.    9).     (2)  Are   you   cast  out   by  man?     There  you  are 
received  by  the  Lord  (1  Thess.  iv.  17).     (3)  Have  you  lost  the  love  of  all  men  for 
your  faithfulness  ?     You  shall  everlastingly  enjoy  the  love  of  God  (Rom.  viii.  39). 
(4)  Are   you   rein'oached,   calumniated  in  the  world  ?     Then   your   faith   shall  be 
"  found  to  praise,  glory,  and  honour  "  (1  Pet.  i.  7).     (5)  Aj.-e  you  cast  into  prison  ? 
You  will  shortly  be  in  your  Father's  house  (John  xiv.  2).     (6)  Are  you  reduced  to 
sordid  poverty?     There  you  read  of  the  "  riches  of  the  glory  of  the  inheritance  of 
the  saints  in  light"  (Eph.  ii.  18).    (7)  Have  you  lost  children  for  Christ?   They  shall 
not  come  to  you,  but  you  shall  go  to  them.     (8)  Must  you  die,  and  the  guest  be 
turned   out   of   the   old   house?      You   do  but   leave   a   shed   to  live  in  a  palace 
(chap.  V.  1).     If  you  are  forced  out  by  the  violence  of  man,  the  sword  is  but  the  key 
to  open  heaven's  doors  for  you.     2.  "  A  far  more  exceeding  weight  of  glory  "  and 
"  light   affliction."     Things  excellent  we  count  weighty  ;  small,  light  (1  John  iii.  2). 
3.  This  glory  is  eternal,  in  opposition  to  our  momentary  affliction.     If  we  desire  to 
prolong  this  life,  which  is  obnoxious  to  divers  calamities,  how  much  more  should 
that  life  affect  us  which  shall  be  f uUy  happy  and  never  have  end  ?    III.  Show  how 
THE  ONE  IS  THE  FRUIT  OF  THE  OTHER.     (T.  MantoTi,  D.D.)         Sanctified  affliction,  its 
tendency  and  result : — Consider — I.  The  manner  in  which  affliction   is  to   be 
ESTIMATED  BY   THE  CHRISTIAN   BELIEVER.     It  signifies  Something  that  beats  down, 
presses  sore,  and  is  in  itself   grievous  and  tormenting.     The  forms  of  human  trial 
are  like  the  lineaments  of  the  human  countenance,  boundlessly  diversified.     II.  The 
BENEFICIAL  TENDENCY  OF  AFFLICTION.     The  present  State  of  man  is  not  his  ultimate 
condition,  nor  is  this  world  his  final  home.     While  on  earth  his  state  is  not  only 
one  of  probation,  but  also  of  discipline  and — 1.  It  is  designed  to  correct  and  reclaim. 
There  is  in  the  heart  of  man  a  natural  proneness  to  wander  from  God.     In  vain, 
perhaps,  have  been  the  attempts  of  other  agencies  to  win  the  thoughtless  wanderer. 
It  is  in  mercy,  therefore,  rather  than  in  anger,  that  he  is  smitten  with  affliction, 
that  he  may  return  to  God.     2.  The  grace  of  God  beats  the  spears  of  affliction  into 
pruning-hooks,   to   them   that  are   in   Christ.     3.  In  affliction  there  is  something 
which  exerts  a  subduing  influence  upon  the  mind.     It  prostrates  pride,  subdues 
self,  disenchants  creation  of  its  bright  and  fleeting  colours.     It  is  often  the  means 
of  bringing  the  will  of  the  Christian  into  a  more  en  the  subjection  to  the  will  of  God. 
4.  It  has  a  tendency  to  purify,  refine,  and  elevate  the  Christian  character.     The 
trial  of  faith  is  said  to  be  "more  precious  than  that  of  gold."     III.  The  glory  for 
WHICH  THE  Christian  believer  is  prepared  by  sanctified  affliction.     1.  The  final 
issue  of  sanctified  affliction  wiU  be  a  higher  position,  greater  felicity,  more  glory  in 
the  heavenly  state.     The  Christian  would  have  had  glory  without  it,  but  he  will 
have  more  by  reason  of  it.     2.  This  glory  wiU  be  eternal  in  its  duration.     The 
highest  enjoyments  this  world  can  afford  are  short-Hved.    Life  itself  is  short.    "  The 
fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away."     But  the  glory  of  heaven  will  endure  for  ever. 
3.  This  glory  is  further  spoken  of  under  the  idea  of  weight.     Conclusion :  The 
design  of  God,  in  afflictions,  being  to  prepare  us  for  "a  far  more  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of   glory,"   let  us  devoutly  strive  to  improve  them.     1.  By   deep 
humility  and  self-abasement.     When  the  soul  is  truly  humbled  before  God,  His 
Spirit  lifts  it  up,  and  lets  in  upon  the  feelings  the  genial  light  and  warmth  of  the 
Sun   of  righteousness.     2.  By   a  renewed  consecration   of  ourselves  to  God.     (/. 
Lambert.)         The  world  of  glory  : — I.  The  celestial  state  will  impart  exalted 

AND    PERFECT    FELICITY    TO     THOSE    WHO    SHALL    ENJOY    IT.       It   will   be    a   State   of — 1. 

Unsullied  and  absolute  holiness.  Mourning,  as  now  you  do,  over  your  wayward- 
ness and  sinfulness,  how  must  you  exult  in  the  prospect  of  being  "  made  meet  to  be 
partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light !  "  2.  Vast  intellectual  illumina- 
tion (1  Cor.  xiii.  9-12).  As  to  the  objects  of  celestial  knowledge,  we  may  believe 
them  to  be  the  Divine  character  and  perfections ;  the  reasons  of  providential 
government,  the  counsels  of  grace ;  the  breadths,  and  lengths,  and  depths,  and 
heights  of  the  love  of  Christ  which  "  passeth  knowledge,"  &c.  As  holiness  is  our  moral 
glory,  attainment  of  such  knowledge  will  be  our  intellectual  glory,  both  being 
associated  with  happiness  which  is  incomparable  and  supreme.  "  The  tree  of 
knowledge,"  there  will  hide  no  serpent  in  its  foliage,  and  instil  no  poison  with  ita 
fruit.  It  shall  be  "  the  tree  of  life,"  as  well  as  "  the  tree  of  knowledge,"  and  there 
shall  not  be  a  leaf  that  adorns  it,  or  a  cluster  that  enriches  it,  that  will  not  be 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  185 

found  redolent  with  rapture,  and  that  can  decay  or  die.  Ye  who  love  and  long  for 
knowledge,  endeavour  to  find  your  sphere  in  heaven ;  and  while  now,  at  the  best, 
you  can  but  collect  the  fragments  and  the  crumbs,  be  it  your  high  ambition  to  pant 
always  for  the  f uU  banquet  of  intelligence  in  immortality.  3.  Delightful  communion. 
A  vast  proportion  of  the  enjoyments  of  the  present  life  arises  from  intercourse ;  the 
more  refined  that  intercourse,  the  more  delightful  it  is  ;  and  the  delights  of  inter- 
course will  be  found  perfected  amidst  the  purity  and  the  expanded  illumination  of 
the  skies.  If  man  be  permitted  to  enjoy  fellowship  with  God,  while  still  he  bears 
the  remains  of  his  sinfulness,  much  more  wiU  he  possess  that  fellowship  when  all 
his  impurities  shall  be  removed,  and  when  he  shall  exist  perfectly  in  the  image  of 
his  God.  Intercourse  with  God  is  the  very  life  of  heaven ;  and  were  that  intercourse 
to  be  withdrawn,  the  light  would  wane,  and  the  glory  would  be  shrouded,  and  the 
music  would  be  hushed,  and  the  bliss  would  die,  and  the  reward  would  be  trans- 
formed into  wretchedness.  4.  Active  and  devoted  employment.  The  rest  of  heaven 
is  not  synonymous  with  indolence  ;  it  is  rest  merely  from  corporeal  languor,  pain 
and  disease,  mental  sorrow  and  foreboding.  But  this  rest  is  not  incompatible  with 
employment.  As  Luther  said,  "  God  requires  servants  in  heaven  as  well  as  on 
earth."  Worship,  in  presenting  the  expressions  of  adoration  and  of  praise ;  study,  in 
the  contemplation  of  the  grand  themes  of  knowledge ;  and  active  employment,  in 
promoting  the  high  behests,  which  probably  will  be  multiplied  upon  us  by  the  vast- 
ness  of  our  capacities  and  by  the  deathlessness  of  our  existence.  5.  Permanent 
and  impei-ishable  duration.  Heaven  bears  over  its  golden  portals  the  inscription, 
" There  shall  be  no  more  death."  You  read  of  heaven  as  a  substance;  it  is  "a 
better  and  enduring  substance."  As  a  kingdom,  it  is  an  "  everlasting  kingdom." 
As  an  inheritance,  it  is  "  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  and  undefiled,  and  that 
fadeth  not  away."  There  is  nought  in  that  world  of  glory,  which  is  not  for  ever 
and  for  ever.    II.  The  contemplation  of  the  celestial  st.vte  ought  to  produce 

POWERIUL  INFLUENCES  AND  EFFECTS,  WHILE  WE  ABE  EXISTING  IN  THE  PRESENT  LIFE.       1. 

We  ought  to  embrace  the  one  appointed  method,  by  which  alone  the  enjoyment  of 
the  heavenly  state  is  to  be  secured.  Do  any  of  you  ask  what  is  the  way  to  heaven  ? 
By  the  Cross  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  2.  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ," 
if  you  would  "be  saved."  Bear  with  fortitude,  in  the  prospect  of  that  celestial 
state,  the  various  difficulties  and  sorrows  of  the  present  life.  In  the  context  you 
see  how  the  fortitude  of  the  apostle  and  of  his  companions  was  secured  by  the 
prospect  of  the  future.  3.  There  ought  also  to  be  a  constant  anticipation  of  the 
period  when  the  celestial  state  shall  be  entered  by  ourselves.  Conclusion  :  Let  me 
remind  you  there  is  no  middle  state,  no  compromise  between  a  destiny  of  splendour 
and  a  destiny  of  darkness  and  despair.     (J.  Parsons.) 

Ver.  18.  WhUe  we  look  not  at  the  things  which  are  seen  .  .  .  which  .  .  .  are 
temporaL — The  laio  of  the  higher  vision  : — I.  The  seen  exists  in  the  midst  of  the 
UNSEEN.  There  are  two  worlds— the  world  of  sense  and  the  world  of  spirit ;  and  the 
world  of  spirit  surrounds,  enspheres,  and  interpenetrates  the  world  of  sense.  We 
speak  as  if  the  world  of  sense  came  first,  and  the  world  of  spirit  came  after ; 
whereas  the  truth  is  that  the  world  of  spirit  is  about  us  now,  though  the  veil  of 
sense  hangs  between.  We  imagine  that  we  dwell  in  time  here,  and  shall  dwell  in 
eternity  hereafter ;  while  the  fact  is  we  dwell  in  eternity  here,  though  we  take  a 
little  section  of  it  and  call  it  time.  And  if  this  be  the  correct  way  of  putting  it,  see 
the  fallacy  of  our  common  conceptions  of  death.  We  conceive  of  death  as  if  it  were 
an  act  of  migration,  a  journey  to  some  distant  star.  Is  not  the  Scripture  view 
rather  this — that  unseen  realities  encompass  us  now  ?  What  sights  might  we  not  see, 
at  every  moment  of  our  existence,  at  every  turning  of  our  path,  had  we  only  eyes 
to  see  them  !  And  death  will  be  merely  the  giving  of  those  eyes.  The  seen  exists 
in  the  midst  of  the  unseen,  the  temporal  in  the  midst  of  the  eternal.  We  are  like 
sentinels  in  their  booths  on  the  floor  of  some  great  cathedral,  "  cabined,  cribbed, 
confined,"  while  all  around  us,  if  we  only  knew  it,  are  the  soaring  arches,  the  far- 
down  aisles,  the  blazoned  glories,  and  the  white-robed  choristers  of  God's  great 
temple.  Soon  the  booths  wiU  be  broken  by  death,  and  what  then  ?  Then,  when 
heaven  and  earth  have  dissolved,  folded  like  a  scroll,  vanished  like  a  dream,  we  shall 
be  face  to  face  with  the  realities  behind,  even  the  only  true,  only  solid  certainties 
that  are  unseen  and  eternal.  II.  While  it  is  true  that  the  seen  exists  in  the  midst 
of  the  unseen,  it  is  also  true  that  the  unseen  is  sometimes  concealed  and  some- 
times revealed  by  the  seen.  The  seen  is  in  one  sense  a  blind  that  hides,  in 
another  sense  it  is  a  transparency  that  discloses.     Take  the  illustration   that  is 


186  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

yielded  by  man  himseK.  Is  it  not  true  of  man  that  he  both  conceals  God  and 
reveals  Him  ?  It  depends  on  which  side  you  look  at  him.  Take  man  in  his  httle- 
ness ;  with  his  selfishness,  his  ambition,  his  lust,  his  passion,  he  often  makes  it 
hard  to  believe  in  God.  But  take  man  in  his  greatness,  he  becomes  a  living  epistle 
of  the  Deity,  an  incarnate,  moving,  breathing  testimony  to  the  reality  of  the  unseen. 
Or,  again,  take  Nature.  Judge  by  Nature  in  her  harsh  and  destructive  aspects ; 
judge  by  Nature  in  famine,  pestilence,  earthquake,  fire ;  she  offers  a  contradiction 
to  the  unseen  realities  we  are  fain  to  believe  in — an  unseen  Father's  mercy,  an 
unseen  Father's  love.  Ah !  but  judge  by  Nature  in  her  gentler  and  more  bene- 
ficent aspects,  and  she  becomes  instinct  through  every  process  and  scene  with  hints 
of   a   Divinity  beyond.     Think  of  the  yearly  miracle  of  the  spring.     III.  But 

WHETHER  THERE  BE  CONCEALING  OR  REVEALING,  IT  IS  OUR  DUTY  NOT  TO  STOP  SHORT  WITH 
THE  SEEN,  BUT  TO  PASS  BEYOND  IT,  AND  LOOK  AT  THE  THINGS  THAT   ARE    UNSEEN.       What 

does  this  imply?  Several  things,  and  these  among  others — 1.  That  we  look  away 
from  the  seen  trial  to  the  unseen  support.  What  was  the  seen  trial  in  the  case  of 
the  young  man  whom  Ehsha  exhorted  ?  The  seen  trial  was  this,  that  the  ground 
round  the  city  was  black  with  the  hordes  of  the  Syrians,  savage  warriors,  prancing 
steeds.  But  he  looked  away  from  the  seen  trial  to  the  unseen  support,  and  to  the 
mountain  glowing  with  the  hosts  of  a  present  God,  even  horses  and  chariots  of  fire. 
2.  We  look  away,  too,  from  seen  vicissitudes  to  unseen  possessions.  The  vicissi- 
tudes may  be  manifold.  Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God  ?  Who  shall 
exclude  us  from  the  grace  of  Christ?  Who  shall  deprive  us  of  the  communion  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  ?  These  form  abiding  realities,  which  the  shocks  of  circumstance 
are  powerless  to  change.  3.  We  look  away,  too,  from  the  seen  reflections  to  the 
unseen  substances.  We  are  compassed  with  these  reflections.  Everywhere 
pictures  are  around  us.  They  are  "  patterns  of  the  heavenly  things  " — "  figures  of 
that  which  is  true."  So  the  visible  is  a  parable  of  the  invisible,  things  temporal  the 
types  of  things  eternal.  How  many  stop  short  with  the  parable !  How  many 
begin  and  end  with  the  type !  To  the  reality  they  cannot  reach.  The  essence  they 
do  not  understand.  Surely  the  advantage  lies  with  those  who  cannot  look  round 
upon  God's  bright  earth  and  be  conscious  the  while  that,  though  the  outward 
embodiment  is  good,  the  inner  reality  is  better  ;  that,  though  the  reflection  be  fair, 
the  substance  has  the  glory  that  excelleth.  Have  you  never  felt  it  ?  "  What  a 
beautiful  sky !  "  said  one  of  the  company.  "  Yes,"  was  the  sudden  reply  of 
another,  whose  words  breathed  the  longing  of  these  lone  mountain  lands,  yet  fitted 
themselves  to  the  mood  of  us  all — "  yes,  if  we  could  only  see  behind."  So  near 
may  Nature  bring  us  to  the  heart  and  the  secret  of  things !  So  clear  are  her 
tokens  !  So  thin  is  her  veil!  The  spell  of  the  eternal  lies  upon  her.  {W.  Gray.) 
Looking  at  the  unseen : — Let  us  consider  the  advantage  of  a  steady  contemplation  of 
things  unseen  and  eternal.  I.  It  brings  repose  to  the  spirit  amidst  the  ceaseless 
changes  of  life.  II.  The  presence  of  the  unseen  and  eternal  gives  assurance  of  the 
final  triumph  of  truth  and  rectitude.  III.  The  sense  of  things  eternal  gives 
endurance  to  bear  the  pains  of  present  discipline.  IV.  The  contemplation  of 
eternal  realities  places  this  life  before  us  distinctly  as  the  sphere  of  duty  and  op 
TOIL.  (B.  M.  Palmer,  D.D.)  Things  temporal : — All  on  which  the  eye  rests  is 
temporal.  Paul  refers  directly  to  the  visible  sources  of  his  trouble,  hunger,  thirst, 
&c.  But  he  includes  other  things — aU  he  had  ever  seen  in  Tarsus,  Jerusalem,  or 
Corinth ;  things  man  has  made,  hut  and  palace,  encampment  and  city,  clan  and 
empire ;  things  God  has  made — flower  and  tree,  river  and  ocean,  hill  and  moun- 
tain ;  things  men  dread  and  hope  for,  love  and  hate.  Now  if  these  things  seen  are 
temporal — I.  The  good  things  seen  are  not  enough  for  us.  1.  All  that  affects 
man  is  not  visible.  We  are  conscious  that  we  are  spirit,  and  not  flesh.  We  know 
that  reason  is  not  the  eye,  nor  faith  the  ear,  nor  will  the  hand  or  foot,  nor  emotion 
and  conscience  the  nerves  of  sensation.  We  are  conscious  of  commanding  the  eye, 
ear,  hand,  and  foot.  We  say,  instinctively,  "  I  looked,  I  listened,  I  walked,  I 
wrote  "  ;  thus  tracing  our  actions  to  an  inner  self.  2.  Now  the  invisible  in  man 
thirsts  for  the  invisible.  There  are  two  kinds  of  rest — one  in  the  body,  the  other  in 
the  soul;  two  classes  of  enjoyments — those  derived  from  things,  and  those  drawn 
from  thoughts  ;  and  for  the  unseen  sources  of  enjoyment  and  rest  men  thirst.  Men 
will  continue  to  live,  when  on  earth  they  are  no  more  living.  We  desire  continued 
existence  constitutionally,  and  we  may  infer  that  the  object  of  this  desire  is  provided 
by  Him  who  implanted  the  thirst.  3.  Now  familiarity  with  what  is  seen  would  leave 
us  unprepared  for  a  future  state  of  peace  and  blessedness.  Yonder,  God  is  more  seen 
than  His  creatures.     His  will  is  the  only  law  of  conduct ;  His  glory  the  supreme 


CHAP.  IV.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  187 

object.  Pleasure,  yonder,  is  spiritual  and  divine.  Now  if  we  be  ignorant  of  God, 
if  temporal  things  have  been  our  end,  if  our  enjoyments  have  been  pleasures  only 
of  sense,  there  we  shall  be  like  living  creatures  taken  from  their  native  element, 
unable  to  rejoice,  unable  to  live.  Because  there  is  more  in  man  than  what  is  seen, 
because  the  invisible  in  man  thirsts  for  the  invisible  outside  and  beyond,  because 
making  things  seen  our  portion  will  expose  us  to  destitution  in  a  future  state,  we  say 
that  the  good  things  seen  are  not  enough  for  us.  We  want  living  bread — water  of 
life — raiment  that  waxes  not  old — houses  not  made  with  hands — treasure  that  moth 
and  rust  corrupt  not.  II.  The  grievous  things  seen  should  not  make  the 
Christian  faint.  The  afflictions  of  Christ's  disciples  are  all  temporal ;  the  good 
wrought  by  their  sorrow  abides.  "  The  peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness  "  remain 
after  the  blossoms  are  destroyed.  The  fire  of  the  refiner  is  transient,  the  refine- 
ment endures.  To  Christ's  disciples  there  is  no  inextricable  thorn  in  the  body ; 
their  prisons  have  no  everlasting  doors,  the  breath  of  their  persecutors  goes  forth. 
They  weep  now,  but  they  shall  sing.  They  are  in  much  tribulation  ;  but  see,  they 
are  going  up  out  of  it.  Their  circumstances  are  complicated,  but  all  are  working 
together  for  good.  Night  is  over  them,  but  morning  will  be  the  daughter  of  that 
night.  Compare  the  affliction  with  the  glory — it  is  a  trifle,  and  momentary. 
Then  shall  he  faint  under  it  ?  Of  the  glory  it  shall  be  said  in  every  stage  of  con- 
sciousness, "  More,  more  "  ;  but  of  the  affliction  the  Christian  may  say,  "  Less,  less." 
III.  Then  in  nothing  seen  ought  a  man  to  find  either  his  hell  or  his  heaven. 
1.  No  consuming  fire  here,  mark,  need  be  unquenchable.  No  gnawing  worm  here 
need  be  immortal.  No  pit  here  need  be  bottomless.  You  may  carry  fire  yonder, 
and  there  it  will  be  everlasting.  You  may  carry  a  worm  with  you  yonder,  and  there 
it  wiU  be  undying.  A  temporal  pit  may  lead  to  an  eternal  pit ;  but  thanks  be  to 
Him  who  has  given  us  a  Saviour ;  aU  this  is  not  inevitable.  There  is  a  fire 
annihUator,  a  worm  destroyer,  a  Brother  able  and  ready  to  raise  you  from  the  pit. 
No  man  need  be  buried  in  affliction,  lost  in  sorrow,  destroyed  by  grief.  He  may  be 
saved  by  hope — for  "the  things  that  are  seen  are  temporal."  2.  And  none  can  find 
heaven  here.  "  Fulness  of  joy,"  and  "  pleasures  for  evermore,"  perfect  peace, 
undisturbed  rest — these  are  not  to  be  derived  from  things  temporal.  Worldly 
things  perish  in  the  using.  Wealth,  honour,  happy  homes,  all  cry,  "  Heaven  is  not 
in  us."  The  things  that  are  seen  are  temporal.  This  common  truth  has  long 
been  in  our  Bibles;  will  it  ever  be  written  on  our  hearts?  Hear  the  wise  man 
^Eccles.  i.  2).  Come  to  the  feet  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  hear  Him  say,  "Lay  not  up 
for  yourselves  treasures  upon  earth,"  &c.  "  Labour  not  for  the  meat  which 
perisheth,"  &c.  "I  am  the  bread  of  hfe,"  &c.  "If  any  man  thirst,"  &c.  Con- 
clusion :  There  are  two  duties  springing  from  this  truth.  1.  The  duty  of  moderation 
in  our  use  and  enjoyment  of  all  things  seen  (1  Cor.  vii.  29-31).  Hold  the  good 
things  seen  with  a  slack  hand.  They  are  temporal,  and  they  wUl  be  taken  from 
you,  or  you  wiU  be  taken  from  them.  If  you  grasp  them  firmly,  the  removal  of 
them  will  shake  you  from  head  to  foot ;  if  you  hold  them  lightly,  when  they  are 
taken  away,  although  you  may  regret  that  they  are  taken  away,  you  wiU  stand 
unshaken.  2.  The  duty  of  seeking  a  heritage  and  portion  in  that  which  is  unseen 
and  eternal.  Spiritual  in  our  nature  we  are  spiritual  in  our  wants  and  thirsts. 
Immortal  in  destiny,  immortality  clothes  our  necessities  and  desires.  Let  us 
provide  for  the  future.  "  Seek  those  things  that  are  above."  (S.  Martin.)  The 
temporal  and  the  eternal : — Paul  makes  an  appeal  for  life  as  in  the  presence  of  these 
two  empires,  "the  seen  and  the  unseen  "  ;  that  every  day  the  heart  beats  in  both, 
■and  that  a  man  cannot  alienate  himseK  from  the  one  and  stand  solitary  in  the 
other.  Not  a  little  of  our  teaching  and  a  large  proportion  of  our  practice  have 
been  busy  with  the  other  theory,  that  we  are  simply  manipulating  those  matters 
that  belong  to  the  material  side  of  life,  and  that  after  death,  in  some  way,  we  are  to 
be  brought  into  contact  with  the  unseen  principalities.  The  life  that  transcends  the 
senses  is  the  real  one,  not  the  life  that  is  simply  in  the  senses.  The  senses  make  us 
conscious  of  our  environment.  We  have  five  gateways  of  knowledge  to  bring  us  into 
contact  with  the  visible  world ;  but  that  visible  world  is  a  symbol  of  another.  It  is 
not  the  reality.  The  life,  therefore,  that  proposes  barely  to  be  girt  by  the  seen,  to 
deal  only  with  those  facts  that  can  be  measured  and  weighed,  is  the  life  that 
is  making  the  most  serious  of  all  blunders.  You  cannot  go  very  far  in  experience 
without  realising  the  sweep  of  such  forces  as  love  and  faith  and  hope,  and  these  at 
once  draw  you  away  from  the  material.  What  is  love  ?  You  cannot  see  it.  What 
is  aspiration?  You  cannot  measure  it.  And  yet  these  are  the  powers  that  are 
entering  into  you  moment  by  moment,  and  are  teaching  you  of  other  things  than 


188  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

those  of  the  seen.  We  are  thinking  of  the  words  of  a  man  who  was  thoroughly 
tried  by  the  antagonisms  of  this  world's  wrong.  The  closing  part  of  the  lourth 
chapter  in  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  is  a  brief  diary  of  St.  Paul's 
career.  We  follow  his  path ;  it  is  shadowed  by  storms.  His  gaze  is  fixed  on  the 
unseen.  He  steadies  his  life  by  the  standards  of  a  Divine  righteousness.  No  trap 
of  man's  craft  set  for  him  can  really  catch  his  feet,  because  he  walks  with  God. 
Here  we  have  the  creed  of  life — of  the  life  that  is  to  be  lived  by  those  who  recognise 
God,  and  are  seeking  a  more  enduring  realm  than  the  dominion  of  the  visible.  St. 
Paul  says  the  seen  is  a  temporal  thing.  It  is  not  worthy  of  trust,  because  evanescent, 
like  autumn-leaves  on  forest  boughs.  In  a  little  while  winter  winds  will  snatch  and 
strew  them  afar.  The  true  philosophy  of  life  is  the  philosophy  that  turns  the  eye 
of  the  soul  toward  a  present  eternity.  Yes,  one  answers,  it  is  easy  to  theorise,  but 
you  have  not  taken  into  account  the  fact  that  we  are  surrounded  perpetually  by  the 
visible.  The  visible  wlU  not  wait,  hunger  and  thirst  are  not  patient.  Why  is  the 
world  so  lovely  ?  Why  are  we  fashioned  in  this  body  of  mortality  ?  There  is  a 
mighty  plea  for  the  seen,  which  is  made  by  very  many  persons  just  in  that  mood. 
They  say  of  the  teacher  of  truth,  "  These  are  fine  aspirations,  noble  aims,  but  they 
are  too  high  for  the  codiimon,  work-day  world."  I  avow  that  it  is  not  the  closest 
thing  to  him  ;  that  the  seen  is  not  so  near  to  you  as  the  unseen.  Pressing  in  upon 
your  soul  are  certain  primal  facts  of  which  you  cannot  rid  yourself.  What  are 
these  ?  Take  the  fact  of  God.  His  Divine  personality  brings  him  into  immediate 
contact  with  your  very  self.  Take  the  fact  of  His  truth.  That  truth  makes  a  law  of 
right  which  you  must  observe.  Take  the  fact  of  righteousness,  which  simply  means 
God  and  truth  wrought  together  into  conduct,  turned  out  into  life  and  made  fluent 
by  speech  and  action.  That  righteousness  ceaselessly  throws  its  fibres  round  your 
nature  and  draws  you  upward.  It  is  one  gravitation  against  another.  The  earth 
would  hold  you,  but  righteousness  counterworks  the  earth  and  wins  you  Godward. 
Take  the  fact  of  your  desire  for  the  nobler  being  which  yet  you  are  not.  These  are 
patterns  before  you  evermore,  and  you  cannot  swiftly  throw  them  away  or  break 
the  charm  of  their  dominion  over  your  spirit.  The  stars  may  gleam  and  the 
forests  array  their  banners  in  beauty,  the  grass  send  up  its  soft,  low  music,  and  the 
clouds  shine  like  the  white  thrones  of  judgment  on  the  sky  ;  but  if  a  great  grief  is 
at  work  on  you,  if  a  large  joy  has  entered  the  chamber  of  the  soul,  you  do  not  see 
the  stars  or  hear  the  whisper  of  the  grass  or  note  the  loveliness  of  the  forest.  A 
closer  thing  has  come ;  what  is  it  ?  A  thing  invisible,  a  thing  that  refuses  to  be 
tabulated  as  you  can  tabulate  your  accounts  in  a  book.  It  is  a  power,  nevertheless. 
Yet  you  say  the  invisible  is  so  far  off,  the  unseen  is  so  distant.  Believe  me,  the 
unseen  is  at  the  very  core  of  things ;  and  there  would  be  no  significance  in  the 
visible  but  for  that  other.  The  doing  of  the  evil  that  you  would  not,  and  leaving 
undone  the  good  that  you  would,  make  you  cry  for  God  perpetually.  You  ask  for 
Him,  not  as  the  stern  Judge  that  is  to  deal  with  your  heart  on  the  simple  basis  of 
justice,  but  as  the  infinite  Father  who  is  to  pity  and  lift  you  out  of  difficulty  and 
defeat  unto  His  own  strength.  This  God  for  whom  you  long,  this  Father's  com- 
passion for  which  you  yearn,  will  not  report  to  your  mortal  eye.  He  will  not 
consent  to  press  His  face  out  between  the  constellations  even  just  once.  Neverthe- 
less He  is  real.  You  are  certain  of  Him.  This  unseen,  invisible  God  constitutes 
the  verity  of  yourself.  It  is  the  standard  of  His  speech  that  must  decide  daily 
conduct.  He  demands  that  you  measure  your  life  by  that,  and  not  by  the  foot-rules 
of  your  fellow-men.  Instead,  therefore,  of  the  seen,  of  the  great  outer  world,  being 
a  barrier  to  the  unseen,  it  is  its  basis.  The  unseen  is  the  nearer  experience.  It 
would  be  far  more  difficult  for  a  man  to  undertake  to  live  his  life  utterly  denying 
these  great  facts  of  God,  truth,  honour,  and  righteousness,  than  it  would  be  for  him 
to  live  his  physical  life  outside  the  girdle  of  this  visible  world.  But  you  may- 
respond,  "  Is  it  possible  to  take  up  this  standard,  to  live  by  these  invisible  things, 
and  at  the  same  time  do  that  which  is  lest  and  wisest  in  the  actual  contact  of  life 
with  the  world  ?  I  am  in  business,  and  my  business  tasks  all  my  strength  and 
tact.  How  may  I  be  devoted  to  these  interests  that  have  a  lawful  claim,  and  at 
the  same  time  hold  by  these  spiritual  powers  ?  "  Why,  if  you  do  not  hold  by  the 
spiritual  powers  you  cannot  rightly  weigh  the  claims  of  your  business.  Until  you 
come  to  recognise  the  fact  that  God  is  a  reality  to  your  toil  just  as  much  as  He  is 
a  reality  to  your  faith  you  will  be  a  stumbler  in  the  world,  and  will  be  perpetually 
fall'iig.  You  cannot  take  up  any  matter  that  comes  to  your  everyday  struggle,  and 
look  at  it  really  with  the  finest  insight  until  you  look  at  it  spiritually — until  you 
look   at   it   righteously   and   consider   it   from  a  religious  standpoint.     You  must 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  189 

expound  to  yourself  this  doctrine:  "My  contract  with  my  fellow-man  or  pledge- 
with  my  neighbour  is  an  opportunity  to  be  just  and  true.  I  must  reverence  his 
rights  as  well  as  my  own  in  the  work  which  connects  us,  in  the  commerce  which 
brings  us  together."  Do  you  not  see  where  the  large  outlook  flashes  in  ?  It 
comes  on  that  side  where  the  whole  thing  is  weighed  and  comprehended,  not  as  a, 
matter  that  is  bound  to  the  earth,  but  as  a  matter  that  can  be  transfigured  with  the 
very  light  of  heaven.  But  let  us  turn  aside  from  that  and  think  of  other  things. 
There  are  experiences  that  are  more  sacred  to  you  than  those  of  barter  and  trade. 
There  are  emotions  that  are  more  hallowed  than  those  that  come  up  on  exchange. 
You  have  a  deeper  life  than  that  which  can  be  reckoned  by  your  ledgers.  This  is 
the  life  of  the  spiritual,  which  is  being  trained  for  a  Divine  destiny.  By  that  life  of 
the  Spirit  God  often  brings  to  you  dispensations  of  discipline  and  disappointment. 
Now,  if  you  think  only  of  that  which  is  visible  you  will  be  utterly  puzzled.  If  you 
take  faith  away  from  the  world  where  you  stand  the  eyes  of  your  heart  will  be 
smitten  with  blindness.  (W.  R.  Davis,  D.D.)  The  power  of  things  invisible  : — 
"  Temporal,"  more  properly  transitory.  It  was  a  supreme  point  of  view  the 
apostle  had  attained.  It  is  natural  for  men  to  be  impressed  by  things  visible,  by 
things  which  they  call  "  solid,"  as  property,  commerce,  government.  The  city  of 
Ephesus,  which  Paul  had  left,  was  celebrated  the  world  over  for  its  magnificence. 
The  wealth,  the  magnificence,  seemed  destined  to  last  to  the  end  of  time.  Yet  Paul 
looked  upon  aU  and  said,  "  These  things  are  transitory."  He  looked  up  with  other 
than  the  physical  vision,  and  saw  God  and  declared  Him  eternal.  Yet  this  God  is 
unseen,  as  unseen  as  that  force  that  holds  the  world  together.  1.  This  insight  of 
Paul  was  evidence  of  great  spiritual  attainment.  It  showed  that  his  soul  had  been 
struck  through  and  through  with  heavenly  truth.  2.  This  experience  was  not 
peculiar  to  the  apostle.  Says  he,  "While  we  look,"  &c.  He  was  writing  to  the 
Corinthians,  whose  spiritual  attainments  were  low.  This  spiritual  insight  belongs 
to  all  Christians,  but  more  perfectly  to  those  who  are  more  perfect.     I.  The  glory 

OF  THE  GOSPEL  IS,  THAT  IT  BEINGS  THESE    TKDTHS    TO    THE    MINDS    OF    MEN    CONTINUALLY 

AND  lEEESisTiBLY.  This  is  the  evidence  of  its  Divine  authority.  It  addresses  the  faith, 
revealing  the  eternal  nature  of  invisible  things.  II.  How  these  truths  reveal  to 
us  the  glory  of  the  human  soul.  We  speak  of  the  grandeur  of  the  intellect  in 
man,  as  manifested  in  art,  literature,  laws,  forms  of  government,  and  we  do  well. 
We  grow  eloquent  over  the  power  and  beauty  of  the  human  spirit.  Nowhere  as  in 
the  gospel  does  the  Divine  mind  addi'ess  the  human  mind  as  co-substantial.  III. 
No  man  is  great  in  any  department  who  does  not  see  the  things  that  are  invisible. 
The  statesman,  only  when  he  looks  above  the  material  and  grasps  great  principles, 
has  breadth  and  depth  of  observation.  He  sees  when  others  see  not.  The  poet, 
thas  inspired,  beholds  what  others  do  not  see,  as  he  looks  upon  the  storm,  that  seems 
to  tear  and  split  the  very  azure  overhead.  What  a  grasp  this  insight  gives  the 
philosopher  !  It  makes  the  master  everywhere.  So,  if  we  look  upon  the  Church. 
When  sorrow  surges  against  us,  when  difficulties  spring  up  as  mountains  before  us> 
and  we  are  able  to  smile  at  them  all  because  we  know  that  they  are  short-lived^ 
because  we  have  a  vision  of  the  things  that  never  perish.  IV.  Here  is  indicated  the 
FUNCTION  OF  THE  Church.  The  woi'ld  says,  "  Look  at  me,  look  at  my  art ;  see  the 
permanent  things  that  I  have  wi-ought."  The  world  is  unfriendly.  Now  the 
Church  does  not  exist,  primarily,  for  charity,  nor  for  education ;  but  to  bring  men 
to  Christ,  and  then  lead  them  to  see  the  source  of  all  true  permanence.  No  man 
has  the  Christian  work  wrought  in  him  until  he  grasps  the  invisible.     V.  How  this. 

VISION  OF  THE  PERISHABLE  NATURE  OF  THESE  EARTHLY  THINGS  AND  OF  THE  ENDURING 
QUALITY    OF    THE    SPIRITUAL    THINGS    ENABLES    THE    CHRISTIAN    TO    TRIUMPH    OVER    ALIj 

THINGS  ON  THE  EARTH.  {R.  S.  StoTTS,  D.D.)  Lookiiig  iipon  the  unseen : — What- 
ever is  unknown,  dark  or  mysterious,  has  a  strong  attraction  for  a  certain  order  of 
minds.  We  find  this  fact  illustrated  in  all  departments  of  human  knowledge.  The 
profoundest  secrets  of  the  material  world  do  not  discourage,  but  rather  give  zest  to 
persevering  investigation.  Facts  in  nature  as  yet  unexplained  are  sure  to  be  the 
facts  to  which  the  greatest  amount  of  thought  and  inquiry  are  devoted.  If  any 
door  is  shut,  that  is  sure  to  be  the  one  men  are  most  anxious  to  open,  and  at  which 
they  knock  with  untiring  persistency.  No  failure,  no  difficulty,  no  loss,  can  quench 
this  feeling.  Thus,  for  instance,  how  many  expeditions  have  been  sent  out  to  dis- 
cover a  north-west  passage  through  the  regions  of  eternal  ice  ?  Now  there  is 
something  in  this  tendency  of  the  human  mind  far  nobler  than  idle  curiosity,  and 
we  know  that  it  answers  a  most  important  purpose.  Had  it  not  been,  for  this.-.«^ 
insatiable  craving  after  the  unknown, the  boundaries  of  knowledge  wjii*Wnever^l[ia^,  ^•^. 


Tii^ 


190  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

been  pushed  to  their  present  extent.  Nor  is  this  tendency  altogether  unlawful  when 
manifested  towards  religious  truth.  Any  man  who,  acknowledging  the  limitation  of 
his  faculties,  sets  himself  to  understand  all  that  the  Scriptures  reveal  about  the 
invisible  world,  undertakes  a  perfectly  justifiable  as  well  as  an  important  and 
interesting  inquiry.  There  are  certain  features  of  our  life  in  the  present  day  which 
are  well  calculated  to  stimulate  our  craving  after  the  things  which  are  not  seen. 
The  common  occupations  of  the  world,  the  keen  and  ever-increasing  competition  of 
business,  the  cares  of  home,  have  a  most  pernicious  effect  upon  us,  unless  some 
strong  counteracting  influence  is  brought  to  bear.  They  make  us  grow  intensely 
secular  in  thought  and  feeling.  They  beguile  us  by  insensible  degrees  into  the 
belief  that  what  we  see  is  the  only  reality.  Only  yield  to  the  unrestrained  influence 
of  "the  things  which  are  seen  and  temporal,"  and  they  wUl  soon  drag  you  down  to 
the  very  dust.  Now  the  great  corrective  of  this  state  of  mind  is  to  look  away  to  the 
things  which  are  not  seen.  The  very  remembrance  that  aU  round  about  us  there  is 
a  region  of  spiritual  existence — a  world  which,  though  unperceived  by  the  senses,  is 
as  real,  nay,  far  more  real,  than  the  sohd  earth  on  which  we  tread,  will  help  to  keep 
the  soul  from  injury.  Within  that  invisible  region  lie  aU  our  supreme  interests. 
God  is  there  and  Christ  is  there,  and  aU  the  gracious  iilfluences  which  save  and 
sanctify  the  soul.  The  unseen  magnetic  pole  controls  the  needle  of  the  compass, 
and  enables  the  mariner  to  navigate  the  pathless  ocean.  The  injurious  secularity 
and  materiahsm  which  grow  out  of  the  busy  occupations  of  common  life,  are 
re-enforced  by  a  tendency  which  pervades  modern  thought.  The  errors  of  mankind 
seem  to  move  in  a  circle,  and  as  the  wheel  revolves  ancient  heresies  are  found  to 
turn  up  again,  only  shghtly  modernised.  Thus  some  who  set  themselves  up  for  our 
teachers  in  these  times,  are  attempting  a  revival  of  Sadduceeism.  They  are  trying 
to  prove  that  we  are  shut  in  on  aU  sides  by  solid  walls  of  matter,  and  that  there  is  no 
existence  outside  and  independent  of  it.  Men  feel  a  spiritual  existence  within  them, 
which  no  philosophy  can  satisfactorily  explain  away.  The  course  of  God's  provi- 
dence in  our  hfe,  will  often  turn  our  thoughts  towards  the  unseen.  Poverty, 
disappointment,  failure — anything  which  deprives  this  earthly  existence  of  its 
attractions,  quenches  its  joys,  and  turns  it  into  a  scene  of  suffering,  naturally  leads 
us  to  look  elsewhere  for  the  happiness  we  can  no  longer  find  here.  Of  course  this 
does  not  always  foUow.  The  poor  may  be  as  worldly  as  the  rich,  the  depressed,  and 
the  sorrowful,  as  the  hopeful  and  the  happy.  But  the  painful  discipline  is  designed 
for  this  end,  and  it  is  accompUshed  in  those  who  pay  reverent  attention  to  the 
lessons  of  Divine  chastisement.  There  is  one  kind  of  sorrow,  however,  which  is 
more  successful  for  this  purpose  than  any  other — that  which  we  feel  when 
God  calls  our  friends  into  the  unseen.  The  emigration  of  relatives  to  some 
distant  country  of  the  earth,  instantly  invests  that  country  with  a  new  interest. 
It  may  be  useless  for  us  to  think  about  the  future  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
covery, but  it  is  not  useless  for  the  purpose  of  preparation.  The  truest  wis- 
dom, as  well  as  the  truest  piety  justifies  this  attitude  of  mind.  {Benwell  Bird.) 
Things  temporal : — It  needed  no  Divine  revelation  to  teach  us  the  fact  of  the  text. 
1.  The  transient  condition  of  everything  around  us  we  are  compelled  to  learn  in 
every  successive  stage  of  experience.  The  scenes  and  thoughts  of  childhood  differ 
from  those  of  youth.  Manhood  opens  out  prospects  unseen  before.  Even  in 
maturity  nothing  continues  in  one  stay.  2.  If  we  take  a  wider  view  we  learn 
the  same  lesson.  Science  shows  us  the  vast  structural  changes  ever  going  on  in 
the  material  world  which  we  have  regarded  as  abiding  for  ever.  The  historian 
teUs  of  conditions  of  national  and  social  hfe  which  existed  a  few  generations  ago, 
and  that  are  altogether  novel  to  the  present  age.  3.  Now,  this  fact  may  be  made 
to  appear  very  sad,  if  not  disastrous,  unless  we  look  at  it  from  a  higher  standpoint 
than  that  of  selfishness.  Many  would  have  all  things  remain  as  they  were  from 
the  beginning,  and,  because  they  cannot  escape  change,  they  declaim  against  the 
uncertainties  that  surround  their  comfort.  But  we  are  bound  to  look  at  it  in  another 
light.  God  means  that  this  changeableness  shall  work  out  high  and  noble  results. 
If  we  saw  the  same  things  before  our  eyes  each  day,  what  could  we  learn  ?  But, 
turning  new  pages,  we  become  acquainted  with  new  facts,  and  life  has  larger 
meaning.  God  intended  the  things  that  are  seen  to  be  temporal,  and  He  will  not 
alter  the  make  of  the  world  because  it  is  unpleasant.  We  have  to  adapt  ourselves 
to  His  will,  and  try  to  understand  His  gracious  purpose.  The  more  we  do  this,  the 
more  shall  we  perceive  how  good  is  the  arrangement ;  we  shall  then  thank  Him 
that  life  is  saved  from  the  dreariness  of  monotony.  "The  things  that  are  seen  are 
temporal,"  may  be  to  us — I.  A  word  of  stimulus.     1.  There  are  those  who  are 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  191 

depressed  by  the  remembrance  that  the  morrow  will  be  unlike  to-day,  that  the  best 
work  they  do  is  but  one  of  the  temporary  things.  "  What  is  the  use  of  toiling  ? 
Our  relation  with  the  world  is  of  the  briefest  kind "  ;  so  they  stand  aside  from  all 
social,  political,  and  religious  strifes,  and,  watching  the  eiJorts  of  their  neighbours 
with  a  kind  of  contemptuous  pity,  say,  "  It  will  be  aU  the  same  a  hundred  years 
hence."  Is  this  correct  ?  No  !  That  which  is  done  in  this  generation  may  not 
last  till  the  next,  yet  the  character  of  the  next  will  be  determined  by  it.  Again,  it 
wiU  not  be  all  the  same  to  ourselves  a  hundred  years  hence  if  we  have  failed  to  do 
our  duty  now.  We  shall  have  lost  our  chance  of  education.  We  shall  have  been 
unfaithful  to  present  responsibility.  2.  But  let  those  who  are  depressed  by  the 
temporary  nature  of  things  take  the  example  of  God  Himself.  "  Tlie  grass  of  the 
field  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven  " ;  but  God  does  not  say,  "  It 
does  not  matter  how  I  make  this,  for  it  will  soon  be  back  again  to  dust."  Despite 
the  fact  that  its  being  is  so  brief,  God  makes  it  as  well  as  if  it  were  to  last  for  ever. 
There  are  myriads  of  tiny  hvLng  creatures  that  live  but  one  summer.  But  put  them 
under  a  microscope,  and  you  will  see  that  God  has  put  into  them  the  same  skill  and 
power  as  is  seen  in  the  colossal  creatures  that  are  to  live  for  a  century.  3.  Kemember, 
too,  that  it  is  not  the  work  done,  but  its  results,  to  which  we  are  to  look.  Walk 
down  any  street,  and  look  at  the  shops  and  warehouses.  What  is  their  chief  busi- 
ness ?  Why,  to  provide  things  that  perish  in  the  using.  But  these  perishable  things 
are  necessary  to  sustain  the  body,  and  within  that  body  are  a  mind  and  a  soul 
being  trained  for  an  immortal  Ufe.  Is  there  not  stimulus  to  activity  in  this  thought  ? 
4.  This  is  an  answer  to  those  who  taunt  us  with  making  much  of  the  other  world 
and  httle  of  this — this  world  is  more  to  us  than  it  ever  can  be  to  the  man  who 
believes  in  no  future.  For  we  see  the  high  reason  for  which  we  are  placed  here. 
The  things  we  deal  with  are  temporal,  but  they  are  destined  to  help  in  producing 
eternal  results.  We  are  bound  to  use  them  carefully,  diligently,  lovingly,  with  a 
sense  that  they  are  consecrated  to  the  noblest  and  loftiest  ends.  II.  A  word  of 
WABNiNG.  1.  We  Christians  believe  that  this  world  is  our  Father's  world,  that  it  is 
according  to  His  gracious  will,  and  for  the  best  ends,  that  we  should  have  to  do 
with  things  that  perish.  It  would  surely  be  a  gross  wi'ong  to  imagine  that  there 
has  been  some  mistake  in  the  arrangements  for  which  God  is  responsible.  The 
temporal  character  of  the  things  is  according  to  the  will  of  God,  and  therefore 
should  be  regarded  not  as  a  curse  but  as  a  blessing.  Is  there  any  condition  in 
which  you  have  ever  been  placed  which  you  would  like  to  last  ?  You  know  that  it 
would  become  intolerable  after  a  while — nay,  that  your  mind  is  so  constituted  that, 
if  things  without  did  not  change  of  themselves,  you  would  labour  to  produce  a 
change  on  your  own  account.  2.  It  is  at  this  point,  however,  that  the  special 
warning  is  essential.  Much  with  which  we  have  to  do  is  beautiful  and  desirable. 
To  delight  in  them  is  but  natural,  and  there  come  times  when  we  not  only  wish 
they  were  permanent,  but  when  we  are  inclined  to  think  that  they  ought  to  and 
must  last.  Ah,  when  such  thoughts  come  stealing  into  the  mind,  would  that  a 
voice  could  be  heard  gently  reminding  us  of  the  fact  that  the  "things  that  are  seen 
are  temporal,"  and  so  save  us  from  the  calamity  of  forgetting  the  unseen  things 
which  are  eternal,  and  which  must  soon  break  in  upon  our  delusions  and  dispel  our 
dreams !  III.  A  word  of  comfort  and  hope.  It  was  so  to  Paul  himself  in  the  special 
diificulties  and  troubles  which  tested  his  strength  and  courage.  Look  at  the  descrip- 
tion he  gives  of  his  condition  in  this  very  chapter.  Now,  a  man  thus  tried  must 
find  consolation  and  help  somewhere ;  he  finds  it  chiefly,  no  doubt,  in  the  presence 
and  grace  of  his  Divine  Master,  but  he  finds  it  likewise  in  the  remembrance  that 
the  things  seen  are  temporal,  that  that  which  he  endures  will  not,  cannot  last  for 
ever.  While  it  may  be  true  that  those  who  are  in  prosperity  and  are  fxlled  with 
earthly  satisfactions  dread  the  approach  of  any  change  that  may  disturb  their  peace, 
the  possibility  of  change  is  the  very  thing  that  affords  hope  to  those  who  are  dis- 
tressed and  perplexed.  It  would  be  a  horrible  prospect  to  them  if  they  thought  that 
things  must  remain  just  as  they  are.  But,  thank  God,  invariability  is  unknown 
in  human  life.  The  man  whose  situation  is  worst  to-day  thinks  of  to-morrow  with 
its  possibihties,  and  that  comforts  him.  At  least,  this  the  Christian  knows  for  him- 
self— that  there  wiU  be  an  end  of  his  sorrow  at  the  last ;  the  final  change  of  all  will 
bring  him  rest.  And  in  the  thought  of  that  he  endures  "  the  light  affliction,"  etc. 
{TV.  Braden.)  The  seen  and  iinsee7i : — Here  we  have  an  exposition  of  St.  Paul's 
life,  the  key  which  unlocks  the  most  extraordinary  character,  perhaps,  which  this 
world  has  ever  given.  If  we  ask  why  he  was  so  abundant  in  labours,  so  patient  in 
suffering,  so  persevering  in  his  work,  wliy  he  did  so  much  and  sacrificed  so  much, 


192  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

and  was  so  cheerful  and  triumphant  through  it  all,  here  is  the  answer.  He  looked 
not  at  the  present  and  transient  things,  but  he  looked  at  the  unseen  and  everlasting 
things.  It  must  be  so  with  us ;  all  true  religion  begins  and  ends  with  the  invisible. 
It  has  to  do  with  the  invisible  God,  with  the  unseen  Saviour,  with  a  future  judgment, 
with  another  world.  You  will  perceive  that  in  these  words  we  have — I.  The 
SEEN.  We  have  here,  then,  two  classes  of  objects.  The  seen,  by  which  Paul 
specially  meant  the  visible  sources  of  his  trouble.  He  meant  the  prison  at 
Philippi,  the  scourge,  the  rod,  the  stoning,  the  amphitheatre  at  Ephesus,  and  all 
the  outward  sources  of  trouble  through  which  he  had  passed.  But  he  meant  a  great 
deal  more  than  that ;  he  meant  everything  visible  to  the  senses,  all  that  he  had 
ever  seen — his  native  city  and  province,  the  class  around  Gamaliel,  the  Holy  City, 
the  temple  at  Jerusalem — all  that  was  splendid  in  Christianity,  all  that  was  magnifi- 
cent in  Eome,  all  that  was  luxurious  at  Ephesus.  He  meant  more  than  that :  things 
men  had  made — the  hut  and  the  palace,  the  clean  and  the  impure.  He  meant 
things  God  had  made — trees,  flowers,  rocks  and  rivers,  mountains  and  valleys — 
everything  visible  to  the  bodily  eye,  everything  within  the  sphere  of  our  mortal  life. 
These  are  the  things  which  are  seen.  II.  By  those  which  ake  not  seen  he  meant, 
first  and  chiefly,  God.  All  invisible  things  roll  themselves  up  at  last  into  that  one 
great  word,  "  God,"  and  Paul  meant  that ;  for  while  the  bodily  eye  sees  the  material 
universe,  the  Christian  man  looks  beyond  the  mere  structure,  and  he  sees  the 
Creator  God  looking  out  through  every  star,  touching  every  flower,  fashioning  all 
rivers,  moving  the  springs  of  the  universe,  keeping  them  aright — that  in  all  this 
there  must  be  a  God,  an  infinite  Spirit,  the  unseen.  He  meant,  further,  by  the  un- 
seen, the  spirit  of  man.  We  look  upon  the  body  and  see  man  as  he  stands  before  us 
— man  in  his  bodily  form ;  but  we  do  not  see  man.  There  is  something  beyond  the 
mere  house ;  we  see  the  house,  but  not  the  inhabitants.  The  real  man — the  spirit 
that  looks  out  through  the  eyes,  that  listens  through  the  ears,  that  moves  all  those 
springs — is  unseen.  And  then  we  go  yet  further.  The  Christian  man  believes  that 
there  is  another  world  which  is  not  visible  to  the  senses,  that  in  that  world  God  is 
actually  revealed.  God  is  here,  but  we  do  not  see  Him;  He  does  not  manifest 
Himself.  We  can  only  know  Him  by  faith,  by  communion  with  the  Spirit ;  but 
the  moment  a  soul  leaves  the  body  God  is  visible.  And  there  is  yet  more  than  this 
which  the  Christian  man  often  thinks  of.  We  see  around  us  all  kinds  of  actions ; 
we  see  a  great  deal  of  excitement  and  turmoil ;  but  underneath  all  these  things  the 
Christian  man  beholds  great  principles — truth,  justice,  loyalty  to  God,  love,  faith — 
and  he  regulates  his  life  accordingly.  To  illustrate  this :  There  is  that  word  "  law  " 
that  we  so  often  use.  What  a  force  it  has  in  our  own  country !  But  what  is  law  ? 
It  is  not  the  policeman,  the  magistrate,  the  jurors,  the  judge,  the  court,  the  legisla- 
tion, nor  the  Queen — these  are  but  the  outward  and  visible  signs  of  the  power  which 
we  call  law.  Law,  then,  is  unseen,  and  yet  it  is  a  force  pressing  upon  us  every 
day,  touching  our  life  at  home  and  abroad,  keeping  society  together.  It  is  so  with 
regard  to  the  eternal  principles  which  a  Christian  man  looks  at.  He  sees  beyond 
all  the  fluctuations  and  excitements  of  society  great  principles,  and  he  looks  at  the 
things  which  are  not  seen.  III.  Then  we  have  the  contrast  between  these  two 
CLASSES  OF  objects.  The  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal,  the  things  which  are 
not  seen  are  eternal.  Now  you  may  view  this  contrast  in  several  ways.  If  you 
take  the  material  universe  in  its  present  form,  the  oldest  of  the  things  which  are 
seen  are  temporal.  It  began  to  be,  it  will  cease  to  be,  as  it  now  is.  "  The  heavens 
shall  pass  away  with  a  great  noise,  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat,  the 
earth  and  all  that  is  therein  shall  be  burnt  up."  But  now  place  in  opposition  to 
that  the  fact  that  God  is  eternal.  The  creation  changes,  the  Creator  is  the  same. 
If  all  material  things  vanish,  I  have  the  Father  of  my  spirit  to  whom  I  can  plead. 
I  can  do  without  the  material ;  I  cannot  do  without  God,  and  I  have  Him  still. 
That  which  connects  us  with  the  visible  is  temporal,  while  that  which  connects  us 
with  the  invisible  is  eternal.  St.  Paul  makes  the  distinction  in  this  very  chapter. 
He  speaks  of  the  outward  man  and  the  inward  man.  Now  it  is  the  body  that 
links  us  with  the  visible,  and  the  body  is  temporal,  but  it  is  the  soul  which  links  us 
with  the  invisible,  and  the  soul  is  everlasting.  Well,  now,  look  at  the  habit  of  the 
Christian  man  in  relation  to  these  things.  We  are  said  to  look  at  the  things  which 
are  not  seen.  The  word  "  look  "  is  a  very  peculiar  one,  and  it  has  these  two  mean- 
ings. First  of  all  the  steady,  fixed  gaze.  You  walk  through  a  garden  with  some 
friend,  and  you  see  the  shrubbery  and  the  flowers  and  the  walks,  and  as  you  pass 
through,  your  friend  says  to  you,  " Did  you  see  such  a  flower?  did  you  notice  such 
a  tree  ?  "     You  turn  back,  you  look  at  it  again,  you  look  until  it  is  impressed  upon 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  193 

your  memory  and  your  mind.  You  had  seen  the  whole  of  it  before,  but  you  had 
not  looked  at  anything  in  particular.  The  other  meaning  of  the  word  is  even  more 
forcible  than  this.  Our  word  "  scope  "  in  the  English  language  is  taken  from  the 
very  word  which  St.  Paul  here  uses,  and  the  meaning  is  that  the  scope  of  our  life 
is  towards  the  invisible.  Everything  tends  towards  that ;  our  life  is  arranged  on 
that  plan ;  that  is  our  aim  to  secure  the  invisible  blessings  ;  that  is  the  scope  of  our 
hfe.  To  use  a  modern  phrase,  you  know  that  in  the  great  railways  there  are  many 
branch  lines ;  but  there  is  a  trunk  line  into  which  all  the  branch  lines  run,  and  so 
the  trunk  line  of  the  apostle  was  the  invisible.  He  was  kind  to  all  with  whom  he 
met,  he  took  an  interest  in  everything  that  he  saw,  he  was  gentle  to  everybody,  and 
was  willing  to  help  everybody,  he  admired  everything  that  was  worth  admiring ; 
but  still  the  trunk  line  of  his  hfe  was  towards  the  invisible,  the  everlasting,  and 
all  his  earthly  plans  and  joys  ran  into  that  and  served  it.  We  have  still  business 
to  attend  to ;  we  have  the  family  and  literature  and  recreations ;  but  all  must  be 
arranged  in  relation  to  the  everlasting.  It  will  not  make  you  less  attentive  to 
earthly  duties.  It  is  said  of  the  lark  that  while  up  in  the  sky  it  can  see  the  smallest 
speck  of  grass  down  below.  And  so  the  man  soaring  in  contemplation  and  looking 
towards  the  everlasting  God  will  attend  to  all  the  little  duties  that  come  upon  him 
day  by  day.  It  should  be  so  with  us.  And  now  for  some  results  which  I  will  only 
just  mention  to  you,  and  the  first  will  be  this.  Looking  at  the  unseen  and  the 
everlasting,  you  will  have  decision  of  character — you  will  have  a  controlling  influence 
for  your  whole  life.  In  the  early  days  of  navigation  the  mariners  did  not  venture 
far  from  the  coast.  They  were  guided  by  the  hills  and  the  mountains,  and  they 
were  afraid  to  go  out  of  sight  of  them,  so  they  could  not  go  far  to  sea  ;  but  when 
the  compass  was  invented  they  could  then  guide  their  ship  away  at  sea  as  well  as 
near  to  the  land  ;  they  could  guide  it  in  the  darkness  as  well  as  in  the  light,  and 
so  they  could  make  long  and  perilous  voyages.  It  is  even  so  with  us.  We  must 
have  something  to  guide  us.  If  we  have  the  unseen  and  the  everlasting,  we  shall 
not  be  influenced  so  much  by  things  that  are  seen  all  around  us — the  excitements 
of  life,  the  turmoil,  all  the  stir  and  bustle  of  this  earthly  state ;  we  shall  have  some 
higher,  some  nobler  influence  guiding  us  continually.  Temptation  says,  "  Enjoy 
the  present ;  drink  that  cup  of  joy  now  " ;  but  the  man  who  looks  at  the  unseen 
says,  "No!  I  can  see  the  serpent  at  the  bottom  of  that  cup,  and  in  the  results  of 
that  sinful  pleasure."  And  so  once  more  looking  at  the  unseen  gives  calmness  and 
even  joy,  amidst  the  sorrows  and  afflictions  of  life.  He  heaps  one  word  upon  another 
in  order  to  express  his  meaning.  He  says  our  "light  affliction."  In  labours  more 
abundant,  in  stripes  beyond  measure,  in  prisons  more  frequent  ("  light  affliction  "  !), 
of  the  Jews  five  times  received  I  forty  stripes  save  one  ("  light  affliction "  !). 
Thrice  was  I  beaten  with  rods,  once  was  I  stoned,  thrice  I  suffered  shipwreck,  a 
night  and  a  day  I  have  been  in  the  deep  ("light  affliction"!).  (IshmaelJones.) 
Things  temporal  and  things  eternal : — If  you  were  to  track  the  first  steps  in  the 
growth  of  a  flower  just  emerging  from  the  seed,  you  would  discover,  upon  the 
cracking  open  of  the  seed,  that  one  minute  vegetable  fibre  commences  presently  to 
be  pressed  thence  away  up  through  the  overlying  soil  into  the  air  and  the  light,  and 
another  vegetable  thread  begins,  at  the  same  time,  to  wind  itself  away  down  through 
the  underlying  soil  into  the  ground  beneath.  If,  now,  you  will  sink  a  single  delicate 
thought  into  the  botanical  fact  just  stated,  you  will  see,  I  am  sure,  that  that  very 
process  of  groping  up  into  the  air  of  one  part  of  its  nature,  and  at  the  same  time 
groping  down  into  the  deep  places  of  the  earth  with  the  other  part  of  its  nature,  is 
a  statement  in  miniature,  and  a  quiet  prophecy  of  the  double  affinity  with  which 
the  plant  is  endowed,  and  the  twin  congeniality  with  which  it  has  been  by  God  made 
instinct.  I  have  made  use  of  this  illustration  only  that  it  may  serve  us  as  a  pictuie 
to  study  our  thoughts  by  as  we  grovif  them.  Man  also  buds  in  two  directions ;  he 
too  is  underlaid  with  a  twin  tendency.  He  is  Divinely  endowed  with  one  impulse 
that  tends  to  push  him  out  into  the  world,  and  into  the  association  of  things  that 
lie  easily  in  sight,  and  he  is  endowed,  also,  with  a  companion  impulse  that  inclines 
to  conduct  him  into  the  fellowship  of  things  upon  which  the  sun  does  not  shine. 
But  each,  like  the  soil  under  the  plant,  offers  to  become  to  him  the  means  of  his 
life  and  the  material  for  his  fixity,  his  power,  and  his  hope.  One  object  we  have 
had  in  guiding  our  thought  here  by  the  simile  of  the  plant  has  been  that  we  may 
guard  ourselves  against  the  easy  and  all  too  common  danger  of  cutting  off  one  of 
two  impulses  that  assert  themselves  in  us  for  the  sake  of  avoiding  the  painful  con- 
flict that  we  are  liable  to  be  involved  in  when  both  of  these  impulses  work  in  us  at 
the  same  time.    If  the  plant  were  intelligent  or  conscious,  we  can  imagine  how  easy 

13 


194  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

and  natural  it  would  be  for  it  to  lop  off  its  plumules  (the  portion  by  whicli  it  rises 
into  the  air)  that  it  might  throw  all  its  vigour  into  the  radicle,  or  to  lop  off  its  radicle 
in  order  to  throw  aU  its  vigour  into  the  plumules.  It  is  noticeable  that  in  the  realms 
of  matter  and  of  persons  both  tendencies  and  forces  are  harnessed  up  in  pairs.  God 
always  drives  in  pairs.  The  earth,  in  its  daily  progress,  is  maintained  by  the  power 
of  a  centripetal  as  well  as  a  centrifugal  force.  Truths,  hke  the  early  apostles,  always 
go  two  and  two.  There  is  not  one  truth,  whether  in  science  or  in  theology,  that  we 
can  quite  make  an  all-over  commitment  of  ourselves  to.  We  resemble  the  plant, 
then,  in  being  endowed  with  two  impulses,  both  of  them  God-given,  but  to  neither 
of  which  we  can  allow  absolute  monopoly.  One  of  them  is  the  impulse  to  let  our- 
selves out  into  the  contact  of  things  that  are  in  easy  view,  to  things  that  can  be  seen 
and  heard  and  handled ;  the  other — an  impulse  equally  Divine — to  draw  into  inter- 
course with  the  realm  of  invisible  reahties— the  soil  in  which  are  intertwined  the 
roots  of  our  life,  the  hidden  ground  in  which  are  laid  our  life's  deep  foundations.  We 
have  dwelt  at  some  length  upon  this  feature  of  the  matter  for  the  reason  that  we  do 
not  like  to  leave  the  impression,  or  even  to  start  the  suspicion,  that  intercourse  with 
things  that  are  seen  or  contact  with  things  that  can  be  handled  is  any  less  proper 
or  any  less  Divinely  intended  than  fellowship  with  the  invisible  realities  with  which 
the  seen  ones  are  underlaid.  It  is  as  proper  to  eat  as  it  is  to  pray.  We  must 
scrupulously  dissociate  from  that  word  "eternal"  all  such  idea  as  that  its  reference 
is  distinctively  future.  It  is  as  true  of  us  as  of  the  flower  we  have  just  mentioned, 
that  we  are  hving  in  two  worlds  at  one  and  the  same  time.  Unconsciously,  perhaps, 
to  ourselves,  this  realm  of  the  eternal  is  continually  giving  a  colour  to  our  thoughts 
and  putting  its  blessed  apphcation  upon  our  experiences.  There  is  not  a  day  we 
live  but  what,  with  greater  or  less  distinctness,  there  looms  up  before  our  minds, 
like  mountains  impalpably  establishing  themselves  in  the  darkness,  the  dim  outUnes 
of  realities  that  words  cannot  teach,  but  only  hint  at,  that  no  more  pertain  to  the 
region  of  days  and  things,  and  that  are  dimly  felt  by  us  as  no  more  subject  to  the 
laws  of  change  and  decay  than  truth  and  justice  and  love  and  righteousness  are 
conceived  by  us  as  coming  in  with  the  dawn  and  then  going  out  with  the  evening 
twilight.  Indeed,  it  is  just  that  sort  of  realities  precisely — truth,  justice,  love,  and 
righteousness — which  go  to  compose  the  reahn  of  the  eternal.  You  can  call  the 
right  an  abstraction,  but  it  grows  logically  concrete  so  fast  as  your  thought  begins 
to  twine  itself  about  it  and  your  heart  to  pulse  its  gentle  wave  into  it.  This  sense 
of  the  Eternal — spelt  with  a  large  "  E  " — then,  is  the  key  to  the  religious  position, 
to  the  Christian  position.  To  quicken  that  sense,  to  develop  it,  to  intensify  it,  is 
bound  to  be  the  master-purpose  of  all  religious  training.  It  is  with  this  end  in  view 
that  we  meet  one  another  here  in  the  sanctuary.  (C.  H.  Parkhurst,  D.D.)  Things 
temjwral  and  things  eternal : — I  suppose  there  is  no  one  who  would  doubt  the  truth 
stated  in  our  text,  and  yet  I  am  afraid  that  the  bulk  of  us  act  upon  the  conviction 
that  there  is  nothing  so  permanent  as  the  tangible  and  visible,  and  nothing  so  Ulusive 
and  transient  as  the  invisible.  Yet — 1.  The  truth  affirmed  in  our  text  is  confirmed  by 
history,  and,  after  all,  the  story  of  successive  ages  can  show  best  of  all  the  relative  per- 
manency of  the  seen  and  the  unseen.  If  we  go  back  over  history  we  shall  find  that 
the  most  transient  are  the  things  which  we  can  see  with  the  physical  eye  and  feel 
with  the  physical  touch.  Keview  the  history  of  the  building  up  of  empires.  Solomon's 
empire  is  gone,  but  the  truths  he  uttered  remain.  What  we  have  of  Eoman  power 
to-day  as  a  living  energy  is  not  found  in  physical  structures,  but  in  the  wisdom  that 
was  embodied  in  her  laws.  2.  This  truth  is  taught  by  science.  It  is  strange  that, 
as  the  result  of  the  study  of  material  objects,  men  are  forced  to  the  conclusion  that 
material  things  are  the  most  transient.  Man  talks  loftily,  and  says,  "  I  like  to 
stand  on  terra  Jirma"  and  he  thinks  he  has  said  a  very  strong  thing.  Now,  what 
of  it  ?  This  grand  old  Book  has  always  said  that  there  is  a  time  coming  when  terra 
^?7«a  wiU  cease  to  he  terra  fir  ma.  3.  This  truth  is  confirmed  by  our  personal  ex- 
perience. Here  is  this  body  of  mine.  They  teU  me  that  it  changes  completely  every 
few  years.  My  personality  does  not  depend  upon  what  the  physical  eye  can  see  of 
me.  Amid  all  these  changes  there  is  something  within  which  is  not  seen.  Well, 
then,  what  are  the  meaning  and  ministry  of  these  tangible  things?  They  are  in- 
tended as  helps  to  enable  us  to  get  at  the  intangible  and  the  invisible.  For  instance, 
gold  and  silver  and  other  earthly  possessions  are  only  symbols  of  the  real  wealth  of 
which  God  would  have  all  men  be  heirs.     (D.  Davies.)         Looking  at  the  unseen : — 

I.    Now,  FIKST,  I  WISH  TO  SAY  A  WOBD  OB  TWO  ABOUT  WHAT  SUCH  A  LOOK  WILL  DO  FOB  US. 

Paul's  notion  is,  as  you  will  see  if  you  look  at  the  context,  that  if  we  want  to 
understand  the  visible,  or  to  get  the  highest  good  out  of  the  thmgs  that  are  seen. 


CHAP.  IV.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  195 

we  must  bring  into  the  field  of  vision  "  the  things  that  are  not  seen."  The  case 
with  which  he  is  dealing  is  that  of  a  man  in  trouble.  A  man  that  has  seen  the 
Himalayas  will  not  be  much  overwhelmed  by  the  height  of  Helvellyn.  They  who 
look  out  into  the  eternities  have  the  true  measuring  rod  and  standard  by  which  to 
estimate  the  duration  and  intensity  of  the  things  that  are  present.  We  are  all 
tempted  to  do  as  villagers  in  some  little  hamlet  do — think  that  their  small  local 
affairs  are  the  world's  affairs,  and  mighty,  until  they  have  been  up  to  London  and 
seen  the  scale  of  things  there.  If  you  and  I  would  let  the  steady  light  of  eternity 
and  the  sustaining  pressure  of  the  "  exceeding  weight  of  glory"  pour  into  our  minds, 
we  should  carry  with  us  a  standard  which  would  bring  down  the  greatness,  dwindle 
the  duration,  lighten  the  pressure  of  the  most  crushing  sorrow,  and  would  set  in  its 
true  dimensions  everything  that  is  here.  It  is  for  want  of  that  that  we  go  on  as 
we  do,  calculating  wrongly  what  are  the  great  things  and  what  are  the  small  things. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  do  not  let  us  forget  that  this  same  standard  which  thus 
dwindles  also  magnifies  the  small,  and,  in  a  very  solemn  sense,  makes  eternal  the 
else  fieeting  things  of  this  life.  For  there  is  nothing  that  makes  this  present  existence 
of  ours  so  utterly  contemptible,  insignificant,  and  transitory  as  to  block  out  of  our 
sight  its  cormection  with  eternity.  If  you  shut  out  eternity  from  our  life  in  time, 
then  it  is  an  inexpUcable  riddle.  Further,  this  look  of  which  my  text  speaks  is  the 
condition  on  which  time  prepares  for  eternity.  The  apostle  is  speaking  about  the 
effect  of  affliction  in  making  ready  for  us  an  eternal  weight  of  glory,  and  he  says 
that  it  is  done  while  or  on  condition  that,  during  the  suffering,  we  are  looking  stead- 
fastly towards  the  "things  that  are  not  seen."  But  no  outward  circumstances  or 
events  can  prepare  a  weight  of  glory  for  us  hereafter,  unless  because  they  prepare 
us  for  the  glory.  Affliction  works  for  us  that  blessed  result  in  the  measure  in  which 
it  fits  us  for  that  result.  II.  And  so  I  note  that  this  look  at  the  things  not  seen 
IS  ONLY  possible  thkough  Jesus  Chkist.  He  is  the  only  window  which  opens  out 
and  gives  the  vision  of  that  far-off  land.  I,  for  my  part,  believe  that,  if  I  might  use 
such  a  metaphor,  He  is  the  Columbus  of  the  New  World.  Men  believed,  and  argued, 
and  doubted  about  the  existence  of  it  across  the  seas  there  until  a  Man  went . 
and  came  back  again,  and  then  went  to  found  a  new  city  yonder.  It  is  only  in 
Jesus  Christ  that  the  look  which  my  text  enjoins  is  possible.  For  not  only  has  He 
given  a  certitude  so  as  that  we  need  now  not  to  say  we  think,  we  hope,  we  fear, 
we  are  pretty  well  sure,  that  there  must  be  a  life  beyond,  but  we  can  say  we  know. 
Not  only  has  He  done  this,  but  also  in  Him,  His  life  of  glory  at  God's  right  hand 
in  heaven,  is  summed  up  all  that  we  really  can  know  about  that  future.  We  look 
into  the  darkness  in  vain  ;  we  look  at  Him,  and,  though  limited,  the  knowledge  is 
blessed.  Not  only  is  He  our  sole  medium  of  knowledge,  and  Himself  the  revelation 
of  our  heaven,  but  it  is  only  by  Him  that  man's  thoughts  and  desires  are  drawn  to, 
and  find  themselves  at  home  in,  that  tremendous  thought  of  immortaUty.  III.  And 
now,  lastly,  this  look  should  be  habitual  with  all  Chkistian  people.  Paul  takes 
it  for  granted  that  every  Christian  man  is,  as  the  habitual  direction  of  his  thoughts, 
looking  towards  those  "  things  that  are  not  seen."  The  original  shows  that  even 
more  distinctly  than  our  translation,  but  our  translation  shows  it  plainly  enough. 
He  does  not  say,  "works  for  us  an  exceeding  weight  of  glory /or,"  but  "  while  "  we 
look,  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of  course.  Note  what  sort  of  a  look  it  is  which  produces 
these  blessed  effects.  The  word  which  the  apostle  employs  here  is  a  more  pointed 
one  than  the  ordinary  one  for  "  seeing."  It  is  translated  in  other  places  in  the  New 
Testament,  "Mark"  them  which  walk  so  as  ye  have  us  for  an  "ensample,"  and 
the  like.  And  it  impUes  a  concentrated,  protracted  effort  and  interested  gaze.  There 
has  to  be  a  positive  shutting  out  of  all  other  things.  It  is  no  mere  tautology  in 
which  the  apostle  indulges  when  he  says,  "Whilst  we  look  not  at  the  things  that 
are  seen,"  but  see.  Here  they  are  pressing  in  upon  our  eyeballs,  all  round  us,  in- 
sisting on  being  looked  at,  and,  unless  we  consciously  avert  our  eyes,  we  shall  not 
see  anything  else.  They  monopolise  us  unless  we  resist  the  intrusive  appeals  that 
they  make  to  us.  We  are  like  men  down  in  some  fertile  valley,  surrounded  by  rich 
vegetation,  but  seeing  nothing  beyond  the  green  sides  of  the  glen.  We  have  to  go 
up  to  the  hill-top  if  we  are  to  look  out  over  the  flashing  ocean,  and  behold  afar  off 
the  towers  of  the  mother  city  across  the  restless  waves.  Now,  as  I  have  said,  the 
apostle  regards  this  conscious  effort  at  bringing  ourselves  into  touch,  in  mind  and 
heart  and  faith,  with  "the  things  that  are  not  seen"  as  being  a  habitual  charac- 
teristic of  Christian  men.  I  am  very  much  afraid  that  the  present  generation  of 
Christian  people  do  not,  in  anything  like  the  degree  in  which  they  should,  recreate 
and  strengthen  themselves  with  the  contemplation  which  he  here  recommends.    Let 


196  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

us  turn  away  our  eyes  from  the  gauds  that  we  can  see,  and  open  the  eyes  of  our 
spirits  on  the  things  that  are,  the  things  where  Christ  is,  sitting  at  the  right  hand 
of  God.  (A.  Maclaren,  D.D.)  In  and  by  things  temj)oral  are  given  things  eternal : — 
There  is  a  great  deal  said  about  looking  away  from  the  things  of  time  to  the  things 
of  eternity ;  and  Paul,  I  suppose,  is  credited  with  this  idea  on  the  score  of  the 
language  here  cited.  Whether  he  would  accept  the  credit  is  more  doubtful.  It 
certainly  is  no  conception  of  his  that  we  are  to  ignore  the  temporal,  and  go  clear 
of  it,  in  order  to  bemg  fixed  in  the  eternal.  It  is  not  to  literally  look  away  from 
temporal  things  in  order  to  see  the  eternal,  but  it  is  to  see  the  temporal  in  the 
eternal,  or  through  it  and  by  means  of  it.  Paul,  I  am  sure,  had  no  other  concep- 
tion. By  not  looking  at  the  temporal  things,  he  means  simply  not  fastening  our 
mind  to  them,  or  upon  them,  as  the  end  of  our  pursuit ;  for  he  calls  them  "  things 
that  are  seen,"  which  implies  that,  in  another  and  more  simply  natural  sense,  they 
are  looked  at,  for  how  can  they  be  things  seen  if  they  are  not  ?  I.  There  is,  then, 
I  am  gomg  now  to  show,  a  fixed  relation  between  the  tempobaIi  and  the  eternal, 
SUCH  that  we  shall  best  realise  the  eternal  by  rightly  using  the  temporal. 
Things  temporal  he  saw  a  great  deal  more  penetratingly  than  any  mere  worldly 
mind  could ;  saw  far  enough  into  them  to  discover  their  unsolidity  and  their  transi- 
tory consequence,  and  to  apprehend  just  so  much  the  more  distinctly  the  solid  and 
eternal  verities  represented  by  them.  Things  and  worlds  are  passing — shadows  all 
that  pass  away.  The  durable  and  strong,  the  real  continent,  the  solid  landing-place, 
is  beyond.  But  the  present  things  are  good  for  the  passage,  good  for  signs,  good 
as  shadows.  So  he  tramps  on  through  them,  cheering  his  confidence  by  them, 
having  them  as  reminders,  and  renewing,  day  by  day,  his  outward  man  by  what 
of  the  more  solid  and  glorious  future  is  so  impressively  represented  and  captivatingly 
set  forth  in  them.  He  does  not  refuse  to  see  with  his  eyes  what  God  puts  before 
his  eyes.  He  rejoices  that  the  invisible  things  of  God,  even  His  eternal  power  and 
Godhead — all  the  truths  eternal — are,  from  His  creation,  clearly  seen.  He  loves 
society  also — rejoices  in  its  new  prospects  now  that  the  eternal  kingdom  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  is  set  up  in  it.  And,  what  is  more  than  all,  the  Son  of  God  Himself  has  come 
out  in  His  eternity  to  be  incarnate  in  these  scenes,  and  Uve  in  them  and  look  upon 
them  with  His  human  eyes.  And  so  these  all  are  hallowed  by  the  enshrining,  for 
a  time,  of  His  glorious  divinity  in  them,  becoming  temporalities  redolent  of  His 
eternity.  Our  apostle  looked  thus  on  the  things  that  are  temporal  as  not  looking 
on  them,  but  as  looking  straight  through  on  the  things  eternal,  which  they  represent 
and  prepare.  He  looked  on  them  just  as  one  looks  on  a  window-pane  when  he 
studies  the  landscape  without.  In  one  view  he  looks  on  the  glass,  in  another  he 
does  not.  Thus  it  is  a  true  use,  I  conceive,  of  things  temporal  that  they  are  to  put 
us  under  the  constant,  all-dominating  impression  of  things  eternal.  And  we  are  to 
live  in  them  as  in  a  transparency,  looking  through  every  moment,  and  in  all  life's 
woi'ks  and  ways  acting  through,  into  the  grand  reality  world  of  the  life  to  come. 
II.  Having  gotten  our  conception  thus  of  the  apostle's  meaning,  as  well  as  a  good 
argument  from  his  religious  habit  and  character  to  prove  it,  let  us  next  consider  the 
fact  that  all  temporal  things  and  works  are  actually  designed  or  planned  for 
THIS  VERY  OBJECT — vlz.,  to  couduct  US  OH,  Or  through,  into  the  discovery  of  things 
eternal.  Every  existing  thing  or  object  in  the  created  empire  of  God,  all  forms, 
colours,  heights,  weights,  magnitudes,  forces,  come  out  of  God's  mind  covered  all 
over  with  tokens,  saturated  all  through  with  flavours  of  His  intelligence.  They 
represent  God's  thought,  the  invisible  things  of  God ;  and  an  angel  coming  out  into 
the  world,  inbtcad  of  seeing  nothing  in  them  but  only  walls,  would  see  God  expressed 
by  them,  just  as  we  are  expressed  by  our  faces  and  bodies.  The  invisible  things  of 
God,  all  His  eternal  realities,  would  be  clearly  seen.  No,  we  do  not  become  worldly 
by  looking  at  things  temporal,  but  by  not  looking  at  them  closely  enough,  and  with 
due  religious  attention.  How  different,  for  example,  would  they  be  if  we  could  but 
stay  upon  them  long  enough,  and  devoutly  enough,  to  see  the  prodigious  workings 
hid  in  them.  We  should  find  them  swinging  and  careering  in  geometric  figures, 
weighed  and  spaced  in  geometric  proportions  ;  and  what  are  these  but  thoughts  of 
mind  and  laws  of  thought,  eternal  in  their  very  nature  ?  There  is  yet  another  and 
more  popular  way  in  which  these  temporal  and  visible  things  carry  forces  and  weights 
of  eternity  with  them — they  are  related  as  signs  or  images  to  all  the  most  effective 
and  most  glorious  truths  of  religion.  They  are  all  so  many  physical  word-forms 
given  to  make  up  images  and  vocables  for  religion,  for  which  reason  the  Scripture 
is  full  of  them,  naming  and  describing  everything  by  them — by  the  waters  and 
springs  that  quench  our  thirst,  by  the  bread  that  feeds  our  bodies,  by  the  growing 


CHAP.  IV.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  197 

corn  in  its  stages,  by  the  tares  that  grow  with  it,  by  the  lilies  m  their  clothing,  by 
the  hidden  gold  and  silver  and  iron  of  the  mountains,  by  the  sea,  the  storms,  the 
morning  mist,  the  clouds,  the  sun,  &c.  Our  complaint,  therefore,  that  temporal 
things  hide  the  eternal,  and  keep  them  out  of  sight,  is  much  as  if  one  should  com- 
plain of  telescopes  hiding  the  stars,  or  window-panes  shutting  out  the  sun,  or  even 
of  eyes  themselves  obstructing  the  sense  of  things  visible.  There  is  a  way,  I  know, 
of  handling  these  temporals  coarsely  and  blindly,  seeing  in  them  only  just  what 
a  horse  or  a  dog  might  see.  A  brutish  mind  sees  only  things  in  things,  and  no 
meanings.  But  it  cannot  be  said,  without  the  greatest  wrong  to  God,  that  He  has 
given  us  these  temporalities  to  hve  in  for  any  such  use.  Spirituality  of  habit  and 
thought  could  not  be  made  more  possible,  or  the  lack  of  it  more  nearly  impossible. 
Hence,  also,  the  fact  so  often  remarked,  that  forms,  colours,  objects,  scenes,  have 
all  a  power  so  captivating  over  childish,  and  indeed  over  all  young,  minds.  The 
child  or  youth  thinks  not  of  it,  and  yet  the  power  of  the  fact  is  on  him.  The  real 
and  true  account  of  the  fact  is  that  the  eternals  are  in  the  things  looked  on  so 
eagerly  by  these  young  eyes,  shining  out,  filling  them  with  images,  starting  their 
thoughts,  kindling  fires  of  truth  and  eternity  in  their  spirit.  Again,  it  is  the  con- 
tinual object  and  art  of  all  God's  management,  temporal  and  spiritual,  secular  and 
Christian,  to  bring  us  into  positions  where  we  may  see,  or  may  rather  be  compelled 
to  see,  the  eternal  things  of  His  government.  So  little  reason  have  we  to  complain, 
as  we  do  continually,  that  our  relations,  occupations,  and  works  take  us  away  from 
the  discovery  of  such  things,  and  leave  us  no  time  or  capacity  for  it.  Thus,  at  our 
very  first  breath,  we  are  put  in  what  is  called  the  family  state.  In  the  providence 
of  it  we  live.  By  the  discipline  of  it  we  learn  what  love  is,  in  all  the  severe  and 
faithful  and  tender  offices  of  it.  And  so,  as  it  were  from  the  egg,  we  are  configured 
to  the  eternal  family  state  for  which  we  are  made.  So,  also,  if  we  speak,  or  revela- 
tion speaks,  of  an  unseen  government  or  kingdom,  where  we  get  the  very  form  of 
the  thought  from  our  outward  kingdoms  below.  Meantime  the  ordinance  of  want 
and  labour,  and  all  the  industrious  works  and  cares  of  life — fearful  hindrances,  we 
say,  to  any  discovery  of  God — what  are  they  still  but  works  and  struggles  leading 
directly  into  His  very  seat?  What  do  you  do  in  them,  in  fact,  but  just  go  to  the 
earth  and  the  great  powers  of  nature^  to  invoke  them  by  your  industry,  and  by  your 
labour  sue  out,  as  it  were,  from  them  the  supply  you  want  ?  And  when  you  come 
so  very  close  to  God,  even  to  the  powers  and  laws  which  are  His  reigning,  everlasting 
thoughts,  what  temptation  have  you  to  lift  your  suit  just  one  degree,  and  make  your 
application  even  to  God  Himself!  His  scheme  of  providence,  also,  is  adjusted  so 
as  to  open  windows  on  us  continually  in  this  earthly  house  of  our  tabernacle,  through 
which  the  building  of  God,  not  made  with  hands,  may  be  the  better  discovered.  God 
is  turning  our  experience  always  in  a  way  to  give  us  the  more  inward  senses  of 
things,  acting  always  on  the  principle  that  the  progress  of  knowledge,  most  generi- 
cally  and  comprehensively  regarded,  is  but  a  progress  out  of  the  matter  view  into 
the  mind  view  of  things ;  for  all  the  laws,  properties,  classifications  of  objects,  as 
we  just  now  saw,  are  thoughts  of  God  made  visible  in  them,  so  that  all  the  growth 
of  knowledge  is  a  kind  of  spiritualising  of  the  world — that  is,  a  finding  of  the  eternal 
in  the  temporal.  For  God  will  not  let  us  get  lodged  in  the  temporal,  but  is  always 
shoving  us  on  to  what  is  beyond.  Besides,  once  more,  we  have  eternals  garnered 
up  in  us  all,  in  our  very  intelligence ;  immortal  affinities  which,  if  we  forget  or 
suppress,  are  still  in  us  ;  great  underlaid  convictions,  also,  ready  to  burst  up  in  us 
and  utter  even  ringing  pronouncements;  and,  besides,  there  is  an  inevitable  and 
sure  summons  always  close  at  hand,  as  we  know,  and  ready  for  its  hour,  whose 
office  it  is  to  bring  the  great  eternals  near  and  keep  them  in  power.  Here,  then, 
we  are  all  going  on — or  in,  rather— to  be  unsphered  here,  and  reinsphered,  if  we 
are  ready  for  it,  in  a  promised  life  more  stable  and  sufficient.  The  eternal  has 
been  with  us  all  the  way,  even  when  we  could  not  find  it.  Now  it  is  fully  discovered, 
and  become  our  mansion  state.  The  fugacities  are  left  behind  us.  The  eternal 
things  are  now  most  distinctly  seen,  and  the  temporal  scarcely  seen  at  all.  So  that, 
as  we  now  look  back  on  the  old  physical  order,  it  was  arranged,  we  see,  to  be  a  kind 
of  transparency,  and  we  were  set  in  among  and  behind  its  objects  and  affairs,  before 
open  windows,  as  it  were,  there  to  look  out  on  the  everlasting  and  set  our  life  for 
it.  Two  things  now,  having  reached  this  point,  let  me  ask  you  to  note,  or  have 
established.  1.  First,  that  you  are  never  to  allow  yourself  in  the  common  way  of 
speaking,  that  proposes  to  look  away  from  the  things  of  time,  or  calls  on  others  to 
do  it.  Never  speak  as  if  that  were  the  way  of  an  unworldly  Christian,  for  it  is  not. 
The  unworldly  Christian,  if  he  has  the  true  mettle  of  a  great  life  in  him,  never 


198  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  tv. 

looks  away  from  the  things  of  time,  but  looks  only  the  more  piercingly  into  them 
and  through.  He  does  not  expect  to  find  God  beyond  them,  but  in  them,  and  by 
means  of  them.  God  help  you  rather  to  be  manly  enough  to  use  the  world  as  it  is, 
and  get  your  vision  levelled  for  eternal  things  in  it  and  by  it.  You  will  come  up 
unto  God  by  uses  of  mastery,  and  not  by  retreat  and  feeble  deprecation.  2.  Another 
correspondent  caution,  secondly,  needs  to  be  noted,  and  especially  by  those  who  are 
not  in  the  Christian  way  of  life.  They  inevitably  hear  a  great  deal  said  of  spiritual- 
mindedness,  and  they  see  not  any  meaning  to  give  it  which  does  not  repel  them. 
What  are  called  spiritual  things  appear  to  them  to  be  only  a  kind  of  illusion,  a  fog 
of  mystic  meditation  or  mystic  expectation,  which  the  fonder,  less  perceptive  be- 
lievers press  out  thin,  because  they  have  not  strength  enough  to  body  their  life  in 
things  more  solid  and  rational.  The  spiritually -minded  person  spiritualises  tem- 
poral things  and  the  temporal  life  by  nothing  but  by  just  seeing  them  in  their  most 
philosophic  sense.  He  takes  hold  of  the  laws,  finds  his  way  into  the  most  inmost 
thoughts,  follows  after  the  spirit  force  everywhere  entempled,  and  puts  the  creation 
moving  at  every  turn  in  the  supreme  order  of  mind.  If  this  be  illusion,  God  give 
us  more  of  it.  The  spiritual  habit  is,  in  this  view,  reason,  health,  and  everlasting 
robustness.  {H.  Bushnell,  D.D.)  The  things  •which  are  not  seen  .  .  .  which  .  .  . 
are  eternal — Looking  at  the  things  which  are  not  seen : — I.  Let  us  explain  this 
STATE  OB  HABIT  OF  MIND.  1.  The  apostle  draws  a  marked  distinction  between  things 
seen  and  not  seen.  The  first  includes  all  terrestrial  pursuits,  customs,  callings,  and 
objects — all  those  things  after  which  "  the  children  of  this  world  "  seek.  Many  of 
these  things  are  lawful  and  necessary,  and  a  vast  multitude  unlawful.  The  Master 
says,  concerning  them,  "  Touch  not,  taste  not,  handle  not."  On  the  other  hand, 
the  text  mentions  "  the  things  which  are  not  seen."  These  are  eternal.  2.  At  these 
things  not  seen,  whether  spiritual  in  this  life,  or  celestial,  the  text  requires  us  to 
"  look."  (1)  There  is  the  looking  of  the  natural  eye.  This,  of  course,  is  not  referred 
to,  for  how  can  we  look  at  that  which  is  not  seen  with  the  bodily  eye  ?  (2)  The 
looking  of  the  mind.  We  constantly  speak  of  perceiving  things  with  which  the 
organs  of  bodily  vision  have  nothing  whatever  to  do — e.g.,  the  truth.  Now,  it  is  in 
this  sense,  in  part,  that  we  are  to  "  look  at  the  things  not  seen."  We  should  en- 
deavour to  acquire  a  clear  understanding,  a  just  comprehension  of  them  so  far  as 
they  are  revealed  to  us.  (3)  The  looking  of  the  heart.  This  may  be  directed  either 
to  forbidden  objects  or  to  lawful  and  holy  ones.  Lot's  wife  looked  back.  In  what 
did  the  guilt  of  that  look  consist  ?  Was  it  merely  the  circumstance  that  her  visual 
organs  caught  sight  of  the  city  ?  The  fact  was,  her  heart  was  in  Sodom  stiU.  But 
the  text  presents  to  us  our  duty.  The  affections  of  the  renewed  mind  are  centred  on 
new  objects,  on  things  that  are  pure  and  immortal.  When  we  have  been  reconciled 
to  God  through  the  death  of  His  Son,  and  His  love  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts, 
our  desires  will  be  toward  Him  and  the  remembrance  of  His  name.     II.  Let  us 

iTTEND   TO  A  FEW  AEGUMENTS   AND   ENCOURAGEMENTS  WHICH   MAT   INCITE    US    TO   ASPIRB 

TO  IT.  1.  The  uncertainty  of  aU  things  that  are  seen,  and  the  certainty  of  things 
that  are  not  seen.  (1)  In  all  things  below  there  is  the  uncertainty — (a)  Of  attainment. 
Many  who  labour,  of  course,  reap  a  full  reward  of  their  toil.  But  others,  whose 
plans  were  equally  well  laid,  whose  perseverance  was  equal  to  that  of  their  more 
fortunate  brethren,  from  untoward  circumstances  have  never  prospered.  Again, 
how  often  does  it  come  to  pass  that  a  man  appears  to  be  prospering,  and  just  at  the 
crisis  of  expectation  some  unexpected  blow  demolishes  his  fairest  hopes,  {b)  Of 
possession.  No  man  holds  his  life  on  a  secure  tenure.  "  Thou  knowest  not  what 
a  day  may  bring  forth."  What  we  cherish  most  is  often  first  taken  from  us.  (2) 
But  no  such  uncertainty  prevails  in  regard  to  the  things  that  are  not  seen.  They 
are  firm  and  sure  as  the  everlasting  hills.  The  children  of  this  world  may  mourn 
over  toil  unrequited,  but  no  man,  except  by  his  own  fault,  ever  yet  worked  for  God 
and  lost  his  labour.  2.  The  immensely  superior  value  of  things  not  seen.  On  the 
same  principle  on  which  we  would  readily  sacrifice  one  pound  to  gain  a  thousand, 
or  endure  five  minutes'  pain  if  it  would  secure  to  us  a  life's  comfort,  we  must  admit 
that  things  below  ought  to  be  subordinated  to  things  beyond.  3.  In  looking  at  the 
things  wliich  are  not  seen  there  is  required  at  times  seK-denial  and  taking  up  the 
cross.  Pursuits  which  we  formerly  cherished  must  be  abandoned.  We  are  aiming 
at  a  heavenly  treasure,  and  we  may  calculate  on  difiiculties  in  endeavouring  to  secure 
it,  for  there  is  no  crown  without  a  cross.  But  the  Lord  Jesus  left  heavenly  glories 
for  us  ;  shall  we  not  be  willing  to  leave  earthly  vanities  for  Him  ?  4.  The  things 
that  are  seen  will  soon  lose  all  the  value  which  they  now  appear  to  possess.  Gold 
cannot  procure  a  plaster  that  will  heal  a  wounded  conscience,  nor  a  pillow  that  will 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  199 

ease  a  dying  head.  The  voice  of  fame  and  popular  applause  is  sweet  siren-music 
for  a  while,  but  it  is  not  heard  in  the  chamber  of  death.  Sensual  delights  have 
their  day ;  the  enfeebled  body  cannot  endure  them.  Pitiable  beyond  explanation 
is  the  case  of  the  dying  worldling;  all  his  joys  are  past,  and  his  sorrows  are  to  come. 
How  glorious,  on  the  other  hand,  are  the  prospects  of  the  faithful  in  Christ  Jesus  I 
The  trial  is  ending,  but  the  triumph  is  commencing.  (L.  H.  Wiseman,  M. A.)  The 
Christian  looking  at  things  not  seen : — Notice — I.  Two  different  classes  or  objects. 
1.  Things  which  are  seen.  2.  Things  which  are  not  seen.  II.  The  conduct  of  the 
Chkistian  with  reference  to  these  objects.  1.  The  text.  It  represents  him  in 
an  attitude  of  attention.  The  word  rendered  "look"  signifies  to  look  at  eai-nestly, 
intently,  as  an  archer,  for  instance,  looks  at  the  mark  which  he  wishes  to  strike, 
or  as  a  man  in  a  race  looks  at  the  goal  which  he  is  pressing  forward  to  reach 
(Phil.  iii.  14).  2.  But  what  does  this  involve?  (1)  Faith — a  belief  in  the  existence 
of  unseen  spiritual  things.  Many  earthly  things  which  we  have  never  seen  we  all 
firmly  believe  to  exist.  And  the  Christian  is  just  as  well  satisfied  of  the  reality  of 
spiritual  things.  These  things  have  a  probable  existence  in  the  estimation  of  most 
men.  They  are  believed  in  very  much  as  we  believe  that  the  planets  are  inhabited, 
or  that  such  a  town  as  Troy  once  stood  somewhere  on  the  earth.  But  this  is  not 
the  Christian's  faith.  His  is  a  faith  which  is  to  him  "the  evidence,"  or  manifesta- 
tion, "of  things  unseen."  It  serves  him  in  the  place  of  eyes  whereby  to  discern 
them,  enabUng  him  to  feel  sure  of  their  existence,  as  sure  as  you  feel  at  this  moment 
that  London  exists,  or  that  a  few  miles  from  you  the  ocean  is  washing  with  its 
waters  England's  shores  (chap.  v.  1).  (2)  A  high  estimation  of  invisible  things — a 
superlative  esteem  of  them.  The  apostle,  having  divided  in  his  mind  all  existing 
things  into  two  classes,  seems  to  have  asked  himself,  "  Which  are  the  best?  which 
shaU  I  take  as  the  objects  of  my  pursuit?"  and  then  to  have  decided  on  invisible 
things.  You  cannot  bring  the  men  of  the  world  to  this.  They  look  only  on  the 
things  nearest  to  them,  and  these,  contemplated  alone,  appear  all-important.  III. 
The  reason  the  apostle  assigns  for  this  conduct  of  the  Christian.  Here,  as 
elsewhere,  he  almost  surprises  us  by  the  low  ground  he  takes.  Ask  us  why  unseen 
things  are  to  be  preferred  to  the  things  around  us.  "They  are  so  much  more  ex- 
cellent," we  should  say,  "  so  much  more  able  to  satisfy  the  soul."  But  the  apostle 
merely  says  that  he  prefers  them  because  they  are  more  durable.  And  here  breathes 
forth  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  "  What  matters  it  to  me  what  things  are  ? — will 
they  abide  ?  I  am  to  last  for  ever — will  they  ?  "  IV.  The  happy  effect  produced 
ON  the  Christlan  by  the  peculiar  conduct  here  ascribed  to  him.  1.  It  makes  all 
present  afflictions  seem  light  to  him  (ver.  17).  2.  It  will  sanctify  our  afittictions. 
What  Paul  means  in  the  previous  verse  is  that  they  ripen  us  for  the  glory  before  us. 
(C.  Bradley,  M.A.)  Things  unseen  to  be  preferred  to  things  seen : — I.  I  shall  give 
A  COMPARATIVE  VIEW  OF  VISIBLE  AND  INVISIBLE  THINGS.  1.  As  to  their  intrinsic  value, 
and  in  this  respect  the  disparity  is  inconceivable.  This  I  shall  illustrate  in  the  two 
comprehensive  instances  of  pleasure  and  pain.  To  shun  the  one  and  obtain  the 
other  is  the  natural  effort  of  the  human  mind.  And  these  principles  are  co-existent 
with  the  soul  itself,  and  will  continue  in  full  vigour  in  a  future  state.  Nay,  as  the 
soul  will  then  be  matured,  and  all  its  powers  arrived  to  their  complete  perfection, 
this  eagerness  after  happiness,  and  aversion  to  misery,  will  be  also  more  quick  and 
vigorous.  1.  Visible  things  are  not  equal  to  the  capacities  of  the  human  soul.  The 
soul,  which  lies  obscured  in  this  prison  of  flesh,  gives  frequent  discoveries  of  sur- 
prising powers ;  its  desires  in  particular  have  a  kind  of  infinity.  But  all  temporary 
objects  cannot  afford  it  a  happiness  equal  to  its  capacity,  nor  render  it  as  miserable 
as  its  capacity  of  suffering  will  bear.  On  the  other  hand,  the  soul  may  possess 
some  degree  of  happiness  under  all  the  miseries  it  is  capable  of  suffering  from 
external  and  temporal  things.  Guilt,  indeed,  denies  it  this  support ;  but  if  there 
be  no  anguish  resulting  from  its  own  reflections,  not  all  the  visible  things  can 
render  it  perfectly  miserable ;  its  capacity  of  suffering  is  not  put  to  its  utmost 
stretch.  But,  oh !  when  we  take  a  survey  of  invisible  things  we  shall  find  them 
all  great  and  majestic — not  only  equal,  but  infinitely  superior,  to  the  most  enlarged 
powers  of  the  human,  and  even  of  the  angelic,  nature.  And  let  me  also  observe  that 
all  the  objects  about  which  our  faculties  will  be  employed  then  will  be  great  and 
majestic,  whereas  at  present  we  grovel  among  little  sordid  things.  And,  since  this  is 
the  case,  how  little  should  we  regard  the  things  that  are  seen  in  comparison  of  them 
that  are  not  seen !  2.  The  soul  is  at  present  in  a  state  of  infancy,  and  incapable  of 
such  degrees  of  pleasure  or  pain  as  it  can  bear  in  the  future  world.  3.  And,  lastly, 
all  the  happiness  and  misery  of  the  present  state,  resulting  from  things  that  are  seen, 


200  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  rv. 

are  intermingled  with  contrary  ingredients.  We  are  never  so  happy  in  this  world 
as  to  have  no  uneasiness.  On  the  other  hand,  we  are  never  so  miserable  as  to  have 
no  ingredient  of  happiness.  In  heaven  the  rivers  of  pleasures  flow  untroubled  with 
a  drop  of  sorrow :  in  hell  there  is  not  a  drop  of  water  to  mitigate  the  fury  of  the 
flame.  And  who,  then,  would  not  prefer  the  things  that  are  not  seen  to  those  that 
are  seen?  II.  The  infinite  dispakity  between  them  as  to  duration.  Can  you 
need  any  arguments  to  convince  you  that  an  eternity  of  the  most  perfect  happiness 
is  rather  to  be  chosen  than  a  few  years  of  sordid,  unsatisfying  delight  ?     III.  To 

show  THE  GREAT  AND  HAPPY  INFLUENCE  A  SUITABLE  IMPRESSION  OF  THE  SUPERIOR  IM- 
PORTANCE OF  INVISIBLE  TO  VISIBLE  THINGS  WOULD  HAVE  UPON  US.  This  I  might  exem- 
plify in  a  variety  of  instances  with  respect  to  saints  and  sinners.  When  we  are 
tempted  to  any  unlawful  pleasures,  how  would  we  shrink  away  from  the  pursuit 
had  we  a  due  sense  of  the  misery  incurred  and  the  happiness  forfeited  by  it !  When 
we  find  our  hearts  excessively  eager  after  things  below,  had  we  a  suitable  view  of 
eternal  things,  aU  these  things  would  shrink  into  trifles.  When  the  sinner,  for  the 
sake  of  a  little  present  ease,  and  to  avoid  a  little  present  uneasiness,  stifles  his  con- 
science, has  he  then  a  due  estimate  of  eternal  things?  Alas !  no ;  he  only  looks  at 
the  things  that  are  seen.  When  we  suffer  any  reproach  or  contempt  on  a  religious 
account,  how  would  a  due  estimate  of  eternal  things  fortify  us  with  undaunted 
courage !  How  would  a  reaUsing  view  of  eternal  things  animate  us  in  our  devotion ! 
How  powerful  an  influence  would  a  view  of  futurity  have  to  alarm  the  secure  sinner ! 
How  would  it  hasten  the  determination  of  the  lingering,  wavering  sinner  I  In  a 
word,  a  suitable  impression  of  this  would  quite  alter  the  aspect  of  things  in  the 
world,  and  would  turn  the  concern  and  activity  of  the  world  into  another  channel. 
Eternity  then  would  be  the  principal  concern.  (S.  Davies,  M.A.)  Looking  at  the 
nnseen : — 1.  We  think  of  men,  of  their  wealth,  power,  mechanisms,  and  institutions ; 
we  think  of  our  country  and  the  globe.  All  these  seem  real,  while  those  things  that 
are  unseen  we  leave  for  the  philosopher's  speculation,  and  for  the  poet's  pen,  as 
being  not  matters  for  the  consideration  of  practical  men.  But  the  spirit  of  industry 
is  more  than  wealth,  for  it  will  renew^nay,  even  surpass — the  loss  of  the  past  in 
the  achievements  of  the  present.  The  genius  that  rears  the  imposing  edifice  is 
more  than  the  edifice  itself.  We  see  the  vast  warehouses  which  commerce  plants, 
and  the  spacious  mansions  which  wealth  builds ;  but  the  spirit  of  law — that  im- 
personal power  that  protects  them — is  more  than  these  visible  objects  and  immediate 
results.  So  is  it  with  the  institutions  of  men.  Life  is  the  basis,  the  motive,  the 
end  of  all  man  accomplishes.  Hope  is  better  than  that  which  hope  gets.  So  it  is 
that  statesmen  and  philanthropists  in  their  wisest  aims  work  for  the  conservation 
of  these  invisible,  hidden  forces.  2.  So,  in  the  physical  universe,  it  is  what  we  do 
not  see  that  is  of  prime  importance,  rather  than  the  things  that  are  seen.  The 
diamond  is  beautiful,  but  it  were  better  that  all  the  diamonds  should  be  crushed 
than  that  the  law  of  crystallisation  should  cease  to  act.  Better  level  the  mountain 
rather  than  the  soil  which  it  helps  to  nourish  should  lose  the  element  of  productive- 
ness. Better  far  were  it  that  the  stars  should  be  annihilated  than  that  the  law  of 
gravitation  should  fail.  These  unseen  forces  appear  neither  to  our  hearing  nor  to 
our  vision,  but  they  are  real  and  abiding.  3.  Paul  gained  what  no  historic  research 
or  scientific  insight  alone  could  discover — an  apprehension  of  the  unseen  by  means 
of  religious  faith.  It  was  a  great  achievement  on  his  part,  for  his  life  was  not  one 
of  retirement.  He  was  familiar  with  Ephesus,  Philippi,  Corinth,  &c.  It  is  not  the 
philosophic  or  scientific,  but  the  Christian  temper  that  belongs  to  the  religious 
life ;  it  is  a  devout  appreciation  of  God  in  Christ ;  it  is  an  intelligent  recognition 
of  His  providential  control  of  the  world's  affairs.  Paul  saw  this  unseen  power  in 
other  lives,  and  felt  it  in  his  own.  He  knew,  and  so  do  we,  how  this  indwelling  life 
and  love  blazed  forth  in  the  suffering  martyrs  and  toiling  missionaries,  and  was  a 
more  real,  palpable  power  than  city  or  sea,  or  the  mountain  that  shadowed  both. 
He  saw  the  greatness  of  immortality.  Several  suggestions  grow  out  of  this  train  of 
thought.  Here  is — I.  The  best  possible  illustration  of  the  fineness  and  power 
OF  the  human  soul,  which  can  thus  rise  from  the  transient  to  the  eternal.  We  are 
impressed  by  the  genius  of  the  sculptor  that  sees  the  angel  in  the  stone ;  we  admire 
the  genius  of  the  musician  to  whom  the  music  of  unwi'itten  harmonies  comes  before 
he  has  touched  either  organ  or  score,  and  that  of  the  scientific  man  who  conducts 
us  amid  nature's  mysteries  through  the  occult  ministry  of  forces  unseen.  But  I 
know  no  other  point  at  which  the  human  spirit  comes  into  nearer  contact  with 
Divine  wisdom  than  here.  The  wisdom  that  shines  in  the  senate,  and  the  military 
sagacity  that  conducts  a  campaign,  command   our   respect ;   but   the  disciple   of 


«HAP.  IV.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  201 

Christ  in  humble  Hfe  that  can  say,  "  I  know  God,  although  I  have  never  seen  Him ; 
I  know  eternity,  although  I  have  never  been  there,"  reveals  God's  interior  light  in 
the  soul.  It  is  a  higher  revelation — it  is  a  prophecy  of  immortality !  Do  not  tell 
me  that  such  a  soul  is  to  die  with  the  body,  aifiliated  as  it  is  with  the  spiritual, 
carrying  in  itself  the  promise,  the  assurance,  of  everlasting  life — an  immortality  full 
of  splendour !  II.  The  secret  of  a  geeat  character.  Power  of  character  comes 
not  from  intellectual  training  or  association  with  the  greatest  men  of  the  race,  but 
by  conscious  relations  to  God,  by  reflecting  the  glory  shining  from  above.  III.  The 
<JL0RY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  It  is  Saturated  with  the  unseen.  The  quiet  lake,  over  whose 
bosom  not  the  faintest  breeze  is  felt,  seems  like  a  mirror  swimming  between  two 
immensities,  the  one  seen  above,  the  other  in  its  liquid  depths.  So  the  gospel  shows 
the  Divine  realities  of  both  worlds  as  in  a  mirror.  IV.  The  aspiration  for  us.  It 
is  the  life  within  the  veil.  We  dwell  in  cities  crowded  with  monuments  of  skill,  of 
power,  and  wealth.  The  contemplation  of  these  things  is  apt  to  pull  us  down  to  a 
low  level  unless  we  feel  the  corrective  which  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  our 
hearts  exerts.  (R.  S.  Storrs,  D.D.)  Things  seen  and  unseen : — "  The  things  which 
are  seen  are  temporal " — what  is  it  but  the  tritest  axiom  of  proverbial  lore?  "  The 
things  which  are  not  seen  are  eternal " — what  is  it  but  the  furthest  reach  of  faith, 
the  uttermost  effort  of  aspiration  ?  Yet  surely  such  recognition  is  needed.  In  view 
of  the  changes  of  time,  the  mind  is  in  quest  of  the  constants  of  eternity ;  but,  till 
the  problem  be  fully  stated,  what  can  we  hope  for  but  inadequate  solutions  ?  Let 
us  attempt,  then,  to  trace  the  development  from  human  experience  of  the  idea  of 
change,  and  then  consider  the  flights  of  fancy,  the  findings  of  the  reason,  and  the 
verdict  of  the  spirit  in  search  for  fixity.  Change  is  a  thing  to  which  we  become 
inured  before  we  begin  to  think,  while  scarcely  we  can  feel.  Think  of  a  child,  upon 
a  bright  May  morning,  in  the  middle  of  a  flowery  field,  himself  unfolding,  like  a 
blossom  in  the  sun,  to  the  first  keen  sense  of  life's  delightfulness.  He  is  busy  with 
a  thousand  plans  which  no  lifetime  would  suffice  to  execute,  but  they  are  all  to 
be  carried  out  upon  that  bright  May  morning.  Now  picture  the  sky  overclouded, 
the  falling  of  big  raindrops  on  the  grass,  the  flowers  drenched  and  drooping 
on  the  darkened  earth,  and  the  child  hastening  homeward  in  sorrow.  Here  is 
a  first  lesson  in  the  reading-book  of  life,  a  first  line  in  the  primer  of  experience. 
But  how  gently  is  the  truth  conveyed!  For  the  sun  will  soon  shine  out  again. 
But  the  child  will  live  to  see  the  summer  pass  ;  he  will  live  to  see  the  bright 
days  fewer  and  the  dark  days  more ;  he  will  live  to  see  the  leaves  turn  yellow 
and  fall,  the  flowers  wither,  and  the  year  decay.  Then  they  will  tell  him  of  the 
coming  spring,  and  make  him  glad  with  the  promise  of  fresher  flowers  and  greener 
leaves.  Then  comes  another  step  more  hard  to  take,  another  lesson  more  sorrowful 
to  learn.  There  are  changes  which  outlast  the  seasons  ;  there  are  losses  which  the 
year's  revolution  can  never  more  repair.  There  is  the  change  of  sickness  in  cheeks 
that  are  daily  more  hollow,  and  eyes  that  are  daily  more  dim.  There  is  the  change 
of  death.  There  is  change,  too,  in  the  living  and  the  healthy — changes  of  tone  and 
feeling,  changes  of  frame  and  figure.  There  is  a  change  of  places,  too,  as  well  as 
of  persons.  Who  that  has  revisited  his  childhood's  playground  or  his  boyhood's 
haunts,  the  old  home  of  the  far-sped  years,  but  has  felt  it  like  a  shock  ?  Here  the 
poplars  and  the  elms  of  his  infancy  are  felled.  We  have  spoken  of  the  changes  that 
are  measured  by  a  lifetime,  and  we  talk  sometimes  as  if  there  were  no  others.  The 
farther  vre  extend  the  range  of  historical  research,  the  deeper  we  sink  the  fathom- 
line  of  geological  discovery,  the  higher  we  raise  the  scahng  ladder  that  reaches 
beyond  the  stars,  the  closer  we  scrutinise  the  animal,  the  vegetable,  and  the  mineral 
domain,  the  more  does  all  seeming  permanence  dissolve  in  change.  Many  land- 
marks of  supposed  stability  are  being  washed  away.  The  doctrine  of  progressive 
development  has  taken  the  place,  in  scientific  minds,  of  the  once  familiar  notion  of 
a  stereotyped  creation.  We  speak  no  longer  of  fixed  species,  but  of  successive  and 
surviving  forms.  And  thus,  with  a  wider  range  of  observation,  and  a  broader  field 
of  induction,  we  seem  to  be  rapidly  approaching  the  point  of  view  anticipated  of  old 
by  Heraclitus,  the  sage  of  Ephesus,  who  found  in  nature  only  constant  flux,  and 
gazing  on  the  river  as  it  coursed  along  its  channel,  the  same,  yet  not  the  same, 
each  moment  that  it  flowed,  saw  the  facts  of  the  universe  exemplified,  the  mirrored 
mutability  of  all  things.  But  we  have  not  yet  exhausted  the  realm  of  the  change- 
able. For  among  the  things  which  are  seen  may  be  counted,  without  absurdity,  not 
only  the  more  immediate  objects  of  qprporeal  vision,  but  equally  those  products  of 
the  mind  which,  when  formulated,  registered,  and  promulgated,  acquire  an  objective 
reality  in  the  eyes  of  men.     In  many  an  ancient  custom,  in  many  a  lordly  structure, 


202  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  iv^ 

in  many  a  ponderous  tome,  we  behold  the  visible  embodiment  of  some  tenacious 
opinion,  or  doctrine,  or  phase  of  faith.     And  often  the  fabric  outlasts  the  faith  that 
reared  it,  the  book  survives  the  opinions  of  the  men  who  wrote  it,  the  custom  per- 
severes when  the  belief  that  produced  it  is  dead.     The  thoughts  of  men  have  under- 
gone a  revolution  far  greater  than  all  the  changes  that  have  taken  place  in  the  style 
of  our  architecture,  while  the  usages  of  society  and  the  epochs  of  literature  are  but 
a  halting  and  uncertain  index  of  the  progress  of  ideas — a  progress  which,  indeed, 
they  tend  sometimes  to  hinder,  and  but  seldom  simply  reflect.     And  now,  to  con- 
clude our  picture  of  the  instability  of  the  things  of  time,  let  us  think  once  more  of 
death.     Let  the  world  change  much  or  Uttle,  we  must  leave  it  soon  ;  our  eyes  shall 
close  upon  the  tide  of  time,  with  its  eddying  ebbs  and  flows,  the  vicissitudes  of  human 
fortune,  and  the  changes  of  human  thought.   Wherever  and  whenever  in  the  history 
of  our  race  the  mutabiUty  of  the  things  of  sense  has  been  strongly  impressed  upon 
the  mind,  the  question  has  inevitably  arisen.  Is  there  anything  steadfast  and  sure  ? 
Is  there  rest  in  the  turmoil  of  life  ?     Shall  we  find  a  fixed  point  amidst  the  vortex 
of  existence,  or  a  stable  bottom  to  its  rolling  sea?     The  search  for  fixity  in  the 
midst  of  change  has  assumed  sometimes  the  form  of  an  intellectual  problem.   When 
Heraclitus  had  propounded  his  doctrine  of  perpetual  flux,  a  kind  of  panic  seized  the 
mind  of  Greece.     Slen  despaired  of  the  possibility  of  knowledge.     The  sophists,  or 
clever  talkers  of  the  day,  took  advantage  of  this  novel  conception  of  universal  change 
to  ridicule  the  reason  of  mankind,  and  rampant  scepticism  threatened  to  reign 
supreme.     "No  truth,"  was  the  alarm-cry  raised,  "for  there  is  nothing  steadfast 
to  speak  the  truth  about."     If  any  one  were  hardy  enough  to  maintain  that  man 
was  a  rational  being,  or  any  equally  simple  proposition,  he  was  instantly  met  with 
the  retort,  "  Man  is  not  the  same  for  two  moments.     Who,  then,  is  the  man  whom 
you  assert  to  be  rational  ?  "     Then  Socrates  came  to  the  rescue  with  those  general 
definitions  which  his  disciple,  Plato,  poetised  into  animate  ideas.     Socrates  was  the 
first  who  consciously  constructed  an  abstraction.     He  was  the  first  to  see  that,  while 
men  changed  from  hour  to  hour  and  died,  man  stUl  continued  permanent,  the  species 
outlasting  the  example,  the  kind  the  individual  unit.     Out  of  this  piece  of  sober 
reasoning,  by  the  aid  of  a  vigorous  imagination,  Plato  constructed  the  ideal  world, 
and  endowed  it  with  substantial  existence.     And  thus,  behind  the  transient  phan- 
tasms of   sight  and  sound,  he  pictured  an  everlasting  universe  of   unchangeable 
realities.     Infuse  into  this  Greek  conception  a  little  of  the  Hebrew  spirit,  endow  it 
with  an  interest  less  purely  intellectual  and  more  essentially  religious — the  very  fate 
which  actually  awaited  it  when  Jews  and  Greeks  were  blended  in  the  Alexandrian 
schools — and  so  fitly  does  it  harmonise  with  the  Christian  mood  of  mind  that  the 
words  of  my  text  themselves  might  almost  be  mistaken  for  the  verbal  reproduction  of 
an  old  Platonic  saw.    And  this  is  no  surface  likeness,  this  is  no  chance  resemblance. 
AUke  to  the  Athenian  and  the  Nazarene  was  it  given  to  lay  hold  upon  the  unseen 
world,  and  if  the  grasp  of  Jesus  was  the  firmer,  yet  the  grasp  of  Socrates  was  the 
first.     It  is  not  the  philosophical  value  of  abstract  definitions,  but  the  moral  tone 
which  inspires  the  philosopher's  researches,  upon  which  we  should  fix  our  attention. 
And  what  is  the  verdict  of  the  spirit  upon  this  finding  of  the  reason  ?     It  were 
needless  to  say  we  reject,  as  belonging  to  the  childhood  of  philosophy,  the  notion 
that  our  abstract  ideas,  as  such,  have  any  substantial  existence  outside  the  mind 
that  produced  them.     For  us  the  religious  and  intellectual  worth  of  the  ideas  is 
this — that  they  draw  our  attention  to  the  fact  of  the  permanence,  the  continuity  of 
these  very  minds  amid  the  shifts  and  changes  of  the  outer  world.     True,  not  even 
our  ideas  are  immutable — they  vary  and  expand  with  our  knowledge— and  yet  they 
are  comparatively  lasting  as  measured  against  the  objects  of  sight,  the  sensuous 
impressions  of  the  moment.     But  there  is  a  something  more  enduring  still — the 
link  that  binds  them  each  to  each  and  blends  them  in  a  sovereign  unity,  the  principle 
of  selfhood,  the  consciousness  that  makes  them  ours.     And  here  a  new  light  breaks 
in  upon  us,  for  is  it  not  this  constancy  of  self,  this  perseverance  of  the  conscious 
subject,  to  which  alone  we  owe  the  knowledge  that  the  world  is  changing  around 
us?    But  there  is  yet  another  of  the  findings  of  reason  which  the  spirit  finds  fruitful 
and  suggestive.     This  is  that  axiom  of  physical  science,  anticipated  by  Empedocles 
and  Leucippus  in  Greece,  and  popularised  by  Lucretius  in  Eome,  concerning  the 
eternity  of  matter.     There  is  no  such  thing  in  nature  as  annihilation.     All  change 
is  dissolution  only.    Corruption  is  the  food  of  life,  decay  the  beauty  and  the  strength 
of  bloom ;  and  the  same  leaves  that  wither  in, the  autumn,  and  rot  upon  the  ground 
in  winter,  clothe  the  bare  branches  with  a  fresher  green  when  spring  comes  round 
again.    Here,  then,  we  are  presented  with  another  exemplification  of  the  truth  that 


-CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  203 

the  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal,  but  the  things  which  are  unseen  are  eternal. 
Matter,  in  its  outward  and  moment.iry  manifestation,  is  visible  and  transient ;  in 
its  inner,  persistent,  continuous  identity,  invisible  and  permanent.  The  outward 
changes  we  perceive  by  the  senses,  the  inward  constancy  we  grasp  with  the  mind. 
And  this  power  of  mind  to  grasp  the  eternity  of  matter  is  a  witness  of  its  own 
eternity.  The  invisible  things  of  faith  are  invisible  not  in  fact  alone,  but  equally 
in  nature.  The  great  realities  of  the  spiritual  world  are  neither  objects  of  sense 
nor  the  abstractions  of  such  objects,  nor  imaginative  copies  of  material  things. 
Rather  are  they  certain  imperishable  principles  that  pervade  the  universe.  The 
principle  of  love,  the  principle  of  progress,  the  principle  of  reverence,  the  principle 
of  hope,  the  principle  of  trust,  the  principle  of  freedom — it  is  these  that  pervade  all 
nature,  these  that  outlast  all  change.  And  these,  the  invisible  things  of  eternity, 
are  clearly  descried  by  faith  in  the  visible  things  of  time.  For  look  at  tlie  very 
changes  to  which  the  things  of  time  are  subject,  discerning  the  end  from  the 
beginning — is  it  possible  to  doubt  that  they  are  changes  for  the  better  ?  Finally, 
as  in  all  else  besides,  so,  too,  in  the  dogmas  of  theology,  there  are  permanent  prin- 
ciples of  truth  underlying  the  changing  shape.  It  is  never  the  form  of  a  creed,  it 
is  only  the  faith  it  inspires,  which  has  wrought  any  deliverance  in  society  and  done 
any  good  in  the  world.  As  the  chords  of  the  spirit  still  vibrate  when  the  strings  of 
the  lyre  are  mute,  and  the  strain  which  the  ear  has  drunk  in  makes  melody  for  ever 
in  the  soul,  so,  though  the  words  of  ancient  creeds  are  silent  on  our  lips,  the  eternal 
sentiments  of  veneration,  love,  gratitude,  and  trust  shall  yet  maintain  their  hold 
upon  our  lives,  shall  yet  perpetuate  their  music  in  our  hearts.  {E.  31.  Geldart,  M.A.) 
The  changeable  and  the  unchangeable  : — 1.  Here  is  a  written  creed  drawn  up  by  the 
finest  genius  of  the  Christian  Church.  Every  line  bears  traces  of  critical  and  most 
pious  care,  but  at  the  same  time  the  whole  was  done  as  the  result  of  human  co- 
operation. How  shall  we  place  this  creed  ?  We  may  instantly  place  it  among 
things  which  are  temporal.  What  then  is  it  which  is  by  its  nature  opposed  to  this 
thing  which  is  temporal,  and  is  therefore  to  be  reckoned  amongst  things  eternal  ? 
The  answer  is  faith.  The  difference  between  a  creed  and  faith  is  the  difference 
between  things  which  are  temporal  and  things  which  are  eternal.  Faith  is  not 
a  human  creation,  a  human  contrivance.  The  creed  will  vary — faith  will  abide. 
One  creed  cometh  and  disappeareth  after  another,  but  faith  abideth  for  ever.  2. 
DenominationaUsm  is  to  be  ranked  with  things  which  are  temporal.  What  is  the 
quantity  which  is  set  in  direct  opposition  as  being  permanent,  yea,  everlasting  ? 
Its  name  is  Worship — religious  homage,  religious  loyalty,  praise  of  God,  and  con- 
secration to  His  service.  Denominationalism,  like  all  our  little  systems,  has  its 
day ;  it  serves  a  most  useful  purpose.  But  worship  endures.  3.  We  may  apply 
the  same  principle  to  a  religious  institution.  Let  us  say  the  Sabbath.  Some  say 
that  the  Sabbath  should  be  on  Saturday,  and  some  that  it  should  be  on  Sunday. 
The  mere  day  must  be  set  amongst  things  which  are  temporal.  What  is  it  that 
is  eternal  ?  Eest.  You  can  appoint  the  day  if  you  please  to  be  Saturday,  to  be 
Creation  Day,  or  Eesurrection  Day,  or  Pentecostal  Day,  but  the  thing  you  cannot 
trifle  with  is  God's  gift,  God's  command  of  rest.  With  perfect  reverence  we  may 
apply  the  principle  to  the  Bible  itself.  Looking  at  the  Bible  externally,  it  is  a  book 
which  men  made  ;  they  made  the  paper,  they  cast  the  type.  The  Bible,  therefore, 
considered  as  a  book,  a  manufacture,  must  be  ranked  amongst  things  which  are 
temporal ;  it  has  its  human  aspects.  Then  what  is  it  that  is  eternal  ?  The  answer 
is :  the  thing  which  is  eternal  is  Revelation — the  contact  of  the  Divine  mind  with 
the  human  mind,  the  specific  communication  from  heaven  of  heaven's  high  purpose  ; 
a  revelation  of  the  nature  of  God,  the  economy  of  providence,  the  whole  scheme  of 
life,  with  all  its  mystery  of  sin,  and  all  its  sublimer  mystery  of  atonement.  In  the 
fields  of  controversy  we  should  assent  to  things  eternal.  What  does  controversy 
intermeddle  with?  With  things  that  are  temporal.  Controversy  takes  up  little 
subjects,  minute  points  ;  displays  its  shrewdness  and  cleverness  in  the  detection  of 
flaws  or  discrepancies  in  human  economies.  What  a  ground  of  union  we  have 
discovered  now  in  things  which  are  eternal !  Who  does  not  in  all  the  Christian 
Church  believe  in  the  necessity  of  faith,  worship,  philanthropy,  revelation  ?  Yet 
who  has  not  allowed  himself  to  be  driven  off  into  adjacent  lines  that  he  might 
fight  angry  battles  about  unimportant  things?  4.  In  coming  to  God  in  prayer, 
we  should  fix  the  mind  upon  things  which  are  eternal,  and  regulate  our  prayer 
by  their  wide  sweep.  We  are  not  to  ask  for  things  which  are  temporal,  with 
any  desire  to   insist  upon  them.     (J.  Parker,  D.D.)  Things  eternal : — I.  Odk 

.KNOWLEDGE     OF     THE      FUTURE     LITE     IS     ENTIKELY    A    MATTER     OF      REVELATION.       11. 


204  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  it, 

EeVELATION  does  not  describe  the  "  UNSEEN  THINGS,"  IT  DOES  STATE  EXPLIOIOPLT 
THAT    THEY    HAVE    THIS    QUALITY    OF    DURATION.       1.     It    tells    US    that   OUr    life  that    IS- 

lived  here  among  things  that  change  and  pass  away,  will  then  be  surrounded 
by  what  is  permanent,  that  the  relationships  into  which  we  shall  enter  there- 
will  never  be  broken,  that  the  good  we  attain  there  we  shall  never  be  in  danger 
of  losing.  Here  nothing  is  constant.  The  eternal  things  are  like  God  HimseK ; 
they  are  fixed  and  secure.  2.  Probably,  however,  some  are  saying  that  if  life  in 
heaven  is  thus  permanent,  there  is  a  prospect  of  monotony.  But  progress  is 
perfectly  consistent  with  the  idea  of  permanence.  Heaven  need  not  change,  though 
we  may  become  increasingly  familiar  with  its  glory.  The  Divine  Being  need  not 
change,  though  we  may  grow  in  knowledge  of  His  wiU,  and  receive  fresh  revelations 
of  His  character.  Our  natures  may  not  alter,  though  we  may  become  grander  in 
our  intellectual  conceptions,  and  be  enriched  in  our  spiritual  life.  The  tree  which- 
five  years  ago  bore  but  a  bushel  of  fruit,  and  this  year  bears  five,  is  the  same  tree, 
and  the  fruit  is  of  the  same  kind,  only  more  abundant.  No  change  in  its  nature 
has  been  effected.  The  boy  who  awhile  since  stammered  through  the  letters  of  the 
alphabet  with  difficulty,  but  who  can  now  read  the  masterpieces  of  English 
literature,  is  the  same  boy,  though  his  intellect  has  grown.  {W.  Braden.)  Tilings 
seen  and  things  unseen  : — Here  is  a  paradox  :  our  eyes,  are  they  not  made  to  look  at 
things  that  are  to  be  seen  ?  Direct  them  to  what  is  unseen,  is  that  wisdom?  But 
there  is  truth  in  many  a  paradox.  What  did  Paul  mean?  It  is  the  truest  of 
metaphors  that  the  soul  has  eyes  as  well  as  the  body.  Your  eyelids  may  close,  and 
leave  your  soul  all  the  freer  to  gaze  on  the  world  within — the  world  of  thought  and 
feeling.  Paul  did  not,  indeed,  employ  only  his  body  in  his  various  activities ;  but 
the  energy  he  exhibited  was  sustained  by  his  keen  gaze  on  spiritual  realities,  which 
"  eye  hath  not  seen,  or  ear  heard."  I.  The  transitoriness  of  all  things  seen,  the 
PERPETUITY  OF  THINGS  UNSEEN.  The  tcxt  exhibits  a  truth  wider  than  perhaps  we  all 
suspect.  1.  Take  your  home.  There  is  the  visible  house,  garden,  &c. ;  but  they 
alone  do  not  make  the  place  home  ;  because  to  other  people,  who  come  and  see  the 
same  things,  it  is  not  home.  Then  what  have  you  there  which  they  have  not? 
You  have  the  dear  associations  and  fond  attachments  of  many  happy  years.  Those 
two  things  make  a  place  home  ;  on  the  one  hand,  the  house  and  its  belongings  ;  on 
the  other  hand,  the  associations  of  years.  The  one  set,  "the  things  seen,"  and  the 
other,  "  the  things  unseen."  2.  Take  the  inmates  of  that  home.  Their  forms, 
once  so  familiar  to  our  eyes,  may  have  lain  for  years  in  their  graves  ;  but  the  love 
and  fidelity,  the  minds  and  hearts  which  animated  them,  these  God  has  taken — 
they  cannot  die.  They  live  and  glow  with  unfading  brightness  though  their  bodies- 
have  crumbled  away — "for  the  things  which  are  not  seen  are  eternal."  3.  Now 
these  are  but  striking  examples  of  a  principle  which  runs  aU  through  our  life. 
Mere  lapse  of  time  cannot  change  love,  it  may  live  and  grow,  though  the  visible 
object  of  it  is  no  more.  The  seen  is  not  all,  or  half ;  but  as  shadow  to  substance ; 
sign,  to  thing  signified.  II.  Fixing  the  view  on  things  temporary  or  eternal. 
This  far-reaching  truth  has  very  practical  bearings.  It  seems  most  obvious  that 
the  thoughts  and  affections  of  spiritual  beings  should  be  set,  not  on  the  transitory 
objects  which  perish  in  the  using,  but  on  those  underlying  verities,  sublimities, 
spiritual  realities,  which  abide.  Set  your  heart  on  a  flower,  a  day  will  blight  your 
joy.  Employ  your  faculties  and  interests  on  the  marvellous  laws  and  forces  which 
produce  it,  and  your  interest  wUl  be  called  forth  perpetually.  So  let  your  heart  be 
set  on  human  beauty  ;  it  is  but  a  question  of  a  little  longer  time,  and  you  will  be 
weeping  over  its  loss.  But  let  your  affections  fix  rather  on  charms  and  graces  of 
character,  and  you  may  have  a  good  hope  that  you  wiU  find  them  again  unchanged, 
imperishable,  like  your  own  recollections.  So,  again,  fix  your  whole  soul  on 
material  wealth,  and  the  good  things  of  earth,  or  on  anything  you  can  see  :  your 
happiness  is  a  mere  question  of  years.  Pursue  honour,  fidelity,  truth,  beauty  of 
soul,  especially  in  the  living  form  of  God  revealed,  eternal  truth,  eternal  beauty ; 
He  is  unseen,  the  invisible  source  and  fountain  of  what  we  behold  now,  and  shall 
behold  hereafter.  (T.  M.  Herbert,  M.A.)  The  things  seen  and  unseen : — I.  The 
THINGS  themselves.  The  Christian  man  looks  at  the  outward  fluctuation  of  life — 
at  what  is  done,  endured,  enjoyed  ;  but  amidst  all,  his  eye  is  fixed  upon  those  great 
eternal  principles,  which  come  directly  from  the  God  that  is  above  him;  and 
he  feels  His  great  government  to  be  a  living  power,  pressing  perpetually  upon  him, 
and  making  him  to  be  what  he  is.  II.  The  contrast  betwixt  these  two  classes  op 
THINGS.  Very  different  degrees  of  duration  belong  to  "  the  things  which  are  seen"  ; 
but  none  of  them  possess  perpetuity.     1.  If  you  take  that  which  has  the  longest 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  205 

duration— the  material  universe — still,  we  are  taught  by  Scripture  that  it  is 
temporal,  and  reason  confirms  the  idea.  The  eternity  of  matter  would  make  matter 
to  be  God.  The  whole  universe  is  but  the  material  manifestation  of  God,  and  the 
time  will  come  when  the  great  God,  having  for  ages  worn  this  splendid  regal  robe, 
sparkling  with  its  innumerable  lustrous  lights,  will  just  put  it  off,  fold  it  up,  and  lay 
it  aside  ;  while  He  Himself  changeth  not,  but  is  ever  the  same,  from  everlasting  to 
everlasting !  So  that  you  see,  compared  with  God,  that  which  has  the  greatest 
duration  is  yet  temporal  and  transitory.  2.  Again,  there  is  greater  duration 
belonging  to  the  structure  than  to  the  race  who  inhabit  it ;  and  to  that  greater 
duration  God  has  opposed  His  own  eternity.  Humanity  has  a  less  duration  than 
the  universe,  the  habitation ;  and  the  individual  has  a  much  less  duration  thau 
the  race.  But  contrasted  with  this,  there  is  the  "  spirit  in  man  " — the  "  inspiration 
of  the  Almighty,  which  giveth  him  understanding,"  and  which  partakes  of  the  in- 
destructibility of  God.  3.  Again,  the  great  things  that  make  life  what  it  is — the 
bustle,  activity,  ambition,  the  sweat  and  stir  of  mankind — why,  they  are  not  even 
so  long  as  life  itself.  The  little  child  outlives  the  things  which  to  his  age  are  "  the 
things  which  are  seen,"  and  which  please  while  they  last.  So  is  it  with  the  youth, 
and  with  the  young  man,  and  with  the  man  of  "fuU  age."  So  you  find  it  with 
men  everywhere ;  they  outlive  the  things  for  which  men  live — they  often  outlive 
even  the  capability  of  enjoying  them  if  they  had  them.  All  the  particular  forms  of 
human  action,  virtue,  glory,  temptation,  suffering — all  these  are  temporal  and 
transitory ;  but  the  principles  connected  with  them  all  are  eternal.  I  do  not  expect 
to  have  to  buy  and  sell  in  heaven  ;  but  whatever  I  do  there,  I  must  do  justly  and 
uprightly — the  principle  that  must  regulate  my  buying  and  selling  here.     HI.  The 

EELATION   OF    THE   ChKISTIAN    MIND    AND    HEART    TO    THESE.       "  We    look,"    &C.       This 

language  implies — 1.  A  perfect  persuasion  that  these  things  are.  Everywhere  the 
thoughtful  have  thought — surely,  there  is  a  great  Spirit ;  surely,  I  myself  have  a 
spirit.  And  not  only  so,  but  that  there  is  a  difference  between  this  thing  and  that;  I 
call  the  one  right  and  the  other  wrong,  this  bad  and  that  good.  But  there  have  been 
doubt,  scepticism,  and  uncertainty — mingled  with  all  this — reason,  wanting  satisfac- 
tion on  authority.  And  the  very  condition  of  our  nature  here,  as  bemg  in  a  state  of 
probation,  demands  that  principles  of  this  sort,  the  great  ruling  laws  by  which  we 
ought  to  be  regulated,  should  not  be  overpowering  in  their  manifestation.  But  the 
Christian  man  believes,  on  the  authority  of  the  declaration  of  God,  that  there  are 
these  unseen  existing  things  and  persons  and  principles.  2.  That  he  looks  at  them 
attentively,  regards  them  habitually,  realises  the  fact  of  his  being  surrounded  by 
these  unseen  things,  and  acts  in  relation  to  them.  IV.  The  results  of  this  con- 
dition OR  relation  of  the  Christian  mind  and  hkart  to  these  things.  1.  It 
elevates  and  dignifies  all  things.  The  world  and  man  are  no  longer  mere  material ; 
life  is  no  longer  little  or  mean,  for  everything  is  capable  of  being  associated  with, 
these  eternal,  infinite,  unseen  things.  Your  poets  and  novelists  can  sit  and  laugh 
and  snarl  at  human  life.  But  why?  Because  they  look  only  at  what  is  seen,  at 
what  is  little,  mean,  degraded.  But  there  is  no  littleness  even  in  the  follies  and 
vices  of  society,  when  we  regard  their  aspect  to  God  and  to  eternity.  2.  It  affords 
the  Christian  a  firm  footing  for  the  fulfilment  of  duty  and  the  resistance  of  tempta- 
tion. Duty — what  is  that  ?  "  Whatever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,"  do  it,  because 
the  principle  is  an  eternal  thing.  Temptation — what  is  that?  "  Child  of  mortality, 
turn  aside,  take  thy  present  pleasure,  enjoy  it  now !  "  But  the  man  whose  eye  is 
clear,  and  whose  heart  is  true,  says,  "  No,  no  !  I  see  through  it,  I  understand  it,  it  is 
all  hollow,  false,  empty."  Temptation  is  nothing  to  the  man  that  sees  it  is  but  the 
bubble  rising  to  the  surface  of  the  stream,  and  knows  that  though  it  looks  beautiful 
for  a  moment,  in  the  sunbeams  that  are  falling  upon  it,  it  shall  perish  and  pass 
away,  but  that  he  has  to  do  with  things  real,  Godlike,  and  enduring.  3.  It  is  the 
great  secret  of  the  inward  life,  by  which  we  may  bear  sorrow,  and  get  good  out  of 
anything  that  may  come  upon  us.  It  is  thus  the  apostles  were  sustained.  They 
could  sing  in  the  gaol,  because  they  could  glory  in  tribulation,  looking  at  "the 
things  which  are  not  seen."  They  could  say,  "  Our  light  affliction  which  is  but  for 
a  moment,"  &c.  {T.  Binnetj.)  Seen  and  unseen  things : — The  apostle  here 
discloses  the  gi-eat  secret  of  his  life-power.  He  was  one  of  the  world's  greatest 
benefactors;  and  yet  the  world  repaid  him  with  contempt,  stripes,  imprisonment. 
But  all  his  sufferings  fitted  him  for  his  work.  His  nature  was  kept  near  God, 
weaned  from  all  low  and  selfish  aims,  and  filled  with  zeal.  But  there  was  one 
condition  essential  to  this  elevation  and  purifying,  viz.,  that  in  all  his  suffering 
and  struggles  he  looked  not  at  things  seen,  but  things  unseen.    Above  him  was  the 


206  TEE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

Sun  of  Divine  love.  The  apostle  does  not  say  he  looked  at  future  things.  The 
invisible  things  that  he  looked  at  were  also  present.  The  present  things  that  he 
looked  at  were  eternal.  I.  Many  eegakd  the  text  as  phesenting  a  hard  and 
ALL  BUT  impossible  DUTY.  You  complain  that  the  outward  world  Ues  too  close 
to  you,  and  that  it  is  difficult  with  this  visible  world  forcing  itself  on  you 
to  look  to  the  invisible.  Do  you  never  think  that  the  unseen  world  presses 
itself  still  closer  to  you?  The  visible  world  is  not  always  before  you.  Dark- 
ness comes  on,  you  are  in  solitude.  Do  you  not  feel  a  world  of  thought  pressing 
closer  to  you  than  any  visible  things  ever  did  ?  Are  not  men  followed  by  ideas, 
by  plans,  by  the  voice  of  conscience,  in  a  far  closer  way  than  the  outward  world 
can  follow  ?  Do  not  say  that  the  visible  world  shuts  out  the  invisible ;  for 
have  you  not  often  been  absorbed  in  your  own  thoughts,  while  the  outward  world 
flowed  by  you  unnoticed  ?  And  is  not  the  thought  of  God,  of  Christ,  of  truth, 
of  righteousness,  of  duty,  of  love,  of  the  perfect  and  the  beautiful  in  life — are  not 
these  thoughts  of  such  a  kind  as  to  lay  hold  of  the  soul  ?  They  are  not  easily 
shaken  off.  Unseen  things  are  present  realities.  They  are  things  which  your  heart 
and  conscience  are  crying  after.  Your  heart  needs  a  Father,  you  need  the  sense 
of  forgiveness,  help,  rest,  comfort,  light  over  your  future  and  heavenly  guidance. 
You  cannot  say  that  it  is  difficult  to  look  at  these  things.  The  difficulty  is  to  be 
a  man  with  a  conscience  and  a  heart,  and  not  to  look  at  these  things.  Conceive 
what  a  struggle  any  man  must  have  who  utterly  refuses  to  look  at  the  things  which 
are  invisible.  But  it  may  be  said  the  visible  things  stand  between  men  and  the 
invisible.  But  do  all  men  feel  that  the  seen  things  hide  the  unseen  ?  Are  there 
not  some  at  least  to  whom  the  seen  things  are  reminders  of  the  unseen  ?  Are  there 
none  to  whom  rising  and  setting  suns  speak  of  a  day  that  never  ends,  of  the  flight 
of  time  and  the  nearness  of  eternity?  What  are  all  human  relationships  but  types 
and  shadows  of  unseen  realities  ?  Are  not  fatherhood  and  motherhood  drawing 
and  wooing  the  heart  to  the  Infinite  One,  who  is  our  true  Father  and  our  Mother 
too  ?  Are  not  separation  and  death  pointing  on  the  bruised  soul  to  a  world  of 
re-union  ?  II.  Some  of  the  means  .\nd  helps  to  looking  at  things  unseen.  Man 
by  his  very  constitution  must  look  at  things  unseen.  Whoever  feels  the  words  right 
or  duty  real,  is  looking  at  things  unseen.  But  yet  to  look  fully  and  steadily  at  the 
unseen  requires  effort.  It  is  not  the  less  binding  or  necessary  on  that  account.  But 
a  person  may  make  huge  effort  about  a  thing,  and  yet  come  much  farther  short  of 
the  mark  than  one  who  makes  little  effort.  1.  Take  up  a  right  position  in  reference 
to  anything,  and  that  is  half  the  labour  saved.  Here  is  a  man  striving  hard  to  see 
the  object  he  is  working  at.  Now,  if  he  would  only  take  a  few  steps  nearer  the 
light  this  would  be  all  unnecessary.  Here  is  a  man  looking  up  at  the  stars  from  the 
ground-floor  of  his  house.  He  has  difficulty  in  seeing  on  account  of  the  houses 
around  him.  If  he  would  but  go  up  to  the  topmost  flat  of  his  house,  what  an 
expanse  there  would  be  before  him  without  the  slightest  effort !  The  secret  of 
looking  at  things  unseen  and  finding  it  easy  just  lies  here — take  up  the  right 
position.  The  right  position  is  the  spirit  of  reconciliation.  Many  fail  to  look  at 
unseen  things  just  for  this  reason — they  have  not  accepted  the  reconciliation.  A 
cloud  is  lying  between  their  soul  and  God.  Come  out  into  the  sunshine  of  God's 
love  and  you  will  see  unseen  things.  2.  Whatever  unseen  thing  is  clear  and 
prominent  to  you  already,  whether  it  be  a  doctrine  or  a  person,  or  a  prophecy,  dwell 
on  that  unseen  thing  which  you  see.  It  is  most  precious,  as  the  earnest  of  the  whole. 
Make  the  most  of  it.  The  great  difficulty  is  to  you  already  overcome.  The  unseen 
is  seen.  The  one  spot  stands  for  the  whole  to  you,  and  it  may  bring  the  whole.  3. 
Look  steadily  at  the  unseen  things  of  duty  that  are  most  real  and  weighty  to  you. 
There  are  some  matters  of  duty  and  right  that  stand  out  clear  before  almost  every 
one.  Only  be  faithful  and  resolute,  and  follow  on.  It  wiU  take  no  long  time  for  a 
tender  and  brave  conscience  to  come  in  sight  of  the  greatest  things.  4.  Cherish  a 
penitent  spirit.  Sorrow  for  sin  visits  all  men,  but  only  some  welcome  it.  But  the 
wise  recognise  it  as  among  their  best  friends.  There  is  a  peculiar  power  in  sorrow 
for  sin  to  make  the  unseen  seen.  In  the  darkness  of  life  men  see  the  stars  of 
heavenly  guidance.  5.  Think  much  of  Christ  as  He  appeared  on  earth.  He  was  the 
invisible  made  visible.  God  was  visible  in  Him.  When  the  visible  Christ  stands 
out  clear,  beautiful,  real,  strong,  winning  before  you,  the  invisible  Christ  will  be 
real.  Christ  is  the  bridge  between  the  seen  and  the  unseen.  6.  Be  in  the  habit  of 
considering  all  seen  things  as  pictures  of  the  unseen.  (R.  H.  Story,  D.D.)  The 
seen  and  the  unseen  : — I.  Here  we  have  an  authokitative  account  of  the  Christian 
point  of  view  in  respect  of  two  worlds — the  seen  and  the  unseen.     1.  "  The 


CHAP.  IV.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  207 

things  that  are  seen  "  are  not  simply  whatever  meets  the  eye  of  sense  in  this 
present  life.  Along  with  the  things  we  see  go  naturally  our  associations  ;  we  have 
our  impressions,  and  judgments,  and  hopes,  and  fears  about  them.  "  The  things 
that  are  seen  "  mean  the  complex  life  of  the  society  in  which  we  hve,  the  life  of  a 
great  community,  the  State  of  which  we  are  members,  the  life  of  our  neighbour,  the 
life  of  our  immediate  friends,  of  our  family.  Now  a  Christian,  St.  Paul  says,  is  in 
the  position  of  a  man  who  is  aware  of  the  presence  of  the  visible  world,  while  his 
gaze  is  fixed  persistently  upon  the  world  invisible.  He  is  mentally  in  the  position 
of  a  traveller  passing  through  scenery  which  is  interesting,  buf  who  is  absorbed  in  a 
discussion  arising  out  of  the  scenery  which  makes  him  concentrate  his  thought  on 
something  beyond  it.  2.  "The  things  which  are  not  seen!"  Those  truths  and 
virtues  which  are  obscured  or  crowded  out  of  view  in  the  present  life  of  most  of  us, 
but  which  are  nevertheless  beautiful  and  enduring  realities ;  they  are  justice, 
charity,  truth,  sanctity.  We  do  not  see  God.  The  King,  eternal  and  immortal,  is 
also  the  invisible.  We  do  not  see  the  angels.  We  do  not  see  the  souls  of  the 
departed.  "We  look  at  the  things  which  are  not  seen."  We  are  citizens,  as  the 
apostle  says,  of  heaven  ;  "we  walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight."  And  what  is  the 
reason  for  this?  "  The  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal,  the  things  which  are 
not  seen  are  eternal."  That  which  meets  the  eye  of  sense  is  here  only  for  a  season ; 
it  will  pass  away.  That  which  meets  the  eye  of  the  soul  illuminated  by  faith  will 
last  for  ever.  This  quality  of  eternity  suffices  to  outweigh  the  advantages  which  at 
first  sight  might  seem  to  be  on  the  side  of  the  world  of  sense.  So  far  as  matters  of 
this  world  are  concerned,  it  has,  no  doubt,  much  to  say  for  itself,  but  it  is  out- 
weighed by  the  fact  that  the  world  which  we  hold  in  our  hands  is  already  passing. 
This  present  Ufe^it  is  like  one  of  those  acidulated  drops  which  melt  in  the  mouth, 
«ven  as  we  enjoy  it.  In  this  world,  "Change  and  decay  in  all  around  I  see." 
JFriends  die  off,  society  around  us  wears  every  year  a  new  face,  our  power  of  body 
and  mind  become  modified  and  weaker.  And  how  different  our  country  is  to-day 
from  the  England  of  George  IV.,  from  the  England  of  Pitt,  from  the  England  of 
Nelson  ;  but  Almighty  God,  He  is  exactly  what  He  was  at  each  of  those  periods, 
and  the  great  moral  virtues  and  the  ever-blessed  angels,  and  the  conditions  of  the 
unseen  world — they  are  just  exactly  what  they  were ;  and  then  as  now,  and  now  as 
then,  souls  who  desire  to  escape  from  this  torrent  of  change  and  decomposition 
around  us  and  to  lay  strong  hold  upon  the  alone  unchangeable  must,  with  St.  Paul, 
look  not  at  the  things  which  are  seen,  but  the  things  that  are  not  seen.  And  this  had 
been  before  the  teaching  of  our  Lord.  The  kingdom  of  heaven  which  He  founded 
on  earth  was  but  the  vestibule  of  that  kingdom  in  heaven.  To  any  who  thought  that 
this  world  would  be  the  main  scene  of  the  new  kingdom.  He  addresses  that  solemn 
parable  of  the  man  who  would  pull  down  his  barn  and  build  a  greater.     II.  To 

THESE  CONSIDEKATIOXS    AN    OBJECTION    HAS    OFTEN  BEEN    MADE  WHICH    IS    WOllTH  NOTICE. 

*'  See  how  you  Christians,"  it  is  said,  "  with  your  faith  in  eternity,  forget  the  duties 
that  belong  to  time."  But  this  is  grossly  untrue.  It  is  contradicted  by  the  Christian 
doctrine  of  judgment,  by  2  Thess.,  and  by  Christ's  example  (note  particularly  John 
xiii.).  This  truth  as  to  the  relative  importance  of  the  seen  and  the  unseen,  if  it  be 
really  held,  will  affect  our  lives  in  not  a  few  ways.  1.  It  will  govern  our  disposal 
of  our  income.  If  we  look  only  at  the  things  which  are  seen,  we  shall  spend  it 
mainly  upon  ourselves,  reserving,  perhaps,  some  portion  for  objects  of  a  public 
character,  which  it  is  creditable  or  popular  to  support ;  if  we  look  mainly  at  the 
things  which  are  not  seen,  we  shall  spend  at  least  one-tenth,  probably  more,  upon 
some  agencies  that  shall  bring  the  eternal  world,  and  all  that  prepares  men  for  it, 
home  to  our  fellow-creatures.  It  might  help  some  of  us  to  try  to  think  what  ve 
shall  wish  we  had  done  with  the  means  which  God  has  given  us,  five  minutes  after 
our  hand  has  become  unable  to  sign  a  cheque.  2.  It  will  affect  our  v.'hole  view  and 
practice  in  the  matter  of  education.  If  our  reason  is  confined  to  this  life,  we  educate 
our  children  for  this  life  and  this  life  only.  If,  with  the  apostle,  we  look  to  the 
things  that  are  not  seen,  we  educate  our  children  primarily  for  that  existence  which 
awaits  them  beyond  the  grave,  and  secondarily  for  this  life,  which  is  but  a  preface, 
though  a  most  important  preface,  to  that  which  will  follow  it.  Conclusion  :  There 
used  to  be  in  bygone  centuries,  perhaps  there  is  still,  a  custom  at  the  enthronisation 
of  a  Pope  which  embodied  this  truth  with  vivid  elfect.  When  at  the  most  solemn 
moment  of  the  great  occasion  the  procession  of  which  the  new  Pontiff  was  the 
•central  figure,  was  advancing  along  tlie  na,ve  of  the  great  church,  representing,  as  it 
did,  all  that  art  and  v.-ovl-.1ly  splendour  could  do  to  enhance  the  idea  of  mingled 
-ecclesiastical  and  civil  sway,  a  master  of  the  ceremonies  led  a  torch  which  slowly 


208  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  iv- 

died  away  until  it  went  out,  and  as  he  bore  it  aloft  at  the  head  of  the  procession  he 
chanted  the  words,  "  Pater  Sancte,  sic  transit  gloria  mundi " — Holy  Father,  thus 
does  this  world's  glory  pass  away.  That  was  a  bit  of  hard  truth  in  a  scene  where 
there  may  well  have  been  much  to  mislead,  to  inflate,  to  overlay  spiritual  realities 
by  temporal  pomp — that  was  a  bit  of  hard  truth  that  we  might  do  well  to  remember 
solemnly  at  the  proudest  and  brightest  moments  of  life  when  friends  surround  us 
with  kind,  perhaps  flattering  words,  which  self-love  might  easily  weave  into  a  robe 
that  would  hide  our  true  selves  from  our  inward  gaze.  "  So  passes  the  glory  of 
this  world."  No  doubt  it  is  a  commonplace,  but  each  generation  of  men  forgets  the 
accumulated  teaching  of  experience,  and  has  to  learn  for  itself  the  old  lesson  over 
again.  Only  when  the  evening  of  life  is  come  on,  only  when  the  shadows  are 
lengthening  do  most  men  who  are  not  deeply  influenced  by  Christianity  repeat  it 
with  entire  sincerity.  {Ca7ion  Liddon.)  The  visible  and  the  invisible : — The 
truth  proclaimed  in  the  text  indicates — I.  The  standakd  of  tkue  poweb.  It  is  an 
immeasurable  practical  truth.  1.  This  spiritual  discernment,  throwing  all  things  into 
true  relations,  gives  to  each  thing  its  real  value.  The  man  who  habitually  contem- 
plates these  permanent  reaUties  is  deUvered  from  scepticism.  The  importance  of  all 
life,  the  inherent  greatness  of  being,  is  to  him  made  apparent.  He  whose  vision  is 
limited  to  that  which  is  seen  may  easily  fall  into  doubt  and  disparagement.  Tohinx 
things  may  seem  to  have  no  purpose.  He  sees  them  growing  and  decaying,  appearing 
and  vanishing,  in  a  wearisome  monotony  of  change.  "  The  things  which  are  seen  are 
temporal "  ;  and,  if  the  existence  of  man  is  involved  with  these  alone,  what  object  is 
there  in  lofty  and  self-sacrificing  work  ?  But  encouragement  for  such  endeavour  is 
at  once  made  manifest  when  we  regard  this  lot  of  ours  as  involved  with  "  the  things 
which  are  not  seen" ;  for  "the  things  which  are  not  seen  are  eternal."  2.  Nor  is  the 
man  who  looks  at  "  the  things  which  are  not  seen  "to  be  regarded  visionary,  while 
he  whose  eyes  are  fixed  upon  "  the  things  which  are  seen  "  is  to  be  reckoned  as  the 
man  of  solid  and  practical  sense.  Quite  otherwise.  That  man  is  not  visionary 
who  discerns  things  as  they  are,  but  he  who  lives  in  the  illusion  of  a  false  or 
partial  vision.  He  is  not  a  fanatic  who  takes  the  broadest  compass  of  being  for  the 
standard  of  things  ;  but  he  who  Uves  in  the  delusion  of  the  senses,  and  the  narrow- 
ness of  his  own  conceit.  There  are  fanatics  of  the  senses,  visionary  worldlings, 
who,  with  a  bit  of  coin,  hide  aU  heaven  from  their  own  eyes,  and  who  bury  their 
souls  in  the  limitations  of  the  flesh.  Bead  in  this  chapter  the  record  in  which 
the  apostle  recounts  his  labours,  his  sacrifices,  and  his  sufferings,  and  then 
remember  that  the  man  who  thus  wrought  and  endured  looked  to  "  the  things 
which  are  not  seen,"  and  was  able  thus  to  do  and  to  bear,  because  he  looked  to 
"the  things  which  are  unseen."  It  was  something  not  yet  seen  for  which  Russell 
suffered  and  Hampden  fell.  Things  not  seen  hovered  above  the  Pilgrims'  stormy 
passage,  di-ew  Columbus  onward,  and  made  Luther  say,  "  Here  stand  I :  I  cannot 
otherwise.  God  help  me  ! "  Things  not  seen  fired  the  apostle's  heart,  and  bade  him 
challenge  the  corrruption  of  Corinth,  and  the  pride  of  Athens.  3.  All  the  highest 
kinds  of  power  are  unseen.  In  the  material  world,  the  things  we  see  are  only 
phenomena  projected  by  energies  which  we  do  not  see.  The  sap  and  root  of  all  life 
in  nature  are  unseen.  And,  in  this  human  organism,  where  is  the  principle  of  life 
that  moves  the  heart  and  drives  the  blood  ?  No  knife  has  ever  laid  it  bare,  no- 
galvanic  current  has  forced  its  secret.  These  great  instruments  of  civilisation,  too, 
the  printing-press,  the  steam-engine,  the  ship — behind  them  all  stands  the  inventor's 
idea,  the  builder's  thought.  The  grandest  actons,  the  mightiest  endeavours,  are 
they  not  inspired  by  unseen  forces  of  thought  and  will  ?  When  we  look  to  the 
things  which  are  not  seen,  we  look  to  the  sources  of  the  highest  power.  II.  The 
STANDARD  OF  TRUE  KNOWLEDGE.  1.  The  most  fatal  hindrance  to  aU  knowledge  is  the 
conceit  of  present  attainment.  For  intellectual  life  consists  in  the  consciousness  of 
perpetual  acquisition  and  perpetual  need.  When  our  knowledge  becomes  a  pond, 
instead  of  a  river,  it  stagnates.  In  what  practical  forms  this  conceit  breaks  out  1 
It  is  expressed  by  him  who  virtually  limits  all  truth  to  his  own  creed,  or  all  right  to- 
his  party,  who  regards  every  innovation  as  heretical,  and  every  adverse  argument 
as  folly.  But  truth  will  not  be  thus  cramped  and  excluded.  2.  A  cure  for  such 
assumptions  is  found  by  looking  to  "  the  things  which  are  not  seen."  The  immense 
region  which  lies  outside  our  actual  knowledge,  forces  upon  wise  minds  the  con- 
viction that  we  know  but  httle ;  which,  if  in  some  degree  a  humiliating,  is  also  a> 
profitable  and  consoling  conclusion.  For  who  shall  estimate  the  riches,  the 
possibilities,  that  are  hidden  from  our  sight  ?  This  earth  on  which  we  dwell,  how 
fruitful  is  it  in  sources  of  astonishment!    And  yet,  in  the  sweep  of  telescopic  vision. 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  209 

our  earth,  with  all  that  it  contains,  dwindles  to  an  atom.  But  all  this  magnificent 
theatre  of  the  visible  is  merely  the  vestibule  of  the  invisible,  while  the  entire 
physical  creation  is  only  the  star-woven  veil  that  hides  those  finer  realities,  with 
which,  as  yet,  we  are  not  fitted  to  hold  communion.  And  yet  there  are  men  who 
taUi,  and  who  live,  as  though  all  things  lay  open  to  the  natural  eye.  3.  And, 
passing  into  the  region  of  our  daily  hfe,  I  ask,  considering  the  conditions  of  our 
actual  knowledge,  is  there  not  a  suggestion  and  a  caution  as  to  how  we  decide  upon 
the  movements  of  Providence  ?  For  the  works  and  the  ways  of  God  are  intimately 
involved  with  "the  things  which  are  not  seen  "  ;  and  surely,  in  this  consciousness 
of  human  limitation,  there  is  ground  not  only  for  humility,  but  for  trust  and 
consolation.  HI.  The  standahd  of  tktje  life.  For  man's  true  life  is  above  the 
level  of  the  senses.  That  in  which  we  have  the  deepest  interest,  which  sustains  us 
while  we  sleep,  and  flows  in  all  the  currents  of  our  action,  and  rebukes  or  conse- 
crates all  we  do,  is  not  palpable,  like  our  food  or  raiment  or  houses  or  money.  It  is 
unseen.  And  in  a  short  time,  at  the  longest,  our  bodily  peculiarity  and  aU  that 
pertains  thereto  will  drop  as  a  garment,  and  we  shall  pass  into  the  unseen.  And  if 
practically  we  neglect  this  truth  we  cannot  truly  hve.  That  which  we  implicitly 
trust,  that  which  we  truly  love,  forms  an  essential  constituent  of  our  being.  There 
is  nothing  that  the  eye  sees,  or  the  hand  touches,  that  is  not  liable  to  change  and  to 
vanish.  In  proportion  as  we  trust  in  that  which  is  seen,  we  are  weak  in  its  weak- 
ness, and  insecure  in  its  uncertainty.  And  it  is  thus  with  whatever  we  truly  love. 
Our  affections  are  sure  of  their  objects  only  as  they  intwine  themselves  with  the 
unseen,  the  deathless  thought,  the  beauty  of  the  soul,  the  wealth  of  immortal  love, 
all  recognised,  but  all  unseen.  Our  possessions  are  firm  when  they  become  parts  of 
ourselves,  intrinsic  elements  of  our  spiritual  but  hidden  nature.  And  he  whose  hope 
is  anchored  in  heaven,  and  whose  reliance  is  upon  God,  is  entangled  with  no 
uncertainty,  and  fears  neither  the  hostility  nor  the  failure  of  earthly  things.  {E. 
H.  Chapin,  D.D.)  Things  eternal  weighed  against  things  temporal : — There  are 
two  ways  in  which  to  consider  these  assertions.  We  may  speak  of  the  former  as 
temporal,  and  of  the  latter  as  eternal,  either  as  they  are  in  themselves  or  as  they 
are  possessed  by  us.  I.  "  The  things  which  aee  seen  aee  temporal."  1.  Is  it, 
then,  so  that  the  glorious  and  mighty  fabric  of  the  material  universe  is  to  last  only 
for  a  time  ?  We  must  be  careful  that  we  do  not  overstrain  the  apostle's  expression, 
but  it  practically  matters  little  er  nothing  whether  matter  is  to  be  annihilated,  or 
whether  it  is  to  be  lost  in  new  shapes  and  combinations,  provided  only  that  in 
either  case  there  is  to  be  so  complete  a  ren^oval  of  the  existing  system  of  things  that 
the  earth  and  the  heavens  may  be  said  to  "  flee  away  before  the  face  of  Him  that 
sitteth  upon  the  throne."  This  certainly  suftices  to  afQx  a  temporal  character  to  all 
that  is  seen,  and  therefore  to  vindicate  the  apostle's  statement  in  our  text.  And 
upon  this  we  would  fasten  your  attention.  Is  it  not  a  confounding  thought,  that 
by  a  simple  effort  of  His  will  the  Almighty  is  to  unhinge  and  dislocate  the  amazing 
mechanism  of  the  universe,  and  yet  remain  Himself  the  great  "  I  am,"  the  same  when 
stars  and  planets  faU  as  when,  in  far  back  time,  they  flrst  blazed  at  His  command  ? 
Who  amongst  us  does  not  feel  rebuked  by  this,  if  he  be  Uving  in  preference  of  the 
objects  of  sight  to  the  objects  of  faith  ?  Man  of  pleasure  !  go  on  delighting  thyself 
with  things  which  gratify  the  senses  ;  man  of  learning !  continue  to  neglect  the  wisdom 
which  is  from  above,  and  account  thyself  knowing  because  acquainted  with  certain 
laws  and  phenomena  of  nature  ;  man  of  avarice  !  persist  in  digging  for  gold,  and 
consume  thy  days  and  nights  in  labours  to  become  rich  ;  man  of  ambition !  still 
toil  for  distinction  and  spare  no  sacrifice  which  may  gain  a  higher  title  ;  but  know, 
all  ye  worshippers  of  visible  things,  that,  immortal  yourselves,  you  are  cherishing 
as  your  portion  what  is  finite  and  perishable.  2.  But  some  may  say,  "  The  things 
which  are  seen  may  thus  be  only  temporal ;  but  where  the  duration  is  so  immense 
there  is  nothing  very  affecting  to  the  mind  in  proving  that  it  is  not  infinite."  Let  us 
descend,  therefore,  to  lower  ground.  Our  connection  with  earth  must  be  terminated 
by  death  ;  the  sun  must  rise  on  us  for  the  last  time,  though  millions  of  cheerful  eyes 
will  hail  his  rising  on  the  morrow.  3.  Will  ye  not  then  allow,  that,  forasmuch  as 
there  is  to  be  this  total  separation  between  you  and  "  the  things  which  are  seen," 
these  things  are  to  be  called  "  temporal,"  whatever  their  duration  ?  And  since, 
however  attractive  these  things  may  be,  it  is  unavoidable  that  »ur  connection  with 
them  must  be  brief,  and  our  separation  from  them  final,  will  ye  not  confess  that  it 
cannot  be  the  part  of  wisdom  to  place  our  affections  on  them,  and  to  devote  our 
days  to  their  acquisition  ?  We  wiU  not  argue  with  the  sensualist  in  the  midst  of 
the  fascinating  objects  wherein  he  deUghts ;  we  will  not  argue  with  the  philosopher 

14 


^210  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  iv. 

as  the  broad  arch  of  heavens  fixes  his  study ;  but  we  will  argue  with  them  all  amid 
the  graves  of  a  churchyard.  That  tomb  ! — it  is  that  of  an  opulent  merchant.  He 
made  thousands,  and  then  could  carry  nothing  away  with  him  of  all  that  he  had 
accumulated.  Yonder  proud  marble  ! — it  marks  the  resting-place  of  one  who 
attained  high  rank.  He  wore  stars  and  ribbons,  and  then  left  them  for  a  winding- 
sheet.  Beneath  your  feet  is  the  dust  of  a  voluptuary.  He  thought  nothing  worth 
living  for  but  pleasure ;  he  took  his  fill,  and  was  then  stripped  of  every  power  of 
enjoyment.  This  stone  covers  a  man  of  science.  He  delighted  in  searching  after 
knowledge ;  and,  having  stored  his  mind  with  a  varied  erudition,  he  was  hurried 
into  a  world  of  which  he  had  gained  no  intelligence.  U.  "  The  things  which  are  not 
SEEN  AEE  ETERNAL."  1.  Who  Can  hear  of  "  things  not  seen,"  and  not  immediately 
feel  his  thoughts  turn  to  that  amazing  and  glorious  Being  of  whom  it  is  said,  "  No 
man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time  "  ?  Let  man  decay,  let  the  forests  wither,  let  the  moun- 
tains subside,  let  the  rocks  crumble,  yea,  let  the  very  heavens  cease  from  what  we  are 
wont  to  call  their  everlasting  march,  and  God  will  have  undergone  no  change 
throughout  this  immeasurable  series  of  revolutions ;  "  I  Am  that  I  Am,"  when  this 
series  commenced,  "  I  Am  that  I  Am,"  when  this  series  shall  have  closed.  2.  But 
though  eternity  is  thus  to  be  affirmed  of  God  in  a  sense  in  which  it  cannot  be  of 
anything  besides,  there  are  "  things  which  are  not  seen  "  and  which  are  "eternal " 
in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  word.  It  is  here  that  we  must  deal  with  the 
word  "eternal"  in  the  manner  in  which  we  dealt  with  the  word  "temporal" — 
consider  it,  that  is,  in  reference  not  only  to  objects  in  themselves,  but  to  our  own 
connection  with  them.  If  you  have  the  riches  which  are  seen,  they  are  but  temporal, 
for  you  must  part  with  them  at  death  ;  if  you  have  the  riches  which  are  not  seen, 
they  are  eternal,  for  you  shall  never  be  deprived  of  their  possession.  If  you  suffer 
pains  here  they  are  temporal ;  they  shall  end,  if  not  before,  yet  with  the  close  of  life. 
If  you  suffer  pains  hereafter  they  will  be  eternal.  And  do  ye  believe  this  ?  Then 
what  meaneth  this  devotion  of  your  energies  to  what  is  earthly  and  perishable  ? 
"What  meaneth  this  setting  of  the  affections  upon  shadows  and  upon  baubles  ? 
What  meaneth  this  languor  and  indifference  in  religion?  The  grand  object  of 
practical  Christianity  is  to  gain  its  rightful  ascendancy  for  invisible  things.  It  is 
here  that  the  struggle  lies.  Faith  and  sense,  these  are  the  contending  parties,  and 
ye  are  under  the  dominion  of  the  one  or  of  the  other — judge  ye  which  ;  but  let  no 
one  call  himself  a  believer  in  the  reality  and  superiority  of  invisible  and  eternal 
things,  when  he  is  manifestly  engaged  with  the  love  and  desire  of  visible  and 
present.  The  truths  of  the  Bible  are  of  such  a  nature,  that  there  can  be  no  evidence 
of  our  believing  them  except  our  obeying  them.  Do  ye  believe  in  the  hai^piness  of 
heaven  ?  Not  unless  ye  are  trying  to  secure  it.  Do  ye  believe  in  the  wretchedness 
of  hell  ?  Not  unless  ye  are  striving  to  escape  it.  (H.  Melvill,  B.D.)  The 
Christian'' s  habit  of  mind  : — To  be  a  Christian  you  must  look  at  the  things  "  unseen 
and  eternal";  to  continue  to  be  a  Christian  you  must  habitually  regard  them. 
Paul  was  a  converted,  i.e.,  a  turned  man.  Before  his  conversion  he  looked  one  way, 
after  he  looked  quite  in  the  opposite  direction.  Two  facts,  then,  are  plain — first, 
the  habit  of  the  worldly  mind  is  to  "  look  at  things  seen  and  temporal,"  and  second, 
the  Christian  habit  of  mind  is  to  "  look  at  things  unseen  and  eternal."  In  a  time 
of  persecution,  it  is  said  that  seven  Christian  youths  of  Ephesus  found  refuge  in  a 
cave.  They  slept  for  two  hundred  years,  till  "  kings  had  become  nursing  fathers  to 
the  Church."  When  they  awoke  they  entered  the  city  cautiously,  inquiring  if  there 
were  any  Christians  there.  "Christians!"  was  the  reply;  "yes,  we  are  aU 
Christians  here."  On  one  side  they  were  pointed  to  a  splendid  dome  with  a  golden 
cross ;  on  another  to  schools  where  Christianity  was  taught.  No  longer  the  rack, 
the  stake,  the  sword.  Further  inquiries,  however,  grieved  them.  They  learned  that 
as  Christianity  prospered,  it  had  become  worldly  and  corrupt.  "  You  have  sho^vn 
us,"  said  they,  "  something  but  little  better  than  you  were  before ;  where,  after  all, 
are  the  Christians?"  In  great  sorrow  they  returned  to  their  cave,  and  God 
removed  them  to  heaven.  Note — I.  The  tendency  to  look  at  temporal  things 
MAINLY.  How  accounted  for.  1.  The  natural  difficulty  of  fixing  attention  upon 
spiritual  and  heavenly  things.  "Out  of  sight,  out  of  mind."  Yet  we  must  not  allow 
too  much  to  this  adage.  Things  unseen  may  and  do  powerfully  affect  us,  e.g.,  stars 
to  the  astronomical  student,  even  when  out  of  sight,  are  present  to  his  mind  ;  an 
absent  friend,  a  loved  one  in  heaven.  Why  then  forget  God  and  eternity?  2. 
Moral  indisposition.  It  comes  of  unbelief.  Many  banish  thoughts  of  the  eternal 
as  intrusive.  3.  Procrastination.  Temporal  concerns  are  termed  "  business,"  as 
though  they  only  deserved  attention,  and  higher  things  might  be  deferred  to  leisure 


CHAP.  IV.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  211 

moments.  Men  have  their  premises  insured,  but  alas !  in  reference  to  eternity  they 
seek  no  insurance.  4.  The  blinding  power  of  sinful  habits.  He  who  is  confirmed 
in  any  sinful  habit  is  rendering  himself  less  inclined  to  and  less  capable  of  religious 
thought.  The  man  is  of  the  earth,  earthy.  His  soul  comes  into  no  affinity  with 
spiritual  things.  II.  The  Christian  habit  of  looking  at  "  things  unseen  and 
ETERNAL."  1.  It  is  not  an  occasional  impvdse ;  it  is  a  habit.  His  eye  rests  on  those 
things  that  have  the  stamp  of  endurance.  Young  Christians  must  not  be  discouraged 
if  the  habit  is  not  rapidly  formed.  The  albatross  has  to  skim  at  first  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  but  once  risen,  it  soars  tiU  its  extended  wings  are  ahiiost  in- 
visible. 2.  The  benefits  of  this  habit.  (1)  It  will  lift  us  up  above  a  base  and 
worldly  life.  Spiritual  dignity  attaches  to  that  man's  character  whose  "  citizenship 
is  in  heaven."  (2)  It  will  afford  comfort  in  changes  and  adversities.  Paul  realised 
this  consolation,  for  he  felt  affliction  to  be  but  "light  and  for  a  moment."  The 
same  pole-star  will  guide  us  if  we  look  up  to  it.  See  the  pilot  in  the  tempest  at 
night.  He  keeps  his  eye  on  the  light  of  the  harbour.  He  does  not  look  at  the 
surging  waves  as  they  strike  on  the  rocky  coast,  but  he  looks  to  the  light  till  he 
passes  safely  into  "  the  desired  haven."  In  severe  trial  there  is  no  other  talisman 
than  looking  to  "  things  unseen  and  eternal."  (3)  It  will  prepare  us  for  death. 
Christians  form  the  habit  of  looking  forward  with  expectancy  to  the  change  from 
mortality  to  a  blissful  immortahty.  (D.  Fraser,  D.D.)  Vanities  and  verities  : — 
The  text  is  a  double  paradox.  Things  that  can  be  seen  are,  naturally,  the  things  to 
be  looked  at.  And  yet  the  apostle  teUs  us  not  to  look  at  the  things  which  are  seen, 
but  at  the  things  which  are  not  seen.  But  how  can  you  look  at  what  you  cannot 
see  ?  This  is  only  one  paradox  of  the  Christian  life,  but  we  shall  soon  see  that  there 
is  no  difficulty  whatever.  I.  Let  us  look  at  what  can  be  seen,  and  ask,  what  is 
meant  by  this  protest  ?  1.  Lightly  esteeming  present  joy  and  sorrow,  as  if  they  were 
not  worth  looking  at.  The  present  is  so  soon  to  be  over,  that  Paul  does  not  care  to 
look  at  it.  Here  he  is  persecuted,  despised,  forsaken.  "  It  will  not  last  long,"  saith 
he.  "  We  are  like  a  man  who  stays  at  an  hostelry  for  a  night  whilst  he  is  on  a 
journey.  Is  the  room  uncomfortable?  When  the  morning  breaks  it  is  of  no  use 
making  a  complaint ;  so  we  merely  chronicle  the  fact  and  hasten  on.  If  a  person  is 
going  a  long  distance  in  a  railway  carriage,  he  may  be  a  little  particular  as  to  where 
he  shall  sit,  but  if  it  is  only  a  short  stage,  he  does  not  think  about  it.  A  whole 
eternity  lies  beyond,  and  therefore  a  short  temporality  dwindles  into  an  insignifi- 
cant trifle."  Paul  meant  more  than  that,  however,  viz.,  that  he  had  learned  not  to 
regard  the  things  of  the  present  as  real,  substantial,  or  enduring.  Like  as  clouds 
when  they  float  overhead  assume  divers  shapes  but  change  their  form  while  we  are 
gazing  at  them,  so  events  as  they  seemed  to  be  transpiring  were  to  him  no  more 
than  apparitions.  Look  upon  loss  or  suffering  in  the  light  of  time,  and  see  what  a 
fleeting  thing  it  is,  and  bear  it  bravely  like  a  Christian  man,  because  you  have  in 
heaven  a  better  and  an  enduring  substance.  2.  The  word  is  sometimes  translated 
"  mark."  We  are  not  to  mark  the  things  which  are  seen  as  if  they  were  worth 
notice.  Children  clap  their  hands  and  otherwise  express  their  delight  at  a  new  toy  or 
frock.  Be  not  children,  but  quit  yourselves  as  men,  and  look  on  the  things  of  this 
life  as  toys.  But  carefuUy  mark  down  the  eternal  things.  Did  the  Lord  appear  to 
you  ?  Mark  that  down.  Did  you  win  a  soul  to  Christ  ?  Mark  that  down.  Did 
you  have  sweet  answers  to  prayer  ?  Mark  that  down.  3.  Another  meaning  is,  take 
heed.  The  apostle  was  not  anxious  about  the  things  which  were  seen.  "  After  all 
these  things,"  says  Christ,  "  do  the  Gentiles  seek."  Well,  let  the  Gentiles  follow 
their  pursuits;  but  the  child  of  God  should  not,  for  our  Lord  says  unto  us,  "  Take 
no  thought,"  &c.  4.  Paul  in  Gal.  vi.  1  uses  the  word  in  the  sense  of  considering, 
e.g.,  if  the  apostle  knew  that  he  should  glorify  God  by  preaching  the  gospel,  and  if 
friend  or  foe  should  say  to  him,  "  Paul,  you  will  risk  your  life  if  you  do,"  he  would 
never  take  their  caveat  into  his  consideration.  And  if  they  had  said,  "  If  you 
administer  such  and  such  a  reproof  in  a  certain  Church,  you  will  lose  caste  among 
them,"  again  he  would  have  smiled.  It  would  have  had  no  more  influence  upon  him 
than  it  would  have  upon  a  merchant  should  you  say  to  him,  "  If  you  go  into  such  a 
district  you  will  have  to  encounter  clouds  of  dust."  He  would  reply,  "  Why,  if  I  can 
nett  a  thousand  pounds,  what  do  I  care  about  dust  or  no  dust?  "  5.  By  "  not  looking 
at  the  things  which  are  not  seen,"  we  may  understand  not  making  them  our  scope. 
That  is  the  nearest  equivalent  to  the  Greek.  Alas,  there  are  many  whose  whole  scope 
of  life  is  that  they  may  prosper  in  this  world.  The  next  world  may  go  as  it  wUls ; 
their  scope  ends  here.  Eternal  things  seem  dim  and  unsubstantial.  Now,  it  mus'. 
not  be  so  with  us.     We  should  say,  "The  things  eternal  I  pursue.     I  am  no  more  a- 


212  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

citizen  of  this  world,  but  a  pilgrim  bound  for  the  celestial  city."  11.  Looking  at  the 
THINGS  WHICH  ABE  NOT  SEEN.  1.  Ecalise  them  by  faith.  Try  to  look  at  these  things 
as  present  facts.  Some  wiU  never  do  so.  2.  Look  on  them  with  the  eye  of  delight. 
Is  it  not  a  delicious  thing  to  look  forward  to  heaven  ?  The  poor  girl  who  goes 
home  from  this  joyous  place  of  worship  to  her  own  little  cheerless  room  would  feel 
miserable  indeed  if  she  looked  at  the  shady  side  of  her  condition  ;  but  she  says, 
"  My  Lord  is  in  this  room,"  and  the  place  glows  as  if  it  were  made  of  slabs  of  gold. 
She  settles  down  and  begins  to  think  of  the  heaven  that  is  hers.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  you  are  not  converted,  I  would  urge  you  to  look  upon  the  eternal  future  with  an 
intense  dread,  for  without  Christ  what  is  there  for  you  among  the  things  which  are 
not  seen,  and  are  eternal,  but  misery  ?  3.  Look  to  them  with  hope.  Long  for  the 
bright  appearing  of  the  Lord.  Should  there  be  any  young  man  here  who  knows 
that  when  he  comes  of  age  he  is  to  enjoy  a  rich  heritage,  I  will  be  bound  to  say  he 
has  often  forestalled  the  time  because  he  is  sure  of  his  title.  If  any  one  of  you  had 
a  legacy  left  hhn  of  a  large  estate,  he  would  be  off  this  week  to  have  a  look  at  it. 
Christian,  be  sure  to  survey  thine  own  possession  in  the  skies.  What  a  sanctifying 
influence  such  anticipations  will  have  upon  you!  "Every  one  that  hath  this  hope 
purifieth  himself."  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  On  eternity  : — I.  To  illustrate  the 
GENERAL  NATURE  OF  ETERNITY.  But  who  Can  explain  it  ?  who  can  comprehend  it  ? 
Our  conception  of  it  is  somewhat  like  the  survey  a  man  takes  of  the  ocean  from  on 
board  a  ship  sailing  in  the  midst  of  it.  He  sees  the  ocean,  though  not  the  whole 
ocean ;  and  where  his  sight  is  terminated  by  its  own  weakness,  can  perceive  that  the 
ocean  extends  further  than  he  can  see.    11,  Consider  eternity  with  particular 

APPLICATION    to    OUR    OWN    SOULS,  THEIR    IMMORTAL    NATURE,  AND    FUTURE    EVERLASTING 

STATE.  1.  Our  souls  are  immortal  or  everlasting.  2.  The  state  to  which  our  souls 
remove  at  death  is  an  eternal,  unchangeable  state.  Eeflections :  1.  How  great  are 
our  obhgations  to  God  and  the  Eedeemer  for  discovering  eternal  things  to  us,  and 
making  provision  for  our  escaping  everlasting  misery,  and  obtaining  everlasting 
life.  2.  What  folly  and  madness  are  men  chargeable  with,  for  neglecting  eternal 
concerns  !  3.  How  serious  should  ministers  and  parents  be  in  addressing  the  souls 
committed  to  their  charge !  4.  What  an  awful  thing  is  it  to  die  and  enter  upon  an 
eternal  state!  5.  How  much  is  it  our  duty  and  interest  to  look  at  unseen  and 
eternal  things !  or  to  eye  and  regard  eternity  in  aU  we  do  !  1.  I  am  to  consider  what 
looking  at  eternal  things  includes.  And  that  is  a  firm  belief  of  their  reality,  a 
serious  consideration  of  their  importance,  and  steady  aims  and  pursuits  agreeable 
thereto.  (1)  Looking  at  eternal  things  implies  a  firm  belief  of  their  reality,  that  we 
have  immortal  spirits  with  us,  and  that  there  is  an  eternal  state  and  world  just 
before  us.  (2)  A  serious  consideration  of  their  importance.  The  word  here 
translated  "  look  at,"  is  in  other  places  rendered,  "  take  heed,  consider,  mark,  or 
observe  attentively,"  and  signifies  serious,  fixed,  repeated  consideration.  (3)  A 
steady  aim  and  diligent  pursuit,  agreeable  to  their  nature  and  importance;  or  a 
diligent  incessant  care  to  escape  eternal  misery  and  secure  eternal  happiness.  The 
word  "  look  at  "  signifies  also  to  "  aim  at "  or  "  pursue."  To  excite  you  to  this,  I 
am — 2.  To  propose  some  motives  and  arguments.  (1)  Life  and  time  and  means 
are  given  us,  that  we  may  prepare  for  eternity.  (2)  We  must  quickly  go  out  of  time 
into  eternity.  (3)  As  our  character  is  when  our  time  ends,  so  will  our  eternal  state 
be.  (4)  Many  present  and  great  advantages  wUl  attend  our  looking  at  eternal 
things — advantages  which  will  have  a  powerful  eiJeet  upon  our  present  temper  and 
character,  and  consequently  on  our  eternal  state ;  and  they  are  these.  Looking  at 
and  regarding  eternity  will  restrain  our  fondness  for  the  world  ;  increase  our 
hatred  of  sin  and  love  to  God  and  the  Bedeemer  :  it  will  make  us  careful  to  redeem 
our  time,  promote  our  patience  under  afiiictions,  make  us  serious  and  lively  in 
all  the  duties  of  religion,  dispose  us  to  do  good  to  others,  and  make  us  willing 
to  die.    (J.  Orton.) 


CHAPTEE  V. 

Veb.  1.  For  we  know  that  if  our  earthly  house  of  tWs  tabernacle  were 
dissolved. — The  certain  knowledge  of  the  future  : — 1.  The  description  which  the 
apostle  makes  of  the  present  state  in  which  we  now  are.     2.  His  description  of  the 


<3HAP.  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  213 

future  state,  in  which  the  faithful  shall  be  hereafter.  3.  The  certainty  of  that 
happy  state.  The  one  habitation  is  certain  as  the  other.  But  what  certainty  is 
ihere  of  such  things,  may  some  say  ?  May  we  not  abuse  ourselves,  if  we  look  for 
that  which  no  man  ever  saw  ?  Is  not  this  to  build  castles  in  the  air  ?  The  apostle 
answers  to  such  surmises,  here,  in  my  text :  "  We  know  that  we  have  a  building  of 
God,"  cfec.  We  have  solid  grounds  for  this  persuasion  that  it  amounts  to  a 
knowledge.  I.  He  saith  it  was  a  thing  known  ;  a  matter  that  was  demonstrable 
BY  PROPER  ARGUMENTS.  It  was  not  a  probable  opinion,  but  an  undoubted  conclusion. 
There  were  sound  arguments  which  led  them  to  this  unmovable  belief.  What  were 
Ihey  ?  1.  For  they  knew  that  Jesus  their  Master,  who  made  discovery  of  these 
things  to  them,  had  certain  knowledge  of  them  himself,  and  could  not  deceive 
them.  He  was  not  like  to  many  idle  persons,  who  draw  maps  of  such  territories  as 
they  never  saw.  2.  They  knew  likewise  that  this  person,  who  could  not  but 
speak  the  truth,  had  promised  to  purified  souls,  that  they  should  see  God  (Matt. 
V.  8).  How  can  we  behold,  then,  the  glory  of  God,  unless  all  our  powers  be 
migntily  widened  beyond  the  highest  of  our  present  conceptions.  3.  Of  this 
change  they  saw  an  instance  in  our  Lord  Himself.  4.  Accordingly  they  knew  that 
He  did  ascend  up  to  heaven  forty  days  after  His  resurrection  (Acts  i.  10,  11).  5. 
For  they  knew  withal  that  their  very  bodies  should  be  made  like  unto  His  (John 
xvii.  24).  6.  And  this  truly  they  knew,  as  well  as  anything  else,  that  He  lives  for 
evermore,  and  can  make  good  His  kind  intentions  and  gracious  promises  (Rev.  i.  18). 
7.  Especially  they  knew  by  the  change  that  He  had  wrought  in  their  souls  that  He 
could  easily  do  as  much  for  their  bodies.  It  was  no  harder  for  Him  to  give  a 
luminous  body  than  it  was  to  illuminate  their  minds ;  to  turn  this  earthly  house 
into  an  heavenly  than  to  fill  the  spirits  of  common  men  with  the  spirit  and  wisdom 
of  God.  8.  To  conclude,  they  knew  likewise  there  had  been  some  alteration 
already  made,  upon  occasion  in  the  body  of  some  of  them,  and  that  others  also 
felt  an  higher  elevation  of  their  soul.  As  for  the  body,  St.  Stephen's  face  was  seen 
as  it  had  been  the  face  of  an  angel  (Acts  vi.  ult.).  Let  us  believe  the  testimony  of 
men  so  well  assured.  For  to  think  that  there  is  no  habitation  for  us  in  the 
heavens,  because  we  were  never  there,  is  as  foolish  as  if  a  man  that  had  never 
stirred  beyond  the  door  of  his  cottage  should  imagine  that  all  the  goodly  buildings 
lie  hears  of  at  London  are  but  so  many  clouds  in  the  air,  and  have  no  real  being. 
Let  us  but  a  httle  awaken  our  souls  to  look  beyond  this  house  of  clay.     II.  It  is 

CONSIDERABLE  THEN  THAT  THIS    WAS    A    MATTER    GENERALLY    KNOWN  ;    A    THING    WHEREIN 

THEY  WERE  ALL  AGREED.  They  had  a  knowledge  and  not  a  mere  opinion.  And  yet 
an  opinion  that  is  not  private,  but  common,  carries  no  small  authority  with  it.  We 
are  all  very  much  overawed  by  that  which  is  universally  received.  They  were  all 
satisfied  that  this  was  the  very  truth  of  God,  there  was  no  dispute  or  division 
among  them  about  this  doctrine.  It  was  the  common  faith  of  God's  elect ;  the 
common  hope  of  their  heavenly  calling,  and,  in  one  word,  the  common  salvation 
•{Titus  i.  1,  2,  4  ;  Eph.  iv.  4  ;  Jude  3).  It  was  not  the  belief  of  St.  Paul  alone.  This 
shows  that  they  had  no  superficial  thoughts  of  the  life  to  come,  but  that  they  were 
exceeding   serious   in   the   beUef  of  it.     III.  They   knew  these   things   so   clearly 

that    THEY    MADE    THEM    THE    AIM    TO  WHICH    THEY    DIRECTED    ALL    THEIR   DESIRES    AND 

ENDEAVOURS.  This  particle  "for  "  sends  our  thoughts  back  to  the  words  before,  and 
gives  us  an  account  of  that  character  which  we  there  find  of  the  Apostles  of  our 
Lord,  who  "  looked  not  at  the  things  which  were  seen,  but  at  the  things  which  were 
not  seen."  They  were  so  persuaded  of  this  happy  state  hereafter  that  it  was  always 
in  their  eye.  They  slighted  and  trod  upon  all  other  things  in  compare  with  this. 
A  great  token  of  the  sincerity  of  their  belief ;  for  otherwise  they  would  not  have 
been  so  foolish  and  unthrifty  as  not  to  have  made  some  present  temporal  benefit  of 
that  great  knowledge  and  power  wherewith  they  were  endowed.  IV.  But  more  than 
this  ;  they  were  so  sure  of  this  building  of  God  in  the  heavens  that  they  endured 
.all  sorts  of  miseries  and  pains  in  this  life  merely  in  expectation  op  it.  v. 
They  were  so  sure  of  this  that  it  seemed  to  them  as  if  they  had  this  house  not 
MADE  with  hands  IN  PRESENT  POSSESSION.  They  spcak  as  men  that  belong  to  two 
countries,  and  have  estates  in  this  and  in  another  kingdom.  Such  men  say,  "We 
have  a  building."  Though  they  cannot  dwell  in  both  their  houses  at  once,  yet  they 
call  them  both  theirs.  They  had  a  right  and  title  to  it.  They  had  good  deeds  and 
evidences  to  show  for  it,  which  proved  that  it  was  settled  on  them  by  the  wUl  and 
testament  of  Jesus  Christ  their  Lord  and  Master,  to  which  they  had  the  witness  ol 
the  Spirit  in  their  hearts.  They  might  challenge  it  as  their  own,  and  lay  hold  on 
eternal  life,  which  words  instruct  us  that  we  must  work  in  this  earthly  house  whereiu 


214  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  v^ 

we  dwell.  We  are  in  a  place  of  labour  and  not  of  idleness  and  sport.  {Bp. 
Patrick.)         The  nature  of  asmrance  and  the  way  to  attain  it : — I.  I  am  to  open  to- 

TOU  THE  BEAUTY  AND  PROPKIETY  OF  THE  SEVERAL  METAPHORS  HERE  USED.  II.  I  AM 
NOW  TO  SHOW  YOU  THE  FORCE  OF  THE  APOSTLE's  ARGUMENT  THAT  THE  ASSURANCE  OF 
ETERNAL    GLORY    IS    THE    BEST    SUPPORT    UNDER    ALL    TEMPORAL   CALAMITIES.        FOT    thiS- 

reason  we  faint  not,  for  we  know  that  if  this  earthly  house  of  our  tabernacle  were 
dissolved  we  have  a  building  of  God,  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the 
heavens.  1.  This  assures  the  soul  that  all  the  afflictions  of  this  mortal  Ufe  are  but 
light  and  transient,  and  when  longest  and  heaviest,  if  once  compared  with  that 
eternal  weight  of  glory  which  succeeds  them  are  as  nothing.  2.  During  the  present 
short  space  of  suffering  this  assured  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality  revives  and 
entertains  the  soul  with  the  most  delightful  views  of  it.  3.  This  assurance 
contributes  further  to  the  support  of  the  afflicted  mind  as  it  disposes  it  to  a  meek 
and  quiet  resignation  to  the  will  of  God.    III.  To  make  some  general  observations 

ON  THE  DOCTRINE  OF   ASSURANCE,  WHICH  IS  FOUNDED  ON  THE  WORDS  OF    THE  TEXT.       1.    I 

observe  that  an  assurance  of  heaven  is  attainable  in  this  life.  2.  I  would  observe 
that  it  is  not  easily  nor  suddenly  to  be  attained.  It  requires  much  labour,  self- 
denial,  and  vigilance.  3.  I  would  further  observe  that  there  is  no  small  danger  of 
mistaking  in  this  matter.  Mention  some  of  those  sources  from  which  false 
assurance  arises.  (1)  It  is  often  the  effect  of  wrong  notions  in  religion,  such  as  the 
Jews  had,  who  must  needs  think  themselves  the  favourites  of  heaven,  because  they 
were  the  children  of  Abraham.  (2)  A  too  sanguine  and  confident  temper  of  mind 
often  betrays  men  into  these  false  hopes.  (3)  This  false  assurance  often  flows 
from  gross  ignorance,  even  when  there  is  little  or  no  bigotry  or  superstition  in  the 
case.  Because,  perhaps,  they  have  done  nobody  any  harm,  and  never  committed 
those  open  immoralities  which  they  see  others  to  be  guilty  of.  (4)  Some  suddenly 
attain  good  hopes  of  themselves  through  mere  indolence  and  aversion  to  thought. 
They  hope,  but  they  do  not  know  why,  and  are  fully  persuaded  of  they  know  not 
what.  (5)  That  even  infidelity  is  sometimes  the  means  of  inspiring  men  with  false 
and  confident  hopes  as  to  their  future  state.  So  that  hence  it  appears  that  it  is  an 
easy  thing  to  be  mistaken  in  this  matter.  4.  I  would  observe  that  though  this  false 
assurance  be  very  common  it  is  very  dangerous,  and  if  continued  in,  of  irreparable 
detriment.  It  is  a  dreadful  thing  to  go  down  into  the  grave  with  a  lie  in  the  right 
hand.  5.  We  cannot  be  too  careful  in  determining  a  matter  which  is  in  its  conse- 
quences of  so  vast  importance.     IV.  To  show  in  what  manner  we  are  to  proceed 

IN   this    affair,  or  how  a  RIGHT  ASSURANCE  OF   FUTURE    HAPPINESS    MAY   BE   ATTAINED. 

1.  In  order  to  a  weU-grounded  assurance  of  future  happiness  there  must  be  a  well- 
informed  conscience  and  a  good  understanding  in  the  right  way  to  salvation.  In 
order  therefore  to  a  well-established  hope  of  heaven  there  must  be  a  right  knowledge  of 
the  nature  of  that  happiness  which  is  to  be  there  enjoyed,  the  proper  qualifications 
for  it,  and  how  those  quaUfications  are  to  be  attained.  2.  In  order  to  establish  our 
hopes  of  future  bliss  there  must  be  a  sincere  renunciation  and  departing  from  all 
known  sins,  those  that  are  more  secret  as  well  as  those  which  are  more  open  to  the- 
eye  of  the  world.  3.  To  this  must  be  joined  the  love  and  practice  of  universal  righteous- 
ness, or  a  sincere  and  humble  obedience  to  all  the  precepts  of  the  gospel.  4.  To  attain 
unwavering  hopes  of  immortal  glory  there  must  be  a  large  and  particular  experience 
of  the  power  of  religion  in  the  government  of  our  passions  and  propensions.  This 
goes  a  great  way  to  establish  our  hopes.  5.  To  all  this  must  be  joined  a  lively  and 
active  faith.  I  shall  now  conclude  all  with  two  or  three  brief  reflections.  1.  Let  it 
be  well  remembered  that  there  may  be  a  good  and  comfortable  hope  of  heaven 
without  a  full  assurance  of  it.  2.  Let  those  who  are  of  a  more  sanguine  and 
confident  temper  learn  hence  to  guard  against  a  spirit  of  delusion.  3.  Let  us  aU 
then  be  persuaded  to  labour  after  it  in  the  way  now  prescribed.  {J.  Mason,  A.M.) 
The  good  man's  present  and  future  house  : — I.  The  Goodman's  present  house.  The 
mind  occupies  the  body.  We  "  dwell  in  houses  of  clay,  whose  foundation  is  in  the 
dust."  1.  This  house  is  earthly.  (1)  From  the  body  returning  to  the  earth,  we  see 
that  it  is  composed  of  the  same  material.  (2)  It  draws  our  spnit  down  to 
sublunary  objects.  2.  Movable.  A  tent  can  be  easily  taken  down.  3.  Decaying. 
The  term  "  dissolve "  means  properly  to  dis-unite  the  parts  of  anything.  4. 
Exposed.  It  is  situated  in  a  locality  where  it  is  liable  to  the  ravages  of  time  and 
rough  usage.  5.  Inconvenient  (ver.  2).  How  much  of  our  attention  it  requires  in 
order  to  ensure  its  preservation  !  It  needs  daily  cleansing,  repairs,  and  protection. 
Often  is  it  giving  us  extreme  anxiety,  putting  us  to  considerable  expense,  or  causing 
us  severe  pain.     6.  Inferior.     Paul  desired  a  better,  i.e.,  a  suitable  habitation.     He- 


CHAP,  v.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  215 

longed  for  the  period  when  his  vile  body  should  be  fashioned  like  unto  Christ's 
glorious  body.  II.  The  good  man's  future  house.  The  redeemed  soul's  final 
domicile  will  be  the  clay  tenement  in  its  changed  and  beautified  condition  (1  Cor. 
XV.).  This  will  be — 1.  Superhuman.  "  A  building  of  God,  a  house  not  made  with 
hands."  Jehovah  will  be  the  architect  of  this  future  abode.  Though  built  by  the 
Almighty,  the  Christian's  present  house  decays  as  if  it  had  been  the  work  of  some 
poor  mortal.  The  latter,  framed  thoroughly  by  the  Highest,  will  be  more  in  harmony 
with  the  unchangeableness  and  excellence  of  our  adorable  Maker.  2.  Eternal. 
The  body  the  believer  shall  ultimately  have  will  never  be  taken  down  by  death.  3. 
Unexposed.  Its  site  is  to  be  "  in  the  heavens."  There  will  be  nothing  to  weaken 
it  or  mar  its  beauty.  4.  Attractive.  Hence  the  godly  in  every  age  have,  like  the 
apostle,  longed  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better.  5.  One  for  which 
the  saint  is  prepared  (ver.  5).  Every  one  that  wishes  to  possess  the  building  of  God, 
must  be  meetened  for  it.  6.  Assured  (ver.  5).  God  sends  forth  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
witness  with  the  believer's  spirit  that  he  shall  finally  have  the  better  body.  Con- 
clusion, have  you  such  a  house  in  prospect  ?  (Homilist.)  The  earthly  and  the 
heavenly  house  : — I.  The  body  is  only  the  house  of  the  soul.  Note — 1.  What 
kind  of  a  house  ?  (1)  It  is  only  a  lodging-house.  The  soul  is  not  sent  to  dwell  in 
it,  but  to  sojourn  in  it,  while  on  the  way  to  another  world.  "  We  are  strangers  and 
sojourners,  as  all  our  fathers  were."  (2)  It  is  a  weak  house.  The  soul  in  the  body 
is  not  lodged  as  in  a  tower  or  castle.  (3)  It  is  a  house  that  is  daily  in  danger,  (a) 
It  is  in  danger  from  without.  There  are  storms  to  blow  it  down,  and  a  very  small 
blast  will  sometimes  do  it.  (b)  It  is  in  danger  from  within.  There  are  disorders  to 
undermine  the  house.  The  seeds  of  diseases,  when  we  know  not,  are  digging  like 
moles  under  the  mud  walls,  and  soon  destroy  the  house.  (4)  It  is  a  dark  house. 
How  many  dangers  come  to  the  house  from  without  which  are  never  perceived  by  the 
eyes  till  they  arrive.  2.  The  pecuharities  of  this  house.  (1)  It  is  a  curious  house 
of  brittle  materials,  (a)  The  body  is  a  stupendous  piece  of  workmanship,  "  I  am 
fearfully  and  wonderfully  made."  The  very  outworks  of  the  house  are  admirable. 
Observe  the  wisdom  of  God  in  that  beauty  and  majesty  that  are  in  the  face,  in  the 
faculty  of  speech,  &c.  How  God  has  put  the  eyes  and  the  ears  in  the  head  as  in 
their  watch  tower,  that  they  may  the  better  serve  for  seeing  and  hearing.  Two 
arms  to  defend  ourselves.  These  are  the  guardians  of  the  house.  Nay,  there  is 
not  a  hair,  nor  nail  in  the  body,  but  has  its  use.  But  what  is  all  this  to  the 
curiosity  within  ?  (b)  But  the  more  curious,  the  more  easily  marred.  The  greatest 
beauty  is  soonest  tarnished.  So  we  are  exposed  to  the  greatest  danger  by  a  small 
touch.  (2)  It  is  a  house  that  needs  reparation  daily.  Your  meanest  houses,  once 
right,  need  nothing  for  a  year.  But  this  earthly  house  needs  reparation  daily. 
Hence  eating  and  drinking  are  necessary,  the  house  must  be  patched  up  with  more 
mud  daily.  And  some  are  so  taken  up  with  repairing  the  body  that  all  the  day  they 
do  nothing  else.  3.  Uses  from  this  doctrine.  (1)  Prize  your  souls  above  your 
bodies,  as  you  do  the  inhabitant  above  the  house.  (2)  Make  not  your  body  a  war 
house  against  heaven.  (3)  Take  care  of  the  house  for  the  sake  of  its  inhabitant. 
(4)  Never  ruin  the  inhabitant  for  the  house.  (5)  Beware  of  defiling  the  house, 
seeing  it  has  such  a  noble  lodger.  (6)  Take  heed  to  the  door  of  the  house.  Let  it 
be  duly  shut  and  be  discreetly  opened.  Open  your  mouth  with  wisdom.  (7)  Take 
heed  to  the  windows  of  the  house.  The  soul  got  its  death-wound  at  first  by  the 
eyes.  (8)  Provide  in  time  for  a  better  house.  You  must  depart  from  this.  II. 
Man's  body  is  a  tabernacle  ob  tent  for  his  soul.  Paul  was  a  tent-maker,  and  he 
takes  a  lesson  of  his  frailty  from  what  was  among  his  hands,  teaching  us  to  do 
the  same.  It  is  so-called — 1.  Because  it  is  easily  taken  down.  Whatever  force  may 
be  necessary  to  pull  down  a  house,  it  is  easy  to  pull  down  a  tent.  2.  A  tent  is  a 
movable  house,  one  that  is  carried  from  place  to  place.  So  while  we  are  in  the 
body,  we  are  not  come  to  the  place  of  our  rest  or  settled  habitation.  3.  Tents, 
though  mean  without,  may  be  precious  within.  However  mean  outwardly  the  body 
be,  it  has  a  precious  soul  within,  redeemed  by  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  capable 
of  enjoying  God  for  ever.  4.  Uses  of  this  doctrine.  (1)  We  need  not  wonder  at 
sudden  death.  It  has  often  been  seen  that  a  tent  has  fallen  down  when  not  a  hand 
touched  it.  (2)  Let  us  lay  our  accounts  with  hardships  while  we  are  in  the  body. 
They  that  dwell  in  tents  do  not  expect  the  ease  and  conveniences  which  a  house 
affords.  The  ease  is  coming  in  the  building  of  God.  (3)  Let  us  live  like  pilgrims 
and  otrangers  who  are  quickly  to  remove.  (4)  Let  us  be  preparing  for  an  abiding 
mansion,  and  be  careful  to  secure  our  title  to  it.  III.  The  earthly  house  of  the 
tabernacle  of  our  body  will  be  dissolved  by  death.     1.  In  what  respects  is  death  a 


216  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

dissolution  ?  (1)  Death  dissolves  the  union  betwixt  soul  and  body.  (2)  Death 
dissolves  the  body  itself.  (3)  Death  dissolves — (a)  The  vital  flame  that  kept  the  body 
in  life.  (6)  The  communion  betwixt  the  parts  of  the  body.  No  more  blood  flows 
from  the  heart.  No  more  spirits  from  the  brain.  Then  all  falls  down  together. 
The  eyes  see  no  more,  and  the  ears  hear  no  more,  (c)  The  joints  and  bands  with 
which  the  body  was  united.  In  the  grave  the  strongest  arms  fall  from  the  shoulder 
blade,  and  every  bone  lies  by  itseK.  (d)  The  most  minute  particles  of  the  body, 
and  though  the  bones  last  longer,  yet  they  also  moulder  into  dust  at  length.  2.  This 
body  shall  be  dissolved.  (1)  There  is  an  unalterable  statute  of  death  under  which 
men  are  concluded.  "  It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die."  (2)  Daily  observation 
tells  us  we  must  die.  (3)  All  men  consist  of  perishing  materials.  "  Dust  thou  art, 
and  unto  dust  thou  shalt  return."  (4)  We  have  sinful  souls,  therefore  dying  bodies. 
The  leprosy  is  in  the  wall  of  the  house,  therefore  it  must  be  pulled  down.  (5)  We 
are  hasting  to  a  dissolution.  "  Our  days  are  swifter  than  a  weaver's  shuttle.  They 
are  passed  as  the  swift  ships,  as  the  eagle  that  hasteth  to  the  prey."     IV.  When 

THE  TABEKNACLE  OF   THE  SAINTS*  BODY  IS    DISSOLVED  BY    DEATH    THEY    HAVE  A  HOUSE  OF 

GLOKY  IN  HEAVEN  EEADY  FOR  THEM.  1.  It  is  a  dwelling  housc,  not  a  house  in  which 
to  lodge,  but  to  abide.  2.  It  is  a  royal  house,  a  palace.  "  They  shall  enter  into  the 
king's  palace."  Christ  calls  His  saints  to  a  kingdom,  and  their  house  is  suitable  to 
their  dignity.  3.  It  is  a  holy  house,  a  temple.  4.  It  is  a  heavenly  house.  (1)  It  is 
situated  in  the  better  country,  blessed  with  a  perpetual  spring,  which  yieldeth  aU 
things  for  necessity,  convenieney,  and  delight.  That  land  enjoys  an  everlasting 
day,  "  for  there  shall  be  no  night  there."  An  eternal  sunshine  beautifies  it.  (2)  As 
for  the  city,  this  house  stands  "  in  that  great  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem,"  a  city  which 
shall  flourish  when  all  the  cities  below  are  in  ashes.  A  city  that  never  changeth  its 
inhabitants.  Blessed  with  perfect  peace,  nothing  from  any  quarter  can  ever  annoy 
it.  5.  It  is  a  father's  house.  6.  It  is  a  spacious  house.  This  clay  body  is  a  narrow 
house,  where  the  soul  is  caged  up  for  a  time.  But  that  house  hath  many  mansions. 
7.  It  is  a  most  convenient  house.  Every  saint  shall  find  his  own  mansion  prepared 
and  furnished  with  every  convenieney  for  him.  O  believer,  art  thou  in  poverty  and 
straits  ?  There  is  an  incorruptible  treasure  in  that  house.  Are  you  groaning  under 
the  tyranny  of  sin  ?  There  you  shall  walk  in  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of 
God.  8.  It  is  a  safe  house.  The  gates  "  are  not  shut  at  all  by  day,"  for  there  is  no 
danger  there.  No  unclean  thing  can  enter  it.  9.  It  is  a  glorious  house.  (1)  The 
visible  heavens  are  but  the  porch  of  the  seat  of  the  blessed.  (2)  It  is  the  house  in 
which  the  King's  son  is  to  dwell  with  the  bride  for  ever.  (3)  It  was  purchased  at  a 
vast  expense,  even  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God.  (4)  The  indispensable  necessity  for 
washing  and  purifying,  to  fit  persons  for  dwelling  in  the  house,  shows  it  to  be 
glorious.  10.  It  is  an  everlasting  house.  It  is  eternal  in  the  heavens.  Conclusion — 
1.  Behold  and  admire  the  happiness  of  the  saints.  2.  Seek  a  house  now  into 
which  you  may  be  received  when  your  earthly  house  is  dissolved.  (T.  Boston, 
D.D.)  The  tent  dissolved  and  the  mansion  entered  : — My  text  begins  with  the 
word  "  For."  Paul's  mind  was  argumentative.  If  able  to  defy  the  present  and 
rejoice  in  the  future,  he  had  a  solid  reason  for  so  doing.  I  like  an  enthusiast  who 
yet  in  his  fervour  does  not  lose  his  balance.  Let  the  heart  be  like  a  fiery,  high- 
mettled  steed,  curbed  and  managed  by  discretion.  Consider — I.  The  catastkophe 
WHICH  Paul  saw  to  be  veey  possible.  "  If  our  earthly  house,"  &c.  He  did  not 
fear  that  he  himself  would  be  dissolved.  He  does  not  say,  "  If  I  were  to  be 
desti-oyed."  The  "  we  "  is  all  unharmed  and  unmoved.  Many  people  are  in  a 
great  fright  about  the  future  ;  but  Paul  regards  the  worst  thing  that  could  happen 
to  him  as  nothing  worse  than  the  pulling  down  of  a  tent.  1.  "The  apostle  perceived 
that  the  body  he  lived  in  was  frail  in  itself.  Most  likely  he  had  a  tent  or  two  to 
repair  lying  near  which  suggested  the  language  of  the  text.  A  tent  is  but  a  frail 
structure,  and  Paul  felt  that  no  great  force  would  be  required  to  overthrow  it ;  it  was 
like  the  tent  which  the  Midianite  saw  in  his  dream,  which  only  needed  to  be 
struck  by  a  barley  cake,  and,  lo !  it  lay  along.  A  house  of  solid  masonry  needs 
a  crowbar  and  a  pick  to  start  its  stones.  2.  Paul  had  many  signs  about  him  that 
his  body  would  be  dissolved.  His  many  labours  were  telling  upon  him,  and  so  were 
the  cold,  hunger,  nakedness,  and  sickness  he  endured,  and,  besides,  his  tent  might 
come  down  any  day  through  the  violence  of  his  persecutors.  Once  he  most 
touchingly  spoke  of  himself  as  "  such  an  one  as  Paul  the  Aged,"  and  aged  men 
cannot  get  away  from  the  consciousness  that  their  body  is  failing.  Certain 
crumbling  portions  warn  the  old  man  that  the  house  is  dilapidated;  the  thatch 
which  has  grown  thin  or  blanched  tells  its  tale.     3.  Paul  knew  that   so  many 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  217 

others  whom  he  had  known  and  loved  had  ah-eady  died,  and  he  gathered  from 
this  that  he  would  himself  die.  Our  crowded  cemeteries  supply  ten  thousand 
arguments  why  each  of  us  must  expect  to  die  in  due  time.  Now  this  was 
all  that  Paul  expected  on  the  sad  side,  and  truly  it  is  not  much.  Certain 
Swiss  peasants  were  feeding  their  flocks  when  they  heard  a  rumbling  up  in 
the  lofty  Alps,  and  knew  what  it  meant.  In  a  brief  space  their  fears  were 
realised,  for  a  tremendous  mass  of  snow  came  rushing  from  above.  What 
did  it  destroy  ?  Only  their  old,  crazy  chalets.  Every  man  was  safe ;  the  event 
was  rather  to  them  a  matter  which  caused  a  Te  Deum  to  be  sung  in  the 
village  church  below  than  a  subject  for  mourning.  So  the  avalanche  of  death  will 
fall,  but  it  will  only  dissolve  your  earthly  house.  To-day  we  are  like  birds  in  the 
«!gg ;  death  breaks  the  shell.  Does  the  fledgling  lament  the  dissolution  of  the  shell  ? 
II.  The  provision  of  which  the  apostle  most  surely  knew.  He  knew  that  if  his 
tent-dwelling  was  overthrown  he  would  not  be  without  a  home.  He  did  not  expect 
to  be  in  purgatory  for  the  next  thousand  years,  and  then  to  leap  from  purgatory  to 
Paradise.  He  had  not  even  the  thought  of  lying  unconscious  till  the  resurrection. 
He  says  not  "  we  shall  have  "  but  "  we  have."  1.  What  did  the  apostle  mean  ? 
(1)  That  the  moment  his  soul  left  its  body  it  would  at  once  enter  into  that  house  of 
which  Jesus  spoke  in  John  xiv.  2.  Do  you  want  to  know  about  that  house  ?  Read 
the  Book  of  the  Revelation  and  learn  of  its  gates  of  pearl,  &c.  If  after  that  you 
deske  to  know  more  take  the  advice  given  by  John  Bunyan,  who  bade  his  friend 
live  a  godly  life,  and  go  to  heaven,  and  see  for  himself.  (2)  That  in  the  fulness  of 
time  he  would  again  be  clothed  upon  with  a  body.  At  this  present  in  this  body  we 
groan  being  burdened.  We  are  "  waiting  for  the  adoption,  to  wit,  the  redemption 
of  our  body."  2.  How  Paul  could  say  he  knew  this.  This  enlightened  century  has 
produced  an  order  of  wise  men  who  glory  in  their  ignorance.  How  odd  that  a  man 
should  be  proud  of  being  an  ignoramus,  and  yet  that  is  the  Latin  for  the  Greek 
"  Agnostic."  How  diflerent  is  our  apostle  !  He  says,  "  we  know."  Whence  came 
this  confidence?  (1)  Paul  knew  that  he  had  a  Father,  for  he  felt  the  spirit  of 
sonship  ;  he  knew  also  that  his  Father  had  a  house,  and  he  was  certain  that  if  he 
lost  the  tent  in  which  he  lived  he  would  be  welcomed  into  his  Father's  house  above. 
How  do  our  children  know  that  they  can  come  home  to  us  ?  Did  they  learn  that 
at  school  ?  No,  but  by  their  children's  instinct,  just  as  chickens  run  under  the 
mother-hen  without  needing  to  be  trained.  (2)  He  knew  that  he  had  an  elder 
brother,  and  that  this  brother  had  gone  before  to  see  to  the  lodging  of  the  younger 
brethren  (John  xiv.  2).  (3)  He  thought  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  condescends  to 
dwell  in  these  mortal  bodies,  and,  therefore,  when  we  leave  our  earthly  house  He  will 
leave  it  too,  and  as  He  has  been  our  guest,  in  His  turn  He  will  be  our  host.  (4) 
He  knew  that  when  he  died  there  was  a  Paradise  prepared,  for  he  had  been  there 
already  (chap.  xii.).  Remember  that  this  is  the  place  to  which  the  Lord  Jesus 
admitted  the  dying  thief,  "  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  Me  in  Paradise."  (5)  He 
knew  that  when  this  earthly  tabernacle  is  dissolved  there  would  be  a  new  body  for 
him,  because  Christ  had  risen  from  the  dead.  If  Jesus  be  alive  and  in  a  place  of 
rest  He  will  never  leave  His  own  without  house  or  home.  There  is  such  an  attach- 
ment between  Christ  and  the  believer ;  yea,  more,  such  a  vital,  indissoluble  marriage 
union  that  separation  is  impossible.  HI.  The  value  of  this  knowledge  to  us. 
Secularists  twit  us  with  taking  men's  minds  away  from  the  practical  present  that 
they  may  dream  over  a  fancied  future.  We  answer  that  the  best  help  to  live  for  the 
present  is  to  live  in  prospect  of  the  eternal  future.  Paul's  confident  belief — 1.  Kept 
him  from  fainting.  2.  Made  his  present  trials  seem  very  light,  for  he  felt  like  a 
man  who  sojourns  for  a  night  at  a  poor  inn,  but  puts  up  with  it  gladly  because  he 
hopes  to  be  home  on  the  morrow.  3.  Transformed  death  from  a  demon  into  an 
angel ;  it  was  but  the  removal  of  a  tottering  tent  that  he  might  enter  into  a 
permanent  palace.  4.  Made  him  always  calm  and  brave.  Why  should  he  be 
afraid  of  a  man  that  could  not  do  him  harm  ?  Even  if  his  persecutor  killed  him  he 
would  do  him  a  service.  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  Vieivs  of  life,  death,  and  the  future  : — 
I.  We  have  the  views  which  Christianity  teaches  us  to  take  of  life.  1.  The 
first  view  which  it  gives  us,  suggested  by  the  text,  is  that  life  is  a  pilgrimage.  The 
text  speaks  of  "  tabernacles,"  tents ;  ws  are  dwelling  in  tents.  2.  A  second  view  of 
life,  in  the  text,  is,  that  it  is  uncertain.  3.  The  third  view  which  the  apostle  takes 
of  life  is  that,  even  as  to  believers,  it  is  a  life  of  trouble  and  affliction.  "We  in 
this  tabernacle  do  groan."  4.  But  there  is  a  fourth  view  of  life  of  which  the 
apostle  takes,  at  least  in  the  verses  which  immediately  succeed  the  text.  He  teaches 
us  that  life  is  to  be  subordinated  to  oae  great  end,  so  to  please  God  as  to  have  the 


218  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

testimony  that  we  are  accepted  of  Him.     The  highest  heaven   of  a  good  man 
is   to   be   accepted   of    God.     Such   are   the    views   which    Christianity    teaches 
us  to  take  of   life.     11.  We  have  the  views  which    Chkistianity   teaches  tjs 
TO  roEM  OF  death.     Meditate  on  that  word,  "  unclothed  !  "    Death,  then,  is  not  the 
termination  of  our  being.     "Unclothed!"     Then  there  is  no  cessation  of  conscious- 
ness.    "  Unclothed ! "     Then,  of  course,  everything  in  the  body  which  obstructs 
the  operation  of  the  mind  must  necessarily  be  removed.     "  Unclothed  !  "     Then 
there  is  a  change  of  place  as  well  as  condition.     The  connection  of  our  spirits  with 
the  body  renders  us  inhabitants  of   the  earth.      "  Unclothed !  "     Then  must   we 
become  conscious,  by  virtue  of  this  unclothing,  of  the  presence  of  those  spirits  who 
have  undergone  the  same  process  before  us,  and  have  been  unclothed  like  ourselves. 
We  are  not  now  at  all  conscious  of  the  presence  of  disembodied  spirits ;  they  are, 
for  the  while,  lost  to  us.     "  Unclothed  ! "  but  the  import  of  this  word  is  not  yet 
exhausted  ;  then  must  we  become  conscious  at  once,  in  a  manner  we  cannot  be  on 
earth,  of  the  presence  of  God.     The  body  hides  God  from  us,  and  prevents  the 
immediate  recognition  of  God  by  the  spirit.    III.  We  have  hebe  the  views  which 
Cheistianity  teaches  us  to  foem  of  the  future  peemanent  state  of  believees. 
(J.   Walker,  D.D.)        The  present  and  future  of  believers : — I.  The  believeb's 
pbesent  state.     1.  Temporary.     To  impress  this  the  apostle  compares  the  body  to 
a  house,  composed  of  earthly  materials,  which  must  soon  return  again  to  its 
original  element.     The  damps  of  infirmity  and  waters  of  affliction  soon  undermine 
the  frail  tenement.     The  figure  of  a  house,  however,  is  too  stable  a  metaphor. 
Hence  the  body  is  called  a  mere  tabernacle   (Neh.  viii.).     2.  Afilictive  (ver.  2). 
Shall  we  illustrate  it  by  an  humble  cottage  buried  in  snow,  whose  inmates  groan  for 
deliverance  ?     Or  shall  we  take  the  fact  that  the  atmosphere  presses  with  a  force  of 
fourteen  pounds  on  every  square  inch  of  surface  ?     The  tabernacle  is  oppressed,  the 
weight  is  great,  no  man  can  remove  it,  or  make  his  escape  but  with  the  loss  of  life 
itself.      Though  death  cannot  crush  at    once,  he  makes  us  feel  his  pressure. 
Ultimately  it  must  succeed,  but  as  the  silver  rises  in  the  barometer  by  the  pressure 
of  the  air,  so  the  weight  of  affliction  causes  the  believing  soul  to  rise  towards  God. 
3.  A  state  of  earnest  longing  and  ardent  hope — "  In  this  we  groan,  earnestly 
desiring."    Grief  is  vocal,  and  from  the  heart  soon  finds  its  way  to  the  hps.     To 
groan,  when  oppressed,  is  natural,  to   desire  heaven  is  supernatural.    Here  the 
believer  stands  distinguished  from  the  vast  masses  of  the  creation  which  groaneth 
and  travaileth  in  pain.     It  is  a  maxim  among  moralists  that  no  man  can  desire  evil 
for  its  own  sake,  which  is  just  the  sentiment  of  the  apostle.    We  cannot  desire 
death  for  its  own  sake ;  we  cannot  wish  to  be  left  naked,  houseless,  by  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  present  tabernacle ;  but  such  are  the  happiness  and  glory  found  in  the 
house  not  made  with  hands  that  we  desire  to  exchange  habitations.     4.  One  of 
certain  knowledge,  and  Divine  assurance  of  future  glory  (ver.  1).  But  whence  does  this 
knowledge  arise  ?     Not  by  intuition.     The  mind  possesses  a  capabihty  of  knowing 
it,  but  nothing  more.   Not  from  the  senses,  for  its  subject  is  altogether  supersensual. 
The  Divine  testimony  of  revealed  truth  is  the  foundation,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the 
great  agent,   and  faith    the  appointed  instrument  of    this  knowledge.     H.  His 
inteemediate  state.     1.  It  is  a  state  of  simple  abstract  being.    The  apostle  speaks 
of  no  new  house,  tabernacle,  or  clothing ;  but  of  a  complete  divestment  of  aU,  in 
being  "  naked  "  and  "  unclothed."    He  speaks  of  the  understanding,  conscience, 
memory,  imagination,  wiU,  and  affections  being  laid  naked  and  open  before  God, 
and  the  whole  invisible  world,  while  all  the  inhabitants  thereof  are  equally  laid 
open  to  the  view  of  the  soul  when  divested  of  mortaUty.     2.  It   is  a  state   of 
conscious   existence.     Is  it  possible  that   insensibility  can  reign  in  the    direct 
presence  of  Christ,  who  is  the  life  and  fountain  of  all  knowledge  and  happiness  ? 
Was    not  Abraham  conscious  in  Paradise  when  he  replied  to  the  rich   man  ? 
3.  It  is  a    state    in    which    trial    and    probation    are    ended.    An    impassable 
gulf    was  fixed  between  good  and  bad  spirits,   according    to    the    testimony    of 
Abraham,  as  recorded  by  Luke.     4.  It  is  a  state  of  imperfection  in  relation  to 
knowledge,  the  corporeal  powers,  and  the  manifestation  of  future  glory.    III.  His 
FINAL  AND  ETEBNAL  STATE.     What  is  the  housc  Hot  made  with  hands?    Is   it  a 
material  covering  or  vehicle  into  which  the  soul  enters  on  its  departure  from  the 
body  ?     This  notion  was  entertained  by  Plato  and  his  followers,  but  stands  opposed 
to  our  text,  which  speaks  of  the  soul  "  being  naked  and  unclothed."    Besides,  if  a 
material  covering  be  meant,  the  apostle  says  it  must  be  eternal.     It  would  therefore 
exclude  the  resurrection  of  the  body.     Neither  can  the  house  not  made  with  hands 
mean  the  ethereal  heavens,  including  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  they  as  well  as  the 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  219 

earthly  house,  pass  away.  The  "  heavens,"  therefore,  must  mean  the  abode  of  God — 
the  glorious  city  of  the  New  Jerusalem.  But  mark  that  the  "  house"  is  not  said  to 
be  the  heavens,  but  a  fabric  in  the  heavens — viz.,  the  resurrection  body.  We  are 
now  prepared  to  observe  that  the  final  and  eternal  state  of  the  believer  will  be  a 
state  of — 1.  Kestitution.  If  we  have  lost  by  the  sin  and  apostasy  of  the  first 
Adam,  we  gain  more  by  the  death,  resurrection,  reign,  and  faithfulness  of  Jesus,  the 
second  Adam.  2.  A  state  of  reward.  3.  A  state  of  pure  unmixed  life.  "  Not  for 
that  we  would  be  unclothed,  but  clothed  upon,  that  mortality  might  be  swallowed  up 
of  life."  (D.  McAfee.)  The  changeable  and  the  permanent: — I.  All  things 
SUBLUNARY  ARE  CHANGEABLE.  1.  God  has  Condemned  this  world  to  dissolution  (Heb. 
i.  10,  11).  The  individual  house  or  tabernacle  must  be  dissolved.  Our  fathers,  where 
are  they  ?  "  It  is  appointed  for  man  once  to  die."  Neither  wealth,  temperance, 
nor  medicine  can  protect  the  frail  tabernacle  from  dissolution.  2.  All  our  enjoyments 
are  liable  to  the  same  change.  They  stand  on  two  insecure  legs,  insufficiency  and 
uncertainty.  3.  It  never  was  God's  design  that  this  clay  tabernacle  should  stand 
for  ever.  What  a  mercy  it  is  for  Christians  that  they  are  mortal  (John  xvii.  24). 
II.  Heavenly  things  are  permanent  and  eternal.  1.  The  building  itself  is 
eternal ;  the  leprosy  of  sin  has  never  affected  its  walls ;  no  curse  hangs  over  the 
New  Jerusalem.  Adam  was  expelled  from  Paradise,  and  the  Jews  were  expelled 
from  an  earthly  Canaan  ;  but  the  redeemed  shall  never  be  expelled  from  heaven. 
♦'  I  will  make  him  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  God,  and  he  shall  go  no  more  out." 
2.  The  perfections  of  heaven  are  eternal  also,  entire  exemption  from  all  sin.  What 
does  the  proud  man  think  of  this?  Is  it  a  blessing  to  be  humble?  What 
does  the  covetous  man  think  of  this?  Is  it  a  blessing  to  be  delivered  from  the 
bondage  of  a  greedy  disposition?  Good  men,  in  proportion  to  their  being  good 
men,  love  that  heaven  because  there  is  no  pride,  envy,  malignity,  temptation.  III. 
The  Christls-N  duty  of  earnestly  desiring  the  heavenly  state.  1.  A  calm  and 
settled  conviction  of  its  existence.  "  We  know !  "  2.  A  deep  sense  of  our  need  of 
it  (ver.  2).  3.  The  exercise  of  walking  in  the  road  that  leads  to  it.  Conclusion — 1. 
We  must  all  die,  our  tents  must  be  struck  soon.  The  man  who  loves  this  world 
will  not  be  pleased  at  this  conclusion,  but  the  Christian  man  will  be  delighted  at  it. 
2.  The  believers'  best  days  are  yet  to  come.  There  is  an  eternal  house  which  the 
Saviour  has  gone  to  prepare.     (A.  Waugh,  D.D.)         Tent  and  building  : — I.  So  my 

text  mainly  sets  before  US  VERY    STRIKINGLY    THE    CHRISTIAN    CERTITUDE    AS   TO    THE 

FINAL  FUTURE.  The  clcai,  broad  distinction  between  me  and  my  physical  frame. 
There  is  no  more  connection,  says  Paul,  between  us  and  the  organisation  in  which 
■we  at  present  dwell  than  there  is  between  a  man  and  the  house  that  he  inhabits. 
The  foolish  senses  crown  Death  and  call  him  Lord ;  but  the  Christian's  certitude 
firmly  draws  the  line,  and  declares  that  the  man,  the  whole  personality,  is 
undisturbed  by  anything  that  befalls  his  residence ;  and  that  he  may  pass  unim- 
paired from  one  to  another,  being  in  both  the  self-same  person.  Then,  again,  note, 
as  part  of  the  elements  of  this  Christian  certitude,  the  blessed  thought  that  a  body 
is  part  of  the  perfection  of  manhood.  No  mere  dim,  ghostly  future,  where 
consciousness  somehow  persists,  without  environment  or  tools  to  act  upon  an  outer 
world.  To  dwell  naked,  as  the  apostle  says  in  the  context,  is  a  thing  from 
which  man  shudderingly  recoils,  and  it  is  not  to  be  his  final  fate.  And  now, 
if  we  turn  to  the  characteristics  of  the  two  conditions  with  which  my  text 
deals,  we  get  some  familiar  yet  great  and  strengthening  thoughts.  The 
"  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  is  dissolved,"  or,  more  correctly,  retaining 
the  metaphor  of  the  house,  is  to  be  pulled  down,  and  in  its  place  there  comes  a 
building  of  God,  "  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  The 
first  outstanding  difference  which  arises  before  the  apostle  is  the  contrast  between 
the  fragile  dwelling-ph^ce,  with  its  thin  canvas,  its  bending  poles,  its  certain  removal 
some  day,  and  the  permanence  of  that  which  is  not  a  "tent,"  but  a  "building," 
which  is  "  eternal."  Involved  in  that  is  the  thought  that  all  the  limitations  and 
weaknesses  which  are  necessarily  associated  with  the  perishableness  of  the  present 
abode  are  at  an  end  for  ever.  No  more  fatigue,  no  more  working  beyond  the 
measure  of  power,  no  more  need  for  recuperation.  And  the  other  contrast  is  no  less 
glorious  and  wonderful.  "  The  earthly  house  of  this  tent  "  does  not  merely  define 
the  composition,  but  also  the  whole  relations  and  capacities  of  that  to  which  it 
refers.  The  "  tent  "  is  "  earthly,"  not  merely  because,  to  use  a  kindred  metaphor, 
it  is  a  "  building  of  clay,"  but  because,  by  all  its  capacities,  it  belongs  to,  corresponds 
with,  and  is  fit  ed  only  for,  this  lower  order  of  things,  the  seen  and  the  perishable. 
And,  on  the  other  hand,  the  "mansion "is  in  "the  heavens,"  even  whilst  the 


220  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

future  tenant   is   a   nomad   in   his  tent.      That  is   so,  because  the  power  which 
can   create  that  future  abode  is  "in  the  heavens."     It  is  so  in  order  to  express 
the  absolute  security  in  which  it  is  kept  for  those  who  shall  one  day  enter  upon 
it.     And  it  is   so,  further,  to  express   the  order   of    things   with   which  it  brings 
its  dwellers  into  contact.     "Flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the  Kingdom  of  God; 
neither  does  corruption  inherit  incorruption."     Let  no  man  say  that  such  ideas  of  a. 
possible  future  bodily  frame  are  altogether  inconsistent  with  all  that  we  know  of  the 
limitations  and  characteristics  of  what  we  call  matter.     "  There  is  one  flesh  of 
beasts  and  another  of  birds,"  says  Paul.     Do  you  know  so  fully  all  the  possibilities 
of  creation  as  that  you  are  warranted  in  asserting  that  such  a  thing  as  a  body 
which  is  the  fit  organ  of  the  spirit,  and  is  incorruptible,  like  the  heavens  in  which 
it  dwells,  is  an  impossibility  ?     The  teaching  of  my  text  and  its  context  casts  great 
light  on  what  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  means.     We  have  heard  grand  platitudes 
about  "  the  scattered  dust  being  gathered  from  the  four  winds  of  heaven,"  and  so 
on  ;  but  the  teaching  of  my  text  is  that  resurrection  does  not  mean  the  assuming 
again  of  the  body  that  is  left  behind  and  done  with,  but  the  reinvestiture  of  the  man 
with  another   body.     It  is  a  house  "  in  the  heavens."     We  leave  "  the  tent  "  ;  we 
enter  the  "  building."     There  is  nothing  here  of  some  germ  of  immortality  being 
somehow  extricated  from  the  ruins,  and  fostered  into  glorious  growth.     Or,  to  take 
another  metaphor  of  the  context,  we  strip  off  the  garment  and  are  naked,  and  then 
we  are  clothed  with  another  garment  and  are  not  found  naked.     The  resurrection  of 
the  dead  is  the  clothing  of  the  spirit  with  the  house  which  is  from  heaven.     And 
there  is  as  much  difference  between  the  two  habitations  as  there  is  between  the  grim, 
solid  architecture  of  northern  peoples,  amidst  snow  and  ice — needed  to  resist  the 
blasts,  and  to  keep  the  life  within  in  an  ungenial  climate — and  the  light,  graceful 
dwellings  of  those  who  walk  in  an  atmosphere  of  perpetual  sunshine  in  the  tropics. 
Therefore  let  us,  whilst  we  grope  in  the  dark  here,  and  live  in  a  narrow  hovel  in  a 
back  street,  look  forward  to  the  time  when  we  shall  dwell  on  the  sunny  heights  in 
the  great  pavilion  which  God  prepares  for  them  that  love  Him.     II.  And  now  note 
again  how  we  cojie  to  this  certitude.     My  text  is  very  significantly  followed  by  a 
"  for,"  which  gives  the  reason  of  the  knowledge  in  a  very  remarkable  manner. 
"  We  know  .  .  .  for  in  this  we  groan,  earnestly  desiring  to  be  clothed  upon  with 
our  house,  which  is  from  heaven."     Now  that  singular  collocation  of  ideas  may  be 
set  forth  thus — whatever  longing  there  is  in  a  Christian,  God-inspired  soul,  that 
longing  is  a  prophecy  of    its  own  fulfilment.     We  know  that  there  is  a  house, 
because  of  the  yearning,  which  is  deepest  and  strongest  when  we  are  nearest  God. 
"  Delight  thyself  in  the  Lord,  and  He  shall  give  thee  the  desires  of  thine  heart." 
Of  course  such  longing,  such  aspiration  and  revulsion  are  no   proofs  of    a  fact 
except  there  be  some  fact  which  changes  them  from  mere  vague  desires,  and  makes 
these  solid  certainties.     And  such  a  fact  we  have  in  that  which  is  the  only  proof 
that  the  world  has  received,  of  the  persistence   of  life  through   death,  and  the 
continuance  of  personal  identity  unchanged  by  the  grave,  and  that  is  the  resur- 
rection of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead.      And  let  no  man  take  exception  to  the 
apostle's  word  here,  "  we  know,"  or  tell  us  that "  Knowledge  is  of  the  things  we  see." 
That  is  true  and  not  true.     It  is  true  in  regard  of  what  arrogates  to  itseH  the  name 
of  science.     If  it  is  meant  to  assert  that  we  are  less  sure  of  the  love  of  God,  of 
immortality  than  we  are  of  the  existence  of  this  piece  of  wood,  or  that  flame  of 
gas  ;  then  I  humbly  venture  to  say  that  there  is  another  region  of  facts  than  those 
which  are  appreciable  by  sense ;  that  the  evidence  upon  which  we  rest  our  certitude 
of  immortal  blessedness  is  quite  as  valid  as  anything  that  can  be  produced,  in  the 
nature  of  evidence,  for  the  things  around  us.  III.  Lastly,  note  what  this  certitude 
DOES.     The  apostle  tells  us,  by  the  "  for  "  which  lies  at  the  beginning  of  my  text, 
and  makes  it  a  reason  for  something  that  has  preceded.     And  what  has  preceded  is 
this,  "We  look  not  at  the  things  which  are  seen,  but  at  the  things  which  are  not 
seen."     That  is  to  say,  such  a  joyous,  calm  certitude  draws  men's  thoughts  away 
from  this  shabby  and  transitory  present,  and  fixes  them  on  the  solemn  majesties  of 
that  eternal  future.  Yes !    and  nothing  else  will.    And  we  shall  not  let  our  thoughts 
willingly  go  out  thither  unless  our  own  personal  well-being  there  is  very  sure  to  us. 
And  such  a  certitude  will  also  make  a  man  willing  to  accept  the  else  unwelcome 
necessity   of  leaving  the   tent,  and  for   awhile   doing  without  the  mansion.     (A. 
Maclaren,  D.D.)         Heaven  anticipated  : — Note — I.  The  appropriate  description 
GIVEN  us   OF  the   HUMAN   BODY — "  the  earthly   house  of  this  tabernacle."     Notice 
1.  Its  material  origin.     It  is  "  earthly."     How  mysterious  and  complicated  soever 
may  be  the  machinery  of  the  human  frame,  it  is,  after  all,  a  composition  of  earthly 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  221 

materials.  2.  Its  use.  It  is  a  "  house."  Every  house  is  built  by  some  man,  but 
He  that  built  this  house  is  God.  3.  Its  temporary  existence.  4.  Its  ultimate 
dissolution.  II.  The  assur.\nce  the  apostle  indulged.  1.  It  is  a  building  of  God. 
(1)  God  the  Father  is  the  efficient  cause  or  architect  of  this  building.  Abraham 
"looked  for  a  city  which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God."  (2) 
The  procuring  and  meritorious  cause  of  this  building  is  Jesus  the  Mediator.  "  I  go 
to  prepare  a  place  for  you."  (3)  It  is  a  building  worthy  of  God.  2.  It  is 
permanent,  "  eternal  in  the  heavens."  All  other  buildings  are  weak  and  precarious. 
"  In  Thy  presence  is  fulness  of  joy,  at  Thy  right  hand  there  are  pleasures  for  ever- 
more." 3.  Where  this  building  is  situated.  "  In  the  heavens."  The  inspired 
writers  invariably  speak  of  it  as  a  place  of  ineffable  blessedness  and  unspeakable 
glory.  If  permitted  to  arrive  there,  we  shall  be  ready  to  exclaim,  as  the  Queen  of 
Sheba  did  when  she  beheld  Solomon's  wisdom  and  prosperity,  "  Behold  the  half  was 
not  told  me."  III.  The  grounds  on  which  this  assukance  rested.  1.  The  testimony 
of  God's  word  (chap.  iv.  13).  2.  The  consciousness  which  he  himself  had  of  being 
the  subject  of  Divine  grace  (ver.  5).  Conclusion — Let  us  learn  from  this  subject — 1. 
To  be  habitually  entertaining  thoughts  about  death  and  another  world.  2.  The 
unspeakable  value  of  the  gospel.  "  Life  and  immortality  are  brought  to  light  by 
the  gospel."  (Essex  Congregational  Remembrancer.)  Dissolutioii  no  injury  : — 
Cicero  tells  of  a  prisoner  who  had  always  Uved  in  prison ;  he  had  never  once  seen 
the  outer  world.  And  so  when  he  had  become  an  old  man,  and  they  began  for  some 
reason  or  other  to  pull  down  the  walls  of  his  prison,  he  broke  into  bitter  lamentings 
because  they  would  destroy  the  little  window  through  whose  bars  he  had  got  the 
only  bit  of  light  that  had  ever  gladdened  his  eyes.  He  did  not  understand  that  the 
falling  of  the  walls  would  let  him  into  a  broad,  bright  world,  would  open  to  him  the 
wide  glories  of  sun  and  sky  and  summer.  And  so  when  we  see  the  body  sinking  in 
ruinous  decay  it  seems  as  if  we  were  about  to  lose  everything,  forgetting  that  the 
senses  are  but  the  dim  windows  of  the  soul,  and  that  when  the  body  of  our 
humiliation  is  gone  the  walls  of  our  prison-house  are  gone,  and  a  new  world  of 
infinite  light  and  beauty  and  liberty  bursts  upon  us.  (W.  L.  Watkinson.)  A 
larger  house  : — Passing  by  a  house  a  short  time  since  I  noticed  the  intimation, 
"  This  House  to  Let."  "  How  is  this?  Is  the  former  tenant  dead  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Oh, 
no,  sir,"  said  the  caretaker;  "he  has  removed  to  a  larger  house  in  a  better 
situation."  Even  thus,  as  we  look  upon  the  clay  tenement  in  which  some  loved 
Christian  friend  has  dwelt,  we  answer,  "  No,  he  is  not  dead,  but  removed  into  the 
enduring  house  in  '  the  better  country,'  where  the  '  better  resurrection '  is,  and 
where   eternal  life   is."  (Henry    Varley.)  Christian   knowledge   concerning   the 

future  body  of  the  good  : — The  Christian  knows  that : — I.  It  will  be  better  than 
the  present.  1.  It  will  be  directly  Divine.  "  A  building  of  God."  The  present 
body  is  from  God,  but  it  comes  from  Him  through  secondary  instrumentalities.  The 
future  body  will  come  direct,  it  will  not  be  transmitted  from  sire  to  son.  2.  It  will  be 
fitted  for  a  higher  sphere — "In  the  heavens."  The  present  body  is  fitted  for  the 
earthly  sphere.  3.  It  will  be  more  enduring,  "  eternal."  4.  It  will  be  more  enjoyable. 
II.  He  is  now  being  divinely  fitted  for  the  better  body  of  the  future  (ver.  5). 
(D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  Not  made  with  hands  : — Is  there  anything  "  not  made  with, 
hands  "  ?  Then  there  is  something  apart  from  manufactures.  Some  of  you  live 
in  what  you  call  the  manufacturing  districts.  Now  what  do  your  manufactures- 
amount  to  ?  But  we  have  been  proud  of  our  hand-making.  Within  given  limits 
that  is  perfectly  proper.  The  prosperity  of  the  world  is  due  in  no  small  measure  to 
the  work  of  the  hands.  And  yet  we  are  now  face  to  face  with  something — is  it 
home,  church,  mankind,  temple,  heaven  ? — something  that  hands  have  never 
touched.  I  must  therefore  get  you  to  live  elsewhere  as  well  as  in  the  manufacturing 
districts.  Why,  you  do  that  in  part  already.  I  would  press  your  logic  to  further 
issues.  You  do  not  live  in  the  factory.  Oh,  you  say,  we  live  a  mile  or  two 
out.  Why?  That  we  may  have  some  little  whiff  of  nature,  some  fresh  air, 
some  tolerable  breathing  space.  Now  that  is  not  all.  I  want  you  to  get  a 
little  further  out  under  larger  skies,  to  breathe  fresher  air,  to  see  fairer  downS. 
After  all,  what  have  the  hands  made  ?  They  have  made  nothing  worth  speaking 
about.  Did  the  hands  buUd  the  temple  ?  No,  except  in  a  very  narrow  and  literal 
sense  of  the  term.  Who  built  the  temple  ?  The  man  who  thought  it,  the 
man  who  drew  it,  the  man  who  saw  it  in  aerial  lines  before  he  put  pen  or  pencil  to 
paper.  He  made  the  temple.  The  hands,  they  were  mere  hired  servants.  They 
would  have  pulled  the  temple  down  quite  as  easily  and  quite  as  readily.  There  is 
another  very  remarkable  expression  in  Mark  ix.  3 :  "As  no  fuller  on  earth  can  v/hite 


222  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

them."     Then  there  is  something  above  art  as  certainly  as  there  is  something  above 
manufactures  ?     Now  ask  the  f uUer  to  look  at  his  work,  and  at  this  work  on  Tabor. 
Fuller,  didst  thou  wash  this  robe  on  Tabor?     No,  no.     Why  not?     Why,  it  was 
washed  with  lightning,  it  was  cleansed  in  heaven,  it  was  dipped  in  the  fountains  of 
eternity.     No  fuller  on  earth  can  white  like  that.      So  be  it.     "  Not  made  with 
hands."     Manufactures?     No.     " No  fuller  on  earth  can  white  them."     The  arts? 
No.     What  is  left  then  ?     Nature.     Is  that  so  ?     Be  careful.     Admissions  will  be 
turned  against  us  presently.     So  this  brings  us  to  a  third  remarkable  expression 
(Acts  xxvi.  13),  "Above  the  brightness  of  the  sun."     Then  nature  goes.     What 
radiance  is  this  ?    We  thought  the  sun  was  bright.     We  used  to  say  of  that  old 
glory,  "  He  puts  the  fire  out."     He  blinds  our  little  lamps.     1.  Now  this  is  exactly 
so    with    regard,   for    example,   to   character,   saintly,   holy,   beauteous,   inspired 
character.     It  is  of  a  whiteness  such  as  no  fuller  on  earth  can  make  it.    Why, 
there   be  many  fullers  who  are  trying  to  whiten  the  world  ;  rare  fullers,  costly 
fullers,   energetic,   fussy,   busy   fullers,   but  they  get  no  further  on.      They  are 
moralists,  they  lecture  upon  moral  philosophy.     There  be  many  whitening  fullers, 
persons  who  say  that  on  such  and  such  conditions  they  will  renovate  you.     They 
wUl  make  new  men  of  you  if  you  will  sign  a  vow,  undergo  a  discipline,  subject 
yourselves  to  certain  scheduled  operations,  each  coming  in  its  own  proper  time,  then 
at  the  end  all  will  be  well.     Oh,  poor  fuller !     What  doth  this  great  Christ  do  ?     He 
washes  us  in  blood,  and  when  we  stand  up  from  that  catharism,  the  Fuller  says, 
"  No  fuller  on  earth  can  white  it  like  that."    If  you  despise  a  saint,  you  have  never 
seen  one.     A  saint  is  holy.     Why,  He  would  not  have  any  fuller  on  earth  touch  our 
souls.     He  only  who  made  the  soul  can  touch  it,  redeem  it  and  work  that  wondrous 
miracle  of  washing  white  by  cleansing  with  blood.     Your  character  is  not  what  it 
is  on  the  outside.     Your  character  is  the  quality  of  your  soul,  your  motive,  your 
purpose,  your  innermost  self,  and  no  fuller  on  earth  can  put  that  through  any 
process  of  cleansing.     "  This  is  the  Lord's  doing ;  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes." 
2.  It  is  the  same  with  inspiration.    It  is  not  made  with  hands.     What  have  I  seen 
you  do  again  and  again  ?     Have  I  not  seen  you  searching  for  inspiration  as  if  it 
were  in  black  ink  and  in  printer's  letters  ?    Yes,  I  have.    We  must  get  away  if  we 
can  from  these  people  to  whom  everything  is  valuable  in  proportion  as  it  is  hand- 
made.    Why,  the  literalist  never  read  the  Bible.     It  was  only  when  he  left  his 
literalism  and  began  to  touch  the  higherisms  that  want  names,  found  in  heaven, 
rightly  to  express  their  intent,  that  he  came  upon  revelation.     He  said,  "  This  book 
told  me  all  that  ever  I  did,  then  it  must  be  inspired."  It  is  not  made  with  hands.  3. 
And  so  with  Divine  hope.  It  is  a  light  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun.  It  is  Christ's 
hope.     He  did  not  stop  at  the  Cross.     He  endured  the  Cross,  despising  the  shame. 
Why  ?     Because  onward,  far  away  on  the  horizon  line  there  lay  a  light  that  meant 
immortality  and  glory  inevitable.     And  what  is  the  practical  application  of  this  ? 
It  needs  but  few  words  to  express  it.     We  must  go  from  the  things  made  with  hands 
to  the  things  hands  cannot  touch.   Here  are  the  lilies,  Christ  says.     "  We  have  seen 
the  lilies,  we  have  touched  the  lilies."     "Have  you?"     "Yes."     Then  consider 
them.     "  Why  ?  "   Because  your  Father  in  heaven  clothed  them  and  made  Solomon 
ashamed  of  himself  in  aU  his  pomp,  and  if  He  clothed  the  lilies  He  will  not  leave 
you  naked.     And  we  must  live  the  supernatural  life.     That  is  the  hard  part  of  it. 
"  Not  made  with  hands."     "  No  fuller  on  earth  can  white  like  this."     Sun,  there  is 
a  light  above  thee.     Until  we  get  to  these  conceptions  and  exactions  we  shall  be 
living  a  very  poor  life.     I  am  tired  of  houses  made  with  hands.     I  have  seen  it  all. 
Yes,  I  am  tired  of  this  fuller's  work.    It  becomes  dingy  and  poor  in  my  eyes.    And 
I   get  tired   of  nature.     There  is  no  monotony  like  the  monotony  of  sunshine. 
(J.  Parker,  D.D.) 

Ver.  2,  3.  For  in  this  we  groan,  earnestly  desiring  to  be  clothed  upon. — A 

Christianas  uneasiness  in  the  mortal  body  and  desire  of  the  heavenly  happiness : — 

I.  We  ABE  TO  CONSIDER  A  CHRISTIAN'S  GROANS  WHILE  HE  IS  IN  THE  BODY  UNDER  PRESENT 

tJNEASiNESS.  "  In  this  we  groan."  And  "  while  we  are  in  this  tabernacle  we  groan, 
being  burdened."  1.  As  to  what  the  body  is  the  more  immediate  seat  and  subject 
of.  Of  this  kind  we  may  consider  the  following  instances.  (1)  The  weakness  and 
disorder  of  the  bodily  nature.  (2)  Weariness  of  labour.  The  Christian  life  is  a  state 
of  warfare  as  well  as  service.  (3)  The  afflictions  and  sufferings  of  life.  (4)  The 
dissolution  of  the  bodily  frame.  There  is  a  natural  love  in  the  soul  to  the  body 
arising  from  the  close  union  and  long  intimacy  together.  2.  What  the  body  may 
further  occasion  to  the  soul ;  and  in  several  ways  occasions  uneasiness,     (1)  It  is  a 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  223 

great  hindi-ance  to  our  spiritual  attainments,  and  to  all  our  improvements  in  know- 
ledge and  grace.  How  often  do  the  necessities  and  pleasures  of  the  bodily  life  hinder 
a  wise  improvement  of  opportunities  ?  We  are  apt  to  indulge  in  sloth,  and  regret 
the  necessary  pains  of  higher  improvement.  (2)  It  is  a  great  occasion  of  sin,  as 
■well  as  of  imperfection.  The  depravation  of  nature  seems  interwoven  with  the 
bodily  constitution,  and  by  the  laws  of  union  between  the  body  and  soul,  the  one 
is  much  affected  by  the  other  (Rom.  vi.  13).  The  sensible  world  round  about  us 
powerfully  strikes  our  sensible  natures,  and  proves  a  dangerous  snare.  It  gives  a 
great  advantage  to  the  devil's  temptations.  (3)  It  exposes  them  to  many  troubles. 
How  many  calamities  befall  us  by  accident  or  violence,  by  the  hand  of  Providence 
or  our  own  mistake !     (4)  The  necessary  distance  and  absence  from  the  Lord.     II. 

I  AM  TO  CONSIDER  A  CHRISTIAN'S  DESIRES   OF   THE  HEAVENLY  HAPPINESS.       He  earnestly 

desires  to  be  clothed  upon  with  his  house  which  is  from  heaven.  There  is  the 
weight  of  their  present  burdens.  They  not  only  groan,  but  desire,  and  the  groanings 
breed  desires.  Oppressed  nature  longs  for  rest.  Besides,  there  is  the  excellency 
of  the  heavenly  state,  or  the  object  of  their  desires.  In  ver.  4  he  speaks  of  being 
clothed  upon,  or  covered  all  over  with  it,  and  mortality  being  swallowed  up  of  hfe. 
Even  the  mortal  part,  or  what  was  before  mortal  of  us,  will  become  immortal.  He 
represents  the  future  state  by  a  presence  with  Christ.  "  Present  with  the  Lord." 
The  peculiar  temper  of  a  Christian's  mind  with  reference  to  it.  1.  He  describes  it 
by  their  faith  of  the  heavenly  blessedness.  This  he  expresses  in  ver.  1  by  knowledge. 
2.  There  is  their  preparation  for  it.  This  we  have  in  ver.  5 — "  Now  He  who  hath 
wrought  us  for  the  self-same  thing  is  God,  who  hath  also  given  to  us  the  earnest 
of  His  Spirit."  3.  Their  courage,  or  fortitude  of  mind.  This  is  mentioned  in  ver.  6 
— "  Therefore  we  are  confident,  knowing  that,  while  we  are  at  home  in  the  body,  we 
are  absent  from  the  Lord."  In  ver.  8,  "  We  are  confident,  I  say."  We  have  bravery 
sufiicient  to  support  our  minds  in  the  prospects  and  conflicts  with  death ;  we  dare 
to  die  rather  than  not  be  with  the  Lord.  4.  Complacency,  or  willingness  (ver.  8). 
6.  Their  constant  endeavours.  This  we  find  in  ver.  9 — "  Wherefore  we  labour,  that, 
whether  present  or  absent,  we  may  be  accepted  of  Him."  His  favour  is  our  happi- 
ness living  and  dying,  in  this  world  and  in  the  other.  I  shall  only  further  observe 
that  the  word  also  imports  ambition ;  and  it  is  as  if  he  had  said,  "  This  is  the 
highest  honour  of  which  we  are  ambitious,  and  what  we  propose  as  the  proper 

prize."      III.    I  SHALL    close    this    subject  with    TWO    OR    THREE    PRACTICAL    REMARKS. 

1.  We  may  learn  from  hence  the  nature  of  the  present  state.  It  is  made  up,  accord- 
ing to  this  account  of  it,  of  groans  and  desires.  The  one  is  the  fruit  of  fallen  nature, 
the  other  of  the  renewed  nature.  The  one  is  the  effect  of  the  curse,  the  other  of 
Divine  grace.  2.  The  difference  between  sincere  Christians  and  other  men.  They 
groan  under  their  present  burdens  indeed,  and  have  sometimes  a  larger  share  than 
other  men,  but  then  they  have  their  desires  too.  But  now  wicked  men  have  groans 
■without  desires ;  they  have  no  desires  of  the  heavenly  state.  3.  We  should  look 
well  to  our  interest  in  the  heavenly  glory.  4.  The  happiness  of  departed  saints. 
They  have  the  fuU  satisfaction  of  their  highest  desires,  and  the  perfection  of  their 
felicity  and  joy.  (W.  Harris,  D.D.)  The  desire  for  immortality  : — I.  The  reasons 
FOR  THIS  GROANING  are — 1.  The  pressures  and  miseries  of  the  present  life  (ver.  4). 
We  are  burdened — (1)  With  sin.  To  a  waking  conscience  this  is  one  of  the  greatest 
burdens  that  can  be  felt  (Eom.  vii.  24).  It  is  not  the  bare  trouble  of  the  world 
which  sets  the  saints  a-groaning,  but  indwelling  corruption,  which  may  be  cast 
out,  but  is  not  cast  out.  A  gracious  heart  seeth  this  is  the  greatest  evil,  and  there- 
fore would  fain  get  rid  of  it.  (2)  With  miseries  (Rom.  viii.  20,  21).  It  is  a  groaning 
world,  and  God's  children  bear  a  part  in  the  concert  (Gen.  xlvii.  7).  There  are 
many  things  to  wean  a  Christian  from  the  present  life,  (a)  Manifold  temptations 
from  Satan  (1  Pet.  v.  8,  9).  (6)  Persecutions  from  the  world.  (3)  Sharp  afflictions 
from  God  HimseK.  God  is  jealous  of  our  hearts.  He  is  fain  to  embitter  our  worldly 
portion,  that  we  may  think  of  a  remove  to  some  better  place  and  state.  We  would 
sleep  here  if  we  did  not  sometimes  meet  with  thorns  in  our  bed.  2.  Our  having 
had  a  taste  of  better  things  (Rom.  viii.  23).  The  firstfruits  show  us  what  the  harvest 
wiU  be,  and  the  taste  what  the  feast  wiU  prove.  (1)  We  have  but  a  glimpse  of  Christ 
as  He  showeth  Himself  through  the  lattice,  but  there  we  shall  see  Him  with  open 
face.  (2)  Our  holiness  is  not  perfect,  and  therefore  we  long  for  more.  The  new 
nature  is  seed  (1  John  i.  9 ;  1  Pet.  i.  2).  As  a  seed  will  work  through  the  dry  clods, 
that  it  may  grow  up  into  its  perfect  estate,  so  doth  this  seed  of  God  work  towards 
its  final  perfection.  (3)  Our  comforts  are  not  perfect.  The  joys  of  the  Spirit  are 
unspeakable  things  ;  but  at  His  right  hand  there  is  fulness,  pleasures  for  evermore 


224  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chai-.  v. 

(Psa.  xvi.  11).  These  the  soul  longeth  for.  3.  The  excellency  of  this  estate.  It  is 
great  ingratitude  and  folly  that,  when  Christ  hath  procured  a  state  of  blessedness 
for  us  at  a  very  dear  rate,  we  should  value  it  no  more.  4.  The  three  theological 
graces.  (1)  Faith.  They  that  believe  that  there  is  another  sort  of  Ufe  infinitely 
more  desirable  than  this  will  find  their  affections  stirred  towards  it,  for  sound  per- 
suasion showeth  itself  in  answerable  affections  (Heb.  xi.  13 ;  2  Pet.  iii.  12).  (2) 
Love.  They  that  love  Christ  will  long  to  be  with  Him  (Phil.  i.  23 ;  cf.  Col.  iii.  1). 
(3)  Hope.  What  you  hope  for  will  be  all  your  desire  (Phil.  i.  20).  5.  The  Holy 
Ghost  stirreth  up  in  us  these  groans  partly  by  reveahng  the  object  in  such  a  lively 
manner  as  it  cannot  otherwise  be  seen  (Eph.  i.  17,  18 ;  1  Cor.  ii.  22),  partly  by  His 
secret  influences,  as  He  stirreth  up  holy  ardours  in  prayer  (Rom.  viii.  25,  26).  6. 
All  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  serve  to  awaken  them.  The  Word  is  God's  testa- 
ment, wherein  such  rich  legacies  are  bequeathed  to  us  that  every  time  we  read  it, 
or  hear  it,  or  meditate  upon  it,  we  may  get  a  step  higher,  and  advance  nearer  heaven 
(2  Pet.  V.  4  ;  Psa.  cxix.  96).  So  for  prayer — it  is  but  to  raise  those  heavenly  desires. 
We  long  in  the  Lord's  Supper  for  new  wine  in  our  Father's  kingdom,  to  put  an 
heavenly  relish  upon  our  hearts.  7.  These  desires  are  necessary  because  of  their 
effect.  What  maketh  the  Christian  so  industrious,  so  patient,  so  self-denying,  so 
watchful  ?  Only  because  he  breatheth  after  heaven  with  so  much  earnestness.  8. 
The  state  of  the  present  world  doth  set  the  saints  longing  for  heaven.  For  this 
world  is  vexatious,  the  pleasures  of  it  are  mere  dreams,  and  the  miseries  of  it  are 
real,  many,  and  grievous.  II.  Objections  met.  1.  But  how  can  Christians  groan 
for  their  heavenly  state,  since  there  is  no  passage  to  it  but  by  death,  and  it  is  un- 
natural to  desire  our  own  death  ?  (1)  They  do  not  simply  desu'e  death  for  itself, 
which  in  itself  is  an  evil,  but  as  a  means  to  enjoy  these  better  things  (Phil.  i.  23). 
(2)  Death  is  sweetened  to  them.  By  Christ's  death  it  is  made  their  friend,  a  passage 
to  an  endless  life  (1  Cor.  iii.  22  ;  Rom.  viii.  38).  2.  But  must  all  sincere  Christians 
thus  groan  and  long  ?  Many  groan  at  the  least  thought  of  death.  (1)  Somewhat 
of  this  there  must  be  in  all  that  beheve ;  they  all  groan  in  this  tabernacle,  and 
desire  to  be  dissolved.  How  can  you  labour  for  that  which  you  do  not  earnestly 
desire  and  groan  after  ?  (2)  Much  of  what  is  here  expressed  may  belong  to  an 
heroical  degree  of  grace  not  vouchsafed  to  aU  Christians.  But  yet  still  we  must  be 
growing  up  to  this  frame  of  heart.     Here  are  marks  to  aim  at.     (T.  Manton,  D.D.) 

Ver.  4.  For  we  that  are  in  this  tabernacle  do  groan,  being  biirdened. — The  two 

tabernacles  : — Life  and  immortality  have  been  brought  to  light  through  the  gospel. 
A  feeble,  fluttering  guess  was  all  that  unaided  men  could  ever  reach  regarding  the 
life  beyond.  A  jar  may  be  charged  with  electric  fire,  and  capable,  in  certain  cir- 
cumstances, of  giving  forth  light  and  heat ;  yet,  if  it  remain  isolated,  aU  is  dark 
and  silent.  Thus  there  is  in  a  human  spirit  a  susceptibility  and  a  capacity  which 
lies  dormant  as  long  as  man  is  left  to  himself,  but  which  leaps  into  life  ds  soon  as 
the  Word  of  God  is  pointed  to  the  heart.  Let  us  examine  the  text  word  by  word. 
I.  Tabernacle  is  a  frail,  temporary  dwelling.  But,  seeing  that  the  body  is  made  so 
perfect,  why  is  it  made  so  feeble  ?  1.  An  infant  in  a  dark  and  dangerous  path  dare 
not  stir  from  his  father's  side,  whereas  a  robust  youth  may  select  his  own  route. 
Our  Father  in  heaven  knows  that  it  is  difi&cult  to  keep  His  children  close  to  Himself 
as  matters  stand,  and  it  would  have  been  stUl  more  difficult  if  the  child  had  been 
entrusted  with  greater  power.  2.  When  the  spirit  of  a  dear  child  has  through  Christ 
been  attained,  the  frailty  of  the  truster  makes  the  trust  more  sweet.  His  strength 
is  made  perfect  in  our  weakness.  3.  If  we  know  that  the  abiding  home  is  ready, 
the  shaking  of  the  temporary  tabernacle  will  contribute  to  remind  us  of  another 
rest,  and  quicken  our  desire  for  an  abundant  entrance  on  its  blessedness.  II.  This 
tabernacle.  Our  body  is  not  our  only  dwelling-place,  and  the  design  of  the  Spirit 
here  is  to  preserve  us  from  bestowing  aU  our  regard  on  this  tabernacle  while  another 
is  more  worthy.  III.  Burdened.  1.  There  may  be  some  who  for  a  time  could 
scarcely  recognise  this  as  a  description  of  their  condition.  The  young,  healthy,  and 
prosperous — their  hearts  for  a  time  are  as  light  as  their  limbs  ;  they  trip  along  life 
as  if  they  were  chasing  butterflies  in  a  flowery  meadow.  To  a  certain  extent  this 
is  the  Creator's  kind  appointment.  The  cares  of  age  laid  on  the  heart  of  a  child 
would  crush  his  spirit,  and  render  him  incapable  of  fulfilling  his  task  when  he  should 
come  of  age.  But  even  in  childhood  some  weights  begin  to  press,  and,  when  youth 
has  passed,  the  cares  of  house  and  children,  of  business  and  company,  of  friendships 
and  enmities,  increase  and  multiply  until  the  beams  of  the  tabernacle  are  creaking 
Ijrematurely  under  the  accumulated  weight.    2.  These  burdens  may  be  inventoried 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  225 

among  the  "all  things"  that  work  together  for  good.  The  sorrows  of  earth  will 
enhance  the  joys  of  heaven  ;  the  rugged  rocks  and  scorching  sand  of  the  desert  will 
make  the  golden  streets  of  the  New  Jerusalem  feel  more  smooth  beneath  the  pilgrim'a 
feet.  IV.  We  gkoan.  A  groan  is  nature's  outlet  for  grief,  and  indicates  also  % 
desire  for  relief.  This  desire  does  not  by  itself  constitute  a  mark  of  grace.  It 
belongs  to  nature.  The  discontented  make  many  changes  in  order  to  escape  from 
suffering,  but  the  suffering  follows  them  into  every  sphere.  Some  are  weary  of  this 
world  who  are  by  no  means  ready  for  the  next.  V.  Not  that  we  would  be  un- 
clothed. This  means  to  put  off  this  tabernacle.  Even  Paul,  after  he  had  attained 
triumphant  faith  and  blessed  hope,  shrinks  from  the  dissolution  of  the  body.  I 
learn  here  that  positive  love  of  closing  with  the  King  of  Terrors  is  not  a  necessary 
mark  of  Christ's  redeemed  people.  I  love  this  warm  life.  I  shrink  from  death. 
And  therein  I  think  I  do  not  sin.  God  is  not  displeased  with  me  for  loving  that 
which  He  has  bestowed.  If,  by  faith  in  His  Son,  and  through  the  ministry  of  His 
Spirit,  He  make  me  willing  to  give  it  up  when  He  recalls  it,  enough  :  "  Thy  people 
shall  be  willing  in  the  day  of  Thy  power."     Christians  love  life  for  many  reasons. 

1.  As  sentient  beings,  in  common  with  those  who  know  not  Christ,  but  who  see  the 
sunlight,  and  feel  the  balmy  air,  and  tread  the  flowery  ground.  They  love  it  in 
common  not  only  with  their  fellow-men,  but  in  common  with  the  brutes  that  perish, 
with  the  cattle  that  browse  on  the  meadows,  and  the  birds  that  warble  in  the  trees, 
and  the  insects  that  flutter  in  the  sunbeam.  2.  With  a  deeper,  more  intelligent  love 
than  other  creatures — (1)  Because  the  gifts  which  are  in  their  own  nature  sweet  are 
sweeter  when  they  are  received  from  a  Father's  hand.  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose 
that  the  worldly  enjoy  their  portion  here,  and  that  Christians  postpone  the  prospect 
of  enjoyment  until  they  pass  through  the  gates  of  the  grave.  Those  who  hope  in 
Christ  for  the  world  to  come  enjoy  the  world  that  now  is  better  because  of  that  hope. 
(2)  As  a  field  of  useful  labour.  Work  may  be  done  here  which  cannot  be  done 
beyond  the  boundary  of  the  present  life.  {JV.  Arnot,  D.D.)  The  groans  of 
believers  under  their  burdens  : — I.  The  first  thing  is  to  give  you  some  account  of 
THE  believer's  PRESENT  LODGING  WHILE  IN  THE  BODY.  And  there  are  these  two  or 
three  things  that  I  remark  about  it  which  I  find  in  the  text  and  context.  1.  Then, 
I  find  it  is  called  a  house  in  the  first  verse  of  this  chapter.  And  it  is  fitly  so  called, 
because  of  its  rare  and  curious  structure  and  workmanship  (Psa.  cxxxix.  14,  15). 

2.  I  remark,  concerning  the  believer's  present  lodging,  that,  however  curious  its 
structure  be,  yet  it  is  but  a  house  of  earth.  And  it  is  so,  especially  in  a  threefold 
respect.  (1)  In  respect  of  its  original ;  it  is  made  of  earth.  (2)  It  is  a  house  of  clay 
in  respect  of  the  means  that  support  it ;  for  the  corn,  wine,  and  oil  wherewith  the 
body  of  man  is  maintained  do  all  spring  out  of  the  earth.  (3)  It  is  a  house  of  earth 
in  respect  of  its  end ;  it  returns  thither  at  its  dissolution  (Gen.  iii.  19).  3.  I  remark, 
concerning  the  beUever's  present  lodging,  that  it  is  but  at  best  a  tabernacle.  Tents 
are  for  soldiers  and  pilgrims.  4.  Another  thing  that  I  remark  concerning  the 
believer's  lodging  is  that  it  is  but  a  tottering  house.  "  The  earthly  house  of  this 
tabernacle  is  to  be  dissolved."  11.  The  second  thing  proposed  was  to  speak  of  the 
believer's  burdens  while  IN  THIS  TABERNACLE.  This  earthly  house,  it  lies  under 
many  servitudes,  and  the  believer  pays  a  dear  rent  for  his  quarters.  For — 1.  The 
clay  tabernacle  itself  is  many  times  a  very  heavy  burden  to  him.  The  crazy  cottage 
of  the  body  is  liable  to  innumerable  pains  and  distempers,  which  makes  it  lie  like 
a  dead  weight  upon  the  soul,  whereby  its  vivacity  and  activity  is  exceedingly  marred. 
2.  Not  only  is  he  burdened  with  a  burden  of  clay,  but  also  with  a  burden  of  sin — 
I  mean  indwelling  corruption,  enmity,  unbelief,  ignorance,  pride,  hypocrisy,  and 
other  abominations  of  his  heart.  3.  He  is  burdened  many  times  with  a  sense  of 
much  actual  guilt  which  he  has  contracted  through  the  untenderness  of  his  way  and 
walk.  4.  He  is  sometimes  sadly  burdened  with  the  temptations  of  Satan.  5.  Some- 
times the  believer  is  burdened  with  the  burden  of  ill  company.  6.  Sometimes  the 
believer  is  sadly  burdened,  not  only  with  his  own  sins,  but  with  the  abounding  sins 
and  abominations  of  the  dayand  place  wherein  he  lives.  7.  The  believer  is  many 
times  while  in  this  tabernacle  burdened  with  the  public  concerns  of  Christ.  He  is  a 
person  of  a  very  grateful  and  public  spirit.  8.  The  poor  believer  has  many  times  the 
burden  of  great  crosses  and  afflictions  lying  upon  him,  and  these  both  of  a  bodily 
and  spiritual  nature.  III.  The  third  thing  in  the  method  was  to  speak  of  the 
believer's  groaning  under  his  BURDEN.  "  We  that  are  in  this  tabernacle  do  groan, 
being  burdened."  Upon  this  head  I  shall  only  suggest  two  or  three  considerations. 
1.  Consider  that  the  working  of  the  believer's  heart  under  the  pressures  of  these 
burdens  vents  itself  variously.     Sometimes  he  is  said  to  be  in  heaviness  (1  Pet.  i.  6). 

15 


226  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

Sometimes  he  is  said  to  sigh  under  his  burdens,  and  to  sigh  to  the  breaking  of  his 
loins  :  "  My  fighting  cometh  before  I  eat,"  says  Job.  Sometimes  his  burdens  make 
him  to  cry.  Sometimes  he  cries  to  his  God  (Psa.  cxxx.  1).  2.  For  clearing  this  ye 
would  know  that  there  are  three  sorts  of  groans  that  we  read  of  in  Scripture.  (1)  I 
say  we  read  of  groans  of  nature  (Rom.  viii.  22).  (2)  We  read  of  groans  of  reason, 
or  of  the  reasonable  creatures  under  their  affliction  (Exod.  vi.  5).  (3)  We  read  of 
groans  of  grace,  or  of  spiritual  groans  (Rom.  viii.  26).  3.  A  third  remark  I  offer 
is  this,  that  these  groans  of  the  gracious  soul  here  spoken  of  seem  to  imply— (1)  A 
great  deal  of  grief  and  sorrow  of  spirit  on  the  account  of  sin,  and  melancholy  effects 
of  it  on  the  believer,  while  in  this  embodied  state.  (2)  It  implies  a  displeasure,  or 
dissatisfaction,  in  the  believer  with  his  present  burdened  estate ;  he  finds  that  this 
is  not  his  resting-place.  And — (3)  It  implies  a  panting  of  soul  after  a  better  state, 
even  the  immediate  enjoyment  of  God  in  glory.  Ver.  1 :  He  groans  with  an  "  earnest 
desire  to  be  clothed  upon  with  his  house  which  is  from  heaven."  IV.  But  I  proceed 
to  the  fourth  thing  in  the  method,  which  was  the  application  of  the  docteine. 
And  the  first  use  shall  be  of  information.  1.  Hence  we  may  see  the  vast  difference 
between  heaven  and  earth.  In  a  word,  there  is  nothing  but  matter  of  groaning  for 
the  most  part  here,  but  all  ground  of  groaning  ceaseth  for  ever  there.  2.  See,  hence, 
a  consideration  that  may  contribute  to  aUay  our  griefs  and  groans  for  the  death  of 
godly  relations ;  for  while  in  this  tabernacle  they  groan,  being  burdened,  but  now 
their  groans  are  turned  into  songs,  and  their  mourning  into  hallelujahs.  3.  See, 
hence,  that  they  are  not  the  happiest  folk  that  have  the  merriest  life  of  it  in 
the  world.  4.  See,  hence,  that  death  need  not  be  a  terror  to  the  believer.  Why  ? 
Because,  by  taking  down  this  tabernacle,  it  takes  off  all  his  burdens,  and  puts  a 
final  period  to  all  his  groans.  The  second  use  of  the  doctrine  may  be  of  reproof 
unto  two  sorts  of  persons.  It  reproves  these  who  are  at  home  while  in  this  taber- 
nacle. A  third  use  shall  be  of  lamentation  and  humiliation.  Let  us  lament  that 
the  Lord's  people  should  have  so  much  matter  of  groaning  at  this  day  and  time 
wherein  we  live.  1.  The  abounding  profanity  and  immorality  of  all  sorts  that  are 
to  be  found  among  us.  2.  The  universal  barrenness  that  is  to  be  found  among  us 
at  this  day  is  matter  of  groaning  unto  the  Lord's  people.  3.  The  lamentable  divisions 
that  are  in  our  Reuben  occasion  great  thoughts  of  heart  and  heaviness  to  the  Lord's 
people  at  this  day.  4.  The  innumerable  defections  and  backslidings  of  our  day  are 
a  great  burden  to  the  Lord's  people,  and  make  their  hearts  to  groan  within  them. 
{R.  Erskme,  D.D.)  Mati's  dilemma : — I.  Man  shrinks  feom  death.     1.    Man 

shows  this  in  many  ways.  (1)  By  the  pensive  regret  with  which  he  views  its 
precursors,  and  the  eagerness  with  which  he  sometimes  seeks  to  shut  out  the 
prospect  of  it.  (2)  By  the  plaintive  awe  with  which  he  contemplates  its  prey. 
(3)  By  the  unaffected  sorrow  with  which  he  mourns  the  consequences  of  it.  Every 
object  that^  he  sees  which  formerly  was  endeared  by  pleasant  associations  brings 
only  sorrow  after  death  has  inscribed  his  name  around  it.  If  experience  shows  us 
exceptions  to  this  general  rule,  they  have  some  special  feature  which  renders  them 
intelligibl*.  They  may  occur  where  life  has  become  burdensome,  or,  oftener,  where 
8ome  great  end  is  to  be  attained  by  the  sacrifice  of  it.  2.  Why,  then,  is  this  universal 
recoil  from  death  ?  (1)  Because  it  is  unnatural.  There  could  never  be  a  natural 
revulsion  from  anything  that  was  not  in  itself  unnatural  to  us.  (2)  Because  of  the 
deep  and  mysterious  sympathies  it  disturbs.  (3)  Because  all,  to  unaided  reason,  is 
dark  beyond  it.  II.  Man  is  dissatisfied  with  life.  And  we  must  here  consider 
life  as  dividing  itself  into  three  departments — animal,  intellectual,  and  moral.  True 
wisdom  lies  in  the  right  adjustment  and  harmony  of  these  three  different  elements. 
The  nearer  they  approach  to  harmony,  the  more  this  dissatisfaction  increases,  for 
it  only  shows  how  much  yet  remains  to  be  attained.  Man  exhibits  this  dissatisfac- 
tion with  life  in  various  ways.  1.  He  seeks  to  change  his  position  in  it.  2.  He 
shows  it  when  he  witnesses  the  failure  of  his  purposes  and  plans.  3.  Even  should 
success  attend  him,  that  success  fails  to  fulfil  his  desires.  The  attainment  of  success 
in  this  world  alnK)st  invariably  induces  increasing  ambition ;  it  only  sharpens  the 
appetite  for  yet  greater  prosperity.  Just  as  our  view  expands  the  higher  we  ascend 
the  steep  of  a  vast  mountain,  so  do  our  wishes  widen  the  further  we  advance  in 
wealth.  4.  If  he  cultivates  his  powers,  his  capabilities  outgrow  the  resources  of 
life.  The  keener  our  perceptions  become,  the  more  clearly  do  we  perceive  the  in- 
efficacy  of  these  resources  to  feed  our  extending  capacities.  5.  On  a  retrospect  of 
it,  however  extended,  it  appears  to  him  as  an  unsubstantial  dream.  III.  Man  pants 
FOR  the  perfection  OF  HIS  BEING.  Somc  havc  professed  to  believe  that  at  death  we 
sink  into  annihilation.     But  no  man  ever  yet  really  wished  to  be  nothing,  and  those 


CHAP,  v.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  227 

only  have  pretended  to  desire  it  who  have  felt  that  they  were  good  for  nothing. 
No !  It  is  an  instinct  of  our  nature  to  look  forward  to  immortality.  The  righteous 
shall  be  satisfied,  for  they  shaU  awake  in  the  likeness  of  their  God.  (A.  Mursell.) 
Not  unclothed,  but  clothed  upon : — The  doctrine  of  this  text  is  that  we  do  not  wish 
to  be  disembodied  spirits  hereafter,  but  to  have  another  higher  body  superinduced 
on  this.  I  think  the  phrase  indicates  a  desire  for  a  process  of  gradual  development. 
The  body,  in  this  passage,  is  first  compared  to  a  tabernacle — that  is,  a  tent — and 
then  to  a  building.  Perhaps  there  flitted  through  his  mind  the  idea  of  the  Jewish 
tabernacle,  or  church  tent,  which  they  carried  with  them  through  the  wilderness — a 
sort  of  travelling  church  where  they  had  their  sacrificial  worship  every  day — which 
was  so  made  that  it  could  be  taken  to  pieces  and  put  up  again.  The  present  body 
is  like  that ;  the  body  to  come  is  like  the  temple  of  Solomon  on  Mount  Moriah,  built 
of  solid  marble,  immovable,  incorruptible — a  beauty  and  a  wonder  of  the  world.  No 
doubt  the  corruptible  body  weighs  down  the  soul.  In  one  point  of  view  there  is  no 
correspondence  between  them  ;  they  are  deadly  foes.  Here  is  a  poor  soul  struggling 
to  get  at  some  truth,  some  beauty,  some  love,  some  goodness,  and  it  is  imprisoned 
in  a  body  which  will  not  let  it  do  so.  The  bodily  organisation  is  dull  and  heavy, 
is  unvivacious,  is  coarse  and  unrefined ;  it  tends  to  irritability  and  wilfulness,  instead 
of  sweetness  and  beauty.  The  soul  aspires,  the  body  drags  it  down.  In  all  men 
there  is  some  hereditary  depravity.  Nevertheless  the  body  is,  with  all  its  defects, 
the  clothing  for  the  soul.  All  clothing  does,  in  some  sort,  begin  to  correspond  with 
the  wearer,  and  to  express  a  little  his  tastes  and  ideas.  We  see  a  man's  mind  some- 
what in  his  dress.  The  body  has  some  kind  of  correspondence  with  the  mind.  The 
dress  of  a  Turk  corresponds  with  his  dignified  character,  his  quiet  ways,  his  slowness 
and  solemnity.  Thus  the  human  body  has  some  sort  of  analogy  to  the  soul  that 
it  wears.  You  look  at  a  face,  you  hear  a  voice,  you  see  the  gestures,  and  an  im- 
pression is  made  on  you  of  character.  That  impression  is  often  the  best  and  most 
reliable  means  of  knowing  a  man's  character.  It  is  spontaneous.  Some  people 
argue  as  though  this  body  were  all  bad,  and  say  that  in  heaven  we  shall  have  none, 
but  be  floating  about  the  universe,  pure  disembodied  spirits.  Paul  does  not  say 
that ;  body  is  to  remain,  but  the  mortal  part  of  it  is  to  be  swallowed  up  of  life. 
Body,  in  its  lowest  form,  is  a  mystery  of  wonder ;  the  human  body  is  the  most 
wonderful  and  beautiful  thing  on  earth.  It  is  a  muddy  vesture  of  decay,  but  it  is 
also  a  transparent  veil  through  which  the  soul  shines.  See  it  in  its  ideal  forms  in 
the  statues  of  Greece ;  what  grandeur  and  dignity  in  the  Apollo  of  the  Vatican ; 
what  overflowing  grace  in  the  Amazon  of  the  Capitol,  or  the  Flora  of  Naples !  Now 
these  forms  give  us  hints  of  a  more  idealised  and  higher  beauty.  The  thought  the 
apostle  expresses— " that  we  do  not  wish  to  be  unclothed,  but  clothed  upon" — is  a 
very  important  one.  It  is  an  essentially  Christian  idea ;  it  distinguishes  the  Chris- 
tian view  of  morality  from  the  natural  view.  "  Not  unclothed,  but  clothed  upon" 
— let  us  see  what  it  means.  The  Christian  view  of  all  growth  and  progress  is  by 
addition,  not  subtraction ;  by  building  up,  not  pulling  down ;  by  positive  means,  not 
negative ;  by  attraction,  not  repulsion  ;  by  love  of  good,  not  fear  of  evil ;  by  power 
of  love,  not  power  of  law.  Christ  came  not  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil.  Most  reforms 
and  inventions  come  by  improving  what  we  have.  The  first  farmer  probably  stirred 
the  ground  with  a  sharp  stick.  After  a  while  came  a  man  who  fastened  another  to 
it,  and  so  made  the  original  plough.  By  and  by  a  piece  of  iron  was  substituted  for 
one  of  the  sticks,  and  that  is  essentially  the  plough  of  to-day.  The  wool  from  a 
sheep's  back  was  twisted  with  the  fingers,  next  with  a  distaff,  then  with  a  spinning- 
wheel  ;  at  last  the  same  thing  is  done  by  the  spinning-jermy,  and  mule-spinning  by 
steam.  The  Puritans  and  Quakers  tried  to  unclothe  rehgion  of  all  its  rites  and 
ceremonies.  They  took  off  its  royal  robes  of  architecture,  painting,  statuary,  music, 
and  left  it  bare.  That  was  a  mistake.  They  should  have  exchanged  the  earthly 
dress  for  a  higher  and  more  heavenly  one.  This  is  the  Christian  principle,  and  it 
applies  in  a  thousand  ways.  Here  is  a  boy  who  has  done  wrong.  He  is  a  culprit ; 
he  has  stolen,  or  he  has  committed  some  other  offence.  The  law  arrests  him  and 
puts  him  in  prison.  This  the  law  must  do,  for  the  business  of  law  is  to  prevent 
offences,  to  keep  them  from  going  on  and  from  getting  worse.  But  the  law  cannot 
cure  the  criminal ;  it  can  only  stop  him  in  his  evU  course.  You  must  show  the  boy 
Bome  good  thing  ;  you  must  attract  him  toward  a  better  life  ;  you  must  give  him  an 
opportunity  for  something  better.  Law  takes  off  for  a  little  while  his  clothing  of 
sin  ;  Christianity  must  clothe  him  with  a  house  from  heaven.  Any  home  is  better 
than  none.  If  you  cannot  get  a  house,  take  a  cabin.  Mentally,  we  do  not  wish  to 
be  unclothed,  but  clothed  upon.     Mental  progress  does  not  consist  in  losing  the  old 


228  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

knowledge,  but  in  adding  to  it  new.  The  principle  of  conservatism  is  a  sound  one. 
Keep  your  present  faith  till  you  can  get  a  better  one.  The  man  who  believes  some- 
thing can  go  on  and  believe  more.  God  furnishes  us  with  a  mental  outfit  of  common 
and  universal  beliefs  to  begin  with.  We  are  not  to  be  unclothed  of  them,  either  in 
this  world  or  in  the  next,  but  clothed  upon  with  more.  Look  at  nature  in  this 
affluent  season  of  spring,  when  the  voice  of  God  is  saying,  "  Let  thei-e  be  life."  See 
how  nature  swallows  up  the  old  in  the  new  ;  see  how  she  absorbs  the  old  vegetation 
in  the  coming  grasses;  how  earth,  bare  and  dead,  is  clothed  upon  with  new  and 
wonderful  forms  of  growth.  The  affections  are  a  clothing  and  a  home  for  the  heart. 
God's  method  is  to  give  us  always  better  and  higher  affections,  and  to  make  the 
lower  a  step  upward  to  the  higher.  "  He  who  loves  not  his  brother  whom  he  hath 
seen,  how  shall  he  love  God  whom  he  hath  not  seeii  ?  "  All  human  love  leads  up 
to  Divine  love.  Everything  which  draws  man  out  of  himself  does  him  good.  Much 
of  earthly  aifection  is,  no  doubt,  poor,  weak,  unworthy.  It  is  idol-worship ;  it  is  a 
blind  and  foolish  affection ;  it  is  also  weak  and  changeable.  But,  such  as  it  is,  it 
is  always  better  than  nothing.  Do  not  destroy  it ;  fulfil  it.  All  love,  so  far  as  it  is 
love,  is  good ;  and  it  is  good  in  this  way,  that  it  takes  us  out  of  ourselves,  making 
us  for  the  time  unselfish,  and  also  that  it  makes  us  for  the  time  truly  pure.  Those 
who  love  are  emancipated  from  doubts,  hesitations,  terrors.  Every  one  needs  to  be 
able  to  be  with  those,  sometimes,  to  whom  he  can  speak  of  anything  he  chooses, 
without  any  doubt  or  anxiety  or  hesitation.  Then  he  is  at  home.  That  is  home, 
the  home  of  the  heart.  These  may,  indeed,  be  only  tents  to  live  in  till  we  reach  the 
Promised  Land  ;  but  we  know  that,  when  these  are  struck  and  folded,  we  have  a 
building  of  God  waiting  us  beyond  the  veil  of  time.  God,  who  provides  the  tent  for 
us  here,  will  provide  the  house  there.  He  who  gives  us  in  this  life  the  wonders  and 
beauties  of  nature,  the  lessons  of  truth,  the  opportunities  of  action  and  endeavour, 
the  helps  of  friendship,  the  charm  of  love,  the  nobleness  of  life,  and  the  pathos  of 
death,  will  provide  for  us  better  things  beyond,  "  which  eye  has  not  seen,  nor  ear 
heard."  Therefore,  0  human  heart !  trust  and  look  forward,  and  do  not  doubt  nor 
fear,  but  go  from  truth  to  truth,  from  love  to  higher  love.  We  do  not  wish  to  be 
unclothed  of  this  world's  affections  and  interests,  but  clothed  upon  with  higher. 
This  life  is  not  the  end,  but  the  beginning.     (Jas.  Freeman  Clarke.) 

Ver.  5.  Now  He  that  hath  wrought  us  for  the  self-same  thing  is  God. — The 

patient  Divine  Workman  and  His  purpose : — These  words  penetrate  deep  into  the 
secrets  of  God.  To  Paul  everything  is  the  Divine  working.  Life  is  to  him  no  mere 
blind  whirl  of  accidental  forces,  but  the  slow  operation  of  the  great  Workman.  And 
he  believes  that  the  clear  perception  of  the  Divine  purpose  will  be  a  charm  against 
all  sorrow,  doubt,  despondency,  or  fear.  I.  God's  purpose  in  all  His  working.  1. 
What  is  that  "  self-same  thing"  ?  The  apostle  has  been  speaking  about  the  instinc- 
tive reluctance  that  even  good  men  feel  at  the  prospect  of  "  putting  off  the  earthly 
house  of  this  tabernacle."  He  distinguishes  between  three  different  conditions  in 
which  the  human  spirit  may  be — dwelling  in  the  earthly  body,  stripped  of  that,  and 
"  clothed  with  the  house  which  is  from  heaven"  ;  and  this  last  and  highest  state  is 
the  very  thing  for  which  God  has  wrought  us — i.e.,  the  highest  aim  of  the  Divine 
love  in  all  its  dealings  with  us  is  not  merely  a  blessed  spiritual  life,  but  the  com- 
pletion of  our  humanity  in  a  perfect  spirit  dwelling  in  a  glorified  body.  2.  That 
glorified  body  is  described  in  our  context.  II.  The  slow  process  of  the  Divine 
Workman.  1.  The  apostle  employs  a  term  which  conveys  the  idea  of  continuous 
and  effortful  work,  as  if  against  resistance.  Like  some  sculptor  with  a  hard  bit  of 
marble,  or  some  metallui'gist  with  rough  ore,  so  the  loving,  patient.  Divine  Artificer 
labours  long  and  earnestly  with  somewhat  obstinate  material,  by  manifold  touches, 
here  a  little  and  there  a  little,  and  not  discouraged  when  He  comes  upon  a  black 
vein  in  the  white  marble,  nor  when  the  hard  stone  turns  the  edge  of  His  chisels. 
Learn,  then — (1)  That  God  cannot  make  you  fit  for  heaven  all  at  a  jump,  or  by  a 
simple  act  of  will.  He  can  make  a  world  so,  not  a  saint.  He  cannot  say,  and  He 
does  not  say,  "  Let  there  be  holiness,"  and  it  comes.  Not  so  can  God  make  ma.n 
meet  for  the  "  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light."  And  it  takes  Him  all  His  energies, 
for  all  a  lifetime,  to  prepare  His  child  for  what  He  wants  to  make  of  him.  (2)  That 
God  cannot  give  a  man  that  glorified  body  of  which  I  have  been  speaking  unless  the 
man's  spirit  is  Christlike.  By  the  necessities  of  the  case  it  is  confined  to  the  puri- 
fied, because  it  corresponds  to  their  inward  spiritual  being.  It  is  only  a  perfect  spirit 
that  can  dwell  in  a  perfect  body.  Some  shall  rise  to  glory  and  immortality,  some  to 
shame  and  everlasting  contempt.   If  we  are  to  stand  at  the  last  with  the  body  of  our 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  229 

humiliation  changed  into  a  body  of  glory,  we  must  begin  by  being  changed  in  the 
spirit  of  our  mind.  2.  Consider  the  three-fold  processes  which,  in  the  Divine  work- 
ing, terminate  in  this  great  issue.  (1)  God  has  wrought  us  for  it  in  the  very  act  of 
making  us  what  we  are.  Human  nature  is  an  insoluble  enigma  if  this  world  is  its 
only  field.  Amidst  all  the  mysterious  waste  of  creation,  there  is  no  more  profligate 
expenditure  of  powers  than  that  which  is  involved  in  giving  a  man  such  faculties 
and  capacities  if  this  be  the  only  field  on  which  they  are  to  be  exercised.  All  other 
creatures  fit  their  circumstances ;  nothing  in  them  is  bigger  than  their  environment. 
They  find  in  life  a  field  for  every  power.  But  we  have  an  infinitude  of  faculty  lying 
half  dormant  in  each  of  us  which  finds  no  work  at  all  in  this  present  world.  What 
is  the  use  of  us  if  there  is  notliing  except  this  poor  present  ?  God,  or  whoever  made 
us,  has  made  a  mistake ;  and,  strangely  enough,  if  we  were  not  made,  but  evolved, 
evolution  has  worked  out  faculties  which  have  no  correspondence  with  the  things 
around  them.  Life,  and  man,  is  an  insoluble  enigma  except  on  the  hypothesis  that 
this  is  a  nursery-ground,  and  that  the  liitle  plants  will  be  pricked  out  some  day,  and 
planted  where  they  are  meant  to  grow.  (2)  Another  field  of  the  Divine  operation 
to  this  end  is  in  what  we  roughly  call  "  providences."  What  is  the  meaning  of  all 
this  discipline  through  which  we  are  passed  if  there  is  nothing  to  be  disciplined  for  ? 
What  is  the  good  of  an  apprenticeship  if  there  is  no  journeyman's  life  to  come  after 
it,  where  the  powers  that  have  been  slowly  acquired  shall  be  nobly  exercised  upon 
broader  fields  ?  Life  is  an  insoluble  riddle  unless  the  purpose  of  it  lie  yonder,  and 
unless  all  this  patient  training  of  our  sorrows  and  our  gladnesses  is  equally  meant 
for  training  us  for  the  perfect  life  of  a  perfect  soul,  moving  a  perfect  body  in  a  perfect 
universe.  And  who  can  think  of  life  as  anything  but  a  wretched  fragment  unless 
he  knows  that  all  which  begins  here  runs  upwards  into  the  room  above,  and  there 
finds  its  explanation  and  its  completion  ?  (3)  So  in  all  the  work  and  mystery  of 
our  redemption  this  is  the  goal  that  God  has  in  view.  It  was  not  worth  Christ's 
while  to  come  and  die  if  nothing  more  was  to  come  of  it  than  the  imperfect  recep- 
tion of  His  blessings  and  gifts  which  the  noblest  Christian  life  in  this  world  presents. 
The  meaning  and  purpose  of  the  Cross,  the  meaning  and  purpose  of  all  the  patient 
dealings  of  His  whispering  Spirit,  is  that  we  shall  be  like  our  Divine  Lord  in  spirit 
first,  and  in  body  afterwards.  3.  And  everything  about  the  experiences  of  a  true 
Christian  spirit  is  charged  with  a  prophecy  of  immortality.  The  very  desires  which 
God's  good  Spirit  works  in  a  believing  soul  are  themselves  confirmations  of  their 
own  fulfilment.  III.  The  certainty  and  the  confidence.  1.  "  He  that  hath  wrought 
us  for  the  self-same  thing  is  God."  Then  we  may  be  sure  that,  as  far  as  He  is 
concerned,  the  work  will  not  be  suspended  nor  vain.  This  Workman  has  infinite 
resources,  an  unchanging  purpose,  and  infinite  long-suiiering.  In  the  quarries  of 
Egypt  you  will  find  gigantic  stones,  half-dressed,  and  intended  to  have  been  trans- 
ported to  some  great  temple.  But  there  they  lie,  the  work  incomplete,  and  they 
never  carried  to  their  place.  There  are  no  haU-polished  stones  in  God's  quarries. 
They  are  all  finished  wliere  they  lie,  and  then  borne  across  the  sea,  like  Hiram's 
from  Lebanon,  to  the  temple  on  the  hill.  2.  But  it  is  a  certainty  that  you  can 
thwart.  It  is  an  operation  that  you  can  counter-work.  Oh !  do  not  let  all  God's 
work  on  you  come  to  naught,  but  yield  yourselves  to  it.  Rejoice  in  the  confidence 
that  He  is  moulding  your  character,  cheerfully  welcome  the  providences,  painful  as 
they  may  be,  by  which  He  prepares  you  for  heaven.  {A.  Maclaren,  D.D.)  Pre- 
paration for  heaven  the  work  of  God : — There  are  five  steps  in  orderly  succession 
whereby  we  are  wrought,  made  fit,  for  the  kingdom  of  God.  I.  The  first  of  these 
is  the  Divine  call,  by  which  we  are  excited  and  urged  to  seek  salvation.  II.  The 
second  step  in  the  preparation  of  the  soul  for  heaven  is  Divine  illumination.  III. 
The  spiritual  illumination  of  the  inner  man  is  followed  by  kepentance.  IV.  And 
this  conducts  us  to  the  fourth  step  in  the  process  of  religion — namely,  faith  in 
Christ.  V.  The  final  step  in  the  method  of  salvation  is  the  sanctification  of  the 
SOUL.  [J.  A.  Sartorius.)  Preparation  for  heaven  : — I.  The  work  of  pkepakation. 
1.  It  is  almost  universally  admitted  that  some  preparation  is  essential.  Whenever 
death  is  announced,  you  will  hear  the  worst-instructed  say,  "  I  hope,  poor  man !  he 
was  prepared."  (1)  Men  need  something  to  be  done  for  them,  (a)  God  declares 
that  we  are  enemies  to  Him.  We  need,  therefore,  that  some  ambassador  should 
come  to  us  with  terms  of  peace,  and  reconcile  us  to  God.  (6)  We  are  debtors 
also  to  our  Creator — debtors  to  His  law.  Some  mediator,  then,  must  come  in  to 
pay  the  debt  for  us,  for  we  cannot  pay  it,  neither  can  we  be  exempted  from  it.  (c) 
In  addition  to  this,  we  are  all  criminals — condemned  already ;  in  fear  of  execution 
unless  some  one  come  in  between  us  and  punishment.     Say,  then,  has  this  been 


230  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [ch.u-.  v. 

done  for  you  ?     Many  of  you  can  answer,  "  Blessed  be  God,  I  have  been  reconciled 
to  Him  through  the  death  of  His  Son ;  my  debts  to  God  are  paid ;  I  have  looked 
to  Christ,  my  Substitute,  and  I  am  no  longer  condemned  "  (Eom.  viii.  1).     Come,  let 
us  rejoice  in  this,  that  He  hath  wrought  us  for  this  self-same  thing.     (2)  Something 
must  be  wrought  in  us.     (a)  We  are  all  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.     Shall  dead 
men  sit  at  the  feasts  of  the  eternal  God  ?     Only  the  living  children  can  inherit  the 
promises  of  the  living  God,  for  He  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living. 
(b)  By  nature  we  are  all  worldly.     We  "  mind  earthly  things  "  ;  the  world's  maxims 
govern  us,  its  fears  alarm  us,  its  hopes  and  ambitions  excite  us.     But  we  cannot  go 
to  heaven  as  worldly  men,  for  there  would  be  nothing  there  to  gratify  us.     The  joys 
and  glories  of  heaven  are  all  spiritual,     (c)  We  are  unholy  by  nature ;  but  in  heaven 
they  are  "without  fault  before  the  throne  of  God."    No  sin  is  tolerated  there.   What 
a  change,  then,  must  come  over  the  carnal  man  to  make  him  holy !   What  can  wash 
him  white  but  the  blood  of  Christ  ?     That  a  great  change  must  be  wi'ought  in  us 
even  ungodly  men  will  confess,  since  the  Scriptural  idea  of  heaven  has  never  been 
agreeable  to  unconverted  men.     When  Mahomet  would  charm  the  world  into  the 
belief  that  he  was  the  prophet  of  God,  the  heaven  he  pictured  was  a  heaven  of  un- 
bridled sensualism.     Could  a  wicked  man  enter  into  heaven,  he  would  be  wretched 
there.     There  is  no  heaven  for  him  who  has  not  been  prepared  for  it  by  a  work  of 
grace  in  his  soul.     2.  If  we  have  such  a  preparation,  we  must  have  it  on  this  side 
of  our  death.     As  the  tree  falleth,  so  it  must  lie.     While  the  nature  is  soft  it  is 
susceptible  of  impression,  stamp  what  seal  you  may  upon  it ;  once  let  it  grow  cold 
and  hard,  you  can  do  so  no  more ;  it  is  proof  against  any  change.     We  have  no 
intimation  in  the  Word  of  God  that  any  soul  dying  in  unbelief  will  afterwards  be 
converted.     "He  that  is  holy,  let  him  be  holy  still;  he  that  is  filthy,  let  him  be 
filthy  still."     Moreover,  we  ought  to  know,  for  it  is  possible  for  a  man  to  know 
whether  he  is  thoroughly  prepared.     Jesus  Christ  has  not  left  us  in  such  a  dubious 
case  that  we  always  need  to  be  inquiring,  "Am  I  His,  or  am  I  not?"     He  tells  us 
that  "  he  that  believeth  and  is  baptised  shall  be  saved."     If  we  have  obeyed  these 
commands  we  shall  be  saved,  for  our  God  keepeth  His  word.     We  need  not  harbour 
endless  questionings.     3.  Alas !  how  many  put  off  all  thoughts  of  being  prepared 
to  die !     They  are  prepared  for  almost  anything  except  the  one  thing  needful. 
"Prepare  to  meet  your  God."     II.  The  Author  of  this  prepaeation  for  death. 
Who  made  Adam  fit  for  Paradise  but  God  ?     And  who  must  make  us  fit  for  the 
better  Paradise  above  but  God  ?     That  we  cannot  do  it  ourselves  is  evident.     We 
are  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.     Can  the  dead  start  from  the  grave  of  their  own 
accord?     The  dead  shall  surely  rise,  but  because  God  raises  them.     Conversion, 
which  prepares  us  for  heaven,  is  a  new  creation.     The  original  creation  was  the 
work  of  God,  and  the  new  creation  must  likewise  be  of  God.     Think  of  what  fitness 
for  heaven  is !     To  be  fit  for  heaven  a  man  must  be  perfect.     Go,  you  who  think 
you  can  prepare  yourselves,  be  perfect  for  a  day.    Man's  work  is  never  perfect.    God 
alone  is  perfect,  and  He  alone  is  the  Perfecter.     III.  The  seal  of  this  preparation. 
"  The  earnest  of  the  Spirit."     Masters  frequently  pay  during  the  week  a  part  of  the 
wages  which  will  be  due  on  Saturday  night.     God  gives  His  Holy  Spirit,  as  it  were, 
to  be  a  part  of  the  reward  which  He  intends  to  give  to  His  people  when,  like  hirelings, 
they  have  fulfilled  their  duty.     So  God  gives  us  His  Holy  Spirit  to  be  in  our  hearts 
as  an  earnest  of  heaven.    Have  you  received  the  Holy  Spirit?    Do  you  reply,  "  How 
may  I  know  ?  "     Wherever  the  Holy  Spirit  is.  He  works  certain  graces  in  the  soul, 
such  as  repentance,  patience,  forgiveness,  holy  courage,  joy,  &c.     This  gift,  more- 
over, will  be  conspicuously  evidenced  by  a  living  faith  in  Christ.     (C.  H.  Spurgeon.) 
The  great  hope  and  its  earnest : — I.  What  " this  self-same  thing"  is  for  which  we 
are  "wrought."     Studying  the  context,  we  find  it  to  be  a  certain  state  of  mind  in 
regard  to  many  things.     We  must  go  back  to  chap.  iv.  to  understand  this  fully. 
And  I  think  it  must  be  allowed  that  it  is  a  very  great  and  heroic  attitude.     He  who 
can  take  up  the  language  of  a  passage  like  this,  and  honestly  adopt  it  as  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  state  and  feeling  of  his  mind,  is  a  very  king,  and  must  be  among  the 
happiest  of  men.     We  have  around  us  here  and  now  the  world — God-denying  and 
anti-Christian — which  was  around  the  Apostle  Paul.   It  is  not  changed!   The  apostle 
seems  to  have  lived  in  a  tough  house,  and  yet  a  house  that,  after  years  of  toil  and 
hardship,  became  worn  out  and  frail.     If  it  was  a  great  thing  for  him  to  triumph 
over  bodily  suffering,  and  to  face  death,  must  it  not  be  a  great  thing  for  afflicted 
and  suffering  people  to  do  the  same  now  ?     And  is  it  not  a  great  thing,  in  these 
times,  to  be  able  to  look  to  that  "beyond"  in  faith  and  confidence,  to  cast  anchor 
of  thought  and  faith,  as  well  as  of  desire  and  hope,  in  another  life  ?    While  atheism 


iCHAP.  v.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  231 

spreads  blackness  over  the  universe,  while  materialism  drags  men  down  to  the  dust, 
while  heartless  philosophies  and  tlippaiit  literatures  tell  us  "it  does  not  matter" — in 
times  like  these  it  is  a  great  thing  to  stand  on  the  old  watch-tower,  and  to  look  by- 
faith  clearly  beyond  the  visible  into  the  invisible,  declaring,  "  Yes,  I  see  it.  I  know 
that  if  the  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle,"  &c.  II.  It  is  wholly  the  result  of 
A  Divine  process.  It  is  not  a  natural  development.  If  it  were  so,  the  apostle  might 
have  said,  "  He  who  created  us,  when  we  were  born,  for  this  self-same  thing  is  God  " ; 
or,  "  He  who  gave  us  life,  and  gave  us  power  to  mould  and  renew  our  own  nature 
till  we  rise  into  all  goodness,  is  God."  But  his  words  take  another  line.  "  He  who 
hath  wrought  us" — created  us  anew  in  Christ  Jesus — "wrought  us,"  as  the  block 
of  marble  is  wrought  into  the  shape  of  the  fair  figure.  So  are  we  "wrought"  by- 
God.  His  work  is  marvellous.  He  must  have  wrought  a  great  work  in  Stephen 
before  he  could  stand  up  fearlessly,  with  an  angel  face,  amid  the  shower  of  death- 
dealing  stones.  He  works  always  along  main  lines,  amid  infinite  variety  of  circum- 
stance, but  always  with  a  view  to  the  "  self-same  thing,"  and  therefore  in  some 
degree  along  the  same  road  to  reach  it ;  and  this  is  the  road  (Rom.  viii.  29,  30). 
III.  All  this  is  made  sure  to  us,  not  only  in  Divine  promise,  but  by  "  the  earnest 
OF  THE  Spirit."  That  is  to  say,  this  "self-same  thing  "  means  not  merely  a  hope 
that  something  good  and  great  is  coming  by  and  by,  but  that  it  is  in  part  matter 
of  experience  now.  There  are  estates  in  this  world  which  you  can  enter  by  crossing 
a  river,  or  going  over  a  chain  of  hills.  You  are  then  in  the  estate,  and  if  you  know 
the  proprietor,  and  he  accounts  you  his  friend,  you  have  some  feeling  of  safety  as 
you  travel  on  over  moor  and  moss,  through  gloomy  forest  and  dark  defile ;  but  if 
you  are  going  to  the  mansion — that  is  twenty  or  thirty  miles  distant,  perhaps,  and 
many  adventures  may  come  to  you  by  the  way.  Still,  if  you  walk  well,  and  walk 
right  on — not  stopping  for  every  dog  that  barks,  or  sheltering  from  every  shower 
that  falls,  but  pressing  always  on — why,  then,  just  about  sunset,  perhaps,  the  western 
sky  all  gold,  sweet  evening  breathing  peace  over  the  earth,  you  will  see  the  towers 
of  the  castle  whither  you  are  going.  And  the  landscape  will  begin  to  soften  and 
glow ;  the  grass  is  greener  now ;  the  trees  are  more  select ;  the  road — how  smooth 
it  is,  compared  with  some  of  the  first  miles  you  trod !  And  then  you  pass  the  great 
iron  gate,  and  lo  !  yonder  in  the  doorway  is  your  friend  who  has  sent  for  you,  and 
who  is  lord  of  all  the  way  by  which  you  have  come.  Such  is  our  heavenly  way. 
Every  step  of  it  is  on  King's  ground.  We  are  in  heaven  when  we  begin  to  live  to 
heaven's  King.  But  it  is  a  wide  estate,  and  looking,  and  longing,  and  praying  as 
they  travel ;  and  this  ^  "  the  earnest  of  the  Spirit " — this  is  the  witness  in  the  man 
himself  that  he  has  "  passed  from  death  unto  life,"  and  that  he  shall  win  the  life 
immortal  at  length.     {A.  Raleigh,  D.D.)  The  glorious  hereafter  and  ourselves: — 

It  is  a  very  comforting  thing  to  be  able  to  see  the  work  of  God  in  our  own  hearts. 
We  have  not  to  search  long  for  the  foul  handiwork  of  Satan  within  us.  The  apostle 
found  indications  of  the  Divine  work  in  a  groan.  Believers  may  trace  the  finger  of 
God  in  their  holy  joys,  yet  just  as  surely  is  the  Holy  Spirit  present  in  their  sorrows 
and  groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered.  So  long  as  it  is  the  work  of  God,  it  is 
comparatively  a  small  matter  whether  our  hearts'  utterance  be  song  or  sigh.  I. 
God's  work  is  seen  in  creating  in  us  desires  after  being  "  clothed  upon  with  our 
HOUSE  WHICH  IS  FROM  HEAVEN."  1.  The  Christian  is  the  most  contented  man  in  the 
world,  but  he  is  the  least  contented  ivith  the  world.  He  is  like  a  traveller,  perfectly 
satisfied  with  the  inn  as  an  inn,  but  his  desires  are  ever  towards  home.  He  is  like 
a  sailor,  well  content  with  the  good  ship  for  what  it  is,  but  he  longs  for  harbour. 
2.  What  is  it  that  makes  the  Christian  long  for  heaven  ?  (1)  A  desire  for  the  unseen.. 
The  carnal  mind  is  satisfied  with  what  the  eyes  can  see,  &c.,  but  the  Christian  has 
a  spirit  within  him  which  the  senses  cannot  gratify.  (2)  A  yearning  after  holiness. 
He  who  is  born  again  of  incorruptible  seed  finds  his  worst  trouble  to  be  sin.  What 
bliss  to  be  without  the  tendency  or  possibility  to  sin !  (3)  A  sighing  after  rest,  which 
we  cannot  find  here.  (4)  A  thirst  for  communion  with  God.  Here  we  do  enjoy 
fellowship  with  God,  but  it  is  remote  and  dark.  3.  This  desire  is  above  ordinary 
nature.  All  flesh  is  grass,  and  the  grass  loves  to  strike  its  root  deep  into  the  earth ; 
it  has  no  tendrils  with  which  to  clasp  the  stars.  Man  by  nature  would  be  content 
to  abide  on  earth  for  ever.  4.  While  they  are  contrary  to  the  old  nature,  such 
aspirations  prove  the  existence  of  the  new  nature.  You  may  be  quite  sure  that  you 
have  the  nature  of  God  in  you  if  you  are  pining  after  God.  5.  Note  the  means  by 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  quickens  these  desires  within  our  spirits.  (1)  They  are  in- 
fused in  us  by  regeneration,  which  begets  in  us  a  spiritual  nature,  and  the  spiritual 
nature  brings  with  it  its  own  longings — viz.,  after  perfection  and  God.     (2)  They 


232  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

are  further  assisted  by  instruction.  The  more  the  Holy  Ghost  teaches  us  of  the 
world  to  come,  the  more  we  long  for  it.  (3)  They  are  further  increased  by  sanctified 
afflictions.  Thorns  in  our  nest  make  us  take  to  our  wings ;  the  embittering  of  this 
cup  makes  us  earnestly  desire  to  drink  of  the  new  wine  of  the  kingdom.  (4)  They 
are  increased  by  the  sweets  as  well  as  the  bitters.  Communion  with  Christ  sharpens 
the  edge  of  our  desire  for  heaven.  And  so  does  elevation  of  soul.  The  more  we 
are  sanctified  and  conformed  unto  Jesus,  the  more  we  long  for  the  world  to  come. 
II.  The  fitness  fok  heaven  which  is  weought  in  us.  1.  Who  fits  us.  (1)  God 
the  Father,  by  adopting  us  into  His  family,  by  justifying  us  through  Christ,  by 
preserving  us  by  His  power,  (2)  God  the  Son,  by  blotting  out  our  iniquities,  by 
transferring  to  us  His  righteousness,  by  taking  us  into  union  with  Himself.  (3)  The 
Holy  Spirit,  by  giving  us  food  for  the  new  nature,  instruction,  &c.  2.  In  what  this 
fitness  consists.  (1)  In  the  possession  of  a  spiritual  nature.  The  unregenerate  would 
not  by  any  possibihty  be  able  to  enjoy  the  bliss  of  heaven.  They  would  be  quite 
out  of  their  element.  A  bee  in  a  garden  is  at  home,  and  gathers  honey  from  all  the 
flowers ;  but  admit  a  swine,  and  it  sees  no  beauty  in  lilies  and  roses,  and  therefore 
it  proceeds  to  root,  and  tear,  and  spoil  in  all  directions.  (2)  In  a  holy  nature.  If 
a  man  has  no  delight  in  God  he  has  no  fitness  for  heaven.  (3)  In  love  to  the  saints. 
Those  who  do  not  love  the  people  of  God  on  earth  would  find  their  company  very 
irksome  for  ever.  (4)  In  joy  in  service.  (5)  In  conformity  to  Christ.  Much  of 
heaven  consists  in  this.  3.  The  unfitness  of  unrenewed  souls  for  heaven  may  be 
illustrated  by  the  incapacity  of  certain  persons  for  elevated  thoughts  and  intellectual 
pursuits.  Alphonse  Karr  tells  a  story  of  a  servant-man  who  asked  his  master  to 
be  allowed  to  leave  his  cottage  and  sleep  over  the  stable.  What  was  the  matter  with 
his  cottage  ?  "  Why,  sir,  the  nightingales  all  around  make  such  a  "jug,  jug,  jug  " 
at  night  that  I  cannot  bear  them."  A  man  with  a  musical  ear  would  be  charmed 
with  the  nightingales'  song,  but  here  was  a  man  without  a  musical  soul,  who  found 
the  sweetest  notes  a  nuisance.  HI.  The  Lord  has  graciooslt  given  to  us  an 
EARNEST  OF  GLORY.  An  camest  is  unlike  a  pledge,  which  has  to  be  returned  when 
the  matter  which  it  ensures  is  obtained ;  it  is  a  part  of  the  thing  itself.  So  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  a  part  of  heaven.  His  work  in  the  soul  is  the  bud  of  heaven.  1.  His  very 
^welling  in  our  soul  is  the  earnest  of  heaven.  If  God  Himself  condescends  to  make 
these  bodies  His  temples,  is  not  this  akin  to  heaven's  honours?  2.  When  He  brings 
to  us  the  joys  of  hope,  this  is  an  earnest.  While  singing  some  glowing  hymn  our 
spirit  shakes  ofif  all  her  doubts  and  fears,  and  anticipates  her  everlasting  heritage. 

3.  When  we  enjoy  the  full  assurance  of  faith,  and  read  our  title  clear  to  mansions 
in  the  skies ;  when  faith  knows  whom  she  has  believed,  and  is  persuaded  that  He 
is  able  to  keep  that  which  she  has  committed  to  Him — this  is  an  earnest  of  heaven. 

4.  Heaven  is  the  place  of  victory,  and  when  the  Holy  Spirit  enables  us  to  overcome 
sin  we  enjoy  an  earnest  of  the  triumph  of  heaven.  5.  When  through  the  Spirit 
we  enjoy  fellowship  with  Christ,  and  with  one  another,  we  have  a  foretaste  of  the 
fellowship  of  heaven.  Conclusion  :  If  these  things  be  so,  believers — 1.  Be  thankful. 
Remember  these  things  are  not  your  own  productions ;  they  have  been  planted  in 
your  soul  by  another  hand,  and  watered  by  a  superior  power.  2.  Be  reverent.  When 
a  scholar  knows  that  all  he  has  learned  has  been  taught  him  by  his  master,  he  looks 
up  from  his  master's  feet  into  his  master's  face  with  I'espectful  esteem.  3.  Be  con- 
fident. If  the  good  thing  had  been  wi'ought  by  ourselves  we  might  be  sure  that  it 
would  fail  before  long.  Nothing  of  mortal  man  was  ever  perfect.  But,  if  He  that 
hath  begun  the  good  work  be  God,  there  is  no  fear  that  He  will  forsake  or  leave  His 
work  undone.  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  Detaching  : — I.  In  God's  economy  this  life 
18  A  PROCESS  OF  DISENTANGLING  FROM  ITS  OWN  CONDITIONS.  Mortal  life  is  a  getting 
loose.  1.  Note  the  imagery  of  the  context.  We  mortals  are  as  dwellers  in  a  tent. 
This  tent  is  being  gradually  "  loosened  down."  The  same  word  was  used  by  our 
Lord  of  the  stones  of  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  and  indicates  a  gradual  destruction, 
stone  after  stone.  So  in  striking  a  tent.  Paul  has  a  like  figure  in  Philippians, 
where  he  desires  to  "depart,"  or,  literally,  "to  break  camp."  This  gradual  loosen- 
ing, this  detachment,  is  a  familiar  fact  of  our  life.  We  are  breaking  up,  and  God 
hath  wrought  us  for  this  very  thing.  One  of  the  most  puzzling  things  about  the 
world  is  that  such  superhuman  ingenuity,  such  perfect  finish  of  workmanship,  will 
crumble  to  dust.  How  exquisite  is  the  structure  of  a  bee  or  of  a  butterfly,  and  yet 
how  short-hved  they  are.  2.  These  are  familiar  facts.  What  is  our  attitude  toward 
them?  (1)  The  average  man  ignores  them.  He  strikes  out  the  tabernacle  from  the 
text,  and  substitutes  a  building.  He  lives  and  plans  as  if  both  he  and  the  world 
were  eternal.     The  earlier  stages  of  life  are  occupied  with  amassing  instead  of 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  233 

throwing  off.  The  love  and  intimacy  of  the  family  circle  are  taking  the  boy  deeper 
into  themselves.  Then  his  social  nature  is  throwing  out  tendrils  and  attaching  itself 
to  school  and  college  friends.  Then  comes  social  and  business  or  professional  life. 
The  bonds  multiply ;  more  and  more  the  man  is  getting  wrapped  round  and  tied  up. 
Domestic  life  encircles  him.  Business  becomes  engrossing.  So  the  world  winds 
round  him,  coil  after  coil.  If  the  house  of  his  earthly  habitation  is  a  tent,  it  is  a 
substantial  tent,  or  so  it  seems.  It  has  stood  a  good  many  hard  blasts.  The  man 
himself,  too,  has  been  all  along  growing.  All  is  increase,  enlargement  of  range. 
(2)  But  as  time  goes  on  you  notice  a  change.  The  man  has  reached  his  altitude. 
The  cords  on  the  rear  of  the  tent  begin  to  slacken.  A  father  or  a  mother  dies. 
Brothers  and  sisters  form  homes  for  themselves,  and  their  interests  and  his  diverge. 
The  old  circle  of  kindred  begins  to  break  up.  It  goes  on  quietly,  like  the  under- 
mining of  a  bank.  And  as  time  goes  on  the  connections  with  his  own  generation 
gradually  break.  The  push  of  younger,  fresher  life  crowds  him  back  or  on  one  side. 
Some  day  he  realises  that  almost  all  his  old  comrades  are  gone.  The  break  is  heading 
towards  the  centres  of  life.  He  has  lost  some  ambition.  He  is  not  so  ready  for 
the  undertakings  which  make  a  drain  on  nerve  and  strength.  He  gives  up  more 
«asily  than  of  yore.  And  so  the  final  stage  sets  in ;  physical  wreck,  mental  feeble- 
ness, complete  withdrawal  from  the  busy  world.  Let  it  go  on  its  way.  He  cares  no 
longer.  The  tent,  with  its  loosened  cords,  flaps  and  strains,  then  collapses.  The 
«arthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  is  dissolved  ;  and  yet  He  that  wrought  us  for  this 
very  thing  is  God.  God  meant  this.  3.  This  is  a  very  sad  picture  if  this  is  all. 
Nay,  it  is  an  insult  to  common  sense  to  ask  us  to  believe  that  this  wondrous  frame 
of  nature  and  of  man  are  made  merely  to  be  destroyed.  God  did  not  make  us  for 
death,  but  for  life.  If  He  has  appointed  a  tent  for  our  sojourn,  He  has  reared  a 
building  for  our  dwelling.  Moses,  in  Psa.  xc,  voices  the  truth.  There  is  nothing 
eternal  but  God.  There  is  no  warrant  of  man's  eternity  but  God.  There  is  no 
eternal  home  for  man  but  in  God.  II.  And  so  we  turn  to  the  other  side  of  our 
text.  God  has  made  us  for  the  tent,  but  He  has  also  made  us  for  the  building. 
1.  The  important  point  is  that  we  should  see  these  two  things  as  part  of  one  economy 
— the  tent  and  the  building  as  related  to  each  other.  Even  if  sin  had  never  entered 
the  world,  I  doubt  whether  this  human  life  and  body  would  have  been  any  more 
than  a  temporary  stage  of  existence  through  v/hieh  men  would  have  passed  into  a 
purely  spiritual  life.  Because  I  find  that  this  is  according  to  the  analogy  of  God's 
working  elsewhere.  God's  plans  unfold.  They  do  not  flash  into  consummation. 
They  involve  progressive  stages.  The  line  of  His  purpose  runs  out  to  eternity,  but 
it  runs  through  time.  2.  Thought  has  tended  too  much  to  the  violent  separation 
of  the  mortal  life  from  the  eternal  life — has  tended  to  set  them  in  contrast  and 
opposition  instead  of  in  harmony.  For  instance,  we  draw  the  line  sharply  between 
life  and  death ;  and  yet  many  a  scientist  will  tell  you  that  death  is  the  beginning 
of  life,  and  Christ  and  Paul  tell  you  that  in  unmistakable  terms.  And  what  we 
want  clearly  to  apprehend  is  that  this  mortal,  transitory  tent-life  has  a  definite 
relation  to  the  permanent  spiritual  life  of  the  future  ;  that  it  serves  a  purpose  of 
preparation  and  development  toward  that  life  ;  that  it  furnishes  a  soil  in  which  the 
seeds  of  the  spiritual  life  are  sown ;  and  that,  therefore,  instead  of  being  despised 
and  neglected  because  it  is  temporary  and  destined  to  dissolution,  it  is  to  be  cultivated 
as  the  effective  ministrant  of  the  eternal  life.  "  He  that  wrought  us  for  this  very 
thing  is  God."  3.  We  have  in  nature  a  great  many  illustrations  and  analogies  of 
this.  Take,  e.g.,  the  soil.  Existence  underground,  in  the  dark,  is  a  low  form  of 
life,  and  yet  the  seed  must  be  cast  into  the  ground,  and  remain  there  for  a  time, 
before  the  beauty  and  fruitfulness  and  nourishment  of  the  fruit  or  grain  can  become 
facts.  And  that  stage  ministers  directly  to  the  higher  form  of  life.  So  in  animal 
life.  What  a  delicate  and  beautiful  structure  is  the  egg  of  the  fowl !  It  is  made, 
as  we  all  see,  to  be  broken,  and  an  egg-shell  is  a  synonym  for  something  worthless. 
And  yet  there  have  been  lodged  in  that  frail  and  temporary  thing  forces  which 
minister  to  life.  So  the  worm  rolls  himself  up  in  the  cocoon,  but  within  the  cocoon 
the  purple  and  golden  glories  of  the  butterfly  are  silently  elaborating  themselves. 
Even  so  it  is  God's  intent  that  the  immortal,  the  spiritual  life  should  be  taking 
shape  under  the  forms  of  the  mortal  life — that  in  the  tent  man  should  be  shaping 
for  the  eternal  building.  4.  This  feature  of  our  mortal  life  is  intended  to  show  itself 
early.  The  average  human  life,  as  we  have  seen,  tends  to  become  more  and  more 
enveloped  in  the  wrappings  of  this  world,  and  to  consider  nothing  else ;  and  many 
practically  reason  that  attention  to  the  interests  of  the  next  world  may  be  deferred 
until  the  process  of  detachment  from  the  things  of  time  has  fairly  and  consciously 


234  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 


set  in.  On  the  contrary,  the  life  should  be  shaped  for  eternity  from  the  beginning. 
The  ministry  of  the  soil  begins  with  the  very  fust  stage  of  the  seed-life.  The  world 
to  come  does  not  appeal  merely  to  mp.nbood  and  old  age.  It  is  the  child  that  is 
most  inquisitive  about  the  sky,  to  whom  the  stars  are  a  wonder.  Why  not  the  same 
fact  in  spiritual  life  ?  Why  should  not  heavenly  aspirations  characterise  childhood  ? 
Why  should  not  the  child-life  be  touched  and  quickened  by  contact  with  heaven  ? 
Within  and  under  the  life  of  society,  the  life  of  business,  the  domestic  life,  an 
eternal,  spiritual  manhood  may  be  outlining  itself.  5.  When  men  have  undertaken 
to  shut  themselves  out  as  much  as  possible  from  the  contact  of  this  life,  they  have 
not  seen  that  He  that  hath  wrought  us  for  this  very  thing  is  God.  6.  For  years,  as 
the  traveller  on  the  Rhine  came  in  sight  of  Cologne,  the  first  object  which  greeted 
his  eye  was  the  unsightly  mass  of  scaffolding  around  the  cathedral  spires.  It  is  all 
gone  now,  and  the  twin  spires  soar  heavenward  from  their  base,  and  cut  the  horizon 
with  their  clean,  sharp  lines  of  stone.  Yet  the  scaffolds  were  necessary  to  the 
building.  Whether  this  life  is  to  be  more  than  scaffolding  depends  on  the  man 
who  lives — depends  on  whether  or  not  he  mistakes  scaffolding  for  building.  If  the 
cocoon  is  all  that  the  worm  comes  to,  poor  worm  !  Worthless  cocoon !  If  business, 
politics,  social  life,  fame,  are  all  the  man  comes  to,  poor  man !  The  tent  will  fall. 
Shall  you  be  left  uncovered  ?  Beware,  beware  of  these  same  wrappings.  They  are 
folding  you  in  closely.  Detachment  may  mean  for  you  victory  and  immortality. 
God  hath  wrought  you  for  the  eternal  building  in  the  heavens  no  less  than  for  the 
frail,  perishing  tent  on  earth.  (M.  R.  Vincent,  D.D.)  Who  also  hath  given  unto 
us  the  earnest  of  the  Spirit. — 21ie  earnest  of  the  Spirit : — I.  What  is  given  by  way 
or  EARNEST.  II.  The  NATURE  OF  AN  EARNEST.  1.  An  camest  supposcth  a  bargain 
and  contract.  The  right  to  eternal  life  cometh  to  believers  in  a  way  of  covenant ; 
they  resign  themselves  to  God  by  faith,  and  God  bindeth  Himself  to  give  them 
forgiveness  of  sins.  2.  Earnest  is  given  when  there  is  some  delay  of  the  thing 
bargained  for.  As  soon  as  we  enter  into  covenant  with  God  we  have  a  right ;  but 
our  blessedness  is  deferred,  not  for  want  of  love  in  God,  but  partly  that  in  the 
meantime  we  may  exercise  our  faith  and  love  (Phil.  iii.  21 ;  Rom.  viii.  23),  and 
partly  that  the  heirs  of  salvation  may  glorify  Him  here  upon  earth  (Matt.  v.  16 ; 
1  Pet.  ii.  12).  3.  An  earnest  is  part  of  the  whole  bargain,  though  but  a  little  part. 
So  the  saving  gifts,  graces,  and  comforts  of  the  Spirit  are  a  small  beginning,  or  a 
part  of  that  glory  which  shall  then  be  revealed.  Grace  is  begun  glory,  and  they 
differ  as  an  infant  and  a  man.  Regeneration  is  an  immortal  seed,  a  beginning  of 
eternal  life.  4.  Earnest  is  given  for  the  security  of  the  party  that  receiveth  it,  not 
for  him  that  giveth  it.  There  is  no  danger  of  breaking  on  God's  part ;  but  God 
"  was  willing  more  abundantly  to  show  to  the  heirs  of  promise  the  immutability  of 
His  counsel  "  ;  because  of  our  frequent  doubts  and  fears  in  the  midst  of  our  troubles- 
and  trials,  we  need  this  confirmation.  5.  It  is  not  taken  away  till  all  be  consum- 
mated, and  therein  an  earnest  differeth  from  a  pawn  or  pledge.  A  pledge  is  some- 
thing left  with  us,  to  be  restored  or  taken  away  from  us ;  but  an  earnest  is  filled  up 
with  the  whole  sum.  So  God  giveth  part  to  assure  us  of  obtaining  the  whole  in  due 
season  (Phil.  i.  6;  1  Pet.  i.  9).  III.  The  use  and  end  of  an  earnest  is — 1.  To  raise 
our  confidence  of  the  certainty  of  these  things.  There  is  some  place  for  doubts  and 
fears,  tUl  we  be  in  full  possession,  from  weakness  of  grace  and  greatness  of  trials. 
2.  To  quicken  our  earnest  desires  and  illustrious  diligence.  The  firstfruits  are  to 
show  how  good,  as  well  as  earnest  how  sure.  3.  To  bind  us  not  to  depart  from 
these  hopes.     (T.  Manton,  D.D.) 

Vers.  6-9.  Therefore  we  are  always  confident  ...  at  home  in  the  body  .  .  . 
absent  from  the  Lord. — PatiVs  thoughts  about  dying: — 1.  The  peculiar  interest  of 
this  passage  is,  that  it  gives  us  an  insight  into  the  apostle's  personal  feelings  in  the 
contemplation  of  death.  In  other  places  he  refers  to  what  is  before  and  after  death  ; 
but  this  is  the  only  passage  that  gives  us  an  insight  into  his  forebodings  about  the 
act  itself.  2.  He  evidently  writes  under  the  pressure  of  some  sadness ;  and  in 
chap.  iv.  this  feeling  deepens,  and  phrases  that  express  it  occur  in  almost  every 
verse.  We  see  throughout  the  conflict  of  natural  feeling  with  Christian  faith.  And 
in  this  chapter  he  carries  this  conflict  of  feeling  into  his  contemplation  of  dying. 
But  if  he  thinks  of  the  painful  taking  down  of  the  earthly  tabernacle,  he  thinks  also 
of  the  glorious  "  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  And  he 
never  for  a  moment  hesitates  in  his  preference.  His  human  conflict  works  itself 
out  to  this  result — "  Wherefore  we  labour  that  whether  present  or  absent,"  whether 
found  by  the  Master  at  His  coming  present  in  the  body  or  absent  from  it,  "  we  may- 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  '  235 

be  accepted  of  Him."  3.  The  lesson  to  ourelves  is,  that  we  need  not  trample  down 
our  human  instincts  and  yearnings  in  order  to  be  spiritual.  Our  shrinking  from 
death  by  no  means  implies  unsubmissiveness  of  heart.  Note — I.  Th.\t  ouk  life  is  not 
TWO,  BUT  ONE.  It  is  the  same  life,  "  whether  present  or  absent,"  in  the  body  or  out 
of  it,  on  earth  or  in  heaven.  Now  we  admit  this  theoretically,  but  we  do  not  feel  it 
practically.  We  rather  think  of  two  different  lives.  Men  ordinarily  think  of  their 
chief  life  as  the  vital  principle  of  the  body.  So  long  as  we  can  walk,  and  eat,  and 
speak,  we  call  ourselves  living  men ;  so  soon  as  these  cease,  we  speak  of  ourselves  as 
dead.  But  is  that  really  the  living  man  ?  We  know  that  it  is  not,  we  know  that 
the  thought,  affection,  virtues  of  our  friends  are  not  identified  with  the  body  that 
we  put  into  the  grave.  This,  according  to  the  apostle's  figure,  is  only  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  man.  The  life  of  man  is  the  spiritual  flame  which  God  has  enkindled, 
and  which  no  physical  changes  can  affect — it  is  the  immortal  spirit  which  is  God's 
own  breath,  and  which  partakes  of  the  inextinguishableness  of  His  own  being.  And 
yet  so  sense-bound  are  we,  that  we  are  far  more  affected  by  the  unimportant  death 
of  the  physical  body  than  by  the  essential  life  of  the  indestructible  spirit.  Observe 
concerning  this  one  soul  life  of  man — 1.  That  its  spiritual,  or  holy  character,  both 
here  and  hereafter,  is  realised  in  virtue  of  our  union  with  Christ  (John  xi.  25).  2. 
The  spiritual  life  which  we  realise  through  Christ  in  nowise  hinders  the  physical 
death  of  the  body.  However  perfect  our  faith,  however  holy  our  life,  the  body  must 
die.  The  curse  of  sin  is  reversed,  not  by  the  exemption  from  death  of  the  body,  but 
by  the  spiritual  life  of  the  soul.  There  are  obvious  reasons  why  the  body  must 
die — (1)  Natural  reasons.  The  body,  as  fitted  for  this  earthly  and  probationary 
■condition  of  being,  is  too  sensuous  for  heavenly  and  immortal  life.  "  Flesh  and 
blood  cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God."  It  is  essential,  therefore,  for  a  higher 
condition  of  life,  that  the  physical  body  should  be  "  changed,"  transfigured.  We 
must  in  some  way  or  other  leave  the  world,  be  introduced  to  our  new  and  final  state 
of  being.  (2)  Moral  reasons.  To  exempt  believers  would  disorganise  the  conditions 
of  human  life,  and  anticipate  the  rewards  and  punishments  of  the  future  by 
distinctions  between  the  good  and  the  evil  during  their  probation.  Beyond  the 
natural  effects  of  piety,  therefore,  God  bestows  upon  it  no  rewards — exempts  it  from 
no  evils  here.  Nor,  all  things  considered,  would  we  have  it  otherwise.  W^ho,  for 
example,  would  willingly  lack  the  manifest  truth  and  power  of  the  gospel,  as  seen 
in  the  dying  peace  and  triumph  of  holy  men  ?  3.  While  the  outward  thing  is  not 
abrogated,  the  essential  character  of  it  is  changed.  Its  "sting"  is  taken  away. 
Indeed,  every  evil  which  sin  has  entailed,  is,  in  virtue  of  our  union  with  Christ, 
essentially  and  radically  changed.  Suffering  becomes  a  fatherly  chastisement,  and 
death  a  fatherly  summons.  Nay,  even  the  body  itself  no  longer  dies,  it  only 
"  sleeps."  II.  That  our  one  life  has  two  homes.  1.  There  is  the  home  of  the 
physical  body.  Notwithstanding  its  disabilities  and  drawbacks,  how  many  things  still 
make  it  a  home !  The  comparison  is  not  so  much  between  an  evil  and  a  good,  as 
between  a  good  and  a  better.  We  are  pilgrims  only  in  relation  to  a  "  better 
country  "  ;  our  houses  are  tents  only  in  relation  to  the  house  not  made  with  hands. 
To  be  in  heaven  is  to  be  with  Christ  visibly,  and  therefore  "  far  better  "  ;  but  to  be 
on  earth  is  also  to  be  with  Christ  spiritually,  and  is  a  good  thing.  God  has  made 
the  earth  a  home  for  us,  filled  it  with  goodness,  and  beauty,  and  joy,  and  it  does 
not  need  to  enhance  heaven  that  we  disparage  it.  Only  as  spiritual  men  we  can 
never  rest  in  it  with  perfect  contentment.  And  so  wisely  has  God  adjusted  our 
experiences,  so  alluringly  has  He  revealed  the  future,  even  while  He  has  given  us 
such  satisfactions  in  the  present,  that,  while  we  do  not  impatiently  wish  the  future,  we 
lovingly  desire  and  seek  it.  Enough  is  revealed  to  incite  us  ;  but  it  is  sufficiently  veiled 
to  enable  contentment,  and  quiet  work,  and  peaceful  joy.  2.  We  wait  and  hope, 
therefore,  for  the  home  of  the  spiritual  body.  There  every  condition  of  happiness, 
which  here  is  so  marred,  will  be  perfect.  The  body  will  know  no  weariness  nor 
incompetence,  the  soul  no  sorrow  nor  sin,  ignorance  will  not  incapacitate,  uncertainty 
will  not  disquiet;  they  "  rest  from  their  labours."  The  chief  difference,  however,  is 
constituted  by  the  different  conditions  of  our  spiritual  life — the  different  conditions  of 
our  communion  with  Christ.  Here  our  holiness  is  struggling  and  imperfect ;  our 
I'ecognitions  of  Christ  are  only  recognitions  of  faith  ;  "  we  know  only  in  part  "  ;  we 
are  "absent  from  the  Lord."  There  we  "  see  Him  as  He  is,"  "  know  as  we  are  known," 
commune  with  Him  "  face  to  face,"  and  under  conditions  of  confidence  and  delight, 
with  no  consciousness  of  sin.  It  is  this  that  makes  heaven  blessed — that  makes  it 
home ;  the  being  so  immediately  with  Christ,  the  perfection  of  all  purity  and  joy. 
This  is  the  "  far  better  "  which  we  now  desire.     To  the  Christian  heart  Christ  is 


236  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  v, 

heaven,  and  heaven  is  Christ.  3.  The  form  of  the  apostle's  expression  and  desire 
implies  that  the  transition  from  the  one  home  to  the  other  wiU  be  immediate — that, 
whatever  the  condition  of  separate  spirits,  they  are  where  Christ  is,  consciously  and 
rejoicingly  in  His  presence.  III.  The  practical  influence  of  this  kecognition 
UPON  ouK  PRESENT  DAILY  LIFE.  It  Constituted  Paul's  life  a  life  of  faith,  endowed  it 
with  "  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come,"  and  by  these  his  entire  being  was  regulated. 
What  can  intimidate  a  soul  so  full  of  spiritual  recognitions — what  can  seduce  it — 
what  can  make  it  wretched  ?  Amongst  the  influences  of  this  recognition  upon  his 
present  spiritual  life  the  apostle  instances — 1.  Its  boldness — "  Therefore  we  are 
always  confident,"  and  he  reiterates  the  assertion — "  we  are  confident,  I  say."  It 
filled  him  with  fortitude  to  endure,  with  boldness  and  strength  to  do.  2.  Its  ruling 
principle.  "  We  walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight."  Every  action  and  feeling  was 
regulated  by  the  things  of  the  spiritual  world.  "  He  looked  not  at  the  things  which 
are  seen,  but  at  the  things  which  are  not  seen."  3.  What  marvel,  then,  that  such 
faith  should  be  so  ardent  in  its  desire,  that  with  such  recognition  the  heart  of  piety 
and  of  love  should  be  inflamed ;  that  it  should  mightily  yearn,  and  tend,  and  pray 
towards  that  better  life.  "  Wherefore  we  labour,  that  whether  found  in  the  body  or 
absent  from  it  we  may  be  accepted  of  Him."  Wherefore  we  practically  strive  to 
realise  our  desire ;  the  things  that  our  hearts  leap  forward  to  with  eager  and 
satisfied  joy.  For  heaven  is  not  to  be  won  by  barren  desire,  by  sentimental 
recognition,  by  spiritual  visions,  but  by  earnest,  practical  labour.  (H.  Allon,  D.D.) 
The  believer  in  the  body  and  out  of  the  body  : — I.  The  believer  has  ground  fo» 
CONSTANT  confidence  (vcrs.  6-8).  1.  Note  the  confidence  which  the  believer  has  in 
reference  to  his  present  condition.  "  Knowing  that  while  we  are  at  home  in  th'* 
body  we  axe  from  home  as  to  the  Lord."  (1)  In  the  present  state  we  are  at  home  in 
the  body  ;  but  it  is  a  home  which  is  not  a  home,  a  frail  lodging  to  accommodate  us 
till  we  reach  our  true  home.  It  is  such  a  home  as  a  soldier  has  in  the  camp,  or  as 
a  passenger  on  a  journey.  In  a  sense,  however,  this  body  is  a  home,  for  here 
dwells  the  living,  thinking,  active  mind.  It  is  a  house  for  which  we  have  no  little 
affection,  and  we  are  loath  to  quit  it. 

"  This  pleasing,  anxious  being  e'er  resigned, 
Left  the  warm  precincts  of  this  house  of  clay, 
Nor  cast  one  longing,  lingering  look  behind." 

We  complain  of  the  infirmities  of  our  bodies,  but  we  are  in  no  hurry  to  leave  them. 
(2)  But  yet  this  body  is  not  a  fitting  home  for  us.  (a)  We  often  discover  by 
experience  how  inconvenient  it  is.  In  the  course  of  years  it  has  become  soiled  and 
creased,  and  worn  like  the  tents  of  Kedar.  We  have  suffered  many  inconveniences ; 
often  the  spirit  has  been  wLLLing,  but  the  flesh  has  been  weak.  (6)  According  to  the 
Greek,  ours  is  a  home  in  a  foreign  country.  A  numerous  band  of  our  brothers  and 
sisters  are  with  us,  even  as  the  Jews  found  company  of  their  own  race  in  Babylon ; 
but  this  is  exile  to  us,  we  have  no  inheritance  here,  (c)  It  is  a  home,  too,  which 
keeps  us  from  our  true  home.  To-day  we  are  at  school,  like  children  whose  gi'eat 
holiday  joy  is  to  go  home.  We  are  labourers,  and  this  is  the  work  field :  when  we 
have  done  our  day's  work  we  shall  go  home,  (d)  Home  is  the  place  where 
one  feels  secure;  we  find  no  such  home  spiritually  in  this  world,  for  this  is  the 
place  of  conflict  and  watchfulness.  In  heaven  there  will  be  no  foes  to  watch  against, 
nor  men  of  our  own  household  to  be  our  worst  enemies,  (e)  Home,  too,  is  the  place 
of  the  closest  and  sweetest  familiarities.  Here,  alas,  our  spirits  cannot  take  their  fill 
of  heavenly  familiarities,  for  distance  comes  between;  but  up  there  what  indulgence 
shall  be  accorded  to  us  !  (3)  These  are  the  inconveniences,  but  Paul,  despite  all, 
was  confident,  (a)  He  had  a  hope  of  the  immortality  to  be  revealed.  He  knew 
that  when  he  shook  off  this  body  his  soul  would  be  with  Christ.  (6)  His  confidence 
came  from  God's  work  in  his  soul.  "He  that  has  wrought  us  to  the  self-same 
thing  is  God."  When  the  statuary  takes  the  block  of  stone,  and  begins  to  carve  it 
into  a  statue,  we  get  the  promise  of  that  which  is  to  be.  But  he  may  turn  aside,  or 
die,  and  therefore  there  may  be  no  statue.  But  God  never  undertakes  what  He  does 
not  finish  ;  and  so  if  to-day  I  be  the  quarried  block  of  marble,  if  He  has  begun  to- 
make  the  first  chippings  in  me  of  genuine  repentance  and  simple  faith  towards  God, 
I  have  the  sure  propheoy  that  He  will  work  me  up  into  the  perfect  image  of  Christ, 
(c)  Another  ground  of  confidence  was  "  the  earnest  of  the  Spirit."  2.  Paul  was 
equally  confident  about  the  next  state,  viz.,  the  condition  of  a  disembodied  spirit 
(v«r.  8).     (1)  It  was  not  because  Paul  thought  it  would  b«  better  to  be  without  ea 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  237 

body  that  he  thus  spoke.  He  has  told  us  already  "  not  for  that  we  would  be 
unclothed."  Our  great  Creator  does  not  mean  us  to  be  maimed  creatures  for  ever. 
(2)  But  if  Paul  preferred  the  disembodied  state  to  this,  then  the  spirits  of  dead 
saints  are  not  annihilated.  Paul  could  not  have  counted  destruction  better  than  a. 
life  of  holy  confidence.  Neither  are  they  unconscious,  for  who  would  prefer  torpor 
to  active  confidence  ?  Neither  are  they  in  purgatory.  Paul  would  not  have  been 
willing  rather  to  be  tormented  than  to  live  here  and  serve  his  Lord.  (3)  He  was 
willing  to  depart  into  the  disembodied  state  because  he  knew  he  would  be  at  home 
with  the  Lord  in  it.  (4)  In  that  condition  to  which  we  are  speeding — (a)  We  shall 
be  beyond  all  doubt  as  to  the  truth  of  our  holy  faith.  There  will  be  no  more 
mistrust  of  our  Lord  or  of  His  promises,  and  no  more  shall  we  doubt  the  power  of 
His  blood  or  our  share  in  His  atoning  sacrifice,  (b)  We  shall  communicate  with 
Christ  more  sensibly  than  we  do  now.  Here  we  do  speak  with  Him,  but  it  is  by 
faith  through  the  Spirit  of  God ;  in  the  glory  land  we  hear  His  voice  while  He 
personally  speaks  to  us.  (c)  We  shall  have  greater  capacity  for  taking  in  the  glory 
of  our  Lord.  II.  The  believer  has  reasons  for  an  absorbing  ambition  (ver.  9). 
From  henceforth  the  one  great  thing  we  have  to  care  about  is  to  please  our  Lord. 
(C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  The  Christianas  home  : — I.  A  Christian  is  not  in  his  own  proper 
HOME  WHILE  HE  sojouRNETH  IN  THE  BODY.  Instances  :  Abraham  (Heb.  xi.  9).  David 
(Psa.  xxxix.  12).  Christ  (John  xvii.  16).  He  that  was  Lord  of  all  had  neither  house 
nor  home.  Reasons — 1.  Our  birth  and  parentage  is  from  heaven.  Everything 
tendeth  to  the  place  of  its  original ;  men  love  their  native  soil ;  a  stone  will  fall  to 
the  ground,  though  broken  in  pieces  by  the  fall.  There  is  a  double  reason  why  the 
new  creature  cannot  be  satisfied  here.  (1)  Here  is  not  enough  dispensed  to  answer 
God's  love  in  the  covenant.  "  I  will  be  your  God,"  noteth  the  gift  of  some  better 
thing  than  this  world  can  afford  unto  us  (Heb.  xi.  16  ;  Matt.  xxii.  32).  (2)  Here  is 
not  enough  to  satisfy  the  desire  and  expectation  of  the  renewed  heai't — perfect 
enjoyment  of  God,  and  perfect  conformity  to  God.  2.  There  lieth  our  treasure  and 
inheritance  (Eph.  i.  3).  Christ  hath  blessed  us  with  spiritual  blessings  in  earthly 
places ;  here  He  hath  adopted,  justified,  and  sanctified  us  in  part,  but  the  full 
accomplishment  is  reserved  for  the  world  to  come.  3.  There  are  all  our  kindred. 
There  is  our  home  and  country,  where  our  Father  is,  and  our  Lord  Jesus,  and  all 
the  holy  ones  of  God.  4.  There  we  abide  longest.  An  inn  cannot  be  called  our 
home ;  here  we  abide  but  for  a  night,  but  there  for  ever  with  the  Lord.  5.  The 
necessary  graces  that  belong  to  a  Christian  show  that  a  Christian  is  not  yet  in  his 
proper  place.  (1)  Faith  hath  another  world  in  prospect  and  view ;  and  our  great 
aim  is  to  come  at  it.  (2)  Hope  was  made  for  things  to  come,  especially  for  our  fuE 
and  final  happiness.  (3)  Love  (1  Peter  i.  8).  6.  Let  us  therefore  give  in  our 
names  among  them  that  profess  themselves  to  be  strangers  and  sojourners  here  in 
the  world.  (1)  Let  us  be  drawing  home  as  fast  as  we  can.  A  traveller  would  be 
passing  over  his  journey  as  soon  as  may  be.  (2)  Make  serious  provision  for  the 
other  world  (Matt.  vi.  33).  (3)  Mortify  carnal  desires  (1  Pet.  ii.  11).  (4)  Patiently 
endure  the  inconveniences  of  our  pilgrimage.  Strangers  will  meet  with  hard  usage 
(John  XV.  19).  (5)  Beg  direction  from  God,  that  we  may  go  the  shortest  way  home 
(Psa.  cxix.  19).  (6)  Get  as  much  of  home  as  we  can  in  our  pilgrimage,  in  the 
earnest  and  first  fruits  of  the  Spirit  (Rom.  viii.  23).  II.  The  main  reason  why  a 
Christian  is  not  at  home,  is,  because  he  is  absent  from  the  Lord,  while  he  is  in 
the  body.  I  shall  here  inquire — 1.  How  are  believers  absent  from  the  Lord,  when  He 
dwelleth  in  them,  as  in  His  temple,  and  there  is  a  close  union  between  Him  and 
them  ?  I  answer,  Christ  is  with  us  indeed,  but  our  communion  with  Christ  is — (1) 
Not  immediate.  (2)  Nor  full.  (3)  Often  interrupted.  2.  Why,  God's  children  count 
themselves  not  at  home  till  they  are  admitted  into  this  perpetual  society  with 
Christ.  (1)  Because  this  is  the  blessedness  which  is  promised  to  them.  And 
therefore  they  expect  it,  and  thirst  after  it  (John  xii.  26).  (2)  This  is  that  which  is. 
highly  prized  by  them,  to  be  where  Christ  is.  Why  ?  (a)  Out  of  thankfulness  to 
Christ's  delighting  in  our  presence  (Prov.  viii.  31).  (b)  Out  of  love  to  Christ  (Psa. 
Ixxiii.  25).  (c)  Taste.  Communion  begun  maketh  us  long  for  communion 
perfected  (Psa.  Ixiii.  1,  2).  (rf)  Their  complete  happiness  dependeth  upon  it 
(1  John  iii.  2;  John  xvii.  24).  (T.  Manton,  D.D.)  Longing  after  home  : — I.  That 
longing  after  home  essentially  belongs  to  the  Christian  life  is  by  no  means  sO' 

GENERALLY  ACKNOWLEDGED  AS  A  PIOUS  MIND    OUGHT    PERHAPS   TO   EXPECT.       MorC   loudly 

than  ever  voices  are  raised,  which  contest  the  right  of  that  longing,  and  the  hope 
out  of  which  it  springs  to  a  place  in  the  Christian's  inner  life.  The  one  who  beUeves. 
on  Christ  hath  eternal  life,  and  needs  not  to  long  for  it  in  the  other  world.     1.  But 


238  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [ch.ip.  v. 

those  who  have  already  partaken  of  eternal  life  in  communion  with  God,  have 
always  longed  most  heartily  after  its  completion.  Paul  has  been  especially  named 
the  apostle  of  faith,  and  yet — (1)  Paul  had  rather  a  desire  to  depart  from  the  body, 
and  be  at  home  wiih  the  Lord.  For  the  very  reason  that  Christ  is  his  life,  even  here 
during  his  earthly  pilgrimage  death  is  his  gain  (Phil.  i.  21).  The  life  of  the  believer 
is  still  hid  with  Christ  in  God  ;  but  when  Christ  our  life  shall  appear,  then  will  His 
people  appear  with  Him  in  glory  (Col.  iii.  3,  4).  Yea,  the  apostle  speaks  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  as  a  pledge  of  the  incorruptible  inheritance  (chap.  i.  22,  v.  5 ;  Piom.  viii.  23). 
But  the  statement  that  the  resurrection  had  already  taken  place,  i.e.,  in  a  spiritual 
way,  is  rejected  by  the  apostle  (2  Tim.  ii.  16,  18).  (2)  So  with  the  apostle  of  love 
(1  John  ii.  28,  iii.  2).  (3)  So  with  the  apostle  of  hope  (1  Pet.  i.  8,  ii.  11,  iv.  13,  14, 
V.  10).  (4)  With  all  this  the  testimony  of  our  Lord  agrees  (John  vi.  40,  xvii.  24 ; 
Luke  xxiii.  43).  2.  What  the  words  of  our  Lord  andoT  His  apostles  teach  us  is  also 
confirmed  by  the  condition  and  inward  connection  of  the  life  which  His  Spirit  works 
in  us.  "  Whilst  we  dwell  in  the  body,"  says  the  apostle,  "  we  are  absent  from  the 
Lord"  as  in  a  foreign  land;  "  for,"  adds  the  apostle  as  his  ground,  "  we  walk  by 
faith,  and  not  by  sight."  Is  not  faith  the  fountain  of  the  new  life,  and  is  it  not  a 
certain  confidence  of  what  is  hoped  for,  a  firm  conviction  of  what  is  not  seen? 
{Heb.  xi.  1.)  Do  we  not  know  by  it  that  the  Lord,  with  His  grace,  is  always  near  to  us 
on  our  pilgrimage  ?  And  yet,  however  close  the  connection  of  the  believer  with 
Christ  may  be,  it  is  nevertheless  to  be  esteemed  a  separation  in  comparison  with  the 
perfect  communiom  with  Him  of  which  he  will  then  become  partaker,  when  his  faith 
is  once  changed  into  sight.  And  if  faith  is  nothing  else  than  the  concealed  bud  of 
sight,  how  should  we  not  long  after  the  development  of  this  bud  into  glorious 
bloom?  If  we  see  now  in  faith  the  glory  of  the  Lord  only  through  a  glass,  and  as 
in  a  riddle  (1  Cor.  xiii.  12),  who  should  not  long,  with  the  holy  apostle,  to  see  face 
to  face,  and  to  know  even  as  we  are  known  ?  (1  Cor.  xiii.  12.)  A  time  is  coming  when 
everything  imperfect  reaches  its  perfection,  and  everything  piecemeal  appears  a 
beautiful  whole ;  where  all  difference  disappears,  and  all  concealed  glory  becomes 
manifest ;  where  all  holy  longings  find  perfect  satisfaction,  and  all  blessed  antici- 
pations and  hopes  become  a  living  reality.  Then  shall  our  faith,  which  at  one 
time  is  an  offence  to  the  children  of  this  world,  at  another  time  a  folly,  be  solemnly 
justified  through  seeing.  II.  The  effects  of  this  longing  will  not  be  otherwise 
THAN  SALUTARY.  1.  It  will  Strengthen  and  enliven  our  zeal  after  holiness  (ver.  9,  cf. 
Bom.  ii.  7).  As  the  sun  cannot  do  otherwise  than  give  light  and  warmth,  so  the 
longing  after  home  in  the  case  of  the  Christian  cannot  do  otherwise  than  manifest 
itself  in  redoubled  striving  after  a  conduct  well-pleasing  to  God.  Each  one  who  has 
such  a  hope  in  Christ  purifies  himself  even  as  He  is  pure  (1  John  iii.  3).  For  only  to 
those  who  have  a  pure  heart  is  the  promise  given,  that  they  shall  see  God 
(Matt.  vi.  8).  2.  It  will  promote  our  comfort  and  peace  as  regards  the  earthly  life. 
If  our  life  is  like  a  journey,  say  which  traveller  will,  with  more  cheerful  courage, 
proceed  on  his  way — he  who  knows  that  at  the  close  of  it  he  will  meet  his  end  ;  or 
he  who  knows  at  the  end  of  his  journey  there  awaits  him  an  entrance  into  the  most 
delightful  home  ?  The  thought,  which  no  one  can  drive  away,  that  we  are  at  every 
step  come  nearer  to  the  end,  is  dreadful  to  those  who  have  no  hope ;  but  for  the 
one  who  longs  after  his  home  it  is  a  source  of  holy  joy.  Certainly  one  proceeds 
calmly  and  peacefully  through  the  earthly  life  when  one  has  nothing  to  dread  but 
everything  to  hope  (Kom.  viii.  18;  chap.  vi.  9).  (Julius  Midler,  D.D.)  (For 
we  walk  by  faith  not  by  sight.) — The  influence  of  faith  upon  the  Christian's 
walk  : — You  see,  you  feel,  and  know,  by  the  testimony  of  your  own  senses,  what 
your  present  situation  is.  And  there  are  advantages  as  well  as  disadvantages 
attending  the  present  state.  But  of  the  life  to  come  you  have  no  experience.  To 
obviate  this  cavil,  the  words  of  our  text  are  brought  in  by  way  of  parenthesis.  "  It 
is  true,  we  never  saw  our  house  that  is  from  heaven,  and  all  that  we  know  about  it 
is  by  report.  But  that  report  is  the  report  of  God,  who  can  neither  deceive  nor  be 
deceived,  and  it  may  be  relied  on  with  more  assurance  than  even  the  testimony  of 
our  senses."  I.  The  denomination  heke  given  to  the  Christian  life.  It  is 
called  a  walk.  1.  That  Christians  in  this  world  are  in  an  unsettled  and  movable 
state.  For  the  same  reason  the  body  is  called  a  tent  or  tabernacle  in  the  first  verse. 
Need  any  of  you  be  told  that  here  you  have  no  continuing  city  ?  The  fashion  of 
this  world  is  continually  passing  away.  How  widely  different  is  your  present 
condition  from  what  it  was  a  few  years  ago  !  It  will  probably  be  as  much  changed 
in  a  few  days  more.  2.  That  it  is  a  progressive  state.  3.  That  Christians  in  this 
world  are  in  a  state  of  voluntary  activity.     The  men  of  the  world,  if  they  had 


^HAP.  v.]  n.  COJRINTHIANS.  239 

their  choice,  would  not  walk,  but  sit  still ;  they  move  towards  another  world  with 
great  reluctance.  4.  This  expression  imports  that  the  Christian's  life  in  this  world 
is  a  toilsome  and  uneasy  life.  The  luxury  of  modern  times  has  contrived  various 
methods  of  accomplishing  journeys  without  walking.  It  is  not  in  this  manner, 
Christian,  that  you  are  to  perform  your  journey.  You  must  travel  through  the 
wilderness  on  foot.  II.  The  sunner  in  which  the  Christian's  life  is  spent — his 
journey  performed.  "  We  walk  by  faith."  There  are  chielly  three  ways  in  which 
our  knowledge  in  this  world  is  acquired.  1.  By  the  testimony  of  our  external 
senses.  2.  By  rational  demonstration.  3.  By  moral  evidence,  or  the  testimony  of 
rational  agents.  Thus  are  all  matters  of  fact  ascertained,  of  which  we  have  not 
ourselves  been  witnesses.  It  is  manifest,  that  the  strength  of  our  faith  should 
always  correspond  to  the  degree  of  veracity  that  belongs  to  his  character,  upon 
whose  testimony  it  rests.  The  greatest  part  of  those  truths  that  constitute  the 
matter  of  the  Christian  faith  are  of  such  a  nature  that  they  could  never  have  been 
known  to  us  otherwise  than  by  the  testimony  of  God.  It  is  equally  manifest  that 
if  we  did  believe  these  things,  upon  any  other  evidence,  our  belief  of  them  could  not 
be  a  Divine  faith.  Once  more,  true  faith  includes  in  it,  or,  at  least,  it  necessarily 
produces,  a  firm  reliance  upon  the  faithfulness  and  power  of  God,  for  a  full  and 
final  performance  of  all  His  words  of  grace,  to  the  person  in  particular,  till  he  be 
filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God.  They  walk  by  this  faith  in  the  following 
respects — 1.  By  faith  they  learn  the  way  in  which  they  ought  to  go.  At  man's  first 
creation,  God  inscribed  upon  his  heart  a  law,  sufficient  to  direct  him  in  every  part  of 
his  way.  Some  remains  of  this  law  continue  upon  the  hearts  of  all  Adam's 
posterity.  But  this  knowledge  is  so  imperfect  that,  though  it  may  inform  us  that 
we  go  astray,  it  can  never  keep  any  person  in  the  right  way.  Notwithstanding 
the  clear  objective  discoveries  that  we  have  of  the  way  of  truth  and  du»y,  such  are 
often  the  perplexing  circumstances  of  our  lot,  and  such  is  our  natural  incapacity  to 
understand  and  apply  the  rule,  that  our  way  is  often  covered  with  darkness,  and  we 
are  at  our  wits'  end.  2.  By  faith  they  receive  strength  to  prosecute  their  journey. 
All  Christians  in  this  world  are  in  a  state  of  childhood.  Their  way  is  long  and 
difficult,  and  they  have  no  strength  to  prosecute  it.  3.  By  faith  they  are  furnished 
with  motives  to  animate  them  in  their  walk,  and  so  are  encouraged  to  prosecute 
their  journey  with  unwearied  perseverance.  Though  the  authority  of  God  is  a 
sufficient  reason  for  our  obedience,  yet  He  does  not  require  us  to  obey  Him  in  a  blind 
and  irrational  manner.  We  come  now  to  speak  concerning  the  negative  part  of 
what  the  text  says  about  the  manner  of  the  Christian's  walk — "  We  walk — not  by 
sight."  1.  They  walk  not  by  the  sight  or  appearance  of  those  material  things 
which  alone  are  capable,  strictly  speaking,  of  being  seen.  In  this  view  the  words 
import  the  three  things  following.  Christians  walk  not  by  sight.  (1)  Material  or 
seen  things  are  not  the  principal  objects  of  their  attention.  The  men  of  the  world 
are  so  immersed  in  sensuality  that  they  can  think  of  almost  nothing  but  what 
has  a  tendency  to  gratify  their  senses.  They  walk  after  the  sight  of  their  eyes, 
and  that  is  also  the  desire  of  their  hearts.  (2)  Things  capable  of  being  seen  are 
not  the  principal  objects  of  their  pursuit.  Unrenewed  men  pursue  happiness  with 
all  their  might,  but  they  seek  it  anywhere,  or  everywhere,  except  where  it  is  really 
to  be  found.  (3)  The  motives  by  which  they  are  influenced  in  their  walk  are  not 
drawn  from  visible  things.  If  the  motives  of  their  actions  were  drawn  from  things 
that  are  seen  they  would  surely  follow  such  a  course  as  might  be  calculated  to 
obtain  seen  advantages,  or,  at  least,  to  secure  them  against  visible  disadvantages. 
2.  Even  in  respect  of  those  things  which  they  do  pursue,  they  are  not  influenced,  in 
the  pursuit  of  them,  by  their  own  sight,  sense,  or  feeling  ;  but  by  the  testimony 
of  God  concerning  them,  received  and  relied  on  by  fai1h.  Though  spiritual  things 
fall  not  under  the  cognisance  of  the  outward  senses,  they  are  capable  of  being 
perceived  by  the  soul  in  a  manner  some  way  corresponding  to  that.  That  heavenly 
house,  in  which  you  hope  to  dwell  for  ever,  you  have  not  yet  seen,  and  therefore,  in 
longing  tor  it,  you  cannot  be  influenced  by  a  personal  experience  of  what  it  is,  but 
only  by  the  testimony  that  God  has  given  you  concerning  it.  So  it  is  with  regard  to 
all  those  invisible  things  towards  which  you  press  in  your  daily  walk.  Thus  faith 
continues  to  have  its  usual  influence  upon  our  walk,  even  when  our  sight,  sense,  or 
feeling  runs  in  direct  opposition  to  it,  as  appears  in  the  following  instances.  (1) 
When  a  Christian  walks  in  darkness  about  his  spiritual  estate,  and  can  attain  no 
sensible  assurance  of  his  interest  in  Christ,  or  his  being  within  the  covenant  of 
^race,  he  dares  not,  on  that  acv-ount,  neglect  any  duty  that  is  incumbent  upon  him 
.as  a  friend  or  disciple  of  Christ.     (2)  When  difliculties,  apparently  insurmountable. 


240  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

are  seen  in  the  way,  when  the  Christian  is  most  sensible  of  his  own  weakness,  and 
when  the  help  of  God,  in  which  he  trusts,  seems  to  be,  in  a  great  measure,  with- 
drawn, the  influence  of  faith  prevails  over  that  of  sense,  and  even  in  that  case  he 
sets  forward.  When  Israel  came  to  the  Eed  Sea  they  had  no  way  to  escape  the- 
fury  of  their  enemies  but  by  going  forward,  and  that,  in  all  human  appearance,  was- 
impossible.  (3)  When  the  greatest  danger  is  seen  to  lie  in  the  way  of  duty,  and 
when  sense  and  reason  assure  us  that  the  danger  cannot  be  avoided  unless  the  duty  is 
postponed,  the  Christian,  depending  upon  the  promise  of  God,  despises  the  danger ; 
and,  that  he  may  not  be  wanting  in  the  performance  of  his  duty,  rushes  into  the  jawa 
of  a  seen  destruction.  3.  When,  instead  of  a  present  accomplishment  of  the  promise, 
the  Christian  sees  Divine  providence  moving  in  a  contrary  direction,  and  the  Lord 
seems  to  be  taking  methods  to  render  its  accomplishment  impossible,  even  then  he 
so  far  overlooks  appearances  as  to  form  his  whole  conduct  upon  the  assured  persuasion^ 
that  God  will  still  do  as  He  hath  said.   A  clear  instance  of  this  we  have  in  Abraham. 

III.    We  ABE  NOW  TO  CONCLUDE  WITH  THE  FOLLOWING  INFERENCES.       1.    FrOm  what  haS 

been  said,  we  may  see  the  excellence  of  the  grace  of  faith,  and  its  usefulness  to  them 
that  possess  it.  (1)  It  attains  the  knowledge  of  things  that  surpass  all  created  know- 
ledge. (2)  It  believes  things  that,  upon  the  principles  of  unenlightened  reason,  are 
incredible.  (3)  Faith  can  bear  things  that,  in  all  human  appearance,  are  intolerable. 
(4)  It  sees  things  invisible.  In  a  word — (5)  Faith  performs  things  impossible. 
2.  See  the  sin  and  unreasonableness  of  infidelity.  We  would  only  beg  leave 
to  suggest  the  two  following  considerations.  (1)  Were  you  to  act  upon  the 
same  principles  in  the  common  affairs  of  life  as  you  do  in  matters  of  religion,  it 
would  be  simply  impossible  for  you  to  subsist  in  the  world.  Are  there  not  many 
things  relative  to  the  most  important  concerns  of  life  that  you  necessarily  must 
believe  upon  evidence  not  better  than  what  you  have  for  the  truth  of  Christianity  ? 
(2)  Whatever  objections  you  may  have  to  the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion,  you 
cannot  pretend  to  prove  that  it  is  not  true ;  otherwise  you  go  further  than  any 
of  your  brethren  ever  did,  so  far  as  we  know.  And  therefore  you  must  grant  that  it 
is  possible  it  may  be  true.  8.  See  the  sin  and  folly  of  unbelief.  Though  every 
infidel  is  an  unbeliever,  there  are  many  unbelievers  who  are  not  infidels.  Yea,  there 
is  much  unbelief  in  the  exercise  of  every  Christian  while  in  this  imperfect  state.  4. 
See  the  sin  and  folly  of  too  much  attachment  to  sensible  enjoyments.  (1)  When 
you  give  yourseK  up  to  discouragement  and  downcasting  on  account  of  the  want  of 
it.  The  ground  of  your  joy,  as  well  as  of  your  faith,  is  all  without  you.  (2)  When,, 
on  account  of  your  want  of  this,  you  indulge  yourself  in  the  neglect  of  any  duty 
that  you  would  think  incumbent  upon  you  if  you  had  it,  excepting  the  single  duty 
of  being  thankful  for  it.  (3)  When  you  cast  away  your  confidence,  or  refuse  to. 
beUeve  the  promise,  because  you  dare  not  say  with  certainty  that  you  have  a  present 
interest  in  it.  (4)  When  you  improve  your  assurance  of  an  interest  in  Christ,  as  a 
ground  of  your  faith,  or  of  your  boldness  in  coming  to  the  throne  of  grace.  (5) 
When,  because  you  carmot  be  sure  that  you  are  in  Christ,  you  certainly  conclude 
that  you  are  a  stranger  to  Him,  and  so  give  yourself  up  to  unbelieving  discourage- 
ment or  despair,  and  rob  God  of  the  glory  due  for  all  that  He  hath  done  for  you. 
5.  See  various  marks  by  which  the  real  followers  of  Christ  may  be  distinguished 
from  the  rest  of  mankind.  (6)  To  conclude — We  may  see  from  this  subject  the- 
duty  of  all  who  profess  the  Christian  religion,  or  have  the  Word  of  God  among  their 
hands.  It  is  to  follow  the  example  of  these  primitive  teachers  of  Christianity,  and 
walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight.  Beware  of  considering  yourselves  as  in  a  state  of  rest. 
{J.  Young.)  Seeing  and  believing  : — There  are  two  worlds,  the  visible  and  the  in- 
visible :  but  for  the  Fall  they  would  constitute  one.  Had  we  remained  pure,  the 
visible  world  would  be  to  us  the  mirror  of  eternal  realities.  For  Jesus  the  invisible 
world  is  everywhere.  He  finds  it  in  the  well,  in  the  branches  of  the  vine,  in  the 
cornfields,  and  in  the  minutest  details  of  the  life  around  Him.  Thus  it  ought  to  be. 
Alas !  most  know  no  reahties  but  in  this  world ;  the  rest  they  consider  as  vain- 
dreamings.  Even  religion,  which  ought  to  be,  before  all  things,  a  revelation  of  the 
invisible  world,  they  degrade  by  making  only  the  handmaid  of  this  present  life. 
I.  The  text  is  in  the  most  striking  contrast  with  some  modern  ideas  and- 
TENDENCIES.  1.  Positivism  says,  "  What  is  the  use  of  letting  your  thoughts  sti-ay 
into  the  invisible  world ;  to  pursue  those  vain  clouds  which  are  called  religions  ? 
Lay  hold  of  the  visible  world."  This  doctrine  is  re-echoed  on  every  hand.  What  is 
the  invisible  world  to  most  of  our  monied  men  ?  2.  Yet  what  an  array  of 
weapons  have  we  for  the  defence  of  the  invisible  world  ?  (1)  The  greatest  things, 
and  those  which  have  been  the  most  salutary  for  humanity,  are  the  work  of  those; 


CHAP,  v.]  11.  COEINTHIANS.  241 

who  walked  by  faith  and  not  by  sight.     When  St.  Paul  spoke  these  words,  the 
ancient  world  was  precisely  in  the  state  to  which  men  would  lead  back  the  modern 
world.     It  only  believed  in  visible  and  palpable  things ;  it  considered  as  chimeras 
and  trifles  all  that  went  beyond  them.     And  what  had  it  arrived  at  ?     Who  is  not 
aware  that  there  was  never  a  more  shameful  degradation  of  the  dignity  of  man  ? 
Who  has  given  it  life  again  but  those  men  who  opposed  to  the  present  world  the 
world  to  come  ?     Now  this  fact  has  often  repeated  itself.     For  how  often  has  the 
world  been  ready  to  sink  back  into  that  condition  in  which  Christianity  found  it  ? 
(2)  We  should  form  a  strange  idea  of  Christianity  if  we  believed  that  it  teaches  us 
to  despise  the  earth  and  the  present  life.     I  know  that  many  causes  have  favoured 
this  error.    The  monastic  life  and  the  deplorable  exaggerations  of  certain  Christians 
who  have  neglected  life's  duties,  pretending  that  eternity  was  taking  up  all  their 
thoughts,  have  too  often  furnished  infidelity  with  weapons.     But  Christianity  has 
never  taught  us  to  forget  the  duties  and  privileges  of  earth.     But  earth  is  not — ■ 
it  cannot  be — the  aim  of  the  Christian,  but  it  is  the  scene  of  his  activity,  even  the 
place  where  his  eternal  future  is  prepared.     It  is  often  maintained  that  eternity 
diminishes  the  happiness  of  the  present  life ;  but  I  assert,  on  the  contrary,  that  it 
gives  it  incomparable  grandeur.     If,  instead  of  passing  through  the  world,  I  must 
remain  here,  life  is  an  enigma  as  cruel  as  it  is  inexplicable,  and  one  must  write  on 
its   threshold,    "  Without   God,   without   hope."     Open   to   me,   on   the   contrary, 
eternity.     Tell  me  that  life  is  a  journey,  a  marching  forward ;  tell  me  that  my 
fatherland  is  awaiting  me,  then  I  am  able  to  begin  and  undertake  everything,  and 
the  bitter  feeling  of  vanity  disappears.      II.  Accepting  this  motto  theoretically, 
WE   MAT  openly   DENY  IT  DJ   RE.\LiTY.     1.  What   shaU   we  Say   of  those  who   do 
not  accept  religion  unless  it  be  presented  to  them  under  a  fascinating  form  with  the 
approbation  of  man,  with  all  that  speaks  to  the  senses  and  the  imagination?     But 
Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  who  admired  the  beauty  of  the  temple,  "  See  ye  not  all 
these  things?  "     What  would  He,  then,  say  to  those  who  cannot  understand  truth 
when   not   accompanied   by    a  gorgeous   ceremonial,    and   upheld   by   a   powerful 
hierarchy  ?     And  can  we  positively  affirm  that  such  a  temptation  has  never  crept 
over  us  ?  Have  not  we  been  troubled  in  our  faith,  because  we  saw  the  Church  feeble, 
obscure,  and   despised  ?     Did  we   never   wish  her  the  homage  of  the  woi'ld,  the 
support  of  distinguished  men,  the  authority  of  numbers,  or  of    public  opinion  ? 
Well,  asking  for  these  external  signs  is  wishing  to  walk  by  sight,  and  not  by  faith. 
Ye  who  want  these  signs,  what  would  you  have  done  in  the  days  of  Jesus  Christ  ? 
2.  There  are  Christians  who  are  troubled  because  to  the  Church  in  our  days  God  no 
longer  grants  miraculous  signs  of  His  intervention.     But — (1)  Miracles  alone  have 
never  converted  the  heart.     The  Galilasans  remained  unbelievers  in  the  presence 
of  the  most  marvellous  wonders,  and  the  hearers  of  St.  Paul,  without  a  miracle, 
were  converted  by  thousands.     (2)  If  miracles  were  necessary  to  faith,  every  one 
must  witness  them,  and  if  that  were  the  case  they  would  lose  their  power,  being  no 
longer  regarded  as  supernatural.     (3)  The  more  revelation  advances,  the  less  God 
shows   Himself  to  sight,   and   the  more   He  reveals   Himself    to  faith.      In  the 
beginning,  there  were   continual   signs   and  wonders,  a  pillar  of  cloud  or  of  fire 
marks  His  presence ;  the  thunder  roars  on  Sinai.     Everything  speaks  to  the  sight ; 
but,  with  the  advent  of  Christ,  everything  changes !     He  teaches  us  that  there  is  a 
sign  which  attests  better  the  presence  of  God  than  all  the  external  miracles — it  is 
love.     When  John,  the  man  of  the  old  covenant,  asks  Christ,  "Art  thou  He  that 
should  come,  or  do  we  look  for  another  ?  "  Christ  answers  him  by  enumerating 
the  wonders  which  He  has  accomplished ;  but  He  finishes  with  those  sublime  words, 
"  The  poor  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them."     God  wiU  not  now  open  the 
heavens  ;  there  will  be  no  sign  given  to  this  unbelieving  generation  but  that  of  the 
Cross ;  for  he  whom  the  Cross  leaves  insensible  would  not  be  moved  though  a  man 
should  rise  from  the  grave  and  declare  Jesus  is  the  Christ.     3.  We  walk  by  sight, 
and  not  by  faith,  when  we  wish  Christianity  to  justify  itself  entirely  in  the  eyes  of 
reason.     Miracles  speak  to  the  senses,  arguments  speak  to  the  intellect ;  but  God 
will  lay  hold  of  our  moral  being.     He  wishes  that  we  shall  freely  give  up  ourselves 
to  Him  by  faith.     4.  We  are  still  desiring  sight  instead  of  faith  when  we  ask  God 
to  mark  His  providence  by  continual  deliverances — (1)  By  immediate  answers  to 
our  prayers.      But  imagine   a  life  where  prayer  would  always   be  followed   by 
an  immediate  deliverance.     Many  would  be  disciples,  but  how  many  from  the  right 
motive?     Now  it  is  just  that  mercenary  instinct  which  God  wants  to  destroy  in  us. 
Therefore,  while  He  assures  us  that  all  our  prayers  are  heard.  He  seldom  shows  us 
beforehand  how  He  will  answer  them.     The  most  glorious  victories  of  faith  have 

16 


242  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

been  won  against  every  appearance.  Christ  Himself  by  faith  saw  before  His  death 
the  fruit  of  the  bitter  travail  of  His  soul,  and  it  was  not  sight  which  could  reveal  to 
Him  a  conquered  world,  a  redeemed  Church.  How  often,  when  we  see  the  prayer 
of  some  saint  manifestly  answered  long  after  his  death,  we  say,  "  Oh,  that  he  had 
lived  to  see  this  day,  the  day  he  so  desired  !  "  We  must  remember,  though  he  saw 
not,  he  believed.  Pray,  then.  Christian  mother,  pray  still  for  the  conversion  of 
your  son,  pray  without  doubting,  and  should  your  eyes  only  meet  subjects  of  dis- 
couragement, remember  that  we  walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight.  (2)  These  remarks 
on  prayer  find  also  their  application  on  every  Christian  activity.  It  is  a  singular 
fact  that  the  greatest  progress  in  the  kingdom  of  God  has  been  attained  by  men 
who  believed  though  they  did  not  see.  What  did  Christ  see  in  His  ministry  ? 
What  would  He  have  done  if  He  had  walked  by  sight  ?  And  what  shall  we  do  if 
we  want  to  see  instead  of  believing,  if  we  resemble  those  children  who,  after  having 
cast  a  seed  corn  into  the  ground,  return  every  instant  to  see  whether  it  has  sprung 
up  ?  God  only  blesses  those  who  have  confidence  enough  in  His  faithfulness  to 
commit  to  Him  the  care  of  results,  and  to  say  with  Luther,  "  It  is  Thy  work,  not 
mine."  It  is  stated  that  Kepler,  when  lying  on  his  death-bed,  and  being  asked  by  a 
friend  whether  he  suffered  not  cruelly  to  be  obliged  to  die  without  seeing  his 
discoveries  appreciated,  answered,  "My  friend,  God  has  waited  five  thousand  years 
till  one  of  His  creatures  discovered  the  admirable  laws  which  He  has  given  to  the 
stars;  why  should  I,  then,  not  wait  tiU  justice  is  done  to  me?"  5.  They  are 
wrong  who  want  to  describe  beforehand,  as  it  has  been  so  often  tried,  the  way  which 
the  Christian  is  to  foUow.  The  Christian  life  is  like  an  immense  region  which 
thousands  of  pilgrims  have  already  travelled  through  ;  each  had  followed  the  road 
which  God  had  traced  out  for  him  ;  some  have  found  it  soft  and  light,  others  dark 
and  difficult.  Yet  all  these  ways  led  to  the  fatherland,  and  none  has  a  right  to  say 
that  the  road  he  followed  is  that  which  all  others  must  enter  upon ;  for  if  this  road 
were  known,  if  it  could  be  described,  we  should  walk  by  sight,  and  no  longer  by 
faith.  Let  us  then  accept  any  unforeseen  events  ;  let  us  expect  that  God  will 
destroy  our  plans  and  disappointour  expectations ;  whether  He  send  us  joy  or  sorrow, 
let  us  walk  iDy  faith,  allowing  Him  to  lead  us.  {E.  Bcrsier,  D.D.)  Faith  versus 
sight : — I.  The  posture  mentioned.  It  implies — 1.  The  possession  of  life.  You 
can  make  a  dead  man  sit  or  even  stand  in  a  certain  position,  but  to  walk  necessitates 
life.  In  the  sense  in  which  the  term  is  here  used,  the  ungodly  man  does  not  walk 
at  all.  2.  Activity.  It  is  a  blessed  thing  to  sit  "  with  Mary  at  the  Master's  feet  " ; 
but  we  walk  as  well  as  sit.  Many  can  affirm — "  We  talk ;  we  think  ;  we  experience  ; 
we  feel  "  ;  but  true  Christians  can  say,  "We  walk."  3.  Progress.  A  man  does  not 
walk  unless  he  make  some  headway.  God  does  not  say  to  us,  "  This  is  the  way," 
and  then  stop ;  but  He  says,  "  This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it."  We  are  always  to 
be  making  advances,  from  faith  in  its  beginnings  to  faith  in  its  perfections.  4. 
Perseverance.  When  a  man  goes  along  a  step  or  two  and  then  stops,  or  returns, 
we  do  not  call  that  walking.  5.  That  in  the  ordinary  actions  of  life  we  are  actuated 
by  faith.  Walking  is  that  kind  of  progress  in  which  a  man  continues  hour  after 
hour.  We  often  read  of  men  who,  by  faith,  did  great  exploits,  and  some  Christians 
are  always  fixing  their  eyes  upon  exploits  of  faith.  But  Paul  does  not  speak  about 
running  or  jumping  or  fighting,  but  about  walking,  and  he  means  to  tell  you  that 
the  ordinary  life  of  a  Christian  is  different  from  the  life  of  another  man ;  that  he 
has  learned  to  introduce  faith  into  everything  he  does.  II.  Two  principles  con- 
trasted. All  men  naturally  walk  by  sight.  They  have  a  proverb  that  "  Seeing  is 
believing,"  and  no  further.  Their  maxim  is — "  Know  things  for  yourself  ;  look  after 
the  main  chance;  take  care  of  Number  One."  Now  the  Christian  is  the  very 
opposite  of  this.  He  says :  "  I  do  not  care  about  looking  after  the  things  that  are 
seen  and  are  temporal;  the  things  that  are  not  seen  influence  me,  because  they  are 
eternal."  Now,  since  the  world  thinks  itself  wise  and  the  Christian  a  fool  for 
acting  contrary  to  the  world's  proverb  that  "  A  bird  in  the  hand  is  worth  two  in 
the  bush,"  let  us  just  see  wherein  the  wisdom  of  this  matter  is,  and  wherein  it  is 
not.  1.  Walking  by  sight  is  a  very  childish  thing.  Any  child  can  walk  by  sight, 
and  so  can  any  fool  too.  You  give  him  a  number  of  coins ;  they  are  all  spurious, 
but  he  is  so  pleased  with  them  that  he  does  not  care  about  having  real  sovereigns. 
The  child  says  that  the  sun  rises  in  the  morning  and  sets  in  the  evening,  but  men 
know  that  it  does  not  move,  only  the  earth.  But  it  is  a  very  manly  thing  to  believe 
something  which  you  cannot  see.  What  a  man  was  Columbus  compared  with  his 
■contemporaries  because  he  walked  by  faith  !  So  the  Christian  is  a  man,  while  the 
worldling  saith,  "  This  is  all  the  world ;  '  let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  24r> 

die,' "  he  says,  "there  must  be  another  half  ;  I  will  leave  this  world  to  you  children, 
and  wUl  seek  another  and  more  heavenly  one."  2.  The  one  is  grovelling  while  the 
other  is  noble.  A  man  earning  his  bread  all  day  long — what  is  he  better  than  the 
donkey  at  Carisbrook  Castle,  pumping  up  water  and  always  going  round  ?  The 
children  go  to  the  seaside  with  their  little  wooden  spades  and  build  up  a  pier  ol 
sand,  but  the  tide  comes  and  washes  it  away,  and  this  is  just  what  men  do.  They 
build  with  heavier  stulif,  which  gives  them  more  care  and  not  half  so  much 
merriment,  but  the  end  is  just  the  same,  only  the  children  live  to  build  again, 
while  these  big  children,  these  grovellers,  are  washed  out  to  sea  with  all  their  workf= 
and  perish  everlastingly.  If  there  be  not  another  world  to  live  for,  I  must  say  that 
this  life  is  not  worthy  of  a  man.  But  to  believe  what  God  tells  me,  that  I  am 
God's  son,  that  I  shall  one  day  see  His  face  and  sing  His  praise  for  ever,  why,  there 
is  something  here.  The  man  who  believes  this  expands  into  something  worthy  of  a 
man  who  is  made  in  the  image  of  the  Most  High.  3.  There  is  something 
exceedingly  ignorant  about  believing  only  what  I  can  see.  Nine  out  of  ten  things 
m  the  world  that  are  the  most  wonderful  and  potent  cannot  be  seen,  at  least  not  by 
the  eyes.  A  man  who  wUl  not  believe  in  electricity — well,  what  can  you  make  of  him 
in  these  days  ?  And  this  is  the  case  with  regard  to  spiritual  things.  If  you  only 
walk  by  sight,  and  only  believe  what  you  see,  what  do  you  believe  ?  You  believe  that 
while  you  are  living  here  it  is  a  good  thing  to  make  the  best  you  can  of  it,  and  that 
then  you  will  die  and  be  buried,  and  there  will  be  an  end  of  you  !  What  a  poor, 
miserable,  ignorant  belief  this  is  !  But  when  you  believe  in  what  God  reveals,  and 
come  to  walk  by  faith,  how  your  information  expands !  4.  Walking  by  sight  is 
deceptive.  The  eye  does  not  see  anything  ;  it  is  the  mind  that  sees  through  the 
eye.  The  eye  needs  to  be  educated  before  it  tells  the  truth,  and  even  then  there  are 
a  thousand  things  about  which  it  does  not  always  speak  truly.  Now  the  man  who 
has  a  God  to  believe  in,  is  never  deceived.  The  promise  to  him  always  stands  fast ; 
the  person  of  Christ  is  always  his  sure  refuge,  and  God  Himself  is  his  perpetual 
inheritance.  5.  The  principle  of  sight  is  a  very  changeable  one.  It  is  well  enough  to 
talk  of  walking  by  sight  in  the  light,  but  what  will  you  do  when  the  darkness  comes  on? 
It  is  very  well  to  talk  about  living  on  the  present  while  you  are  here,  but  when  you 
go  and  lie  on  your  dying  bed,  what  about  the  principle  of  living  for  the  present  then  ? 
But  the  principle  of  faith  does  best  in  the  dark.  He  who  walks  by  faith  can  walk 
in  the  sunlight  as  well  as  you  can,  but  he  can  walk  in  the  dark  as  you  cannot,  fo)- 
his  light  is  still  shining  upon  him.  6.  That  those  who  walk  by  sight  walk  alone. 
Walking  by  sight  is  just  this — "  I  believe  in  myself,"  whereas  walking  by  faith  is — 
"  I  believe  in  God."  If  I  walk  by  sight  I  walk  by  myself  ;  if  I  walk  by  faith  then 
there  are  two  of  us,  and  the  second  one — ah  !  how  great,  how  glorious,  how  mighty 
is  He  1  Sight  goes  a  warfare  at  its  own  charges,  and  is  defeated.  Faith  goes  a 
warfare  at  the  charges  of  the  King's  Exchequer,  and  there  is  no  fear  that  Faith's 
bank  shall  ever  be  broken.  III.  The  caution  implied.  The  apostle  says  positively, 
"We  walk  by  faith,"  and  then  he  adds  negatively,  "not  by  sight."  The  caution, 
then,  is — never  mix  the  two  principles.  You  may  go  a  journey  by  land,  or  you 
may  go  by  water,  but  to  try  to  swim  and  walk  at  the  same  time  would  be  rather 
singular.  A  drunken  man  tries  to  walk  on  both  sides  of  the  street  at  once,  and 
there  is  a  sort  of  intoxication  that  sometimes  seizes  upon  Christians,  which  makes 
them  also  try  to  walk  by  two  principles.  1.  You  say,  "  I  believe  God  loves  me  ;  I 
have  prospered  in  business  ever  since  I  have  been  a  Christian."  The  first  part  o:' 
that  is  faith ;  but  the  second  part  of  it  is  sight.  Suppose  you  had  not  prospered  in 
business,  what  then  ?  Will  you  deny  that  God  loves  you  because  you  have  no. 
prospered  in  business?  2.  Another  says,  "I  have  believed  in  Christ,  but  I  ar' 
afraid  I  am  not  saved,  for  I  feel  to-night  so  depressed."  "  Oh,"  says  another,  "  I  am 
sure  I  am  saved,  because  I  feel  so  happy."  Now  you  are  both  wrong,  for  you  are 
both  walking  by  sight.  Faith  is  not  meant  for  sweet  frames  and  feelings  only,  it  is 
meant  for  dark  frames  and  horrible  feelings.  Conclusion — Take  heed  to  one  thing 
You  must  mind  if  you  do  walk  by  faith,  that  you  walk  by  the  right  faith — viz  , 
faith  in  Christ.  If  you  put  faith  in  your  dreams,  or  in  anything  you  thought  you 
saw,  or  in  a  voice  you  thought  you  heard,  or  in  texts  of  Scripture  coming  to  your 
mind — if  you  put  faith  in  anything  else  but  Christ — I  do  not  care  how  good  it  maj- 
be  or  how  bad  it  may  be — you  must  mind,  for  such  a  faith  as  that  will  give  way. 
Y'ou  may  have  a  very  strong  faith  in  everything  else  but  Christ,  and  yet  perish. 
Best  thou  in  the  Lord  Jehovah.  (C.  H.  Sjntrgeon.)  Walking  by  faith  : — These 
were  the  words  that  arose  to  our  recollection  in  visiting  that  old  castle  of  St. 
Andrews,  out  of  which  Hamilton  and  Wishart,  our  first  Scotch  martyrs,  came  to  dit; 


244  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

for  God's  truth  at  the  stake.  Groping  our  way  along  a  tortuous  passage,  we 
descended  by  some  steps  mto  an  inner  prison,  and  there,  by  a  beam  of  light  that 
streamed  through  a  loophole  of  the  massive  wall,  we  saw  an  opening  in  the  rocky 
floor.  Candles  lighted  and  let  down  showed  a  shaft  descending  into  the  bowels 
of  the  rock,  where,  widening  out  like  the  neck  of  a  bottle,  it  formed  a  dreadful 
dungeon.  It  was  called — and  justly — an  oubliette,  or  place  of  forgetfulness,  because 
those  that  black  mouth  swallowed  up  were  ever  after  lost  to  life,  to  light,  to  liberty. 
It  made  one  shudder  to  look  down  into  that  horrible  pit ;  nothing  seen  but  the  blackness 
of  darkness — nothing  heard  but  the  muffled  sound  of  the  waves,  as  bursting  on  its 
rocky  walls  they  seemed  to  moan  for  the  deeds  that  had  been  perpetrated  there. 
"There,"  says  John  Knox,  "many  of  God's  children  suffered  death,  pining  away 
slowly  till  their  life  lapped  up  hke  the  tide  on  the  shore,  or  was  suddenly  destroyed 
by  the  blow  of  the  assassin."  Such  were  the  bloody  days  and  deeds  of  Popery — 
never  more,  we  trust,  to  return.  But  as  our  fancy  called  up  the  men  who  entered 
that  low  door  to  be  let  down  like  a  coffin  into  that  hving  sepulchre,  never  to  come 
out  but  to  die  on  the  scaffold  or  the  stake,  the  words  that  sprang  to  our  memory 
were,  "  They  walked  by  faith,  not  by  sight."  The  apostle  makes  a  similar  applica- 
tion of  these  words,  which  are  the  key  to  what  must  have  been  regarded  as  a  perfect 
enigma.  Note  not  the  resignation  only,  but  the  cheerfulness  with  which  he  and  his 
fellow-Christians  suffered  wrong  (chap.  iv.  17,  18).  No  doubt  our  days  are  in  many 
respects  very  different  from  his,  but  the  changes  that  have  taken  place  in  the  world 
since  the  days  of  Paul  have  not  changed  human  nature.  This  world  is  like  yon 
volcanic  mountain,  where  vineyards  and  fig-trees  cover  its  sides  with  verdure ;  an 
occasional  growl,  a  tremor,  a  puff  of  smoke,  proves  that  the  volcano  that  buried 
Herculaneum  and  Pompeii  in  its  fiery  discharges  is  not  dead;  it  is  but  dormant. 
But  whatever  be  the  age  we  live  in,  whether  we  shall  wear  a  martyr's  crown  or  not, 
all  the  saints  that  go  to  glory  must  go  there  by  the  way  of  faith.  The  believer 
walks  by  faith — I.  In  the  work  akd  Cross  of  Christ.  1.  By  faith  Noah, 
Abraham,  David,  &c.,  won  themselves  a  place  in  the  cloud  of  witnesses.  And  yet 
he  who  waited  for  the  consolation  of  Israel  was  second  to  none  of  them.  What  is 
that  he  holds  in  his  aged  arms  ?  An  infant — the  offspring  of  a  poor  woman  ;  born 
in  a  stable,  a  flame,  a  breath  would  blow  out.  Simeon  is  at  that  stage  in  human  life 
when  enthusiasm  dies,  and  yet  this  sight  throws  him  into  an  holy  ecstasy.  And 
why  ?  The  long  looked-for  has  come  at  last ;  and  now,  as  if  there  were  nothing 
more  on  earth  worth  looking  at  or  waiting  for,  he  lifts  his  aged  arms  and  eyes  to 
heaven  to  exclaim,  "  Now,  Lord,"  &c.  Faith  never  uttered  a  bolder  speech  than 
that.  In  that  infant,  as  I  have  seen  the  giant  oak  wrapped  up  in  the  tiny  acorn, 
Simeon  saw  the  Saviour  of  mankind,  and  in  the  arm  that  hung  round  a  mother's 
neck,  the  strength  that  sustained  the  universe.  He  walked  by  faith  in  that,  and  yet 
we  have  more  need  than  he  to  walk  by  faith.  He  said,  "  Mine  eyes  have  seen  Thy 
salvation  " — a  privilege  ours  never  shall  enjoy  till  these  eyes  are  closed  on  this  world 
and  open  on  another.  Still  more  had  the  disciples  in  their  senses  aids  to  their  faith 
which  we  do  not  enjoy.  Simeon  saw  the  boy  ;  they  saw  the  man  ;  they  touched 
the  hand  that  wrenched  its  fetters  from  the  tomb ;  they  heard  the  voice  that  rebuked 
the  tempest  and  cured  disease,  and  said,  "  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee."  2.  Are  we 
ready  to  envy  the  apostles  and  Simeon  ?  "  Blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen  and 
yet  have  believed."  The  faith  of  the  humblest  believer  nowadays  is  in  some  senses 
a  higher  attainment  than  theirs.  The  emigrant  who  sees  the  hills  of  his  native 
land  sink  beneath  the  wave,  and  goes  away  to  the  land  of  gold,  has  seen  and 
handled  the  gold  dug  from  the  mines  of  that  distant  land.  He  has  seen  those  who 
have  been  there — go  out  poor  and  come  back  rich  ;  but  I  believe  in  a  land  to  which 
I  have  seen  hundi'eds  go,  but  none  come  back  to  unveil  its  secrets.  I  believe  in  a 
Saviour  I  never  saw,  and  never  saw  the  man  that  saw,  and  commit  to  His  keeping 
what  is  more  precious  than  all  the  gold  of  the  Bank  of  England— viz.,  my  precious 
soul.  I  stake  my  everlasting  welfare  on  works  done  eighteen  long  centuries  ago,  of 
which  there  is  not  one  solitary  vestige  now  on  this  earth  for  my  faith  to  cling  to, 
like  ivy  to  a  crumbling  ruin.  And  does  the  world  say  to  me,  "  Such  trust  were 
madness  in  earthly  matters  "  ?  I  admit  it,  but  "  I  am  not  mad,  most  noble  Festus." 
Is  He  unseen  ?  Why  the  most  real  things  in  this  world  are  unseen.  My  spirit  is 
unseen.  The  things  you  see  are  but  the  shadows  of  the  unseen,  and  because  my 
Saviour  is  unseen,  that  no  more  shakes  my  faith  in  Him  than  it  shakes  my  faith  m 
God,  in  angels,  in  the  heavens,  in  the  spirits  of  the  blest  who  await  my  coming. 
3.  Yon  lighthouse  tower  that  stands  among  the  tumbling  waves,  seems  to  have 
nothing  but  them  to  rest  on,  but  beneath  the  waves  its  foundation  is  the  solid  rock. 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  245 

And  what  that  tower  is  to  the  hut  on  yon  sandbank,  which  the  last  storm  threw  up, 
-and  the  next  shall  sweep  back  into  the  sea,  Christ's  righteousness  is  to  mine — 
Christ's  works  to  my  best  ones.  And  so,  when  the  Christian  man  was  dying  after  a 
life  full  of  good  works,  and  they  told  him  of  them,  he  replied,  "  I  take  my  good 
works  and  my  bad  works,  and  I  cast  them  in  one  heap,  and  I  flee  from  them  both 
to  Jesus.  He  is  all  my  salvation,  He  is  all  my  desire."  H.  In  the  providence  of 
God.  1.  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto  night  teacheth  knowledge 
•of  Him.  All  nature  is  vocal  with  His  praise.  For  a  man  to  sit  down  and  write  a 
book  to  prove  it,  seems  to  me  a  perfect  waste  of  time  and  labour,  graved  as  these  are 
on  every  rock,  written  on  every  leaf,  painted  on  every  flower.  But  though  that  be 
true,  generally,  what  may  be  called  His  special  providence,  at  least  so  far  as  regards 
His  own  people,  is  very  often  with  them  more  a  thing  of  faith  than  a  thing  of 
sight.  The  sun  shines  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  the  rain  falls  alike  on  the  just 
and  unjust,  and  there  are  many  things  besides  death  of  which  it  is  true  that  there 
is  one  event  to  all.  Nay,  our  faith  finds  stumbling-blocks  far  more  staggering 
than  this.  There  is  Lazarus  begging  at  a  rich  man's  gate.  In  poverty,  in  disease, 
in  domestic  trials,  I  have  seen  God's  people  have  the  bitterest  cup  to  drink,  and  the 
heaviest  burden  to  bear.  "  Peace,  Mary,  peace,"  said  a  godly  woman,  who  had  lost 
•all  her  family,  to  a  godless  neighbour,  who  was  rebelling  against  the  providence  that 
had  taken  one  child  of  many  ;  "  while  I  have  six  empty  pairs  of  shoes  to  look  on  you 
have  but  one."  There  are  trying  circumstances  in  which  the  only  safety  or 
confidence  of  a  believer  rest  in  walking  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight ;  in  believing  how 
"  behind  a  frowning  providence  "  God  hides  a  smiling  face.  2.  In  ascending  a 
lofty  mountain,  standing  high  above  all  its  fellows,  which  the  sun  is  the  first  to 
reach  and  the  last  to  leave,  I  have  seen  the  rock  that  crowned  it  cleft  with  storm, 
and  its  summit  all  naked  and  bare,  and  so,  sometimes,  with  those  whose  heads  are 
most  in  heaven.  What  are  they  to  do  under  such  circumstances  ?  On  the  higher 
Alps,  along  a  path  no  broader  than  a  mule's  foothold,  that  skirted  a  dreadful 
precipice,  I  have  known  a  timid  traveller  who  fancied  it  safest  to  shut  her  eyes  and 
not  attempt  to  guide  the  course  nor  touch  the  bridle.  And  there  are  times  in  the 
believer's  life  when,  if  he  would  keep  himself  from  falling  into  despair,  he  must,  as 
it  were,  shut  his  eyes,  lay  the  bridle  on  the  neck  of  Providence,  and  "  walk  by  faith, 
not  by  sight."  3.  Had  Jacob,  for  instance,  done  so,  he  had  played  a  nobler  part 
in  Pharaoh's  palace ;  he  had  stood  a  venerable  witness  for  the  God  of  truth  in  that 
heathen  palace  instead  of  indulging  in  this  pitiful  cry,  "  Few  and  evil  have  been  the 
days  of  my  pilgrimage  on  earth."  He  lived  to  regret  he  had  ever  said  it,  and  to  bear 
other  testimony  to  the  providence  of  God.  Our  great  dramatist  says  of  one  of  his 
■characters  that  nothing  of  his  life  became  him  so  much  as  the  leaving  it.  Nor  did 
anything  in  Jacob's  life  become  him  so  much  as  the  leaving  it.  "  The  God  which 
fed  me  all  my  life  long  unto  this  day,  the  angel  which  redeemed  me  from  all  evil, 
bless  the  lads."  Jacob  dies  in  the  light  of  faith.  Never  say,  "  All  these  things  are 
against  me."  Let  all  His  waves  and  billows  go  over  ye,  let  your  bark  go  rolling 
and  staggering  amid  the  sea  of  troubles ;  never  yield  to  the  belief  that  you  are  the 
sport  of  chance,  at  the  mercy  of  winds  and  waves.  Your  Father  is  at  the  helm,  as 
the  sailor  boy  said.  III.  In  and  to  another  world.  The  discovery  of  the  New 
"World  was  not,  like  many  discoveries,  an  accident ;  it  was  the  reward  of  Christopher 
Oolumbus's  faith.  He  found  fruits  on  the  shores  of  Europe,  cast  up  by  the  Atlantic 
■waves,  which  he  knew  must  have  grown  in  lands  beyond.  They  thought  him  mad 
to  leave  his  home,  to  launch  on  a  sea  which  keel  had  never  ploughed,  in  search  of  a 
land  man  had  never  seen.  I  tell  that  infidel  that  I  know  whom  I  have  believed ; 
I  can  give  a  reason  for  the  faith  that  is  in  me ;  and  so  could  he.  And  so  he 
launched  his  bark  on  the  deep,  and  with  strange  seas  around  him,  storms  without,  and 
mutinies  within,  that  remarkable  man  stood  by  the  helm,  and  kept  the  prow  of  his 
bark  onward  till  the  joyful  cry,  "  Land !  "  rang  from  the  mast-head,  and  faith 
was  crowned  with  success,  and  patience  had  her  perfect  work.  Now  I  look  on  that 
man  as  one  of  the  finest  types  of  a  believer,  but  I  cannot  read  his  story  without 
ieeling  that  it  puts  our  faith  to  the  blush.  "  I  have  not  found  such  great  faith ;  no, 
not  in  Israel."  What  had  he?  He  walked  by  faith,  and  not  by  faith  such  as  we 
have.  He  had  but  conjecture,  we  have  certainty  ;  he  had  not  even  the  word  of  man 
-that  lies  ;  we  have  the  word  of  Him  that  cannot  lie.  (T.  Guthrie,  D.D.)  Practical 
spiritualism : — Did  Paul  ignore  the  material  universe,  or  so  underrate  it  as  to  pay  it 
no  attention  ?  No.  He  studied,  admired,  used  it.  He  speaks  comparatively,  and 
means  that  in  the  daily  course  of  himself  and  his  Corinthian  brethren,  they  were 
influenced  more  by  the  invisible  than  the  visible,  by  the  spiritual  and  eternal  than  bv 


246  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  v^ 

the  material  and  the  temporal.  They  were  practical  spiritualists.  In  relation  to  this 
course  of  life  we  may  observe — I.  It  is  a  more  philosophic  course.  A  life  of 
practical  spiritualism  is  far  more  rational  than  that  of  practical  materialism, 
because  the  spiritual  is — 1.  More  real  than  the  material.  We  have  stronger 
evidence  for  the  existence  of  spirit  than  of  matter.  True,  the  essence  of  both  is 
beyond  us  ;  but  the  phenomena  of  spirit  come  more  closely  and  impressively  to  us. 
Thought,  volition,  hope,  fear,  are  immediate  subjects  of  consciousness,  and  these- 
belong  to  the  spirit.  (1)  The  whole  structure  of  the  visible  universe  indicates  the 
existence  of  spMt.  Matter  is  essentially  inert,  but  every  part  of  nature  is  in  motion. 
Matter  is  blind,  but  every  part  of  nature  indicates  contrivance.  Matter  is  heartless, 
but  every  part  of  nature  is  instinct  with  goodness.  And  then,  too,  it  seems  designed 
for  spirit.  Does  not  its  contrivance  appeal  to  thought,  its  streams  of  goodness  to 
fcratitude,  its  beauty  to  admiration,  its  sublimity  to  reverence  and  awe  ?  What  is 
this  fair  universe  without  spirit  but  a  magnificent  mansion  without  a  tenant;  a 
temple  filled  with  the  glories  of  the  Shekinah,  but  containing  no  worshipper  ?  (2) 
The  impressions  of  mankind  sustain  the  belief.  From  remotest  times,  in  all  places 
and  in  every  stage  of  culture,  men  have  believed  in  the  spiritual.  A  belief  so 
universal  must  be  intuitive,  and  any  intuitive  belief  must  be  true,  otherwise  there  is 
no  truth  for  man.  (3)  The  Bible  authoritatively  declares  this  fact.  It  tells  us  of 
legions  of  spirits  in  various  orders  and  states,  and  that  there  is  One  Infinite  Spirit, 
the  Parent,  Sustainer,  and  Judge  of  all.  I  am  bound  to  believe,  then,  that  the 
universe  is  something  more  than  can  be  brought  within  the  cognisance  of  my 
five  senses.  We  are  confessedly  more  intimately  and  solemnly  related  to  the 
spiritual,  and  is  it  not  natural  to  expect  that  we  should  have  a  sense  to  see  spiritual 
things  ?  Were  such  a  sense  to  be  opened  within  us,  as  the  eye  of  Elijah's  servant 
was  opened  of  old,  what  visions  would  burst  upon  us !  The  microscope  gives  us  a 
new  world  of  wonders,  but  were  God  to  open  the  spiritual  eye,  what  a  universe  of 
spirits  would  be  revealed !  2.  More  influential.  The  invisible  is  to  the  visible  what 
the  soul  is  to  the  body,  that  which  animates  and  directs  every  part.  Its  spirit  is  in 
all  the  wheels  of  th^  material  machine.  It  is  the  spring  in  all  its  forces,  the  beauty 
in  all  its  forms,  the  glow  in  all  its  life.  3.  More  lasting.  II.  It  is  a  moee  un- 
POPDLAK  COURSE.  It  is  opposcd  to — 1.  Popular  science,  which  teaches  that  matter 
is  everything,  that  all  thoughts  about  the  invisible  are  idle  and  superstitious.  "  Let 
us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die."  2.  Popular  religion,  not  only  of 
heathendom,  but  of  Christendom,  which  is  the  religion  of  the  senses.  Popular  life. 
The  great  bulk  of  mankind  live  a  material  life ;  their  ideas  of  wealth,  grandeur, 
beauty,  dignity,  pleasui'e,  are  all  material.  Their  grand  question  is,  "  What  shall 
we  eat,  what  shall  we  drink,  wherewithal  shall  we  be  clothed  ?  "  The  Christly  man, 
in  walking  by  faith,  sets  popular  science,  religion,  life,  at  defiance.  Though  he  is  in 
the  world,  he  is  not  of  the  world.  III.  It  is  a  more  blessed  course.  1.  It  is  more 
safe  to  walk  "by  faith  "than  "by  sight."  The  senses  are  deceptive,  the  eye 
especially  makes  great  mistakes.  "  Things  are  not  what  they  seem."  2.  It  is  more 
useful.  Who  is  the  more  useful  man  in  society — the  man  who  is  controlled  by 
appearances,  who  is  materialistic  in  all  his  beliefs  and  pursuits,  or  the  man  whose 
mental  eye  enters  into  the  invisible  region  of  eternal  principles,  ascertains  the  real 
work  they  do  in  the  universe,  arranges  them,  and  applies  them  to  the  uses  of  man's 
daily  life?  Undoubtedly  the  latter.  To  him  we  owe  all  the  blessings  and  arts  that 
adorn  civilised  life.  Albeit  a  stupid  age  calls  the  former  a  practical  man,  and  the 
latter  a  theorist  and  a  dreamer.  In  the  spiritual  department  of  life,  the  man  who 
lives  under  the  practical  recognition  of  One  whom  no  eye  has  seen  or  can  see,  is  the 
man  who  both  enjoys  for  himself  and  diffuses  amongst  others  the  largest  amount  of 
happiness.  3.  It  is  more  ennobling.  He  who  walks  by  sight  is  bounded  by  the  material. 
Matter  is  his  cradle,  his  nourishment,  the  circle  of  his  activities,  and  his  grave.  On 
the  contrary,  he  who  walks  by  faith,  towers  into  other  regions,  brighter,  broader,  and 
more  blest.  Conclusion — Which  of  these  courses  of  life  are  we  pursuing  ?  It  is 
not  difficult  to  determine  this  question.  Jesus  Himself  has  supplied  the  test,  "  That 
which  is  born  of  the  fiesh  is  flesh,  that  which  is  born  of  the  spirit  is  spu-it."  1.  He 
that  walks  by  sight  is  in  all  his  experiences,  purposes,  and  pursuits,  "flesh." 
His  mind  is  a  "  fleshly  mind,"  his  wisdom  is  "  fleshly  wisdom."  2.  On  the 
contrary,  he  who  "  walks  by  faith  "  is  spirit.  Spirit  in  the  sense  of — (1)  Vivacity. 
All  his  faculties  are  instinct  with  a  new  life — the  life  of  conscience,  the  true  life  of 
man.  He  is  spirit.  (2)  Social  recognition.  He  is  not  known  as  other  men  are 
known,  as  men  of  the  world.  But,  as  a  spiritual  man,  distinguished  by  spiritual 
Convictions,  sympathies,  and  aims.     (3)  Divinity.     He  is  born  of  the  Divine  Spirit,. 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  247 

and  has  a  kindredship  with,  and  a  resemblance  to,  his  Eternal  Father.  He  is  now  a 
conscious  citizen  of  the  great  spiritual  kingdom.  {D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  We  are 
confident,  I  say,  and  willing  rather  to  be  absent  from  the  body,  and  to  be  present 
with  the  Lord. — Philosophy  of  true  courage  : — The  word  "confident"  here  means 
courageous,  and  implies — 1.  Unavoidable  perils  and  trials  (chap.iv.  8-10).  The  man 
that  rushes  into  danger  is  not  courageous,  but  reckless.  2.  Intelligent  views  and 
convictions  of  being.  Much  of  battle-field  valour  springs  from  ignorance  of  what 
existence  is,  or  false  views  of  it.  Paul  regarded — (1)  The  body  as  the  organ  of 
being — an  "  earthly  house."  (2)  The  soul  as  the  personality  of  being.  "  We  that 
are  in  this  house."  The  soul,  not  the  body,  is  the  I,  or  self,  of  being.  (3)  Death  as 
only  a  change  in  the  mode  of  being.  (4)  Heaven  as  the  perfection  of  being.  It  is 
"  the  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  But  these  views  are 
repeated  here  in  a  more  condensed  form.     The  apostle's  courage  was  based  on — I. 

A    CONSCIOUSNESS    THAT    HIS    DEATH    WOULD   NOT    ENDANGER    THE    INTERESTS  OF  BEING. 

1.  That  which  gives  a  fear-awakening  power  to  events  is  the  dread  of  death.  The 
most  malignant  disease,  the  fiercest  hurricane,  or  the  loudest  roar  of  musketry 
would  have  no  fear-awakening  power  without  this.  Let  the  fear  be  taken  away,  as 
it  was  from  Paul,  and  men  would  then,  like  him,  be  always  courageous.  2.  Now 
observe  the  apostle's  view  of — (1)  The  interests  of  being.  "  Present  with  the  Lord." 
(2)  The  bearing  of  death  upon  the  interests  of  being.  He  regarded  death  as  the 
flight  of  the  spirit  to  the  presence  of  its  Lord.  "  Absent  from  the  body,"  &c.  3. 
Notice  Paul's  state  of  mind  under  the  influence  of  these  thoughts.  "  Willing 
rather,"  &c.  II.  A  consciousness  that  death  would  not  destroy  the  great 
PURPOSE  of  being.  1.  Men  without  purpose  are  almost  indifferent  to  life.  2.  The 
master-purposes  of  men  differ.  They  are  pleasure,  wealth,  to  please  God.  This  last 
was  Paul's  grand  purpose.  "Wherefore  we  labour,"  &c.  This  purpose  is — (1) 
Eeasonable.  If  there  be  a  God,  reason  dictates  that  to  please  Him  ought  to  be  the 
supreme  purpose  of  intelligent  natures.  (2)  Delightful.  The  highest  happiness  of 
a  moral  intelligence  is  to  please  the  chief  object  of  its  love.  3.  Now  death  destroys 
the  main  purposes  of  the  voluptuous,  avaricious,  and  ambitious,  and  hence  it  is 
terrible  to  them,  but  it  does  not  destroy  the  chief  purpose  of  the  Christian. 
"Whether  present  or  absent  "  his  chief  purpose  will  be  to  be  "  accepted  of  Him." 

rn.    A    CONSCIOUSNESS    THAT    DEATH    WOULD    NOT    PREVENT      THE    REWARDS    OP    BEING 

(ver.  10).  Success  must  ever  have  an  influence  upon  the  mind  of  man  in  every 
department  of  labour.  Non-success  discourages.  The  Christian  labourer  looks  for 
success,  but  it  does  not  appear  here  at  all  proportioned  either  to  his  'desires  or 
efforts.  Paul,  no  doubt,  would  like  to  have  seen  the  full  results  of  his  labours  in 
Corinth,  &c.,  and  if  death  could  have  prevented  a  full  realisation,  he  would  have 
esteemed  it  an  evil,  and  shrunk  from  it  with  fear.  But  here  he  distinctly  aifirms  an 
opposite  conviction.  1.  Every  one  shall  receive  the  recompense  of  labour.  2. 
Every  one  shall  receive  a  reward  for  every  deed.  For  every  good  deed.  There  shall 
be  no  lost  labour.  And  every  "  bad  "  deed,  too,  shall  be  recompensed.  Conclusion — 
If  we  possess  Paul's  convictions  of  life  and  his  spu'it,  we  may  have  this  sublime 
courage.  Let  us  look  at  death  as  he  looked  at  death,  as  the  flight  of  the  spirit  into 
the  presence  of  its  Lord.  Is  not  fear  of  death  a  disgrace  to  the  Christian?  "If," 
said  Cicero,  "  I  were  now  disengaged  from  my  cumbrous  body,  and  on  my  way  to 
Elysium,  and  some  superior  being  should  meet  me  in  my  flight  and  make  the  offer 
of  returning  and  remaining  in  my  body,  I  should,  without  hesitation,  reject  the 
offer,  so  much  should  I  prefer  going  to  Elysium,  to  be  with  Socrates  and  Plato,  and 
all  the  ancient  worthies,  and  to  spend  my  time  in  converse  with  them."  How  much 
more  should  the  Christian  desire  to  be  "  absent  from  the  body  and  present  with  the 
Lord  !  "  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  The  old  house  and  the  new  : — I.  The  Christian  view 
OF  WHAT  DEATH  IS.  1.  The  apostlc  is  not  here  referring  to  the  state  of  the  dead, 
but  to  the  act  of  dying.  His  language  is  more  accurately,  "  willing  to  go  from 
home,  from  the  body,  and  to  go  home  to  the  Lord."  The  moment  of  transition  of 
course  leads  to  a  permanent  state,  but  it  is  the  moment  of  transition  which  is  in 
view  here.  The  Christian  view  of  the  act  of  death  is  that  it  is  simply  a  change  of 
abode.  2.  The  text  suggests  that  to  the  Christian  soul  the  departure  from  the  one 
house  is  the  departure  into  the  other.  The  home  has  been  the  body  ;  the  home  is 
now  to  be  Jesus  Christ.  We  know  not  how  much  separation  may  depend  upon  the 
immersing  of  the  spirit  in  the  fleshly  tabernacle,  but  we  know  that,  though  here  by 
faith  souls  can  live  in  Christ,  yet  there  shall  come  a  form  of  union  so  much  more 
close,  all-pervading,  as  that  the  present  union,  precious  as  it  is,  shall  be  "  absence 
from  the  Lord."    3.  Perhaps,  in  the  bold  metaphor  of  my  text,  there  is  an  answer 


248  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  v, 

to  the  painful  questions,  "Do  the  dead  know  aught  of  what  affects  us  here?  and 
can  they  do  aught  but  gaze  on  Him  and  love  and  rest  ?  "  If  there  is  any  analogy 
between  the  relation  of  the  body  on  earth  to  the  spirit  that  inhabits  it,  and  that  of 
Christ  to  him  who  dwells  in  Him,  then  it  may  be  that,  as  the  flesh,  so  the  Christ 
transmits  to  the  spirit  impressions  from  the  outside  world,  and  affords  a  means  of 
action  upon  that  world.  Christ  may  be  the  sensorium  of  the  disembodied  spirit, 
and  the  hand  of  the  man  who  hath  no  other  instrument  by  which  to  express  him- 
self. But  be  that  as  it  may,  the  reality  of  a  close  communion  and  encircling  by  the 
felt  presence  of  Christ,  which  will  make  the  closest  communion  here  seem  to  be 
obscure,  is  certainly  declared  in  the  words  before  us.  4.  This  transition  is  the  work 
of  a  moment.  It  is  not  a  long  journey,  of  which  the  beginning  is  "  to  go  from 
home,"  and  the  end  is  "to  go  home."  But  it  is  one  and  the  same  motion  which, 
looked  at  from  the  one  side,  is  departure,  and  looked  at  from  the  other  is  arrival. 
"  There  is  but  a  step  between  me  and  death."  Yes,  but  there  is  but  a  step  between 
me  and  life.  The  consciousness  of  two  worlds  blends  ;  the  spirit  is  clothed  upon  with 
the  house  which  is  from  heaven,  in  the  very  act  of  stripping  off  the  earthly  house 
of  this  tabernacle.  5.  This  transition  obviously  leads  into  a  state  of  conscious 
communion  with  Jesus  Christ.  The  dreary  figment  of  an  unconscious  interval  for  the 
disembodied  spirit  has  no  foundation,  either  in  what  we  know  of  spirit,  or  in  what 
is  revealed  to  us  in  Scripture.  It  is  absurd  to  say  of  an  unconscious  spirit,  clear  of 
a  bodily  environment,  that  it  is  anywhere ;  and  there  is  no  intelligible  sense  in 
which  the  condition  of  such  a  spirit  can  be  called  being  "  with  the  Lord."  6.  And 
that  is  aU  we  know.  Nothing  else  is  certain  but  this,  "with  the  Lord,"  and  the 
resulting  certainty  that  therefore  it  is  well.  It  is  enough  for  our  faith,  comfort,  and 
patient  waiting.  Not  only  that  great  hope  of  the  "  body  of  His  glory,"  but  further- 
more, "  the  earnest  of  the  Spirit,"  ought  to  make  the  unwelcome  necessity  less 
unwelcome.  If  the  firstfruits  be  righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  what  shall  the  harvest  be?  II.  Theeefoke  the  Christian  temper  is  th.^t  of 
QUIET  willingness  AND  CONSTANT  COURAGE.  There  is  nothing  hysterical,  morbid,  over- 
strained, artificial.  The  apostle  says:  "  I  would  rather  not ;  but  when  I  see  what  I 
do  see  beyond,  I  am  ready.  Since  so  it  must  be,  I  will  go,  not  dragged  away  from 
life,  nor  clinging  desperately  to  it  as  it  slips  from  my  hands,  nor  dreading  anything 
that  may  happen  beyond  ;  but  always  courageous,  and  prepared  to  go  whithersoever 
the  path  may  take  me,  since  I  am  sure  that  it  ends  in  His  bosom."  There  are  other 
references  of  our  apostle's  substantially  of  the  same  tone  as  that  of  my  text,  but 
with  very  beautiful  and  encouraging  differences.  "  I  have  finished  my  course,  I 
have  kept  the  faith;  henceforth,"  &c.  That  is  our  model.  "Always  courageous," 
afraid  of  nothing  in  life,  in  death,  or  beyond,  and  therefore  willing  to  go  from  home 
from  the  body,  and  to  go  home  to  the  Lord.  {A.  Maclaren,  D.D.)  To  die 
or  not  to  die  : — I  once  heard  two  good  men  holding  a  dialogue.  One  of  them 
said  he  wished  that  his  time  was  come  to  go  to  heaven ;  he  did  not  see  anything 
here  worth  living  for.  The  other  said  he  had  many  reasons  why  he  would  rather 
just  then  live  than  die.  He  had  lived  to  see  the  Church  in  prosperity ;  he  should 
like,  therefore,  to  be  a  sharer  in  the  Church's  joy.  Besides,  he  had  those  he  loved 
on  earth,  &c.  Now  consider — I.  When  it  is  right  and  when  wrong  to  desire  to  stay. 

I.  It  is  wrong — (1)  When  the  Christian  has  gi-own  worldly.  Dr.  Johnson,  being 
taken  by  one  of  his  friends  over  his  fine  house  and  beautiful  garden,  observed,  "  Ah ! 
sir,  these  are  the  things  that  make  it  hard  to  die."  The  world  was  never  meant  to 
fin  a  believer's  soul.  (2)  When  he  has  a  secret  fear  of  dying.  Christ  came  into  the 
world  to  deliver  those  who  are  subject  to  this  bondage.  Thou  art  afraid  of  a  sting- 
less  enemy,  of  a  shadow,  of  heaven's  own  portals,  of  thy  Father's  black  servant 
whom  He  sends  to  bring  thee  to  Himself !  (3)  When  it  is  the  result  of  his  doubting 
his  interest  in  Christ.  We  have  no  right  to  doubt.  The  apostle  says,  "  We  are 
always  confident."  Now,  some  hate  the  very  word  "confidence,"  but  the  apostle 
knew  what  was  the  proper  spirit  for  a  believer.  (4)  When  it  is  because  he  has  a 
large  family  dependent  upon  him.  2.  It  is  right — (1)  When  he  wants  to  do  more 
for  his  Master,  and  a  sphere  is  just  opening  before  his  eyes.  As  a  valiant  soldier, 
with  the  field  of  battle  in  view,  he  wants  to  win  a  victory.  Carey,  Ward,  and  Pierre, 
when  laid  down  with  sickness  at  Serampore,  prayed  that  they  might  live  a  little 
longer,  because  every  godly  man  in  India  was  then  worth  a  thousand.  Paul  himself 
said,  "  To  abide  in  the  flesh  is  more  needful  for  you,  and  therefore  I  prefer  to  stay." 

II.  When  is  it  right,  and  when  wrong  for  a  believer  to  wish  to  go  to 
heaven  ?  1.  It  is  wrong — (1)  W^hen  he  wants  to  get  there  to  get  away  from  his 
work.     Suppose  your  servant  came  to  you  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  219 

said,  "  Master,  it  is  a  very  hot  day,  I  wish  it  was  six  o'clock  at  night."  You  would 
say,  "  I  want  none  of  those  laggard  fellows  that  are  always  looking  for  six  o'clock." 
Or  suppose  you  met  him  on  Thursday,  and  he  said,  "  I  wish  it  was  Saturday  night." 
"  Ah,"  you  would  say,  "  a  man  that  always  looks  for  Saturday  night  is  never  worth 
his  master's  keeping."  And  yet  you  and  I  have  been  guilty  of  that  with  regard  to 
the  things  of  Christ.  (2)  When  it  is  because  there  is  some  little  discouragement  in 
labouruig  for  Christ.  Jonah  thought  he  would  rather  go  to  Tarshish  than  to 
Nineveh.  We  get  cowardly  and  distrustful  of  God.  'Tis  then  we  fretfully  say, 
"  Let  us  go  to  heaven."  I  fancy  I  hear  Luther  talking  like  that !  Melancthon 
said,  "  Let  me  die,"  but  Luther  said,  "  No,  we  want  you,  and  you  are  not  to  be  let 
off  yet,  you  must  stand  in  the  thick  of  the  battle  till  the  fight  changes  and  victory  is 
ours."  (3)  When  it  is  to  get  away  from  the  Lord's  will  on  earth.  Some  have  had 
so  much  pain,  that  they  would  like  to  be  released  from  it.  We  cannot  blame  them. 
But  yet  does  it  not  sometimes  amount  to  this,  "  Father,  if  the  cup  cannot  pass  from 
me,  let  me  pass  away  from  it  "  ?  Such  people  never  do  die  for  years  afterwards  ; 
because  the  Lord  knows  they  are  not  tit  to  die.  But  when  we  are  able  to  say, 
"  Well,  let  it  be  as  He  wills ;  I  would  be  glad  to  be  rid  of  pain,  but  I  would  be 
content  to  bear  it  if  it  be  God's  will "  ;  then  patience  hath  had  her  perfect  work,  and 
it  often  happens  that  the  Lord  says,  "  It  is  well,  My  child  :  thy  will  is  My  will."  2. 
It  is  right — (1)  When  it  is  because  you  are  conscious  of  your  daily  sins  and  want  to 
be  rid  of  them.  To  be  perfectly  holy  is  an  aspiration  worthy  of  the  best  of  men. 
(2)  When  you  wish  to  serve  God  better  than  you  do.  Then,  inasmuch  as  it  is  a 
proper  thing  for  the  servant  of  God  to  desire,  to  be  a  better  servant,  it  must  be  right 
and  proper  for  him  to  long  to  serve  his  Master  without  imperfection.  (3)  When  we 
have  been  at  the  Lord's  table,  or  in  some  service  where  we  have  had  great  enjoy- 
ment, we  have  had  the  earnest  and  want  to  have  the  whole  of  the  redemption 
money.  (4)  When  you  have  had  near  fellowship  with  Christ.  It  would  indeed  be 
a  strange  thing  if  you  did  not  wish  to  be  with  Him  where  He  is.  If  a  woman  loves 
her  husband  she  longs  for  his  society.  You  are  a  child ;  he  is  not  a  loving  child 
that  does  not  wish  to  see  his  father's  face.  How  some  of  us  used  to  long  for  the 
holidays  !  We  are  also  labourers.  It  were  a  strange  thing  if  the  labourer  did  not 
wish  to  achieve  the  end  of  his  toils.  And  then,  what  soldier  does  not  long  for 
victory  ?  He  wou2d  not  shun  the  fight,  but  he  wishes  it  were  triumphantly  over. 
(C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  An  apostle's  prospect  of  death  : — Note — I.  The  phospect  of 
THIS  GREAT  TRANSITION,  AND  THE  WILLINGNESS  EXPRESSED.  In  this  willingness  there 
are  four  main  elements.  1.  The  acknowledgment  of  a  higher  claim.  The  apostle 
has  a  figure  of  two  habitations  for  the  soul,  and  both  presenting  their  rival  claims. 
The  body  has  a  claim,  and  reasonably.  "  I  am  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made." 
Through  the  bodily  senses  and  perceptions  the  soul  has  its  education.  It  gazes 
upon  the  fair  universe  through  the  windows  of  the  eye ;  through  the  ear  flows  in 
the  music  of  creation  ;  and  it  is  by  the  oi-gans  of  speech  that  spirit  communicates 
with  spirit.  Now,  is  there  not  here  a  claim?  To  be  "  unclothed,"  in  the  apostle's 
speech,  would  seem  to  be  cut  off  from  fellowship  with  the  universe.  Who  then 
could  be  well  pleased  to  be  absent  from  the  body  ?  Those  only  who  are  conscious 
of  a  higher  claim.  Christ  claims  us.  A  thousand  objects  seem  to  stretch  imploring 
hands  to  us  and  cry,  "  Thou  art  ours  "  ;  but  Christ  says,  "  Thou  art  Mine."  With 
the  claim  that  redemption  gives  us  what  else  can  compete  ?  The  body,  with  all  the 
wonders  of  its  construction,  is,  after  all,  but  the  servant  of  the  soul;  Christ  is  its 
Master.  We,  therefore,  are  ready  to  renounce  the  lower  for  the  loftier  claim,  and 
willing  to  be  absent  from  the  body  and  to  be  present  with  the  Lord.  2.  The  accept- 
ance of  a  necessary  condition.  Why  should  the  two  claims  come  into  competition  ? 
The  ideal  man  of  God's  purpose  and  first  creation  may  be  well  conceived  as  equally 
at  home  in  both  worlds.  As  it  is,  the  two  things  are  mcompatible.  Whilst  we  are 
a,t  home  in  the  body  we  are  absent  from  Him,  and  to  be  at  home  with  Jesus  we 
must  die.  Now  it  cannot  be  said  that  this  is  in  itself  desirable.  The  best,  the 
bravest  of  us  must  falter  when  we  think  of  going  to  an  untried  eternity.  But  we 
know  that  it  must  be  so.  We  therefore  accept  the  decree  with  submission,  nay, 
with  love,  for  we  "  reckon  the  sufferings  of  this  present  time  not  worthy  to  be  com- 
pared with  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed  in  us."  3.  The  longing  for  a  promised 
deliverance.  The  body  is  not  merely  a  veil  which  we  are  willing  should  be  drawn 
aside  that  we  may  behold  the  Saviour's  glory ;  it  is  often  a  source  of  the  deepest 
trial  and  sadness.  "  The  flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit,"  &c.  What  wonder,  then, 
that  he  thought  it  good  rather  to  be  "  absent  from  the  body,"  which  he  found  so 
painful  and  insecure  a  home,  and  to  be  "  at  home  with  the  Lord  "  at  whose  right 


250  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  v, 

hand  are  pleasures  for  evermore !  4.  The  embodiment  of  the  highest  aspiration. 
The  Saviour  left  the  world  with  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway."  To  apprehend  His 
presence  is  the  one  great  aim  of  the  souls  that  love  Him,  and  He  is  ever  near.  This 
also  is  the  life  of  heaven.  All  else  in  that  life  is  mystery.  H.  The  influence 
WHICH  THIS  ANTICIPATION  EXERCISES.  1.  We  are  "  of  good  courage  "  ;  this  begins  the 
text,  strikes  its  keynote.  The  true  tone  of  the  Christian  character  is  a  brave,  un- 
dismayed way  of  looking  at  life  with  all  its  possibilities,  and  at  the  distant  prospect 
or  the  near  approach  of  death.  There  is  no  insensibihty  in  this.  The  spirit  is 
exquisitely  alive  to  the  solemnity  both  of  life  and  of  death,  yet  courageous,  cheerful, 
knowing  that  already  "  death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory."  2.  But  with  this 
"  courage  "  the  apostle  combines  faithfulness.  "  Wherefore  we  make  it  our  aim  " — - 
our  ambition  is,  "  whether  present  or  absent,  to  be  well  pleasing  unto  Him."  The 
triumphant  confidence  becomes,  whether  here  or  there,  the  inspiration  of  faithful 
work.  Acceptance  of  that  work  remains  the  crowning  hope  and  joy  of  life.  (S.  G. 
Green,  D.D^  Desire  to  he  present  with  Christ : — I.  It  is  the  doty  of  every 
Christian  to  have  an  ardent  yet  submissive  desire  to  be  absent  from  the 
BODY,  THAT  HE  MAY  BE  WITH  Christ.  This  may  be  argued — 1.  From  the  principles 
of  our  nature.  Is  it  not  contrary  to  every  principle  of  our  nature  to  be  pleased  with 
misery,  to  fail  to  desire  happiness?  And  yet  this  must  be  the  strange  disposition  of 
every  believer  who  does  not  wish  "  to  be  absent  from  the  body,  that  he  may  be 
present  with  the  Lord."  Is  this  a  condition  in  which  a  reasonable  man  should  be 
satisfied  to  remain,  when  the  joys  of  the  New  Jerusalem  are  proffered  to  him?  2. 
Consider  the  spirit  and  the  principles  of  our  religion.  (1)  True  religion  gives  to  the 
soul  a  holy  and  a  heavenly  temper ;  but  can  such  a  temper  be  inwrought  in  that 
soul  which  contentedly  settles  down  on  earth?  (2)  A  holy  love  of  God  and  the 
Kedeemer  lies  at  the  very  foundation  of  true  religion.  But  what  kind  of  love,  I 
pray  you,  is  that  which  is  satisfied  to  be  absent  from  the  Lord  rather  than  be  absent 
from  the  body  ?  (3)  A  love  to  the  children  of  God,  and  a  delight  in  their  society, 
are  essential  to  the  Christian  character.  But  can  the  soul  of  that  man  be  warmed 
with  this  love,  who  sees  the  pious,  one  by  one,  departing  from  earth,  and  yet  desires 
not  to  go  with  them  to  join  the  holy  host  of  the  redeemed?  (4)  Hope  is  one  of  the 
Christian  graces  ;  but  hope  includes  desire.  What  a  contradiction,  then,  to  say  that 
we  hope  for  the  presence  of  the  Lord  when  we  had  rather  that  He  would  delay  His 
coming !  (5)  There  is  no  religion  in  that  heart  which  does  not  long  after  greater 
degrees  of  holiness,  and  continual  increase  in  grace.  But  this  is  the  character  of 
him  who  prefers  a  sinful  world  to  a  holy  heaven.  3.  The  representations  of  the 
Scriptures  confirm  this  same  truth.  They  uniformly  represent  those  who  "  mmd 
earthly  things,"  "  who  look  at  the  things  which  are  seen  and  temporal,"  without 
any  right  to  hope  for  eternal  blessedness.  4.  The  examples  of  saints  teach  us  to 
cultivate  this  disposition  which  we  are  recommending.  Look  at  David :  "  My  heart 
is  glad,  my  glory  rejoiceth,  my  flesh  also  shall  rest  in  hope  ;  for  Thou  wilt  show  me 
the  path  of  life."  Listen  to  Paul :  "  I  desire  to  depart  and  to  be  with  Christ,  which 
is  far  better."  View  the  delight  of  Peter :  "  I  must  shortly  put  off  this  tabernacle," 
&c.  Hear  the  joyful  response  of  John,  when  the  Saviour  tells  him:  "I  come 
quickly :  "  "  Even  so.  Amen  ;  come.  Lord  Jesus."    11.  Objections  to  this  doctrine, 

AND    excuses    to    PALLIATE    THE    NEGLECT    OF    THIS    DUTY.       1.    Do    yOU    Say,    "I    am 

unwilling  to  die,  because  I  am  not  assured  of  the  love  of  God  towards  me  "  ?  This 
is  not  an  objection  against  our  doctrine,  for  the  Christian  desires  death  as  connected 
with  the  presence  of  the  Lord  ;  we  have  not  been  endeavouring  to  persuade  you  to 
be  willing  to  die,  but  to  induce  you  to  shake  off  that  worldly  spirit  which  makes  you 
prefer  earth  before  the  enjoyment  of  Christ.  But  let  me  ask  you  that  present  this 
plea,  why  do  you  not  tremble  when  you  make  it  ?  What !  you  yourselves  acknowledge 
that  it  is  a  matter  of  uncertainty  whether,  when  you  die  you  enter  into  the  presence  of 
an  angry  Judge  or  tender  Eedeemer,  and  yet  can  be  tranquil  I  Where  is  your  reason, 
your  prudence ?  2.  Do  you  object  again,  "I  am  not  willing  to  depart,  because  I 
wish  yet  to  remain  some  time  longer  in  the  earth,  to  serve  and  glorify  God"? 
But  do  you  suppose  that  you  cease  to  serve  and  glorify  God,  when  you 
depart  from  earth  ?  Think  you  that  Abraham,  David,  Paul,  &c.,  when  they  left 
this  little  speck  of  earth  to  enter  the  more  extensive  regions  beyond  the  skies,  lost 
either  inclination  or  opportunity  of  serving  God ;  think  you  that  their  service  is 
fainter,  or  less  important,  or  less  constant  than  that  which  you  pay  ?  3.  Do  you 
say,  "  I  am  not  willing  because  I  have  friends,  relatives,  children,  to  whom  I  may 
be  of  advantage  "  ?  But  is  not  God  the  supreme  object  of  our  pursuit?  And  is  it 
right  for  us  to  put  the  dearest  earthly  connections  in  competition  with  Him  ?  (Matt. 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  251 

X.  37.)  4.  Do  you  object  that  "such  a  desire  is  unnatural"?  But  we  are  com- 
pounded beings ;  and  an  inclination  is  not,  therefore,  unnatural,  because,  while 
it  accords  with  the  tendencies  of  our  superior  part,  it  is  opposed  to  those  of  our 
inferior  part.  Sensitive  nature  shrinks  from  death  ;  but  rational  nature,  especially 
when  the  soul  is  renewed,  longs  for  that  period  when  it  shall  be  delivered  from 
corruption.  And  by  what  law  of  nature  is  it  that  the  superior  part  is  bound  thus  to 
submit  to  the  inferior  part  ?  Conclusion  :  If  such  be  the  Christian  temper,  how  few 
real  followers  of  the  Saviour  are  to  be  found  in  our  assemblies !  Where  are  the 
men  who  are  disentangled  from  earth,  longing  for  the  presence  and  enjoyment  of 
the  Lord  ?     (H.  Kollock,  D.D.) 

Ver.  9.  Wherefore  we  labour,  that  ...  we  may  be  accepted  of  Him, — Labouring 
for  acceptance  : — I.  What  we  are  to  understand  by  the  text.  1.  The  apostle 
did  not  mean  that  he  "laboured" — (1)  To  make  any  atonement  for  his  sins.  That 
had  been  high  treason  against  the  sovereign  authority  of  Him  who  "  by  one 
offering  hath  for  ever  perfected  them  that  are  sanctified."  (2)  To  add  to  the 
righteousness  of  Christ ;  for  if  he  and  all  the  saints  of  God  had  attempted  to  add  to 
it,  it  had  been  to  defile  it.  (3)  To  be  more  a  child  of  God  than  he  was ;  for  he  had 
;taught  that  "  we  are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus."  Labour  is 
lost  here.  2.  Then  in  what  sense  did  he  "  labour  "  ?  All  things  that  are  spiritual 
are  acceptable  to  God.  He  loves  a  spiritual  mind ;  it  is  the  reflection  of  Himself. 
Observe,  there  is  a  regular  climax,  an  ascending  gradation  of  expression,  in  these 
three  passages  (Rom.  xii.  1,  2  ;  1  Thess.  iv. ;  Col.  i.  9,  10).  God  loves  high  and 
holy  service,  the  obedient  spirit  and  the  quiet  heart,  those  who  "follow  on  to 
know  Him."  The  apostle  did  desire  these  things,  and  "  laboured  "  for  their  attain- 
ment. Oh !  with  what  deep  self-renunciation  did  he  labour !  (1  Cor.  xv.  10.)  II. 
Who  it  is  that  gives  this  eemarkable  declaration.  Was  he  a  whit  behind  the 
very  chief  est  of  the  apostles  ?  The  Lord  signally  owned  him.  But  did  his  apostle- 
'ship,  his  ministry,  satisfy  him  ?  This  is  what  he  says,  "  Wherefore  we  labour,"  &c. 
The  apostle  had  been  "caught  up  into  the  third  heaven";  he  had  heard  things 
which  "it  was  not  lawful  for  him  to  utter."  Was  he  satisfied  with  revelations?  He 
counted  them  all  as  nothing,  compared  with  this  object  of  his  soul's  desire.  Paul 
was  a  man  of  no  small  attainment  either,  yet  he  said,  "We  labour."  III.  The 
REMARKABLE  EXPRESSION  HE  CONNECTS  WITH  IT.  "  For  wc  must  all  appear  before  the 
judgment  seat  of  Christ."  No  one  could  ever  say  these  words  that  had  not  both 
his  feet  standing  firmly  upon  the  atonement.  Conclusion  :  There  is  not  one  but  is 
*'  labouring  "  for  something.  It  may  be  but  the  floating  bubble  in  the  water.  Is  it 
pleasure  ?  friends  ?  intellectual  attainment  ?  the  grosser  or  the  purer  walks  of  life  ? 
— but  stiU  without  God  ?  Oh  !  solemn  thought !  If  we  saw  a  man  with  his  house  on 
fire,  labouring  to  save  his  goods,  and  then  we  saw  him  burning  with  his  goods,  no 
one  could  look  without  shuddering  at  the  sight.  And  yet  we  see  thousands  of 
sinners  doing  it  all  around  us.  [J.  H.  Evans,  3I.A.)  The  great  ambition  of  a 
true  Christian  : — I.  We  must  not  only  do  things  which  are  acceptable  to  God  for 

THE  MATTER,  BUT   THIS   MUST  BE   OUR  FIXED  END   AND  SCOPE.       1.  We  CanUOt  be  siuCCre 

unless  this  is  the  case.  One  main  difference  between  the  sincere  and  the  hypocrite 
is  in  the  end  and  scope.  The  one  seeketh  the  approbation  of  men,  and  the  other 
the  approbation  of  God  (chap.  i.  12).  2.  This  makes  us  serious  and  watchful,  and 
to  keep  close  to  our  duty — the  fitness  of  means  is  judged  of  by  the  end.  Let  a  man 
fix  upon  a  right  end,  and  he  will  soon  understand  his  way,  and  will  address  himself 
to  such  means  as  are  fitted  to  that  end,  and  make  straight  towards  it  without  any 
wanderings.  (1)  Consider  how  many  impertinencies  are  cut  off  if  I  be  true  to  my 
€nd  and  great  scope;  e.g.,  when  I  remember  that  my  business  is  to  be  accepted  of 
God  at  the  last,  can  I  spend  my  time  in  ease  and  idleness,  or  carnal  vanities  and 
recreations  ?  (Eccles.  ii.  2.)  (2)  It  will  cut  off  all  inconsistencies  with  our  great  end 
(Gen.  xxxix.  9).  3.  This  gives  us  comfort  under  the  difficulties  of  obedience,  and 
the  hardships  of  our  pilgrimage.  The  end  sweetens  the  means.  Now,  what  greater 
encouragement  can  there  be  than  to  thmk  how  God  wUl  welcome  us  with  a  "Well 
done"?  (Matt.  xxv.  21,  23.)  II.  This  must  be  our  work  as  well  as  our  scope;  and 
this  design  must  be  carried  on  with  the  greatest  seriousness,  as  our  great  care  and 
business.  "  We  labour."  There  is  a  double  notion  of  great  use  in  the  spiritual 
life  :  making  religion  our  business,  and  making  religion  our  recreation.  It  must  be 
our  business  in  opposition  to  siightness ;  it  must  be  our  recreation  in  opposition  to 
wearisomeness.  The  word  in  the  text  hath  a  special  signification.  We  should  with 
no  less  earnestness  endeavour  to  please  God  than  they  that  contend  for  honour  La 


252  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

the  world ;  we  should  make  it  our  constant  employment  that  God  may  like  us  for 
the  present  and  take  us  home  to  Him  at  length  into  His  blessed  presence.  What  is 
all  the  world  to  this  ?  HI.  We  must  not  only  take  care  that  we  be  accepted  of 
God  at  last,  when  we  go  out  op  the  body,  but  we  must  strive  to  be  accepted  of 
Him  now.  1.  How  else  can  we  long  for  the  coming  of  Christ,  if  before  we  pass 
to  our  judgment  we  know  not  whether  we  shall  be  accepted,  yea  or  no  ?  2.  Else  we 
cannot  comfortably  enjoy  communion  with  God  for  the  i)resent.  How  can  we  come 
before  Him  if  we  know  not  whether  He  will  accept  an  offering  at  our  hands  ?  3. 
We  cannot  have  a  cheerful  fruition  of  the  creature  and  worldly  enjoyments  till  God 
accepteth  us  (Eccles.  ix.  7).  Till  we  are  in  a  reconciled  estate,  all  our  comforts  are 
but  as  stolen  waters,  and  bread  eaten  in  secret,  like  Damocles'  banquet,  while  a 
sharp  sword  hung  over  his  head  by  a  slender  thread.  4.  That  which  maketh  us 
more  lively  and  active  in  our  course  of  pleasing  God  is — (1)  The  future  judgment 
(ver.  10).  Whom  should  we  please,  and  with  whom  should  we  seek  to  be  accepted? 
A  vain  world,  or  frail  man,  or  the  God  to  whom  we  must  strictly  give  an  account  ? 

(2)  The  hope  of  our  presence  with  Him,  and  the  beatifical  vision  and  fruition  of 
Him ;  for  in  the  context  he  speaketh  of  presence  and  sight,  and  then  he  saith, 
"  Wherefore  we  labour."  Conclusion  :  1.  Some  reasons  of  the  point.  (1)  We  were 
made  and  sent  into  the  world  for  this  end,  that  by  a  constant  course  of  obedience 
we  might  approve  ourselves  to  God,  and  finally  be  accepted  of  Him,  and  received 
into  His  glory  (John  vi.  38).  (2)  We  were  redeemed  to  this  end  (Rev.  v.  9).  (3) 
Our  entering  into  covenant  with  God  implieth  it.  (4)  The  relations  which  result 
from  our  covenant  interest.  There  is  the  relation  between  us  and  Christ  of  husband 
and  spouse  (Hos.  ii.  19).  Now  the  duty  of  the  wife  is  to  please  the  husband 
(1  Cor.  vii.  34).  The  relation  of  children  and  father  (chap.  vi.  18).  Now  the  duty 
of  children  is  to  please  the  parents.  Masters  and  servants  (Ezek.  xvi.  8).  They  that 
please  themselves  carry  themselves  as  if  they  were  their  own,  not  God's.  2.  Some 
study  to  please  men.  (1)  How  can  these  comply  with  the  great  duty  of  Christians, 
which  is  to  please  the  Lord?  (Gal.  i.  10.)  (2)  There  is  no  such  necessity  of  the 
approbation  of  men  as  of  God.  Please  God,  and  no  matter  who  is  your  enemy 
(Prov.  xvi.  9).  3.  Is  this  your  great  scope  and  end?  (1)  Your  end  will  be  known 
by  your  work.     (2)  If  this  be  your  end,  it  will  be  known  by  your  solace  (chap.  i.  12). 

(3)  If  God's  glory  be  your  scope,  any  condition  will  be  tolerable  to  you,  so  as  you 
may  enjoy  His  favour.  (T.  Manton,  D.D.)  Labour  and  motive  : — I.  The  sphere 
OF  LABOUR  TO  WHICH  THESE  WORDS  REFER.  There  Can  be  nothing  more  prejudicial 
to  a  truly  religious  life  than  the  supposition  that  there  is  any  sphere  into  which  we 
are  not  to  carry  our  religion,  and  where  the  eye  of  the  Master  takes  no  cognizance 
of  the  deeds  that  are  done.  "Holiness  unto  the  Lord  must  be  written  upon  the 
bells  of  the  horses."  We  must  give  an  account  of  all  the  things  done  in  the  body. 
Every  province  of  our  life  belongs  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  1.  The  servant  or 
•workman  has  another  Master  besides  the  human  master  that  he  serves,  and  all  his 
secular  work  is  done  to  Christ  (Col.  iii.  22).  The  workman  then,  as  such,  is  a 
servant  of  Christ.  2.  The  master,  too,  has  a  Master  as  well  as  the  workman,  to 
whom  he  shall  have  to  render  an  account  of  the  deeds  done  in  the  body  (Col.  iv.  1). 
3.  This  sphere  of  labour  also  embraces  trade  and  commerce.  4.  Kings  and  subjects, 
as  such,  are  also  to  serve  Christ.  5.  Our  sphere  of  labour  also  embraces  all  the 
relationships  of  life  which  we  sustain,  and  the  works  of  benevolence  to  which  we 
are  called.  The  love  of  parents  for  their  children  and  of  children  for  their  parents 
is  service  rendered  to  God.  6.  I  need  scarcely  add  that  this  sphere  embraces  what 
we  are  accustomed  specially  to  call  religious  life  and  work.  We  are  to  labour  in 
prayer  and  self-culture ;  to  keep  our  hearts  with  all  diligence  and  our  bodies  under 
subjection :  this  requires  self-denial  and  toil.  We  are  to  strive  daily  to  grow  in 
grace.  II.  The  motive  by  which  we  are  to  be  influenced  and  animated  in  our 
WORK,  "that  we  may  be  accepted  of  Him."  It  was  this  that  stimulated  the  apostle's 
heart  and  strengthened  his  hands  and  fired  his  zeal.  1.  This  will  make  our  work 
pleasant.  How  much  pleasanter  the  ordinary  duties  of  life  would  become  if  we 
could  feel  that  in  doing  them  we  serve  Christ!  2.  We  shall  also  enjoy  the  presence 
and  favour  of  Christ.  The  man  who  serves  Christ  in  everything  will  find  Christ  in 
everything.  3.  Service  done  from  this  motive  will  at  length  receive  its  full  reward. 
1.  Let  us  learn,  then,  from  this  subject  that  religion  enters  into  every  department  of 
fcuman  life.  There  is  nothing  secular  in  the  sense  that  it  is  not  also  sacred.  2. 
How  diligent  and  conscientious  this  should  make  us  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty ! 
He  sees  us.  He  examines  us.  He  rewards  us.  {A.  Clark.)  Pleasing  Christ:— 
J,  The  supreme  aim  or  the  Christian  life.     To  be  "  accepted,"  "  well-pleasing"  ; 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  253-- 

not  merely  that  we  may  be  accepted,  but  that  we  may  bring  a  smile  into  Christ's 
face,  and  some  delight  in  us  into  His  heart.  Set  that  two-fold  aim  before  you,  else 
you  will  fail  to  experience  the  full  stimulus  of  this  thought.  1.  Now  such  an  aim 
implies  a  very  wonderful  conception  of  Christ's  present  relations  to  us.  We  may 
minister  to  His  joy.  Just  as  really  as  you  mothers  are  glad  when  you  hear  from  a 
far-off  land  that  your  boy  is  doing  well,  so  Christ's  heart  fills  with  gladness 
when  He  sees  you  and  me  walking  in  the  paths  in  which  He  would  have  us 
go.  That  we  may  please  Him  "who  pleased  not  Himself,"  is  surely  the 
grandest  motive  on  which  the  pursuit  of  holiness  and  the  imitation  of  Christ 
can  ever  be  made  to  rest.  Oh  !  how  much  more  blessed  such  a  motive  is  than 
all  the  lower  reasons  for  which  men  are  sometimes  exhorted  to  be  good !  What 
a  dilference  it  is  when  we  say,  "Do  that  thing  because  it  is  right,"  or  "  Do  that 
thing  because  you  will  be  happier  if  you  do,"  or  when  we  say,  "  Do  it  because 
He  would  like  you  to  do  it."  Transmute  obligation  into  gratitude,  and  in  front 
of  duty  and  appeals  to  self  put  Christ,  and  all  the  dithculty  and  burden  of 
obedience  become  easy,  and  a  joy.  2.  This  one  supreme  aim  can  be  carried  on 
through  all  life  in  every  varying  form,  great  or  small.  A  blessed  unity  is  given 
to  our  whole  being  when  the  little  and  the  big,  the  easy  and  the  hard  things, 
are  all  brought  under  the  influence  of  the  one  motive  and  made  co-operant  to 
the  one  end.  Drive  that  one  steadfast  aim  through  your  lives  like  a  bar  of  iron, 
and  it  will  give  the  lives  strength  and  consistency,  not  rigidity,  because  they  may 
still  be  flexible.  Nothing  will  be  too  small  to  be  consecrated  by  that  motive ; 
nothing  too  great  to  own  its  power.  You  can  please  Him  everywhere  and 
always.  The  only  thing  that  is  inconsistent  is  to  sin  against  Him.  If  we  bear  with 
us  this  as  a  conscious  motive  in  every  part  of  our  day's  work,  it  will  give  us  a  quick 
discernment  as  to  what  is  evil  which  nothing  else  will  so  surely  give.  U.  The 
CONCENTRATED  EFFORT  WHICH  THIS  AIM  REQUIRES.  The  word  rendered  "  labour  "  is 
very  seldom  employed  in  Scripture.  It  means  literally,  to  be  fond  of  honour,  or  to 
be  actuated  by  a  love  of  honour  ;  and  hence  it  comes,  by  a  very  natural  transition, 
to  mean,  to  strive  to  gain  something  for  the  sake  of  the  honour  connected  with  it. 
We  ought,  as  Christians — 1.  To  cultivate  this  ambition.  Men  have  all  got  the  love 
of  approbation  deep  in  them.  God  put  it  there,  not  that  we  might  shape  our  lives 
so  as  to  get  others  to  pat  us  on  the  back,  and  say,  "  Well  done !  "  but  that,  in 
addition  to  the  other  solemn  motives  for  righteousness,  we  might  have  this  highest 
ambition  to  impel  us  on  the  road.  That  will  take  some  cultivation.  It  is  a  great 
deal  easier  to  shape  our  courses  so  as  to  get  one  another's  praise.  A  prime  condition 
of  all  Christ-pleasing  life  is  a  wholesome  disregard  of  what  anybody  says  but  Him- 
self. The  old  Lacedsemonians  used  to  stir  themselves  to  heroism  by  the  thought : 
"What  will  they  say  of  us  in  Sparta?"  The  governor  of  some  English  colony 
minds  very  little  what  the  people  think  about  him.  He  reports  to  Downing  Street, 
and  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  Home  Government  that  influences  him.  You  report  to 
headquarters.  Never  mind  what  anybody  else  thinks  of  you.  Be  deaf  to  the  tittle- 
tattle  of  your  fellow-soldiers  in  the  ranks.  It  is  your  Commander's  smile  that  will 
be  your  highest  reward.  2.  To  strive  with  the  utmost  energy  in  the  accomplishment 
of  it.  Paul's  notion  of  acceptable  service  was  service  which  a  man  suppressed  much 
to  render,  and  overcame  much  to  bring.  Look  at  his  metaphors — a  warfare, 
a  race,  a  struggle,  a  building  up  of  some  great  temple  structure,  and  the  like — all 
suggesting  the  idea  of  patient,  persistent,  continuous  toil,  and  most  of  them  suggest- 
ing also  the  idea  of  struggle  with  antagonistic  forces  and  difficulties,  either  within 
or  without.  So  we  must  set  our  shoulders  to  the  wheel,  put  our  backs  into  our 
work.  But  then  do  not  forget  that  deeper  than  all  effort,  and  the  very  spring  and 
life  of  it,  there  must  be  the  opening  of  our  hearts  for  the  entrance  of  His  life  and 
spirit  by  the  presence  of  which  only  are  we  well-pleasing  to  Christ.  According  to 
the  old  illustration,  the  refiner  sat  by  the  furnace  until  he  could  see  in  the  molten 
metal  his  own  face  mirrored,  and  then  he  knew  it  was  pure.  So  what  pleases  Christ 
in  us  is  the  reflection  of  Himself.  And  how  can  we  get  that  except  by  receiving 
into  our  hearts  the  Spirit  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus,  that  will  dwell  in  us,  and  will 
produce  in  us  in  our  measure  the  same  image  that  it  formed  in  Him  ?  "  Work  out 
your  own  salvation,"  because  "  it  is  God  that  worketh  in  you."     III.  The  titter 

INSIGNIFICANCE    TO    WHICH    THIS    AIM    REDUCES    ALL    EXTERNALS.       1.    What    differences 

of  condition  are  covered  by  that  parenthetical  phrase — "  present  or  absent !  "  He 
talks  about  it  as  if  it  was  a  very  small  matter.  If  the  dift'erence  between  life  and 
death  is  dwarfed,  what  else  do  you  suppose  will  remain  ?  Whether  we  be  rich  or 
poor,  solitary  or  beset  by  friends,  young  or  old,  it  matters  not.     The  one  aim  lifts 


254  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

itself  before  us,  and  they  in  whose  eyes  shine  the  hght  of  that  great  issue  are  careless 
of  the  road  along  which  they  pass.  2.  Then  remember  that  this  same  aim  and 
this  same  result  may  be  equally  pursued  and  attained  whether  here  or  yonder.  On 
earth,  in  death,  through  eternity,  such  a  Ufe  will  be  homogeneous,  and  of  a  piece  ; 
and  when  all  other  aims  are  forgotten  and  out  of  sight,  then  still  this  wiU  be  the 
purpose,  and  yonder  it  will  be  the  accomplished  purpose  of  each,  to  please  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.     {A.  Maclaren,  D.D.) 

Ver.  10.  For  we  must  all  stand  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ. — The 

judgment  seat  of  Christ : — The  image  here  is  the  same  as  that  in  Eom.  xiv.  10,  and 
the  expression  is  peculiar  to  these  two  passages,  being  taken  from  the  tribunal  of 
the  Eoman  magistrate  as  the  most  august  representation  of  justice  which  the  world 
then  exhibited.  The  "Bema"  was  a  lofty  seat  raised  on  an  elevated  platform, 
usually  at  the  end  of  the  Basilica,  so  that  the  figure  of  the  judge  must  have  been 
seen  towering  above  the  crowd  which  thi-onged  the  long  nave  of  the  building.  So 
sacred  and  solemn  did  this  seat  and  its  platform  appear  in  the  eyes  not  only  of  the 
heathen,  but  of  the  Christian  society  of  the  Eoman  Empire,  that  when,  two  cen- 
turies later,  the  Basilica  became  the  model  of  the  Christian  place  of  worship,  the 
name  of  Bema  (or  tribunal)  was  transferred  to  the  chair  of  the  bishop,  and  this 
chair  occupied  in  the  apse  the  place  of  the  judgment  seat  of  the  praetor.  The  more 
usual  figure  for  the  Judgment  is  a  throne  (Matt.  xxv.  31 ;  Eev.  xx.  11 ;  Dan.  vii.  9). 
(Dean  Stanley.)  The  judgment  seat  of  Christ : — I.  The  necessity.  1.  It  must 
be  so,  for  God  hath  decreed  it,  and  reason  enforceth  it.  But  why  ?  Not  to  discover 
anything  to  God,  but — (1)  That  grace  may  be  glorified  in  and  by  the  righteous 
(1  Peter  i.  13).  (2)  That  the  wicked  may  be  convinced  of  their  sin  and  defect.  (3) 
That  God's  justice  may  be  cleared  (Psa.  U.  4 ;  Acts  xvii.  31).  2.  It  shall  be  so  (John 
V.  28).  (1)  Eeason  showeth  that  it  may  be,  and  argueth — (a)  From  the  nature  of 
God.  There  is  a  God;  that  God  is  just,  and  it  is  agreeable  to  His  justice  that  it 
should  be  well  with  them  that  do  well,  and  ill  with  them  that  do  evil.  This  does 
not  appear  so  here ;  therefore  there  is  a  day  when  it  shall  be  made  conspicuous, 
(b)  From  the  providence  of  God.  There  are  many  judgments  which  are  pledges  of 
the  general  judgment,  as  the  drowning  of  the  old  world,  the  burning  of  Sodom,  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  (c)  From  the  feelings  of  conscience.  After  sin  men  are 
troubled,  though  there  be  none  to  call  them  to  an  account.  Heathens  are  sensible 
of  such  a  thing  (Eom.  i.  32).  Felix  trembled  at  the  mention  of  it  (Acts  xxiv.  25). 
(2)  Faith  showeth  that  it  shall  be — (a)  From  that  revelation  which  God  hath  made 
in  His  Word  (Matt.  xiii.  49,  50 ;  John  v.  28,  29 ;  Heb.  ix.  27 ;  Eom.  xiv.  12 ;  Matt. 
xii.  36,  37  ;  Eev.  xx.  12 ;  Jude  14).  (b)  Christ's  interest  is  concerned  in  it — (i.) 
That  the  glory  of  His  person  may  be  seen.  His  first  coming  was  obscure  and 
without  observation,  (ii.)  That  He  may  possess  what  He  hath  purchased  (Heb.  ii. 
13).  (iii.)  With  respect  to  the  wicked.  It  is  part  of  His  office  to  triumph  over  them 
in  their  final  overthrow  (Isa.  xiv.  23 ;  Eom.  xiv.  10,  11 ;  Phil.  ii.  10).  (iv.)  To 
require  an  account  of  things  during  His  absence  (Matt.  xxv. ;  1  Tim.  vi.  14  ;  2  Thess. 
i.  8).  U.  The  univeesality.  All  mankind  which  ever  were,  are,  and  shall  be.  No 
age,  no  sex,  no  nation,  nor  dignity,  nor  power,  nor  wealth,  nor  greatness,  can  excuse 
us.  III.  The  judge.  1.  How  Christ  comes  to  be  the  world's  judge,  and  with  what 
agreeableness  to  reason  this  honour  is  put  upon  Him.  To  a  judge  there  belong  these 
four  things — wisdom,  justice,  power,  and  authority.  (1)  Wisdom  is  in  Christ  two- 
fold— Divine  and  human.  As  Christ  is  God,  His  wisdom  and  His  understanding 
are  infinite  (Heb.  iv.  13).  His  human  wisdom  is  such  as  doth  far  exceed  the  know- 
ledge of  all  men  and  angels.  When  Christ  was  upon  earth  He  could  know  whatever 
He  would  (Luke  viii.  45;  Matt.  ix.  3,  4;  John  ii.  23-25).  Now,  if  Jesus  was  endowed 
with  such  an  admirable  wisdom  even  in  the  days  of  His  flesh,  what  shall  we  think 
of  Christ  glorified  ?  (2)  As  there  is  a  double  knowledge  in  Christ,  so  there  is  also  a 
double  righteousness,  the  one  that  belongs  to  Him  as  God,  the  other  as  man,  and 
both  are  exact  and  immutably  perfect.  His  Divine  nature  is  holiness  itself  (1  John 
i.  5).  And  His  human  nature  was  so  sanctified  that  it  was  impossible  that  He  could 
sin  in  the  days  of  His  flesh,  much  more  now  glorified  in  heaven,  and  there  will  be 
use  of  both  in  the  last  judgment.  (3)  His  power  (Matt.  xxiv.  13).  (4)  His  authority. 
IV.  The  manneb  op  judging.  We  must  so  appear  as  to  be  made  manifest.  1.  To 
appear ;  that  we  must  all  appear,  every  individual  person.  Four  things  evince  that. 
(1)  The  wisdom  and  justice  of  the  Judge.  Such  is  His  wisdom  and  perspicuity  that 
not  one  sinner  or  sin  can  escape  Him  (Heb.  iv.  13).  It  concerneth  the  Judge  of  the 
world  to  do  right,  which  He  cannot  do  unless  all  sins  and  persons  be  manifest  to 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  255 

Him,  that  He  may  render  to  every  one  according  to  his  deeds.  (2)  The  power,  im- 
partiality, and  faithfulness  of  His  ministers  (Matt.  xxiv.  31 ;  Luke  xvi.  22 ;  Matt, 
xiii.  39-41,  xiii.  49,  50).  There  is  a  mixture  unavoidable  of  good  and  bad  in  the 
Church,  but  then  a  perfect  separation  by  the  ministry  of  angels.  (3)  The  nature  of 
the  business  requireth  our  appearance.  Partly,  because  in  a  regular  judgment  no 
man  can  be  judged  in  his  absence,  partly  because  we  cannot  appear  by  a  proctor 
(Rom.  xiv.  12).  Now  we  have  an  Advocate  who  appeareth  for  us  (Heb.  ix.  24) ; 
then  the  Judge  will  come  to  deal  with  every  one  in  person.  (4)  The  ends  of  the 
judgment  require  our  appearance,  (a)  The  conviction  of  the  parties  judged.  God 
will  go  upon  clear  evidence,  and  they  shall  have  a  fair  hearing  (Matt.  xxii.  12  ;  Jude 
15).  (b)  Satisfaction  of  the  world  in  the  righteousness  and  justice  of  God's  pro- 
ceeding. When  every  person  is  arraigned  and  every  work  is  manifest,  it  cleareth 
God's  justice  in  rewarding  His  own  and  in  punishing  the  ungodly.  2.  To  be  made 
manifest.  Our  persons  nmst  not  only  appear,  but  our  hearts  and  ways  be  tried 
(Luke  xii.  2).  The  final  doom  shall  repeal  all  the  judgments  of  this  life,  and  repair 
them  abundantly ;  many  things  that  are  varnished  with  a  fair  gloss  and  pretence 
here  shall  then  be  found  abominable,  and  many  things  disguised  with  an  ill 
appearance  to  the  world  shall  be  found  to  be  of  God,  approved  (1  Cor.  iv.  5).  We 
shall  be  manifested — (1)  By  the  knowledge  of  the  Judge.  We  may  hide  our  sins 
from  men,  but  not  from  God.  (2)  The  good  angels  may  be  produced  as  witnesses ; 
they  have  an  inspection  over  this  lower  world,  are  conversant  about  us  in  all  our 
ways,  and  are  conscious  to  our  conversations  (Psa.  xci.  11 ;  Eccles.  v.  6  ;  Numb, 
xxii.  34 ;  1  Tim.  v.  21 ;  1  Cor.  xi.  10).  (3)  Devils  may  accuse  men  in  that  day. 
(4)  The  Word  of  God  will  be  our  accuser  (John  v.  45,  xii.  48).  (5)  The  ministers  of 
the  gospel  (Matt.  xxiv.  14;  cf.  Mark  xiii.  9,  vi.  11;  Matt.  x.  14,  15).  (0)  Con- 
science itself  shall  witness,  and  God  will  discover  ourselves  to  ourselves,  that  we 
shall  see  the  judgment  is  just.  "  The  books  were  opened  "  (Rev.  xx.  12),  and  one  of 
these  books  is  conscience,  and  though  it  be  in  the  sinner's  keeping,  yet  it  cannot  be  so 
defaced  but  our  story  will  be  legible  enough,  and  forgotten  sins  will  stare  us  in  the 
face  (Numb,  xxxii.  23).  (7)  It  will  be  made  evident  by  the  confession  of  offenders 
themselves.  As  their  consciences  will  convince  them,  so  their  own  tongues  will 
accuse  them,  as  Judas  (Matt,  xxvii.  4 ;  see  also  Luke  xix.  12 ;  Rom.  ii.  15 ;  Psa. 
Ixiv.  8).  (8)  Wicked  men  shall  accuse  one  another.  (T.  Manton,  D.D.)  The 
ma7iifestation  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ : — The  language  of  the  text  conveys 
the  idea  of  a  manifestation  rather  than  that  of  a  mere  presentment.    I.  The  tribunal 

OF    THE   LAST    DAT   WILL   BE    THE  GREAT    FINAL  REVEALER  OF  HUMAN  CHARACTER.       There 

all  deceptions  will  be  at  an  end,  and  the  inner  life  will  make  itself  visible  to  the  eyes 
of  the  assembled  world.  Now  much  of  the  popular  notion  of  the  day  of  judgment 
is  drawn  from  the  modes  of  procedure  in  our  courts  of  law.  We  read  in  the  Bible 
of  a  tribunal  and  a  judge.  Accordingly  we  find  it  believed  that  the  destiny  of  the 
man,  as  in  a  human  court  of  justice,  remains  uncertain  and  undecided  until  the 
sentence  upon  him  is  actually  pronounced.  But  this  theory  will  not  bear  a  moment's 
thoughtful  consideration.  The  moment  of  our  death  is  virtually  the  moment  of  the 
proclamation  of  our  sentence.  When  the  day  of  grace  has  closed  and  the  soul  and 
the  body  are  divorced  for  a  time,  the  spirit  passes  at  once  into  a  place  of  happiness 
or  a  place  of  woe.  The  happiness  is  not  complete.  The  woe  is  not  at  the  worst. 
Both  are  conditions  of  anticipation.  But  in  both  cases  the  condition  is  fixed  and 
known.  Then  comes  the  day  of  resurrection.  The  body  suddenly  rises,  but  it  rises 
"  that  body  that  shall  be."  If  the  life  which  is  to  be  manifested  is  a  life  with  Christ 
and  in  Christ,  the  material  frame  will  partake  of  the  beauty  and  splendour  of  the 
appearance  of  the  Judge  who  sits  upon  the  throne.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  man 
has  not  lived  for  Christ,  the  inward  aversion  from  God  will  find  expression  in  his 
outward  appearance.  It  will  be  seen  at  once,  beyond  possibility  of  mistake,  what 
the  past  has  been.  You  drop  a  seed  into  the  ground,  and  when  you  have  done  so  it 
is  an  absolutely  certain  and  settled  thing  what  the  future  of  the  plant  or  the  tree 
shall  be.  The  seed-corn  never  produces  a  lily.  The  bulb  of  the  lily  never  produces 
an  oak.  It  is  just  so  with  ourselves.  The  great  day  of  judgment  determines 
nothing.  It  only  makes  visible  and  palpable  what  we  really  are.  II.  In  this  world 
A  PROCESS  OF  SELF-MANIFESTATION  IS  CONTINUALLY  GOING  ON.  The  general  Opinion 
about  a  man  as  to  the  real  tendency  of  his  life  is  pretty  sure  to  be  the  correct  one. 
Let  him  go  in  and  out  amongst  you,  and  the  popular  estimate  of  him  may,  generally 
speaking,  be  depended  upon.  You  make  no  doubt,  e.g.,  of  the  "  woildliness  "  of  a 
certain  person  who  is  numbered  amongst  your  acquaintance.  But  why  ?  The  man 
is  respectable  enough,  a  church-goer  too,  perhaps  a  communicant.     You  cannot  put 


256  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

your  finger  upon  anything  and  say  it  is  absolutely  faulty.  No  !  But  you  have  been 
acquainted  with  him  for  some  time,  and  all  this  time  he  has  been  unconsciously 
manifesting  himself.  Little  things  have  let  you  into  the  secret.  Tones,  glances, 
remarks,  or  the  absence  of  remarks,  have  told  you  that  there  is  a  lack  of  spiritual 
life  in  the  man.  Now  this  process  of  self-manifestation,  continually  and  inevitably 
going  on  now  in  all  of  us,  comes  to  a  culmination  in  the  great  day  of  judgment. 
What  is  in  us  comes  out.  If  we  have  lived  to  self,  it  is  known.  If  we  have  lived  to 
Christ,  it  is  known.  III.  This  view  throws  light  on  those  passages  which  speak 
or  MEN  as  being  judged  out  of  a  book  accoeding  to  the  things  written  therein. 
What  is  the  record?  I  believe  it  to  be  the  impression  made  upon  the  human 
memory  by  the  various  acts  and  thoughts  and  feelings  of  our  lives  upon  earth.  We 
are  told  with  respect  to  some  persons  who  had  been  recovered  from  drowning  that, 
just  before  the  state  of  unconsciousness  came  on,  every  event  in  their  history,  every- 
thing which  they  had  thought,  or  said,  or  done,  seemed  to  rise  up  again,  and  to  be 
present  to  their  minds  in  a  moment  of  time.  Wake  up  the  memory  as  Eternity  will 
wake  it !  And  then  the  spectres  of  the  past,  of  past  neglect,  of  past  indifference, 
past  practical  contempt  of  God,  past  rejection  of  the  offers  of  Christ,  come  trooping 
in,  and  close  round  his  soul,  and  refuse  to  depart.  Oh,  if  he  could  only  bathe  his 
perturbed  spirit  in  some  Lethe,  in  some  stream  of  forgetfulness,  he  might  know 
comfort  again!  But  they  will  not  go.  They  cannot  go.  "The  books  have  been 
opened ";  the  man  has  been  "manifested."  He  has  seen  himself .  {G.  Calthrop,  M.A.) 
Christ  in  judgment : — I.  The  certainty  of  it.  The  Scriptures  never  say  that  it  is 
something  which  may  take  place.     Whatever  else  may  fail  or  prosper,  this  will  not 

i  touch  the  decree  that  has  fixed  one  day  beyond  them  all — the  judgment.  There  is 
scarcely  one  human  interest,  institution,  undertaking,  of  which  we  can  predict  the 
course  for  twenty-four  hours ;  but  far  above  all  their  chances,  independent  of  them 
all,  subject  to  no  chance,  no  postponement,  is  the  judgment.  The  whole  framework 
of  order  in  outward  nature  may  be  broken  to  pieces ;  the  catastrophe  will  only  make 
sure  the  fulfilment  of  the  whole  prophecy,  and  the  inevitable  end  will  be  the 
judgment.  II.  The  universality  of  it.  We  must  all  appear.  Here  the  individual 
sometimes  escapes  notice  either  by  retiring  from  society,  or  by  being  lost  in  its 
crowd.  There  the  one  kind  of  concealment  will  be  just  as  hopeless  as  the  other. 
There  will  be  room  enough  for  all,  and  yet  the  personal  soul  of  each,  with  its  indi- 
vidual character,  will  stand  out  as  sharply  distinguished  as  if  no  other  soul  had  ever 
been  related  to  it,  or  shared  its  experience.  There  will  be  no  excuse  taken,  and 
there  will  be  no  absence  to  be  excused.  Every  name  wiU  be  called — those  that  have 
been  written  in  the  Book  of  Life,  and  the  names  of  those  that  have  heard  the  gospel 
year  after  year,  and  yet  would  not  turn  to  take  the  cross  and  follow  Christ. 
Obscurity,  insignificance,  weakness,  youth,  poverty,  ignorance — those  natural  extenu- 
ations that  we  so  often  plead  for  not  taking  up  responsibilities  here,  will  not  keep 
any  out  there.  Station  and  dignities  and  wealth  wiU  avail  nothing  to  obtain  an 
exemption  or  a  substitution.  III.  What  is  here  kept  hidden  must  come  to  light. 
We  pray  every  Sunday  to  Him  "  to  whom  aU  hearts  are  open,  and  from  whom  no 
secrets  are  hid."  In  that  day  this  Searcher  of  our  hearts  will  deal  with  us. 
Deception  and  concealment  will  have  had  their  crafty  way  long  enough.  Masks 
will  fall  off.  The  cunning  sagacity  that  has  covered  up  the  lurking  passion,  or  the 
cool  calculation,  will  lose  its  self-possession.  Whatever  wicked  thing  we  have  been 
at  most  pains  to  conceal  will  be  written  out  as  with  a  pen  of  fire  on  our  foreheads. 

IV.  The  Judge  is  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Son  op  Man.  Eepeatedly  Christ  says 
that  His  work,  while  on  earth,  in  His  first  coming,  is  not  judgment.  Here  "  I  judge 
no  man."  Here  He  ministers  life ;  wiU  we  receive  it  ?  There,  on  His  throne,  aU 
judgment  is  committed  unto  Him,  "  because  He  is  the  Son  of  Man."  He  knows  all 
man's  infirmity,  to  have  compassion  ;  all  man's  sympathy  with  evil,  to  punish.  It 
is  not  then  the  time  of  salvation.  The  time  of  salvation  is  now.  (Bp.  Huntington.) 
On  the  general  judgment : — I.  The  certainty  of  judgment.  Other  events  may  be 
more  or  less  doubtful.  How  often  are  the  calamities  which  we  dread,  as  well  as  the 
blessings  which  we  hope  for,  and  regard  as  almost  within  our  grasp,  alike  arrested  in 
their  course  towards  us !  Every  thing,  every  event  in  human  life  is  constantly 
subject  to  variation,  and  is  deeply  stamped  with  the  characters  of  uncertainty  and 
change.  The  colour  and  features  and  substance  of  our  lot  may  be  modified,  or  be 
totally  changed  by  a  thousand  precarious  contingencies  which  we  cannot  provide 
against.  How  near  were  the  Jews  at  one  time  to  destruction !  Their  doom,  both 
as  to  its  time  and  its  manner,  was  determined.  The  orders  to  kill  were  aheady 
despatched  to  all  the  provinces  in  which  they  dwelt.     Their  enemies  were  gathering 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  257 

themselves  together  to  cut  off  the  whole  nation  in  one  day.  Haman  has  his  gallows 
erected  for  Mordecai.  Deliverance  seems  far  off,  and  ruin  unavoidable.  The  order 
to  destroy  the  Jews  is  reversed.  How  many  instances  of  a  similar  nature  might 
easily  be  produced.  None  of  us,  in  truth,  can  know  the  evil  or  the  good  that  lies 
before  him  in  life.  It  is  altogether  impossible  for  us  to  pretend  to  predict  with 
certainty  the  issue  of  affairs,  however  penetrating  our  sagacity.  But  the  day  of 
judgment  cannot  be  called  a  probable  occurrence  ;  it  is  fixed  with  a  certainty  over 
which  human  events  can  exercise  no  control  whatever.  The  word  of  the  Lord 
cannot  be  broken  ;  the  purposes  of  His  heart  never  can   be   changed.     H.   The 

UNIVEHSALITY    OF    ITS    EXTENT,    COMPREHENDING    THE    WHOLE     HUMAN    RACE.       III.    We 

COME  NOW  TO  CONSIDER  THE  CHARACTER  OF  OUR  JuDGE.  "  The  Father,"  we  are  told, 
"  judgeth  no  man,  but  hath  committed  all  judgment  unto  the  Son."  God  thus  has 
not  only  made  known  to  us,  in  His  Word,  that  Christ  shall  judge  the  world,  but  has 
also  given  us  an  unquestionable  proof  that  He  shall  do  so  by  His  resurrection  from 
the  dead.  The  resurrection  of  Christ  proves  this,  not  only  because  it  establishes  the 
truth  of  the  doctrine  which  He  taught,  and  the  declarations  which  He  uttered,  but 
also  because  His  resurrection  itself  was  the  first  step  of  His  actual  and  visible 
advancement  to  that  mediatorial  government  of  which  the  solemnities  of  the 
general  judgment  shall  form  the  triumphal  close.  It  is,  indeed,  true  that  God  is 
called  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth ;  and  it  is  said  that  God  shall  judge  the  world  in 
righteousness.  But  this  is  in  perfect  consistency  with  the  usual  language  of  Scrip- 
ture, in  which  God  is  often  said  to  do  that  Himself  which  He  executes  by  another. 
There  appears  to  be  a  peculiar  fitness  in  Christ's  discharging  the  office  of  Judge  of 
the  human  race.  It  was  by  Christ  Jesus  that  the  world  was  originally  made  ;  it  was 
by  Him  that  it  was  saved  ;  it  is  by  Him  that  its  affairs  are  at  present  administered. 
Is  there  not  a  fitness  that  the  same  person  who  had  conducted  the  scheme  of 
mediation  should  also  bring  it  to  a  close  by  openly  acquitting  His  faithful  followers  ? 
Is  there  not  a  fitness  in  the  Judge  being  of  the  same  nature  with  those  whose  con- 
duct He  shall  try,  and  whose  destiny  He  shall  fix  ?  Is  not  the  triumph  over  Satan 
thus  rendered  more  complete,  or  at  least  more  conspicuous?  {A.  Bullock,  31. A.) 
The  certainty  of  a  future  judgment  :—l.  There  shall  be  such  an  appearance  after 
THIS  LIFE  AS  IS  HERE  SPOKEN  OF.  1.  It  is  Very  agreeable  to  the  nature  of  God. 
What  can  be  more  agreeable  to  the  nature  of  the  most  pure  and  powerful  agent  than 
to  draw  unto  itself  whatsoever  is  like  itself,  as  likewise  to  remove  from  itself  whatso- 
ever is  unlike  itself  ?  2.  It  is  very  agreeable  to  the  nature  of  the  soul  of  man, 
because  otherwise  the  chief  agent,  both  in  good  and  evil,  should  have  little  or  no 
reward  for  the  one,  and  little  or  no  punishment  for  the  other.  3.  It  is  necessary 
for  the  manifestation  of  the  Divine  justice :  for  though  whatsoever  God  doth  is  just, 
and  that  because  God  does  it,  yet  does  it  not  always  appear  to  be  so.  And  hence  it 
is  that  this  general  doom  is  called  in  Scripture  "  the  day  of  the  revelation  of  the 
righteous  judgment  of  God."  4.  The  strange  disproportion  betwixt  actions  and  events, 
merits  and  rewards,  men's  parts  and  their  fortune  here  in  this  life,  doth  seem  to 
require  that  there  should  be  a  day  of  an  after-reckoning  to  rectify  this  (Eccles.  ix.  2  ; 
viii.  14,  vii.  15).  This  argument,  from  the  seeming  unequal  distribution  of  things 
here  below,  was  urged  by  the  elder  Pliny  and  some  others  to  prove  the  non-existence 
of  a  God.  And  truly  if  my  conclusions  concerning  the  certainty  of  a  judgment  to 
come  after  this  life  were  not  true,  this  argument  of  theirs  would  shrewdly  shake  the 
foundation  of  all  our  creed,  viz.,  the  being  of  a  God.  But  supposing  such  a 
judgment,  we  do  at  once  vindicate  the  power,  wisdom,  justice,  and  consequently  the 
very  being  of  God  from  all  contradiction.  5.  There  is  an  inborn  and  inbred  notion 
and  expectation  which  all  men  have  by  nature,  that  there  will  be  a  judgment. 
Whatsoever  all  men  agree  in  is  the  voice  of  nature  itself,  and  consequently  must  be 
true  :  for  the  dictates  of  nature  are  stronger  than  the  probats  of  reason.     II.  What 

MANNER    OF    THING    THIS   JUDGMENT    OR    LAST    DOOM    WILL    BE.       1.    The   Judge — Christ. 

(1)  He  must  be  our  judge  as  He  is  God — {a)  Because  none  but  God  has  jurisdiction 
over  all  the  parties  that  are  to  be  tried  at  that  judgment.  (6)  Because  none  but 
omniscience  can  discern  the  main  and  principal  things  that  shall  be  there  called  in 
question,  (c)  Because  none  but  God  can  give  life  and  execution  to  the  sentence 
pronounced.  (2)  But  though  God  only  can  be  our  judge,  yet  nevertheless  He  must 
be  man  likewise;  and  that — {a)  In  regard  of  the  judgment  itself,  to  manifest  the 
impartiality  of  it.  (h)  In  regard  to  the  parties  triable  at  that  day.  For  among  the 
just  there  is  none  so  good  but  he  might  fairly  be  afraid  to  appear  at  that  judgment 
if  the  Judge  were  not  our  Saviour.  And  as  for  the  unjust,  their  condemnation 
pronounced  by  that  Judge,  who  laid  down  His  life  to  save  sinners,  and  consequently 

17 


258  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

cannot  possibly  be  imagined  to  condemn  any  but  such  as  would  not  be  saved  by 
Him.  (c)  In  regard  of  humanity  itself — for  the  dignifying  of  human  nature  :  that 
as  the  nature  of  man  was  debased  to  the  lowest  degree  of  meanness  in  the  person  of 
our  Saviour,  so  the  same  nature,  in  the  same  person,  might  be  exalted  to  so  high  a 
degree  of  power,  majesty,  and  honour,  that  not  only  men  that  had  despised  Him, 
and  devils  that  had  tempted  Him,  but  even  the  blessed  angels  themselves,  whose 
comfort  He  once  stood  in  need  of,  should  fall  down  and  tremble  at  His  presence. 
2.  The  parties  to  be  judged ;  and  those  are  all  persons  of  all  sorts.  3.  The  matters 
that  shall  be  questioned ;  not  our  actions  only,  but  our  words,  thoughts,  inclinations, 
and  dispositions.  4.  The  manner  of  proceeding.  There  will  be  no  occasion  for 
examination  of  witnesses,  or  reading  depositions ;  for  every  man  shall  be  indicted 
and  cast  or  acquitted,  by  the  testimony  of  his  own  conscience.  5.  The  sentence 
(Matt.  XXV.  34-41).  Conclusion :  Let  it  be  part  of  our  daily  business  seriously 
to  meditate  upon — 1.  The  vanity  and  shortness  of  our  lives.  2.  The  certainty  and 
uncertainty  of  our  deaths.  3.  The  great  exactness  and  severity  of  the  judgment  to 
come  after  death.  4.  The  eternity  of  every  man's  condition  in  the  other  world, 
whether  it  be  good  or  evil.  [R.  South,  D.D.)  Human  judgment  the  earnest  of 
Divine  : — I.  What  is  it  which  throws  such  an  atmosphere  of  awe  around  human 
JUDGMENT  ?  It  is  not  the  outward  pageantry  nor  any  accident  in  the  administration 
of  justice,  but  that  justice  is  an  attribute  of  God ;  that  law  is  the  representative  of ' 
His  majestic  justice  ;  that  aU  justice  here  is  an  earnest  of  His  Divine  justice  here- 
after. The  outward  course  of  justice  strikes  a  chord  in  an  inward  conscience. 
Conscience,  of  which  even  the  Jews  spoke  under  the  title,  "the  Accuser,"  tells  us| 
that  we  too  are  amenable  to  justice — if  not  to  human,  to  Divine.  H.  This  thought 
IT  awakens  alike,  whether  human  justice  comes  quickly  or  slowly  upon  the 
OFFENDER.  The  rapidity  with  which  human  justice  comes  down,  seems  like  the 
lightning  discharge  of  God's  displeasure.  Yet  since  this  is  rare,  the  slowness  of  its 
execution  calls  forth  a  yet  more  awful  thought,  its  dread  certainty.  "  Seldom," 
said  even  heathen  observation,  "  has  punishment,  with  limping  tread,  parted  with 
the  fore-hastening  criminal."  A  class  of  heathenised  writers,  who  but  seldom 
mention  God,  are  even  fond  of  replacing  Him  with  the  old  heathen  goddess, 
Nemesis.  So  deeply  inwrought  in  us  is  the  thought  of  God's  persevering  justice, 
which,  though  it  seem  to  tarry,  will  surely  come.  Crime  punished  here  impresses 
on  us  God's  just  judgment  on  sin;  crime  which  escapes  here  is  an  earnest  of  punish- 
ment hereafter.    IH.  God's  justice,  by  those  universal  laws  which  express  the 

DIVINELY-GIFTED   REASON    OF    MANKIND,     SPEAKS    FURTHER   TO    THE     CONSCIENCE    BY   ITS 

MINUTENESS.  Men  often  encourage  themselves  in  sin  by  the  thought,  "  It  is  only 
this;  it  is  only  that!  "  Human  law  does  not  leave  petty  offences  unpunished.  It 
imitates  herein  God,  who  knows  that  the  truest  mercy  to  the  sinner  is  to  arrest  him 
by  light  punishment  (if  he  will  be  arrested)  in  the  beginning  of  his  sin.  The  law  of 
Moses  visited  very  heavily,  sins  both  against  the  seventh  and  ninth  commandments, 
which  human  law  is  now  compelled  to  leave  for  the  most  part  to  the  judgment  seat 
of  Christ.  Yet  mankind  has  endorsed  the  thought,  that  to  rob  of  a  good  name  is  a 
worse  sin  than  to  rob  of  worldly  goods ;  but  human  law  leaves  it  unchecked,  un- 
rebuked.  But  it  will  not  remain  always  unpunished,  because  unpunished  now. 
IV.  Conscience,  which  "  doth  make  cowards  of  us  all,"  is  an  involuntary, 
UNTAUGHT  INSPIRED  PROPHET  OF  JUDGMENT  TO  COME.  By  "  couscience,"  I  mean  that 
eternal  law  written  in  our  hearts  by  the  finger  of  God,  which  unlettered  islanders  of 
the  Pacific  know  as  "  the  magistrate  within"  ;  that  almost  unextinguishable  voice, 
which  burned  in  David  like  a  firebrand,  drove  Cain,  self -condemned,  a  wanderer  on 
the  earth,  made  itself  heard  amid  the  murderer's  fitfulness  of  Saul,  worked  Ahab's 
passing  humihty,  and  Judas'  unloving  but  self-accusing  remorse.  Why  does  a  word 
bleach  a  man's  cheek,  stop  his  utterance,  or,  if  he  have  schooled  himself  to  drive 
back  all  outward  emotion,  strike  such  a  pang  into  his  soul  ?  It  has  awakened  the 
voice  of  the  silenced  judge  within.  Whence,  then,  this  terror?  Whence  but  that 
conscience  is  already,  in  this  world,  a  judgment  seat  of  God  ?  "  Conscience  may  be 
o'erclouded,  because  it  is  not  God;  extinguished  it  cannot  be,  because  it  is  from 
God."  Judgment  to  come  needs  to  be  nothing  new  in  kind  ;  it  needs  to  be  but  the 
intensified  concentration  of  all  those  acts  of  judgment  which  God  has  passed  upon 
us  through  ourselves,  which  He  has  made  us  pass  upon  ourselves.  The  final 
judgment  is  but  the  summary  of  all  those  particular  judgments.  V.  Here  Paul 
SPEAKS  OF  the  Day  OF  JUDGMENT  AS  A  "  MANIFESTATION."  Of  what  ?  Plainly  of  what 
existed  before,  but  was  hidden.  Here,  some  glimpse  of  us  only  sliiiies  through ; 
there,  what  all  and  each  of  us  have  been  is  to  be  brought  to  open  light.     Light  from 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  259 

Him  who  is  Light  shall  lighten  up  all  the  secret  corners  of  the  soul  of  man,  all  the 
hidden  springs  and  motives  of  his  outward  acts.  VI.  Judgment  to  come,  besides 
BEING  A  Divine  teuth,  declared  from  Job  to  Eevelation,  is  an  absolute 
necessity.  Every  man  is  imperfect ;  every  one  is  tending  to  a  completion,  of  good 
or  of  evil,  which  here  he  does  not  reach.  But  more,  we  have  each  our  individual 
responsibilities.  Creation  implies  an  end  and  object  of  that  creation.  We  came 
forth  from  God  ;  we  return  to  God.  God  has  left  us  to  be  masters  over  ourselves, 
to  work  out — with  His  grace,  if  we  would  have  it,  or,  if  not,  against  it — our 
own  destiny,  or  alas !  our  own  doom.  We  return,  to  give  account  of  our- 
selves, to  have  our  lives  summed  up,  to  be  judged.  (E.  B.  Piisey,  D.D.) 
The  final  assize  : — I.  The  statement  respecting  the  future  judgment  with  which 
THE  passage  before  US  COMMENCES.  "  We  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment 
seat."  n.  To  the  account  which  the  passage  before  us  gives  of  the  Person 
WHO  is  to  sustain  the  office  of  Judge.  "  We  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ."  1.  The  sustaining  of  the  office  of  future  Judge  will  not  on  the  part 
of  Christ  be  an  assumption,  but  a  right— a  right  resting  on  Divine  appointment.  2. 
But  not  merely  on  the  ground  of  right — on  the  score  of  qualification  Christ  will 
sustain  the  office  of  future  Judge.  HI.  To  the  manner  in  which  the  passage 
BEFORE  us  describes  His  MODE  OF  PROCEDURE.  1.  That  He  will  elicit  every  one's 
real  character.  2.  That,  by  His  classification  of  them.  He  will  impartially  dis- 
criminate between  the  characters  of  all.  In  the  world's  society,  the  good  and  the 
bad  are  so  blended  together,  and  in  many  instances  bear  so  close  a  resemblance  to 
each  other,  that  the  most  sagacious  human  observer  is  often  at  a  loss  to  say  posi- 
tively who  they  are  who  may  be  thus  designated.  But  further,  and  in  fine  :  whilst 
from  the  account  given  of  His  mode  of  procedure  in  the  passage  before  us,  it  is 
plain  that  the  future  Judge  will  not  only  elicit  every  one's  real  character,  but  impar- 
tially discriminate  between  the  characters  of  all,  it  is  also  undeniably  plain  that — • 
3.  He  will  equitably  apportion  to  all  their  respective  allotment.  He  will  apportion 
the  allotment  of  those  who  have  never  enjoyed  the  light  of  revelation.  (A.  Jack.) 
The  great  assize  : — 1.  There  is  no  need  to  prove  from  Scripture  that  there  will  be  a 
general  judgment,  for  it  abounds  with  proof-passages.  2.  We  infer  that  it  must 
needs  be,  from  the  very  fact  that  God  is  just  as  the  Ruler  over  men.  In  all  human 
governments  there  must  be  an  assize  held.  Judge  for  yourselves :  is  this  present 
state  the  conclusion  of  all  things  ?  If  so,  what  evidence  would  you  adduce  of  the 
Divine  justice,  in  the  teeth  of  the  fact  that  the  best  of  men  are  often  the  most 
afliicted,  while  the  worst  of  men  prosper  ?  If  there  be  no  hereafter,  then  Dives  has 
the  best  of  it.  3.  There  is  in  the  conscience  of  most  men,  if  not  of  all,  an  assent  to 
this  fact.  As  an  old  Puritan  says,  "  God  holds  a  petty  session  in  every  man's 
conscience,  which  is  the  earnest  of  the  assize  which  He  will  hold  by  and  by ;  for 
almost  all  men  judge  themselves,  and  their  conscience  knows  this  to  be  wrong  and 
that  to  be  right."  I.  Who  are  they  that  will  have  to  appear  before  the  throne^  , 
OF  JUDGMENT?  1.  "All."  The  godly  will  not  be  exempted,  for  the  apostle  here  is  I 
speaking  to  Christians.  They  covet  the  judgment,  and  will  be  able  to  stand  there  to  j 
receive  a  public  acquittal  from  the  mouth  of  the  great  Judge.  Who,  among  us,  ' 
wishes  to  be  smuggled  into  heaven  ?  Who  is  he  that  shall  lay  anything  to  our  \ 
charge  since  Christ  hath  died  and  hath  risen  again?  Their  trial  will  show  that  \ 
there  has  been  no  partiality  in  their  case.  What  a  day  it  will  be  for  them  !  For  \ 
some  of  them  were  lying  under  wrongful  accusations.  All  will  be  cleared  up  then. 
There  will  be  a  resurrection  of  reputations  as  well  as  of  bodies.  2.  What  a  prodigious 
gathering  !  What  will  be  the  thoughts  of  Father  Adam  as  he  looks  upon  his  olf- 
spring  ?  But  the  most  important  thought  to  me  is  that  I  shall  be  there ;  to  you, 
young  men,  that  you  will  be  there  ;  to  you,  ye  aged,  that  you  shall  be  there.  Are\ 
you  rich  ?  Your  dainty  dress  shall  be  put  off.  Are  you  poor  ?  Your  rags  shall  not  ] 
exempt  you  from  attendance  at  that  court.  2.  Note  the  word  "  appear."  No  • 
disguise  will  be  possible.  Ye  cannot  come  there  dressed  in  masquerade  of  profession ; 
off  will  come  your  garments.  Oh,  what  a  day  that  will  be  when  every  man  shall  see 
himself  and  his  fellow,  and  the  eyes  of  angels,  of  devils,  and  of  God  upon  the 
throne,  shall  see  us  through  and  through  !  II.  Who  will  be  the  Judge  ?  That 
Christ  should  be  is  most  fitting.  British  law  ordains  that  a  man  shall  be  tried  by 
his  peers,  which  is  just.  So  at  the  Judgment.  Men  shall  be  judged  by  a  man.  He 
can  hold  the  scales  of  justice  evenly,  for  He  has  stood  in  man's  place.  I  expect  no 
favouritism.  Christ  is  our  Friend  and  will  be  for  ever  ;  but,  as  a  Judge,  He  will  be 
impartial  to  aU.  You  will  have  a  fair  trial.  The  Judge  will  not  take  sides  against 
you.     Men  have  sometimes  been  shielded  from  the  punishment  they  deserved  here 


260  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

because  they  were  of  a  certain  profession  or  occupied  a  certain  position.     It  shall 

not  be  so  there.     There  shall  be  no  concealment  of  anything  in  thy  favour,  and  no 

keeping  back  of  anything  against  thee.     III.  What  will  be  the  rule  of  judgment  ? 

,    Not  our  profession,  our  boastings,  but  our  actions.     This  includes  every  omission 

Cas  well  as  every  commission  (Matt.  xxv.).     All  our  words,  too,  will  be  brought  up, 
and  all  our  thoughts,  for  these  lie  at  the  bottom  of  our  actions  and  give  the  true 
colour  to  them  good  or  bad.     Out   motives,  our  heart   sins,   shall   be  published 
unreservedly.     "  Well,"  saith  one,  "  who  then  can  be  saved?"     Ah!  indeed,  who? 
Those  who  have   believed   in   Jesus   (Kom.   viii.    1).     IV.    The  object    of    this 
JUDGMENT.     "  That  every  man  may  receive  the  things  done  in  his  body."     1.  The 
Lord  wiU  grant  unto  His  people  an  abundant  reward  for  all  that  they  have  done. 
Not  that  they  deserve  any  reward,  but  that  God  first  gave  them  grace  to  do  good 
works,  then  took  their  good  works  as  evidence  of  a  renewed  heart,  and  then  gave 
them  a  reward  for  what  they  had  done.     2.  But  to  the  ungodly  how  terrible  !    They 
are  to  receive  the  things  that  they  have  done ;  that  is  to  say,  the  punishment  due^ 
not  every  man  alike,  but  the  greater  sinner  the  greater  doom — Sodom  and  Gomorrah 
then-  place.  Tyre  and  Sidon  their  places,  and  then  to  Capernaum  and  Bethsaida 
their  place  of  more  intolerable  torment,  because  they  had  the  gospel  and  rejected  it. 
And  the  punishment  will  not  only  be  meted  out  in  proportion  to  the  transgression, 
but  it  will  be  a  development  of  the  evil  actions  done  in  the  evil  consequences  to  be 
endured,  as  every  man  shall  eat  the  fruit  of  his  own  ways.     Oh,  how  dreadful  it 
will  be  for  the  malicious  man  to  find  his  malice  come  home  to  him,  as  birds  come 
\     home  to  roost ;  for  the  lustful  man  to  feel  lust  burning  in  every  vein,  which  he  can 
j     never  gratify,  &c.,  &c.     (C  H.  Spurgeon.)         Judged  by  our  acts  : — All  things  are 
'     engaged  in  writing  their   history.     The  planet,  the  pebble   goes   attended   by   its 
shadow.     The  rolling  rock   leaves   its  scratches  on  the  mountain.     The  river  its 
/    channel  in  the  soil,  the  animal  its  bones  in  the  stratum,  the  fern  and  leaf  their 
/    modest  epitaph  in  the  coal.     The  falling  drop  makes  its  sculpture  in  the  sand  or 
I     stone.    Not  a  foot  steps  into  the  snow,  or  along  the  ground,  but  prints,  in  characters 
I      more  or  less  lasting,  a  map  of  its  march.     Every  act  of  man  leaves  its  mark,  and 
hereafter  our  life  will  be  judged  by  these  marks.     {S.  S.  Chronicle.) 

Ver.  11.  Knowing  therefore  the  terror  of  the  Lord,  we  persuade  men. — Per- 
suasives to  the  being  religious  : — I.  The  argument  which  the  apostle  makes  choice 
OF  to  persuade  men,  which  is,  "  The  terror  of  the  Lord."  In  the  gospel  we  find  a 
mixture  of  the  highest  clemency  and  the  greatest  severity.  The  intermixing  of  these 
in  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel  was  necessary  in  order  to  the  benefit  of  mankind.  And 
we  shall  easily  see  what  great  reason  there  is  that  this  judgment  shall  be  called  "the 
terror  of  the  Lord,"  if  we  consider — 1.  The  terror  of  the  preparation  for  it.  2.  The 
terror  of  the  appearance  in  it.  3.  The  terror  of  the  proceedings  upon  it.  4.  The 
terror  of  the  sentence  which  shall  then  be  passed.  II.  The  assurance  he  expeesseth 
OF  the  truth  of  it  ;  "  Knowing  therefore  the  terror  of  the  Lord,  we  persuade  men." 
We  have  two  ways  of  proving  articles  of  faith,  such  as  this  concerning  Christ's 
coming  to  judgment  is — 1.  By  showing  that  there  is  nothing  unreasonable  in  the 
belief  of  them.  2.  That  there  is  sufficient  evidence  of  the  truth  and  certainty  of  them. 
3.  The  efficacy  of  this  argument  for  the  persuading  men  to  a  reformation  of  heart  and 
life.  There  is  great  variety  of  arguments  in  the  Christian  religion  to  persuade  men 
to  holiness,  but  none  more  moving  to  the  generality  of  mankind  than  this.  Especially 
considering  these  two  things — 1.  That  if  this  argument  doth  not  persuade  men, 
there  is  no  reason  to  expect  any  other  should.  2.  That  the  condition  of  such  per- 
sons is  desperate,  who  cannot  by  any  arguments  be  persuaded  to  leave  off  their  sins. 
{Bp.  Stillingfieet.)  The  terror  of  the  Lord  persuasive  : — I.  The  design  and  prac- 
tical TENDENCY  OF  THE  THREATENINGS  OF  GoD  IS  TO  PERSUADE  MEN  TO  HOLY  OBEDIENCE. 

1.  This  will  appear  if  we  consider  them  as  a  measure  of  God's  moral  government. 
They  are  not  empty  threats,  but  are  designed  to  secure  the  salutary  effects  of  that 
government  upon  its  subjects.  This  is  apparent  on  the  very  face  of  them.  They 
are  annexed  to  the  laws  of  that  government,  and  their  execution  is  connected  only 
with  the  violation  of  its  laws.  It  is  essential  to  the  very  nature  of  a  moral  govern- 
ment that  its  authority  be  supported  by  thi'eatened  punishment.  Without  it,  there 
is  nothing  to  show  that  its  claims  are  to  be  enforced  ;  nothing  to  show  that  it  may 
not  be  violated  with  impunity.  2.  This  design  has  been  expressly  declared.  (1)  On 
Sinai.  Here  even  Moses  exceedingly  feared  and  quaked.  And  why  ?  "  That  His 
fear  may  be  before  your  faces,  that  ye  sin  not."  Similar  impression  was  designed 
at  the  reading  of  the  law  at  Ebal  and  Gerizim.     (2)  In  the  gospel  commission. 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  261. 

"  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall 
be  damned."  (3)  In  the  facts  of  Christian  history.  Look  at  the  trembling  jailor 
falling  down  before  Paul  and  Silas  ;  at  the  trembling  and  astonished  Saul  of  Tarsus ; 
at  the  three  thousand  pricked  in  the  heart.  And  now  say,  whether  these  men 
despised  the  terror  of  the  Lord,  or  felt  it  ?  The  same  gospel  has  produced  the  same 
effects  in  every  age.  II.  The  dikect  tendency  of  the  Divine  threatenings  is  to 
PERSUADE  MEN  TO  OBEY  THE  GOSPEL.  Not  that  the  Diviue  threatenings  have  such  a 
tendency  viewed  as  denunciations  of  mere  suffering.  To  tell  a  man  that  he  is 
exposed  to  the  fires  of  hell  may  disquiet  him  ;  but  so  far  from  tending  to  excite  holy 
affection  in  the  cold  heart  of  man,  it  tends  only  to  harden  in  despair,  or  awaken  more 
violent  enmity  against  God.  But  if  mere  terror  has  no  tendency  to  soften  the  heart 
into  love,  how  is  it  that  the  threatenings  of  God  have  a  tendency  to  subdue  the  heart 
into  cheerful  submission  to  His  will?  I  answer — 1.  By  the  solemn  alternative  which 
they  reveal  to  man.  Now,  although  the  mere  disclosure  of  this  alternative,  of 
obedience  or  death  eternal,  will  never  of  itself  convert  the  sinner,  yet  no  sinner  will 
ever  be  converted  without  it.  If  to  array  the  terrors  of  the  Almighty  against  the 
sinner  will  not  weaken  the  ardour  of  earthly  attachments,  and  check  the  ardour  of 
earthly  pursuits,  nothing  can.  These,  at  any  rate,  are  enough  to  do  it.  2.  By  the 
manner  in  which  they  enforce  the  necessity  of  compliance  with  the  terms  of  salva- 
tion. It  is  only  when  the  sinner  sees  that  the  threatenings  of  God  cannot  be  defied 
with  safety,  and  that  there  is  no  other  way  of  escape  than  that  to  which  his  own 
heart  is  desperately  opposed,  that  he  begins  to  stand  in  awe  of  his  almighty 
Sovereign.  And  it  is  in  the  threatenings  of  the  infinite  God  that  he  sees  his  help- 
less necessity  of  submitting  to  His  terms.  3.  By  the  evil  of  sin,  which  they  show  to 
the  sinner.  The  evil  of  sin  must  be  learned  from  God's  estimate  of  it.  Man,  the 
sinner  himself,  is  not  a  safe  judge  on  this  question.  Now,  what  should  we  think  of 
God's  estimate  of  sin,  had  He  annexed  no  penalty  to  transgression  ?  4.  By  this 
revelation  of  the  character  of  God  in  its  glory  and  excellence.  This  they  do  as  they 
reveal  the  full  measure  of  His  abhorrence  of  sin.  This  is  God's  holiness,  and  His 
holiness  is  pre-eminently  His  glory.  As  God  loves  the  happiness  of  His  creatures, 
He  loves  their  hoUness  as  the  only  means  of  their  perfect  happiness.  As  He  loves 
their  holiness  He  abhors  sin.  God's  abhorrence  of  sin,  then,  is  the  exact  measure 
of  His  benevolence.  If  we  would  see  God  in  His  abhorrence  of  sin,  we  must  see  Him 
through  the  medium  of  His  threatenings.  5.  By  the  manner  in  which  they  unfold 
the  claims  of  God  for  the  sinner's  obedience  in  all  their  pressure  of  obligation.  By 
these  it  is  that  the  sinner  is  made  to  see,  if  he  sees  at  aU,  who  and  what  that  God  is 
with  whom  he  has  to  do.  6.  By  the  fact  that  they  are  not  absolute,  but  conditional. 
Absolute  threatenings  would  have  no  salutary  influence  whatever.  But  "Let  the 
wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts :  and  let  him  return 
unto  the  Lord,  and  He  will  have  mercy  upon  him ;  and  to  our  God,  for  He  will 
abundantly  pardon."  Conclusion:  1.  What  has  been  the  influence  of  the  Divine 
threatenings  upon  us  ?  Saints,  as  well  as  sinners,  ought  to  derive  practical  benefit 
from  them.  2.  We  see  why  God  threatens  sin  with  eternal  punishment.  3.  The 
object  of  preaching  terror  is  not  to  agitate  with  alarm,  but  to  persuade.  4.  We  see 
the  self-deception,  and  the  hardihood  in  sin  of  those  who  scoff  at  the  Divine 
threatenings.  (N.  TV.  Taylor,  D.D.)  Perauadon  and  vianife station  of  the  truth  : 
— I.  Persuasion  based  upon  terror.  But  is  there  not  a  contradiction  between  terror 
and  persuasion  ?  When  we  speak  of  persuasion,  we  ordinarily  indicate  those  milder 
methods  of  overcoming  opposition  or  producing  consent,  which  often  succeed  when 
anything  severe  would  only  excite  additional  resistance.  And  terror,  in  itself,  is 
scarcely  an  instrument  of  persuasion.  One  man  may  be  terrified  into  a  thing,  and 
another  may  be  persuaded  into  that  thing ;  but  though  we  might  try  terror  when  we 
had  failed  in  persuasion,  or  persuasion  when  we  had  failed  in  terror,  we  should 
hardly  in  any  instance  say  that  we  used  terror  in  order  to  persuade,  any  more  than 
that  we  used  persuasion  in  order  to  terrify.  But  it  might  easily  come  to  pass  that  a 
person  who  had  been  terrified  would  on  that  account  be  better  disposed  to  listen  to 
persuasion.  And  this  is  what  Paul  means.  He  had  no  dehght  in  terrifying  men  ; 
but  he  felt  that  if  he  could  once  bring  men  to  the  feeling  a  dread  of  the  punishment 
of  sin,  they  would  be  better  disposed  to  hearken  to  the  gentle  voice  of  the  gospel. 
Thus  we  seek  to  "  persuade  men."  We  feel  that  in  order  to  make  men  shun  destruc- 
tion we  must  make  them  aware  of  its  fearfulness.  With  no  view  of  keeping  back 
from  them  the  Saviour,  but  simply  with  the  view  of  persuading  them  to  receive  Him, 
do  we  seek  to  show  the  terror  of  the  Lord.  And  if  I  could  now  awaken  in  one  of 
you   an  apprehension    of    God's  wrath,  with  what  eagerness,   with   what  hope, 


262         •  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

should  I  then  set  before  him  the  Cross !  Then,  if  ever,  should  I  find  him  disposed 
to  cry  from  the  heart,  "Lord,  save  me,  or  I  perish."  Axid  in  this  his  trembling 
willingness  to  "  lay  hold  on  the  hope  set  before  him  in  the  gospel,"  would  there  not 
be  the  most  touching  demonstration  that  the  faith  which  saves  may  be  closely  allied 
with  the  fear  which  disturbs.  II.  The  manifestation  of  tkuth.  Paul  expresses  a 
thorough  confidence  as  k)  the  being  "  made  manifest  unto  God,"  but  he  speaks  with 
a  measure  of  doubt  as  to  the  being  made  manifest  in  the  consciences  of  the  Cor- 
inthians. Now  remember  what  the  truths  were  to  which  the  apostle  thus  thought 
that  an  echo  would  be  found  in  the  consciences  of  his  hearers.  They  were  evidently 
the  truths  of  a  judgment  to  come  and  of  a  propitiation  for  sin.  1.  We  are  now 
before  you  simply  to  announce  a  j  udgment  to  come.  And  when  I  announce  to  you ' '  the 
terror  of  the  Lord,"  there  is  a  voice  heard  in  the  solitude  of  your  own  souls  announ- 
cing that  I  speak  only  truth.  And  it  is  a  great  source  of  encouragement  to  the 
preacher  to  be  able  thus  to  feel  that  he  has  conscience  on  his  side.  But  if  this  be 
encouraging  to  the  minister,  it  helps  to  make  the  hearer  inexcusable  if  he  do  not 
Msten  to  the  communications  with  which  he  is  plied.  2.  The  apostle,  however, 
implies  that  the  manifestation  continued  when  he  went  on  to  set  forth  the  gospel  of 
redemption.  And  it  is  a  great  thing,  that  stupendous  and  multiplied  as  are  the 
external  evidences  of  the  gospel,  they  are  not  indispensable  to  the  proving  its  Divine 
origin  to  the  man  who  examines  it  in  humility  and  sincerity.  Others  may  admire 
the  impenetrable  shield  which  the  ingenuity  of  learned  men  has  thrown  over  Chris- 
tianity ;  we,  for  our  part,  glory  more  in  the  fact,  that  Scripture  so  commends  itself 
to  the  conscience,  and  experience,  that  the  gospel  can  go  the  round  of  the  world  and 
carry  with  it  its  own  mighty  credentials.  There  is  nothing  wanted  but  that  you 
view  yourselves  as  sinners,  and  you  will  feel  that  Christ  is  the  Saviour  whom  you 
need.  You  will  have  the  witness  in  yourselves.  On  this  account  may  we  justly 
speak  of  the  attestation  in  the  conscience,  as  the  preacher,  after  wielding  "  the 
terror  of  the  Lord,"  sets  himself  to  persuade  with  the  announcements  of  the 
gospel.  Is  there  one  amongst  you  who  trembles  at  the  thought  of  going  before  God 
as  a  sinner  with  the  burden  of  aU  his  iniquities  resting  upon  him  ?  Let  that  man 
listen.  We  seek  now  to  persuade  him  (ver.  21).  Does  not  this  vast  scheme  of 
mercy  commend  itself  to  you  ?  I  think  it  must ;  I  think  that  its  very  suitableness 
must  be  an  evidence  to  you  of  its  truth.  I  appeal  to  no  miracles  ;  but  I  feel  that  in 
proposing  a  mode  of  deliverance  through  the  righteousness  of  Christ  to  those  who 
are  weighed  down  by  a  sense  of  sin  and  a  terror  of  judgment,  I  am  proposing  that 
which  commends  itself  to  them  as  exactly  meeting  their  case.  {H.  Melvill,  B.D.) 
The  terror  of  the  Lord :— We  begin  in  order  with  the  first,  viz.,  the  ministerial 
performance,  wherein  again  two  branches  more.  First,  the  work  itself,  and  that  is 
to  persuade  men.  Secondly,  the  ground  and  principle  of  this  working,  or  the 
motive  that  puts  them  upon  it:  "Knowing  the  terror  of  the  Lord."  Before  we 
come  to  speak  of  these  parts  by  themselves,  it  is  requisite  that  we  should  first  of  all 
look  upon  them  in  their  reference  to  one  another.  First,  here  is  an  account  of  their 
knowledge,  what  they  did  with  that ;  we  persuade  men,  we  know  the  terror  of  the 
Lord.  And  this  knowledge  we  do  not  keep  to  ourselves,  but  we  communicate  it  to 
others,  that  they  may  know  it  as  weU  as  ourselves.  Secondly,  as  here  is  an  account 
of  their  knowledge  what  they  did  with  that ;  so  here  is  likewise  an  account  of  their 
practice,  what  put  them  upon  that.  What  needs  all  this  instruction,  and  exhorta- 
tion, and  admonition  ?  Cannot  ye  as  weU  let  men  be  quiet  ?  No,  says  he,  we 
cannot  do  so.  There  is  very  good  reason  for  it ;  and  that  is,  "  Knowing  the  terror 
of  the  Lord."  We  cannot  know  that,  and  not  practise  this.  First,  "knowing  it  "  in 
a  way  of  simple  discovery,  in  opposition  to  ignorance,  it  is  a  great  advantage  to  any 
man  that  undertakes  to  persuade  any  other  to  it,  for  himself  to  have  an  under- 
standing of  that  which  he  speaks  about.  We  are  sensible  of  the  thing  itself,  the  day 
of  judgment,  and  of  the  great  danger  which  lies  upon  those  which  are  neglectful  of 
it.  And  therefore  we  cannot  but  speak  of  such  things  as  these  are.  Secondly, 
knowing  in  a  way  of  certainty,  and  in  opposition  to  conjecture ;  "knowing,"  that  is, 
knowing  perfectly  or  exactly.  There  are  many  things  which  we  have  sometimes 
some  kind  of  hint  of,  but  we  are  not  altogether  sure  of  them,  but  only  by  guess. 
For  men  to  vent  their  mere  fancies,  and  conceits,  and  speculations  for  truths,  may 
carry  a  great  deal  of  weakness  and  imprudence  in  it,  to  say  no  worse  of  it ;  yea,  but 
St.  Paul  here  went  upon  a  better  ground  and  argument.  Third,  knowing,  in  a  way 
of  consideration,  in  opposition  to  forgetfulness  or  non-attendaucy.  There  are  many 
things  which  we  know  habitually,  which  yet  we  do  not  know  actually.  And  thus 
have  we  seen  the  full  emphasis  of  this  word  knowing,  as  it  lies  here  before  us  in  the 


CHAP.  T.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  263 

text ;  as  a  word  of  intelligence,  as  a  word  of  assurance,  as  a  word  of  remembrance. 
For  a  further  account  yet  still  of  the  practice  of  the  Apostle  is  here  expressed  in  these 
words,  "  Knowing  therefore  the  terror  of  the  Lord,  we  persuade  men."  1.  The 
principle  and  foundation,  whereupon  this  practice  of  the  apostles  in  their  persuading 
of  men  was  laid  ;  and  that  was  knowledge.  We  then  persuade  most  effectually 
when  we  persuade  knowingly.  Thus  in  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  "  we  know," 
&c.,  that  we  have  a  building  of  God,  a  house,  &c.  2.  Here  was  the  matter  which  this 
his  persuasion  was  conversant  about,  and  that  was  of  judgment  to  come,  a  funda- 
mental point  of  Christian  religion.  3.  Here  was  the  order  and  method  of  this 
practice ;  beginning  first  with  the  terror  of  the  Lord,  and  laying  a  ground-work 
there  ;  that  is  the  right  method  of  the  ministry,  to  begin  with  the  preaching  of  the 
law,  and  showing  them  their  lost  condition.  And  this  again  we  may  conceive  them 
to  have  done  upon  a  three-fold  consideration.  1.  Faithfulness  to  God,  "  Knowing 
the  terror  of  the  Lord,  we  persuade  men,"  that  we  may  discharge  the  duty  to  Him 
who  has  entrusted  us  with  this  message.  2.  Affection  to  God's  people.  Knowing 
this  terror  we  persuade  men,  that  so  thereby  we  may  thus  better  secure  them.  3. 
Eespect  to  ourselves  ;  that  is  another  thing  in  it :  and  to  ourselves,  not  in  a  corrupt 
sense,  but  in  a  good  and  warrantable  sense :  to  ourselves,  i.e.,  to  our  own  souls,  as 
we  desire  to  tender  them.  This  account  of  the  apostle's  practice  may  be  further 
amplified  from  some  other  considerations  which  do  likewise  lie  in  the  text.  As  first, 
from  the  principle  and  foundation  whereupon  it  was  laid,  and  that  was  knowledge. 
And  indeed  that  is  the  best  persuasion  of  all  which  does  arise  and  proceed  from 
hence.  This  is  that  which  becomes  a  servant  of  Christ,  as  the  best  principle  of  all 
to  work  upon,  namely,  his  own  knowledge  and  experience  of  those  things  which  he 
speaks  of.  2.  As  here  is  an  account  of  his  practice  from  the  principle  of  it,  so 
likewise  from  the  matter  and  the  thing  itself ;  which  is  by  beginning  with  terror, 
and  laying  judgment  before  them.  3.  We  may  likewise  here  take  notice  of  the 
order  and  method  which  is  observed  by  him  in  all  this ;  which  is  first  of  all 
informing  himself,  and  then  instructing  of  others.  First,  knowing,  and  after  that 
persuading.  There  are  some  which  invert  this  order.  Begin  first  with  persuading, 
and  then  come  to  knowing  afterwards.  Which  will  be  teachers  before  they  are 
learners.  First,  the  work  itseK,  and  that  is,  we  persuade  men.  Secondly,  the 
principle  of  this  working,  or  the  motive  that  put  them  upon  it,  "  Knowing  the  terror 
of  the  Lord."  We  begin  with  the  last.  1.  I  say  here  is  the  object  propounded,  "the 
terror  of  the  Lord."  This  was  that  which  the  apostle  knew,  and  desired  also  to  make 
known  unto  them  for  their  edification.  It  is  called  the  terror  of  the  Lord,  emphati- 
cally and  exclusively,  as  hereby  shutting  out  any  other  terror  which  does  not  so 
well  consist  with  this,  for  we  must  know  that  there  are  sometimes  false  terrors  as 
well  as  true.  The  devil,  as  he  has  his  false  comforts  and  raptures,  so  he  has  like- 
wise his  false  fears.  What  kind  of  terrors  are  those  ?  1.  The  terror  of  the  Word, 
in  the  threatenings  and  comminations  of  it,  wherein  is  revealed  from  heaven  the' 
wrath  of  God  against  all  unrighteousness,  as  the  apostle  speaks  in  Rom.  i.  18.  2. 
The  terror  of  Divine  impression  upon  the  heart  and  conscience.  This  is  sometimes 
called  in  Scripture  the  terror  of  the  Almighty,  which  Job,  and  David,  Haman,  and 
such  as  these  did  sometimes  partake  of,  when  God  Himself  appears  as  an  enemy.  3. 
The  terror  of  judgment,  and  more  especially  of  the  day  of  judgment.  The  second 
is  the  apprehension  of  this  object,  in  reference  to  the  mind  and  understanding;  and 
that  is  knowing.  We  see  here  upon  what  terms  we  proceed  in  religion  ;  not  upoa 
mere  fancies  only,  but  upon  a  certainty  and  good  assurance.  But  how  did  Paul 
know  this  terror  of  the  Lord  ?  He  knew  it  divers  ways — First,  by  immediate 
revelation  and  inspiration  from  God  Himself :  "  I  have  received  from  the  Lord  that 
which  I  have  delivered  unto  you."  Secondly,  he  knew  it  also  by  discourse  and 
collection  of  one  thing  from  another.  There  is  very  good  reason  for  it.  Thu'dly, 
he  knew  it  also  by  experience,  and  by  some  sense  of  it  upon  himself  in  his  own 
heart.  There  is  no  man  that  knows  what  sin  is  but  he  consequently  knows  what 
judgment  is.  The  second  is  the  work  itself.  We  persuade  men,  where  again  four 
things  more.  Fkst,  for  the  act,  or  what  it  is  which  is  done,  it  is  persuading. 
First,  it  is  a  word  of  endeavour ;  we  persuade,  that  is,  we  labour  to  do  so. 
Secondly,  it  is  a  word  of  mollification.  We  persuade  men;  we  do  not  compel 
them.  The  work  of  the  ministry  it  is  not  a  physical  work,  but  a  moral,  and  so  is  to 
be  looked  upon  by  us.  Thirdly,  this  expression,  we  persuade,  it  is  moreover  a  word 
of  efficacy.  Last  of  all,  it  is  a  word  of  condescension.  We  persuade  men ;  that  is, 
we  satisfy  them ;  do  what  we  can  to  content  them,  and  to  remove  all  occasion  of 
cavil  or  exception  against  us.    The  second  is  the  object,  or  the  persons  to  whom 


264  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

this  persuading  does  reach — "  men."  Men  persuade  men.  This  word  "  men  "  in 
the  text  is  at  once  both  a  word  of  latitude  and  likewise  a  word  of  restriction.  So 
that  we  persuade  men — that  is,  we  persuade  none  but  men  such  as  these,  as  having 
interest  in  it.  But  further,  so  it  is  a  word  of  latitude  and  enlargement,  extending 
itself  to  all  men  whosoever  they  be,  and  that  also  in  any  rank  or  condition  which 
we  may  possibly  conceive  them  in.  First  of  all,  by  taking  men  in  opposition  to 
God  Himself,  who  needs  not  to  be  persuaded.  And,  secondly,  in  opposition  to 
angels.  The  third  thing  here  pertinently  considerable,  is  what  we  persuade  unto. 
1.  If  they  be  as  yet  unconverted,  we  persuade  them  to  believe.  2.  As  for  those 
which  are  believers,  we  persuade  men.  One  persuasion  reaches  to  such  as  these 
amongst  other  men,  that  they  would  walk  answerable  to  their  profession.  The 
fourth  is,  upon  what  ground,  and  that  is  hinted  unto  us  from  the  coherence,  in  the 
words  that  went  before,  "  Knowing  the  terror  of  the  Lord."  This  is  not  the  only 
argument ;  but  it  is  that  only  which  is  here  expressed.  The  second  is  in  reference 
to  their  acceptance  in  these  words,  "  But  we  are  made  manifest  to  God  ;  and  I  trust 
also  are  made  manifest  in  your  consciences."  This  is  added  to  prevent  an  objection. 
It  is  true,  indeed,  Paul,  you  have  told  us  a  fair  tale  of  yourself  and  of  the  rest  of 
your  brethren  ;  with  what  great  matters  you  attempt  to  do :  but  who  thinks  the 
better  of  you  for  aU  this  ?  Who  gives  you  any  thanks  for  your  labour  ?  or  who 
gives  any  great  credit  to  that  which  you  deliver  ?  To  this  the  apostle  answers  very 
discreetly — "  But  we  are  made  manifest  to  God ;  and  I  trust  also  are  made,"  &c.  I 
begin  with  the  first,  viz.,  his  acceptance  with  God — "  We  are  made  manifest  unto 
God."  1.  For  our  calling  and  gifts  ;  we  are  manifest  to  God,  so  we  are  manifest  to 
Him,  as  we  are  appointed  by  Him.  The  ministry,  it  is  not  a  human  invention.  But 
secondly,  there  is  another  manifestation — a  manifestation  of  performances,  as  to 
the  exercise  and  improvement  of  those  gifts  which  God  has  bestowed.  The  Lord 
knows  our  faithfulness  and  integrity  in  this  business.  And  the  apostle  seems  to 
make  mention  of  this  for  a  threefold  purpose.  First,  as  his  duty  in  regard  of  his 
endeavour  ;  we  are  manifest  to  God,  and  it  is  that  which  lies  upon  us  so  to  be ;  we 
«ould  not  satisfy  ourselves  if  we  did  not  do  so.  Secondly,  he  makes  mention  of  it 
as  his  happiness  or  privilege.  Thirdly,  here  is  also  his  comfort  and  satisfaction  of 
mind  in  the  reflection.  First,  I  say,  in  case  of  concealment  and  retiredness,  which 
carries  an  opposition  with  it  to  the  manifestation  of  knowledge  and  discovery  ;  it  is 
a  comfort  to  be  made  manifest  to  God,  and  to  be  known  to  Him  where  we  are 
manifest  nowhere  else.  Again,  secondly,  it  is  comfortable  likewise,  as  in  men's 
ignorance,  so  likewise  in  their  neglect,  by  taking  the  word  manifestation  by  way  of 
allowance.  We  are  manifest  to  God,  says  the  apostle — that  is,  we  are  approved  of 
Him.  This  was  that  which  comforted  him,  even  when  it  was  not  so  with  him  in 
regard  of  men.  And  so  you  have  the  first  part  of  this  acceptance,  as  it  refers  to 
God — "  But  we  are  made  manifest  to  God."  The  second  is  as  it  refers  to  the 
Corinthians :  "  And  I  trust  also  are  made  manifest  in  your  consciences."  This  like- 
•wise,  as  well  as  the  other,  is  added  to  prevent  an  objection ;  for  here  some  might  have 
heen  ready  to  have  replied.  You  talk  how  you  are  manifested  to  God.  Well,  but  what 
are  you  to  the  eyes  of  men  ?  and  what  satisfaction  do  you  give  to  them?  To  this 
now  he  answers,  "  And  I  trust  also  are  made  manifest  in  your  consciences."  First, 
for  the  thing  itself,  "  We  are  made  manifest  in  your  consciences."  First,  in  a  way 
of  efficacy,  from  that  success  which  our  ministry  hath  found  upon  them.  This 
is  one  way  of  manifestation.  The  faith  and  graces  of  the  Corinthians  were  a 
sufficient  testimony  to  the  apostle's  ministry.  The  second  is  in  a  way  of  conviction 
or  approbation.  We  are  made  manifest  in  your  consciences,  that  is,  your  con- 
sciences do  bear  witness  with  us.  This  is  the  privilege  of  goodness,  that  it  shall 
have  men's  consciences  where  it  has  not  their  affections.  Though  they  love  it  not, 
yet  they  shall  inwardly  like  it,  and  in  their  hearts  secretly  approve  it,  and  set  their 
seals  unto  it.  Herod,  though  he  loved  not  John  Baptist,  yet  he  reverenced  him, 
and  in  his  heart  did  admire  him.  Secondly,  if  ye  take  this  your  consciences  a  little 
more  strictly  restraining  it  to  true  believers,  and  those  amongst  these  Corinthians 
which  were  faithful,  that  St.  Paul  and  the  rest  were  made  manifest  in  their  con- 
sciences indeed.  Howsoever  others  may  think  of  us,  yet  those  which  are  faithful 
will  approve  us.  "  We  are  made  manifest  in  you,"  &c.  The  second  is  the  word  of 
transition  or  introduction,  I  trust  or  hope.  We  may  take  notice  also  of  this  ;  and 
it  carries  a  double  notion  in  it.  First,  there  was  his  desire  in  it,  as  he  wished  it 
might  be ;  he  desired  to  approve  his  ministry,  and  himself  in  the  execution  of  his 
ministry,  to  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  those  which  were  faithful,  that  they 
might  be  sure  to  close  with  him.     Secondly,  as  there  was  his  desire  in  it,  so  there 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  265 

was  also  his  confidence  and  expectation.  I  hope  or  trust ;  that  is,  I  believe,  and 
make  account  of  it.  It  is  a  word  of  triumphant  expression,  as  you  have  another 
of  the  like  nature  with  it  (1  Cor.  vii.  6).  (T.  Horton,  D.D.)  Sinai  sends  sinners 
to  Calvary  : — This  text  has  been  denounced  as  cruel.  Let  us  consider  its  use  in 
secular  affairs.  A  company  is  about  to  cross  the  ocean.  The  word  terror  has  been 
suppressed,  so  they  make  no  provision  to  escape  in  case  of  shipwreck.  No  life- 
preserver  and  no  life-boat  have  been  taken  on  board.  The  same  policy  has  pre- 
vented the  erection  of  lighthouses  and  the  perfection  of  charts.  Now,  when  out  at 
sea  and  the  storm  has  come,  then  they  have  reason  to  deplore  the  mistaken  kindness 
which  kept  from  them  a  knowledge  of  the  terrors  of  the  deep.  The  exercise  of 
foresight  is  the  part  of  wisdom.  Knowing  the  terror,  the  danger  before  us,  we 
should  be  persuaded  to  make  every  provision.  I.  Consider  the  meaning  of  the 
PHRASE  "  the  teeror  OF  THE  LORD." — 1.  There  is  a  majesty  about  God  which  is 
calculated  to  inspire  holy  fear.  This  we  realise  if  we  compare  God  with  heathen 
divinities.  (1)  Our  God  is  infinite  in  wisdom,  mercy,  justice,  and  power.  Many 
people  have  one-sided  views  of  God,  and  hence  fall  into  great  error.  Some  deem 
Him  all  mercy,  others  all  justice ;  as  some  have  judged  the  ocean  by  a  day  of  calm, 
others  by  a  day  of  storm.  Each  view  is  a  one-sided  view.  We  could  not  revere  a 
God  who  is  all  justice,  or  one  who  is  all  mercy.  (2)  There  are  no  changes  in  His 
attributes.  It  is  the  same  God  we  see  in  the  Old  Testament  as  in  the  New.  The 
New  Testament  does  not  utter  a  sound  that  clashes  with  those  from  Sinai.  2.  The 
context  will  help  us  understand  the  language  of  the  text  (ver.  10).  God  has  made 
us  know  the  dangers  in  the  future  that  we  might  avoid  them.  There  was  an 
element  of  terror  in  the  preaching  of  the  apostles.  Felix  trembled.  II.  "Knowing, 
THEREFORE,  THE  TERROR  OF  GoD,  WE  PERSUADE  MEN."  Kuowing  the  majesty,  the 
holiness  of  God,  and  the  necessity  of  the  punishment  of  evil,  we  persuade  men — 1. 
To  abhor  sin.  There  can  be  no  honest  repentance  save  it  be  founded  on  hatred  of 
sin.  2.  To  forsake  sin.  3.  To  flee  to  Christ  for  pardon.  No  man  ever  came  to  a 
Saviour  until  he  felt  the  need  of  a  Saviour.  Sinai  points  you  to  Calvary.  4.  To 
labour  for  the  salvation  of  others.  It  is  a  great  cruelty  not  to  make  known  the 
terrible  consequences  of  sin  to  our  fellow-men.  {T.  L.  Cuyler,  D.D.)  The  motive 
powers  of  the  ministry : — I.  The  motive  power  of  the  minister  (vers.  12,  14). — 
Here  we  have  two  different  feelings  arising  from  two  different  circumstances. 
Terror,  a  conviction  of  a  judgment  to  come.  Love,  a  sense  of  gratitude,  kindled  by 
a  conviction  of  the  great  grace  of  Him  who  died.  The  minister  is  inspired  by  his 
accountability  to  a  righteous  Judge  and  gratitude  to  a  gracious  Saviour.  The 
minister  stands  between  the  Cross  and  the  judgment.  The  ocean's  tides  are  caused 
by  the  combined  influence  of  sun  and  moon.  Here,  then,  are  the  sun  and  moon  of 
the  minister's  life.  It  is  the  combined  attraction  of  these  that  fills  his  life  with 
power  and  devotion.  Consider — 1.  The  love  of  Christ  as  forming  one  of  the  motive 
powers  of  the  ministry.  (1)  He  who  undertakes  it  must  do  so  without  any  regard  to 
worldly  gain.  But  let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  does  not  release  the  churches 
from  their  duty  to  see  that  those  who  preach  the  gospel  live  by  the  gospel.  (2)  It 
must  be  carried  on  without  any  abatement  of  zeal  in  the  face  of  apparent  want  of 
success.  Men,  when  engaged  in  any  business  which  they  find  does  not  pay,  are  at 
liberty  to  exchange  it  for  some  other.  But  the  minister  has  not  this  liberty.  What 
motive  is  sufficiently  powerful  to  secure  this  persistent  clinging  to  a  work  which 
seems  in  spite  of  every  effort  to  bear  no  fruit?  The  absorbing  love  of  Christ  is  alone 
equal  to  the  task.  In  success  men  find  a  great  stimulus  to  labour  ;  but  very  often 
the  minister  is  denied  this  stimulus.  Carey,  for  seven  long  years  of  his  missionary 
life,  laboured  without  seeing  one  convert  to  reward  his  labour  or  sustain  his  faith. 
2.  "  The  terror  of  the  Lord,"  as  forming  another  motive.  The  "  terror  "  here  is  the 
deep  conviction  which  Paul  had,  that  he  was  accountable  to  God.  Having  these 
overwhelming  thoughts  and  convictions,  he  persuaded  men.  But  it  was  not  alone 
as  a  stimulus  that  this  conviction  of  a  judgment  served.  In  the  verses  following  he 
shows  that  it  was  of  immense  comforting  use  to  him.  Men  judged  him  falsely,  but 
he  was  sustained  under  such  treatment  by  the  conviction  that  there  was  another 
Judge  before  whom  he  would  have  to  stand.  "  We  are  made  manifest  unto  God." 
n.  The  lever  power  of  the  ministry.  The  ministry  is  a  provision  for  persuading 
men  to  a  certain  course,  by  "beseeching"  and  "praying"  them  as  if  God  did  it. 
Never  were  men  called  upon  to  work  upon  materials  so  intrinsically  valuable.  The 
greatest  geniuses  have  deemed  it  not  unworthy  of  them  to  spend  themselves  in 
labour  upon  wood,  stones,  metals,  and  canvas.  But  these  are  all  material  sub- 
stances ;  and  even  the  toughest  of  them  are  perishable.    What  are  they  compared 


266  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

with  that  upon  which  the  minister  is  called  to  work — mind,  heart,  intellect,  con- 
science, and  wiU !  Here  is  work  worthy  of  God  ;  for  it  is  as  His  substitute  you  are 
required  to  do  it.  2.  What,  then,  of  the  weapons  whereby  such  glorious  work  is 
accomplished?  Seeing  that  the  work  is  moral,  the  weapons  must  needs  be  of  the 
same  nature  and  quahty.  The  work,  then,  must  be  effected  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  motives,  and  these  are,  according  to  the  text,  the  terror  of  the  Lord 
and  the  love  of  Christ — the  Cross  and  the  judgment.  You  may  find  the  thinker,  the 
scholar,  and  the  orator  in  the  same  person,  but  in  the  absence  of  the  two  great 
truths  in  question,  "the  love  of  Christ"  and  "the  terror  of  the  Lord,"  there  will  be 
no  minister,  whatever  else  there  may  be.  Conclusion :  One  of  the  wonders  of 
physical  science  is  an  instrument  called  a  concave  mirror.  If  this  instrument  is 
held  opposite  the  sun  it  has  a  marvellous  burning  power.  Archimedes  employed 
some  such  instrument  as  this  to  destroy  the  Roman  fleet  whilst  it  besieged  the  city 
of  Syracuse.  The  gospel  ministry  is  a  kind  of  concave  mirror  for  concentrating  the 
light  of  the  two  mighty  truths  which  form  its  themes  upon  the  hearts  and  con- 
sciences of  men.  A  marvellous  example  of  its  power  in  this  respect  has  been 
furnished  to  us  in  the  proceedings  of  the  day  of  Pentecost.     {A.  J.  Parry.) 

Vers.  12-17. — For  we  commend  not  oiirselves  again  unto  you. — Paul's  self- 
commendation  : — 1.  St.  Paul  has  been  magnifying  his  ministry.  It  had  been,  he 
says,  a  ministry  of  the  Spirit,  not  of  the  letter  (chap.  iii.  6).  Its  authority  had 
been  that  of  the  truth  (chap.  iv.  2).  It  had  been  a  suffering  and  a  martyr  ministry 
(chap.  iv.  8,  9,  10) ;  representative,  too,  of  Christ  in  word  and  deed  (chap.  iv.  5  and 
10)  ;  unworldly  (chap.  v.  2,  8,  9) ;  and  persuasive  (chap.  v.  11).  2.  But  when  a 
man  speaks  thus,  we  are  apt  to  call  it  boasting,  and  Paul  anticipates  such  a  charge 
(chap.  iii.  1 ;  v.  12).  "  You  say  you  comrnend  yourself  to  our  consciences.  Now  if  all 
this  is  so  plain,  why  commend  yourself?"  The  reply  is:  "I  do  not  commend  my- 
self for  my  own  sake."  It  is  not  a  personal  boast.  It  is  the  only  possible  reply  to 
those  who  require  a  ministry  with  splendid  external  credentials,  instead  of  the 
inward  witness  of  the  heart  (chap.  v.  12).  I.  The  apostle's  defence  of  his  self- 
approval.  It  was  founded  on  two  reasons.  1.  We  "  give  you  occasion  to  glory  on 
our  behalf,  that  ye  may  have  somewhat  to  answer  them  which  glory  in  appearance, 
and  not  in  heart."  The  false  teachers  gloried  "  in  appearance,"  in  outward  demon, 
stration,  such  as  eloquence  or  spiritual  gifts.  On  the  contrary,  St.  Paul  says  that 
the  true  apostolic  credentials  are  those  of  the  heart — his  truth,  sufferings,  simplicity, 
boldness,  and  his  life  as  being  an  image  of  Christ's.  This  corresponds  with 
the  fact  that  Christian  ministers  are  prophets,  not  priests.  The  priest  said:  "I 
am  ordained  God's  messenger :  therefore,  what  I  say  is  to  be  received."  The 
prophet  said :  "  What  I  say  is  truth  ;  therefore,  I  am  to  be  received  as  from 
God."  Consequently,  the  priest  was  always  heard ;  the  prophet's  words  were 
rarely  believed  tiU  he  was  slain :  and  this  because  men  glory  in  appearances,  not  in 
heart.  Now  St.  Paul's  credentials  were  those  of  the  heart  (chap.  iv.  2).  "  First,  we 
declare  our  message,  and  from  it  we  deduce  our  apostleship."  This  is  the  Christian 
ministry.  2.  "  Whether  we  be  beside  ourselves  it  is  to  God,"  &c.  (1)  The  apostle's 
defence  might  seem  like  that  of  one  deranged,  as  once  before  it  appeared  to  Festus. 
"  Well,"  said  St.  Paul,  "  we  adopt  the  words  'beside  ourselves.'  Be  it  so  !  it  is  for 
God's  cause.  We  boast  of  our  qualifications  for  the  sake  of  God,  to  whom  they  all 
belong."  Or  again,  "Whether  we  be  sober" — that  is,  restrain  ourselves — our 
moderation  is  an  example  of  humility  to  you.  (2^  There  are,  then,  cases  in  which 
it  is  wise  for  a  Christian  to  vindicate  himself ;  there  are  others  in  which  it  is  wiser 
to  remain  silent.  It  is  sometimes  false  humility,  and  moderation,  to  lie  under 
an  undenied  slur  on  our  character  or  our  words.  Samuel  vindicated  himself, 
"Whose  ox  have  I  taken?"  &c.  On  the  other  hand,  some  charges  are  delicate, 
complicated,  and  shadowy,  that  public  defence  leaves  the  matter  worse  than  before. 
It  is  better,  then,  to  let  time  and  character  defend  you.  For  there  are  cases  in 
which  dignified  silence  is  the  Christian's  only  defence.  So  it  was  in  our  Saviour's 
life.  n.  The  general  principles  of  life  with  which  the  apostle's  self-approvai. 
was  connected.  1.  Love,  the  main  principle  of  Christian  life.  Christian  liberty  is 
a  loving  servitude  to  God.  Just  as  if  a  slave  were  made  free,  and  then  felt  himself 
bound  in  gratitude  to  toil  with  tenfold  vigour  for  a  master  whom  he  loved  instead  of 
fearing ;  or  just  as  the  mother  is  the  slave  to  her  sick  child,  and  would  do  almost 
impossibilities,  not  because  it  is  her  duty,  but  because  she  loves  her  child  ;  so  the 
whole  moral  law  is  abrogated  to  us  as  a  law,  because  obedience  to  it  is  ensured  in 
the  spirit.    2.  The  law  of  redeemed  humanity,  "  If  one  died  for  all,  then  all  died.'* 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  267 

There  are  two  kinds  of  death — one  in  sin,  before  redemption  ;  the  other  to  sin,  which 
is  redemption.  Here  it  is  of  the/leath  to  sin.  If  one  died  as  the  representative  of  all, 
then  in  that  death  all  died.  This  is  the  great  thought  throughout  this  Epistle. 
Every  Christian  is  dead  in  Christ's  death,  and  risen  in  Christ's  resurrection.  3.  The 
new  aspect  of  humanity  in  Christ,  "  a  new  creation."  A  Christian  is  human  nature 
revolutionised  (chap.  v.  17^.  (F.  W.  Robertson,  M. A.)  For  whether  we  be  beside 
ourselves,  it  is  to  God. — Missionary  entluisiasm  : — I.  The  grand  object  of  the 
EFFORTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES,  AND  OF  OURS.  The  cause  in  which,  as  a  missionary  society, 
we  are  engaged,  is  the  salvation  of  the  human  race.  How  much  does  this  sentence 
comprehend !  To  emancipate  the  human  race — to  raise  numerous  hordes  from 
barbarism  to  civilisation,  &c.  But  this  object  will  increase  in  magnitude  if  we  con- 
sider— 1.  The  worth  of  the  human  soul.  2.  The  meaning  of  the  word  salvation. 
Deliverance  from  an  infinite  evil,  and  the  enjoyment  of  an  infinite  good.  3.  The 
immense  multitudes  who  are  hourly  passing  to  their  eternal  destiny  without  a  know- 
ledge of  the  Saviour.  4.  The  lustre  which  their  salvation  will  throw  on  the 
Eedeemer's  glories  to  all  eternity.     U.  The  most  plausible  grounds  on  which  many 

PRONOUNCE  THE  MEMBERS    OF    THESE   SOCIETIES    TO    BE    ENTHUSIASTS.       "  We  admit   the 

object  to  be  good  ;  but  is  it  feasible — is  it  possible  ?  We  give  you  credit  for  your 
intentions  ;  but  you  are  beside  yourselves."  1.  From  what  region  wiU  you  gather  a 
sullicient  number  of  missionaries?  Missions  to  the  Ottoman  Empire  alone  would 
jequire  more  men  than  all  your  various  societies  can  muster,  and  yet  you  talk  of 
iilling  the  world  with  converts !  2.  Where  will  you  find  resources  sufficient  for  the 
magnitude  of  your  enterprise  ?  What  all  the  societies  put  together  raise  is  but  as  a 
drop  to  the  ocean.  The  finances  of  an  empire  would  not  satisfy  your  demand.  3. 
How  formidable  are  your  difficulties!  from  the  peculiarities  of  governments, 
usages,  customs,  &c.  How  will  you  persuade  the  Jews  to  embrace  the  gospel  of 
Christ ;  how  break  the  adamantine  barriers  thrown  across  China  ;  how  overturn  the 
venerable  establishments  of  India ;  how  civilise  savages  ?  4.  Look  at  your  own 
land — here  you  have  Bibles,  ministers,  means;  and  what  effects  are  produced? 
Physicians,  heal  yourselves,  before  you  apply  your  remedy  to  the  maladies  of  the 
world.  III.  The  solid  reasons  which  others,  more  candid,  have  for  esteeming  the 
JEALOUS  members  OF  THIS  SOCIETY  SOBER-MINDED.  The  questiou  at  issue  is — Is  this 
cause  the  cause  of  God  ?  If  so,  all  difficulties  vanish.  They  take  their  stand — 1.  On 
thejdecrees  of  God  (Eph.i.  8,  10).  Who  shall  contend  against  almighty  power  ?  2. 
On  this  earth,  which  was  formed  in  subserviency  to  the  design  of  God.  It  is  still  pre- 
served as  the  theatre  on  which  the  designs  of  redemption  are  carried  on.  Can  that 
plan  fail  for  which  this  universe  was  formed,  and  for  which  alone  it  is  preserved  ?  3. 
On  the  hiU  of  Calvary.  There  they  see  expiation  made  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  Now 
the  channel  is  opened  for  salvation  to  the  world.  Bedemption  is  purchased,  and  its 
application  to  the  hearts  of  men  is  easy.  4.  On  the  mount  of  Olives.  And  there 
from  the  lips  of  Christ  they  hear  His  last  command,  and  motive  to  exertion  (Matt, 
xxviii.  18,  19).  5.  With  angels  before  the  throne  of  glory.  On  the  head  of  Christ 
is  the  crown  of  universal  empire,  and  from  all  parts  the  shout  is  heard,  "  Hallelujah ! 
for  the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth !  "  Cannot  He  break  down  every  barrier  and 
open  the  whole  world  to  our  labours?  ShaU  He  not  have  the  heathen  for  His 
inheritance  ?  6.  At  Jerusalem  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  And  there  they  see  the 
mighty  power,  on  the  success  of  which  all  their  labours  depend.  "  Not  by  power," 
&c.  7.  On  the  hiU  of  Zion,  fast  by  the  throne  of  God  ;  and  looking  into  the  vista 
of  prophecy,  they  see  these  wonders  actually  accomplishing — the  whole  earth  filled 
with  the  glory  of  God ;  the  idols  utterly  abolished  ;  Christ  having  dominion  from  sea  to 
sea  ;  aU  nations  blessed  in  Him,  (fee.  What,  then,  becomes  of  aU  cavils  of  sceptics 
and  mere  nominal  Christians  ?  On  whom  does  the  charge  of  madness  rest  ?  IV. 
The  motives  by  which  the  friends  of  missions  are  actuated.  1.  Love  to  God. 
"If  we  be  beside  ourselves,  it  is  to  God."  2.  Benevolence  to  man.  "If  we  be 
sober,  it  is  for  your  cause."  3.  The  constraining  love  of  Christ.  {W.  Thorpe.) 
Zeal  in  the  cause  of  Christ : — Paul's  great  purpose  here  is  to  impress  upon  us  the 
fact  that  the  cause  of  Christ  should  be  furthered  by  every  legitimate  means ;  the 
soberest  wisdom  or  the  most  impassioned  zeal.  He  vindicates  zeal  in  the  cause  of 
Christ.  I.  From  the  condition  of  the  world.  He  speaks  of  the  world  as  in  a  state 
of  spiritual  death.  This  is  by  no  means  the  world's  estimate.  It  is  short-sighted, 
and  therefore  self-complacent.  The  discovery  of  its  true  position  comes  only  when 
the  mind  is  enlightened.  1.  The  Bible  concludes  aU  "  under  sin."  And  out  in  the 
broad  world  you  have  abundant  confirmation  of  this  testimony.  You  have  it  in 
your  own  history.     There  are  thousands  around  you  who  revel  in  undisguised 


268  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

corruption.  You  have  it  further  away  in  the  countries  which  own  Mahometan  rule, 
and  then  in  the  far-off  regions  of  heathenism  proper,  where  the  nature,  bad  in  itself, 
is  made  a  thousand-fold  worse  by  its  religion.  Death  is  everywhere.  2.  Although 
a  realising  estimate  of  the  world's  condition  comes  only  when  the  judgment  is 
enlightened  from  on  high,  the  wise  men  of  the  world  have  felt  an  unsatisfactoriness 
for  which  they  could  hardly  account.  Each  in  his  own  way  has  guessed  at  the 
solution  of  the  problem.  The  people  are  embruited  ;  educate  them.  The  nations 
are  barbarous ;  civilise  them.  Men  grovel  in  sensual  pleasure ;  cultivate  their 
aesthetic  faculty.  Amid  aU  this  tumult  of  the  human,  oh  for  something  divine  !  And 
the  divine  is  given — Christ  has  died  for  all  men.  There  is  hope  for  the  world's  life. 
Oh,  tell  these  tidings  to  the  world,  and  it  will  live.  "  On  such  a  theme,  'tis  impious 
to  be  calm !  "  "  If  we  be  beside  ourselves,  it  is  to  God  :  and  if  we  be  sober,  it  is  for 
your  cause."  II.  From  the  obligation  of  the  church,  in  that  He  died  for  all,  that 
they  which  live,  should  not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves,  &c.  In  an  age  of 
organisation  against  idolatry  there  is  one  proud,  rampant  idolatry  which  retains  its 
ascendancy  amongst  us — selfishness.  Now  it  is  against  this  principle  in  human 
nature  throned  within  us  all,  that  Christianity  goes  forth  to  combat.  Have  you 
obtained  life  from  the  dead  through  His  name  ?  Then  you  are  bound  to  spend  it 
for  His  honour,  and  watching  with  godly  jealousy  for  every  possible  opportunity  of 
doing  good,  to  spend  and  be  spent  for  them  who  have  not  yet  your  Master  known. 
And  then,  as  gratitude  rises  and  the  fire  burns,  and  the  heart  is  full,  and  the  frame 
quivers  with  the  intensity  of  its  emotions,  just  remember  that  there  is  a  world  lying 
in  the  wicked  one.  Lift  up  your  voice  in  the  midst  of  them,  lift  it  up,  be  not  afraid. 
Say  unto  the  cities  of  Judah,  "  Behold  your  God."  Men  will  call  you  mad,  but  you 
can  give  them  the  apostle's  answer,  "  If  we  be  beside  ourselves,  it  is  to  God :  if  we 
be  sober,  it  is  for  your  cause."  III.  From  the  master  motive  of  the  Saviour's  con- 
straining LOVE.  "  The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us."  1.  Ye,  then,  who  need 
rousing  to  energy  in  the  service  of  Christ,  think  of  His  love  to  you.  2.  Take 
it  as  referring  to  your  love  to  Christ,  which  the  sense  of  His  love  has  en- 
kindled in  the  soul.  The  deepest  affection  in  the  believing  heart  will  always 
be  the  love  of  Jesus.  Oh,  let  this  affection  impel  us,  and  who  shall  measure 
our  diligence  or  repi'css  our  zeal  ?  If  meaner  motive  can  prompt  to  heroic  action 
— if  from  pure  love  of  science  astronomers  dare  encounter  dangers  just  that  they 
may  watch  in  distant  climes  a  transit,  and  if  botanists  can  travel  into  inhospit- 
able climes  to  gather  specimens,  and  if,  with  no  motive  but  love  of  country,  and 
no  recompense  save  bootless  tears  and  an  undying  name,  a  Willoughby  could 
sacrifice  himself  to  blow  up  a  magazine,  and  a  Sarkeld  could  fire  the  Cashmere  Gate 
at  Delhi,  surely  we,  with  obligations  incomparably  higher,  ought  to  present  our  life- 
blood,  if  need  be,  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  for  the  good  of  souls.  Let  the  scoffers 
spurn  at  us  as  they  will ;  we  are  far  superior  to  such  poor  contumely.  Heaven 
applauds  our  enthusiasm,  and  we  can  vindicate  it  in  the  apostle's  words,  "  If  we  be 
beside  ourselves,  it  is  to  God :  and  if  we  be  sober,  it  is  for  your  cause."  {W.  M. 
Funshon,  LL.D.) 

Ver.  14.  For  the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us. — The  love  of  Christ : — I.  The 
Christian's  ruling  motive — The  love  of  Christ.  "  We  love  Him  because  He  first 
loved  us."  This  love  leads  to  service.  This  principle  is — 1.  Eeasonable.  2.  Soul- 
satisfying.  3.  Soul-ennobling.  AU  true  love  is  such  in  degree,  but  this  supremely. 
n.  The  restraining  power  of  the  love  of  Christ—"  That  we  should  no  more^  live 
unto  ourselves."  Paul  delighted  to  call  himself  the  "  servant  of  Jesus  Christ."  III. 
The  constraining  power  op  the  love  of  Christ.  {J.  Rhodes.)  The  matchless 
beauty  of  Jesus  : — I.  The  constraining  motive — "  The  love  of  Christ."  Consider  it 
— 1.  In  its  objects.  (1)  Our  love  is  awakened  by  some  excellency  or  worthiness 
which  the  object  beloved  has  in  our  eyes.  But  wherein  is  this  to  be  accounted  of, 
that  the  Son  of  God  should  set  His  heart  upon  man  ?  He  is  Ukened  to  a  worm,  to 
grass.  His  foundation  is  in  the  dust.  How  inconsiderable  a  being  is  man  in  com- 
parison with  these  hosts  of  heaven.  (2)  Our  love  is  called  out  by  congeniality — 
where  there  is  a  oneness  of  mind,  a  similarity  of  feeling,  a  harmony  of  taste.  But 
how  opposite  is  the  mind  of  Christ  and  of  the  sinner !  (3)  Love  is  attracted  by 
beauty.  But  man's  original  beauty,  as  created  in  the  image  and  reflecting  the  glory 
of  God  in  righteousness,  is  wholly  departed.  And  in  place  thereof,  deformity  only 
appears  in  him.  (4)  Love  is  drawn  forth  by  love.  Eegard  in  one  will  produce  it  in 
another.  But  Christ's  love  found  no  originating  cause  in  our  love  (John  xv.  16  j 
1  John  iv.  10).     2.  In  its  properties.     (1)  It  is  a  self-denying  love.     (2)  It  is  a  bene- 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  269 

ficial  love.  It  enriches  with  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  grace,  and  liberty,  and 
service.  (3)  His  is  a  cheering,  gladdening  love.  Therefore  the  church  says  (Song 
of  Sol.  i.  4).  (4)  His  is  an  intense,  inextinguishable  love  (Song  of  Sol.  viii.  6,  7). 
(5)  It  is  a  boundless,  incomprehensible  love  (Eph.  iii.  18,  19).  3.  In  its  effects. 
II.  The  special  manifestation  of  this  love.  "  We  thus  judge,  that  if  one  died  for 
all,  then  were  all  dead."  This  is  the  great  instance  wherein  the  Lord  Jesus  demon- 
strates His  love.  III.  Whereto  this  love  constrains.  "  He  died  for  all,  that  they 
which  live  should  not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  Him  which  died  for 
them,  and  rose  again."  To  live  to  ourselves,  to  seek  our  own,  is  the  natural  cha- 
racter of  all.  Self  in  some  form  is  the  predominant  and  guiding  principle.  1.  Let 
the  subject  humble  us.  The  love  of  Christ  is  a  powerful  thing,  being  discerned, 
applied,  and  realised.  2.  Let  the  subject  also  instruct  us.  Our  obedience  is  not  to 
be  the  result  of  feeling,  but  of  judgment.  3.  Let  the  subject  stimulate  us.  4.  Let 
the  subject  comfort  us.  5.  Finally,  let  the  subject  admonish  and  persuade  those 
who  are  yet  enemies  to  God,  strangers  to  Christ  and  holiness.  (J.  T.  Parker,  M.A.) 
Christ's  love  constraining  : — I.  To  say  something  about  the  dying  love  of  Christ. 
Here  I  mean  to  consider  the  love  of  Christ  in  the  four  following  forms.  1. 
Pure  benevolence.  2.  Strong  affection.  3.  Unsolicited  mercy.  4.  Marvellous 
liberality.  II.  Some  of  the  duties  which  this  dying  love  excites  to  perform.  1. 
To  receive  Christ's  ordinances.  2.  To  obey  Christ's  commands.  3.  To  submit  to 
Christ's  cross.  4.  To  promote  His  interest.  III.  Illustrate  the  manner  in  which 
THE  DYING  LOVE  OF  Cheist  consteaineth  US.  1.  That  the  dying  love  of  Christ 
applied  and  believed,  powerfully  impresses  the  human  heart.  2.  The  dying  love  of 
Christ  singularly  guards  against  practical  errors.  3.  The  dying  love  of  Jesus 
constraineth  us,  as  it  constantly  urgeth  to  holiness.  4.  The  dying  love  of 
Jesus  speedily  carrieth  us  on  to  perfection.  Here  I  mean  to  convey  three 
distinct  ideas,  all  implied  in  the  word  constraineth.  (1)  The  love  of  Christ 
moves  forward  our  whole  person.  (2)  The  love  of  Jesus  bears  us  up  under  our 
burdens.  (3)  The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us  to  make  swift  progress  towards 
perfect  holiness.  Let  us  believe  the  love  of  God  towards  us.  {E.  Broivn.) 
The  constraining  love  of  Christ : — We  instantly  feel  that  these  words  express  the 
secret  power  by  which  the  great  deeds  of  Paul's  life  were  done.  But  if  we  connect 
them  with  ver.  13  we  see  that  his  common  acts  and  judgments  were  moulded  by  the 
same  power.  Note — I.  The  power  of  the  love  of  Christ.  1.  Paul  meant  Christ's 
love  to  him,  not  his  love  to  Christ.  Many  Christian  men  endeavour  to  work  from 
their  own  feelings  of  consecration  to  the  Lord  ;  hence  their  energy  is  fitful,  and 
depends  upon  excitements.  The  word  "  constrain  "  expresses  the  contrary  of  this. 
It  suggests  not  an  emotion  in  a  man,  but  a  power,  not  his,  acting  on  him — an  atmo- 
sphere surrounding  his  spirit,  and  pressing  on  it  on  every  side.  A  feeling  we  possess 
is  ever  feeble  and  liable  to  change  ;  a  feeling  possessing  us  is  strong  and  enduring. 
This  love,  surrounding  and  resting  on  a  man,  takes  him  out  of  himself,  and  becomes 
a  permanent  influence.  2.  It  was  the  love  of  the  living  Christ  in  the  present. 
"  Who  died  and  rose  again  " — "  not  knowing  Christ  after  the  flesh."  The  love 
shown  on  the  Cross  was  not  a  transient  manifestation,  but  an  eternal  revelation  of 
the  Christ  as  He  is.  3.  How  this  love  constrains.  Compare  with  our  text  Gal.  ii. 
20.  Here  are  two  elements — (1)  Personal  sympathy — "who  loved  me."  This  is 
one  of  the  mightiest  forces  in  the  world.  Through  all  laws  a  man  may  break,  but  let  a 
criminal  once  reahse  that  there  is  some  one  who  feels  for  him,  and  you  gain  a  power 
over  him  which  he  cannot  resist.  Kise  now  one  step — to  the  consciousness  of  having 
the  sympathy  of  a  greater  soul  than  ours.  Rise  yet  one  step  higher — a  mighty  step — 
to  the  love  of  Christ.  The  first  beam  of  that  love  reveals  the  deadness  and  coldness  of 
the  past ;  and  when  the  thought  enters  the  man's  heart,  that  amid  all  his  coldness 
Christ  cared  for  him,  then  the  constraining  power  begins.  (2)  The  infinite  sacrifice  : 
"  He  died  for  all."  Under  the  power  of  this  belief,  all  that  tempts  us  to  live  for  ourselves 
is  instantly  swept  away.  We  may  hear  voices  teUing  us  of  glory,  of  gain,  and  power  ; 
but  we  know  that  for  us  He  left  His  throne,  and  then  we  are  content,  for  Him,  to 
live  unnoticed  and  unknown.  We  are  aUured  by  the  fascinations  of  pleasure — but 
we  remember  that  for  us  He  bore  pain,  and  those  fascinations  fall  shattered  to  the 
ground.  We  shrink  back  instinctively  from  hardships — but  we  measure  our  sacri- 
fice with  His,  and  then  we  accept  it  with  calm  and  holy  joy.  II.  How  this  con- 
straining POWER  MANIFESTS  ITSELF  IN  EARNESTNESS  OF  LIFE.  There  are  three  sources 
of  the  power  that  chains  us  in  coldness  and  cramps  our  energy : — the  monotony  of  our 
earthly  labour ;  the  depth  of  our  spiritual  infirmity ;  the  feebleness  of  our  vision  into 
the  everlasting.  Now,  this  constraining  love  would  remove  them  all.  1.  It  would  con- 


270  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

secrate  our  earthly  work.  No  man  can  always  be  acting  consciously  under  the  power 
of  Christ's  love  ;  but  a  memory  of  the  Cross  may  unconsciously  haUow  our  life.  Is  it 
not  possible  to  accept  life's  daily  tasks  as  God's  discipline,  and  accept  them  patiently, 
because  Christ  loves  us  ?  Is  it  not  possible  to  fulfil  Ufe's  common  duties  right 
earnestly  because  Christ  died  for  us  ?  2.  It  would  strengthen  our  spiritual  infirmity. 
Trifles  exhaust  our  energy ;  great  forces  seem  to  deaden  it ;  great  fears  perplex  our 
trust.  But  if  we  heard  the  voice  "  I  loved  thee,"  would  not  that  be  like  a  clarion-call 
to  summon  us  to  heroic  effort  ?  Would  it  not  clothe  us  in  celestial  power  ?  3.  It 
would  link  us  with  the  everlasting  world.  That  love  breaks  down  the  barrier  between 
the  visible  and  the  invisible  worlds.  Heaven  is  no  idle  dream  of  happiness,  but  a 
present  fact ;  for  the  Christian's  heaven  is  to  be  with  and  to  be  like  the  Saviour. 
in.  The  way  in  which  the  constbaining  power  of  this  love  may  be  eealised. 
1.  Prayerful  meditation.  In  lonely  hours,  when  the  voice  of  the  world  is  still,  that 
love  comes  near.  Pray  on  until  it  flashes  across  the  horizon  of  your  soul,  and 
baptizes  you  in  its  glory.  2.  Carry  into  action  its  first  impulses.  Avoid  all  that 
opposes  them.  ...  It  is  dangerous  to  enter  any  path  of  action  on  which  the  Cross- 
light  does  not  gleam.  [E.  L.  Hull,  B.A.)  The  constraining  influence  of  the  love  of 
Christ : — This  text  is  a  summary  of  Christian  faith  and  practice.  I.  The  condition 
TO  which  sin  has  seduced  man.  1.  Its  peculiar  wretchedness — "then  were  all  dead." 
Our  souls  have  lost  their  spiritual  life,  and  are  become  incapable  of  spiritual  employ- 
ments and  delights.  2.  Its  hopelessness.  We  are  not  like  a  tree  which,  though 
withered,  may  be  brought  into  a  situation  where  the  sun  may  shine  and  the  rain 
descend  on  it  and  revive  it.  II.  The  interposition  of  Christ  on  the  behalf  of  man. 
Observe — 1.  Who  it  is  that  is  here  said  to  have  had  compassion  on  man :  the  eternal  Son 
of  God.  2.  How  this  Being  interposed  for  man :  "  He  died."  3.  For  whom  this  death 
was  endured  :  all  men.  But  the  interposition  of  Christ  on  behalf  of  man  was  not 
confined  to  dying  for  him.  He  rose  again  to  complete  the  work  which  He  had  begun. 
in.  The  principle  or  motive  from  which  the  interposition  of  Christ  on  our 
BEHALF  PROCEEDED.  It  was  not  an  act  of  justice  :  we  had  no  claim  on  the  compas- 
sion of  Christ.  Nor  did  it  proceed  from  a  regard  to  His  own  honour  only.  He 
was  "  glorious  in  holiness  "  and  "  fearful  in  praises  "  long  before  we  were  created.  It 
was  free  and  unmerited  love  alone.  To  this  Divine  attribute  all  the  blessings  of 
redemption  must  be  traced.  This  is  the  attribute  which  shines  with  the  brightest 
lustre  in  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Matchless  wisdom  devised  the  stupendous  plan,  and 
infinite  power  executed  it ;  but  it  was  love  which  called  this  wisdom  and  this  power 
into  exercise.  IV.  The  end  which  Christ  had  in  view  in  dying  and  rising  again 
FOR  MAN  (ver.  15).  This  implies  that  by  nature  we  are  all  living  to  ourselves.  The 
selfish  and  independent  principle  within  us,  is  one  of  the  sad  fruits  of  our  depravity. 
It  is  directly  opposed  to  our  happiness,  and  is  in  the  highest  degree  hateful  to 
God.  It  is  an  act  of  rebellion.  Now  the  design  of  Christ  was  to  root  out  this  selfish 
principle.  He  has  bought  us  with  a  price ;  He  therefore  deems  us  His  own,  and 
calls  upon  us  to  glorify  Him  "  in  our  body  and  in  our  spirits  which  are  His." 
Shall  we,  then,  rob  the  blessed  Jesus  of  the  purchase  of  His  blood  ?  V.  The  influ- 
ence which  this  interposition  of  Christ  has  on  His  people.  It  "  constraineth  " 
them.  This  signifies  to  bear  away,  to  carry  on  with  the  force  and  rapidity  with 
which  a  torrent  hurries  along  whatever  it  meets  with  in  its  course.  Christ's  love — 
1.  Lays  hold  of  the  affections.  2.  Influences  the  conduct.  It  changes  the  life 
as  well  as  affects  the  heart.  Conclusion  :  These  truths  suggest  various  inferences. 
1.  The  conduct  of  a  Christian  is  closely  connected  with  his  principles.  2.  They  are 
not  Christians  whom  the  love  of  Christ  does  not  influence.  They  may  call  them- 
selves after  the  name  of  the  Saviour,  but  they  are  not  living  "  unto  Him  which  died 
for  them."  This  devotedness  to  Christ  is  essential  to  the  Christian  character. 
Nothing  can  supply  the  place  of  it;  no  correct  system  of  opinions,  no  zeal  for 
doctrines,  no  lively  feelings,  no  tears  or  prayers.  3.  The  superior  excellence  of  the 
religion  of  Christ,  not  only  as  it  saves  the  soul,  but  as  it  affords  to  man  a  new,  a 
nobler,  and  a  more  powerful  motive  of  obedience.  This  motive  is  love  to  a  dying 
Lord ;  a  motive  unheard  of  in  the  world  before  the  publication  of  the  gospel,  but  one 
which  appeals  to  the  finest  feelings  of  the  soul,  and  whose  efficacy  is  stronger  than 
that  of  all  other  motives  combined.  (C.  Bradleij,  M.A.)  A  perception  of  Christ's 
love  the  effectual  source  of  obedience  : — I.  The  love  of  Christ  to  be  the  effectual 
SOURCE  OF  Christian  obedience.  Let  us  contrast  this  motive  to  moral  virtue,  with 
many  others  by  which  the  majority  of  mankind  are  influenced.  1.  Perhaps  the 
most  general  inducement  to  religious  and  moral  duty  is  habit.  Keligion  is  found  to 
have  a  kindly  influence  upon  human  society.     There  is  therefore  in  the  world  a 


CBW.  v.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  271 

habit  of  religion.  The  son  follows  the  steps  of  the  father.  The  first,  for  instance, 
goes  to  church,  because  the  latter  has  set  him  the  example.  He  sometimes  offers  up 
a  prayer,  because  the  practice  commenced  in  infancy.  There  is  little  of  serious 
reflection  in  his  conduct.  He  falls  easily  into  the  track  or  mould  of  custom.  It 
induces  a  religion  of  form  rather  than  of  influence,  a  religion  of  the  body  rather 
than  of  the  soul.  2.  Scarcely  superior  to  this  principle  is  the  desire  of  reputation. 
A  certain  kind  of  religion  is  favourable  to  reputation.  To  pass  through  liffe  with 
honour  is  certainly  the  supreme  object  with  many.  Now  this  principle  is  not  merely 
defective  but  hostile  to  religion.  Its  very  aim  is  the  gratification  of  self-esteem.  It 
tends  to  exalt  man,  not  God.  It  forgets  the  very  first  feeling  of  all  religion,  "  God 
be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  3.  Let  us  examine  the  next  motive  to  religion,  the 
fear  of  punishment.  There  is  a  natural  alarm  respecting  eternity  in  the  human 
mind.  But  this  fear  of  the  future  is  a  vei-y  inadequate  motive  to  religion. 
Suppose  it  to  exist  to  a  high  degree,  and  it  degenerates  into  views  entirely 
subversive  of  all  the  gracious  invitations  of  the  gospel.  Suppose  it  to  be 
weak  and  momentary,  and  it  can  effect  little  that  is  medicinal  to  the  heart. 
In  melancholy  moments,  in  hours  of  sickness,  it  will  produce  remorse  and  misery, 
but  with  the  departure  of  these  moments,  it  will  lose  all  its  influence.  4.  Similar  to 
this  principle  as  to  its  efficiency  is  the  mere  and  indistinct  desire  for  future  happiness. 
It  will  cease  to  influence  whenever  self-interest  or  appetite  shall  solicit  in  any 
violent  degree.  The  pleasure  of  the  life  that  is,  will  ever  be  far  more  attractive  than  the 
dim  visions  of  a  joy  yet  to  be.  5.  It  remains  to  refer  to  one  other  motive  to  religion, 
a  partial  reverence  for  the  Creator.  Let  experience  testify  its  feebleness  and  incon- 
sistency as  a  principle  of  moral  action.  How  frequently  do  the  same  lips  which 
appeared  to  adore  the  name  of  God  in  the  public  sanctuary,  wantonly  desecrate  it 
in  private  life  !  6.  Let  us  now  contrast  with  these  low  and  inadequate  motives  to 
religion,  the  motive  contained  in  the  text.  "  For  the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us," 
&c.  Is  filial  affection ;  is  gratitude  to  a  generous  benefactor  ;  is  the  tenderness  of 
iondest  friendship  ;  are  all  these  motives  powerful  to  constrain  to  duty,  and  to  urge 
to  service  ?     See  all  these  motives  more  than  united  here !     II.  The  actual  extent 

TO    WHICH    THE    PEHCEPTION  OF    THE    LOVE  OF  ChRIST  TO  THE    SOUL  WILL  OPERATE.       The 

devotion  which  arises  from  every  other  principle  is  occasional  and  limited.  It 
is  insufficient  to  bring  us  through  temptation,  to  animate  the  affections  and  sympa- 
thies of  our  nature.  It  is  insufficient  to  produce  any  cordial  and  active  disposition 
to  piety.  Such  a  devotion  is  not,  in  fact,  of  Divine  origin ;  it  is  not  the  effect  of 
Divine  grace  in  the  heart.  It  is  rather  the  formal  and  stinted  calculation  of  a 
■worldly  policy.  On  the  contrary,  love  to  Christ  is  the  result  of  a  holy  and  Divine 
influence  upon  the  soul.  Like  the  beams  of  day,  it  pervades,  and  warms,  and 
fructifies  every  inner  region,  every  nobler  faculty  of  the  mind.  It  excites  to  a 
religious  practice,  unlimited  and  progressive.  It  renovates  the  whole  character. 
(G.  T.  Noel,  M.A.)  The  constraining  poioer  of  the  lovimj  principle  : — It  was  once  a 
problem  in  mechanics  to  find  a  pendulum  which  should  be  equally  long  in  all 
weathers  ;  which  should  make  the  same  number  of  vibrations  in  the  summer's  heat 
and  in  the  winter's  cold.  They  have  now  found  it  out.  By  a  process  of  compensation 
they  make  the  rod  lengthened  one  way  as  much  as  it  contracts  the  other,  so  that  the 
centre  of  motion  is  always  the  same ;  the  pendulum  swings  the  same  number  of 
beats  in  a  day  of  January  as  in  a  day  of  June,  and  the  index  travels  over  the  dial- 
plate  with  the  same  uniformity,  whether  the  heat  try  to  lengthen  or  the  cold  to 
shorten  the  regulating  power.  Now  the  moving  power  in  some  men's  minds  is  easily 
susceptible  of  surrounding  influences.  It  is  not  principle  but  feeling  which  forms 
their  pendulum  rod  ;  and  according  as  this  very  variable  material  is  affected  their 
index  creeps  or  gallops,  they  are  swift  or  slow  in  the  work  given  them  to  do.  But 
principle  is  like  the  compensation  rod,  which  neither  lengthens  in  the  languid  heat 
nor  shortens  in  the  brisker  cold,  but  does  the  same  work  day  by  day,  whether 
the  ice-winds  whistle  or  the  simoom  glow;  and  of  all  principles  a  high-prin- 
cipled affection  to  the  Saviour  is  the  strongest  and  most  secure.  {J.  Hamilton,  D.D.) 
Sacred  enthusiasm,  tlie  rationality  of  Christian  zeal: — I.  We  shall  first  attend 
TO  THE  apostle's  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MORAL  WORLD.  He  says  of  man  that  he  is 
dead.  This  strong  figure  of  language  expresses  the  inertness  as  to  spiritual  duties 
— ^the  inutihty — the  offensiveness  of  a  soul  alienated  from  the  life  of  God.  He 
intimates,  by  this  allusion,  that  the  nature  of  man  is  in  that  state  which  no  more 
answers  the  designs  of  his  creation  than  the  tenant  of  a  grave  can  promote  the 
purposes  and  discharge  the  offices  of  social  existence.     II.  The  assurance  that 

THE   ASPECT    OF    THE   ATONEMENT     IS     UNIVERSAL    AS     THE     DOMINION     OF    HUMAN    GUILT 


272  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

AND  WRETCHEDNESS.  This  forms  the  second  motive  of  the  apostle's  zeal.  This 
sentiment  is  not  more  animating  as  a  doctrine  of  faith  than  it  has  been  found 
efficient  as  a  principle  of  Christian  activity.  Its  influence  on  the  generous  spirit  of 
the  apostle  elicited  an  active  benevolence  so  warm  that  it  could  not  be  agreeably 
employed  in  an  enterprise  less  sublime  than  that  of  applying,  in  the  widest  possible 
sense,  the  remedy  of  the  gospel  to  the  universal  infection.    III.  Some  reflections 

ON  THE  NATURE  OF  THIS  LOVE  SEEM  NECESSARY  BEFORE  WE  CAN  FIX  UPON  THE  LINE 
OF   ARGUMENT  WHICH   IT    WILL   BE    MOST   PROPER  AND  INTERESTING   TO   FOLLOW.       1.  The 

love  of  Christ  may  constrain  as  an  example.  2.  The  love  of  Christ  constrains  like- 
wise by  the  force  of  gratitude.  What  bonds  of  obligations  are  implied  in  these 
expressions,  "  We  live !  "  "  He  died  for  us,  and  rose  again  !  "  Guided  by  this 
definition  of  the  subject,  we  proceed  now  to  illustrate  it  by  the  following  observa- 
tions : — 1.  This  love  is  a  principle  of  self-consecration  to  the  interests  of  Jesus 
Christ.  2.  The  love  of  Christ  is  accompanied  by  a  principle  of  strong  anticipation 
of  His  mediatorial  glory  in  the  world.  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  breathing  His 
Spirit,  is  naturally  concerned  in  all  that  relates  to  His  glory.  The  Sun  of 
Eighteousness  is  not  for  ever  to  be  clouded :  and  it  does  gratify  the  love  we  cherish 
toward  our  glorious  Saviour  to  be  assured  that  a  day  is  coming  in  which  the  whole 
world  shall  be  the  scene  of  His  triumphant  influence.  3.  The  love  of  Christ  im- 
plies an  habitual  reliance  on  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  {S.  Curwen.)  Con- 
straining love  : — Note — I.  Where  lies  the  power  or  Christ  upon  men.  There  is 
nothing  parallel  with  the  permanent  influence  which  Christ  exercises  all  through 
the  centuries.  Contrast  it  with  the  influence  of  all  other  great  names.  But  here  is 
a  man,  dead  for  nearly  nineteen  centuries,  to  whom  millions  of  hearts  still  turn, 
owning  His  mystic  influence  and  smile  as  more  than  sufficient  guerdon  for  the 
miseries  of  life  and  the  agonies  of  death.  The  phenomenon  is  so  strange  that  one  is 
led  to  ask  where  lies  the  secret  of  the  power.  Paul  tells  us  "  The  love  .  .  .  con- 
strains," and  it  does  so  because  He  died.  1.  If  we  are  to  feel  His  constraining  love, 
we  must  first  of  all  believe  that  Christ  loved  us  and  loves  us  still.  If  He  knew  no 
more  of  the  future  generations,  and  had  no  more  reference  to  the  units  that  make 
up  their  crowds,  than  some  benefactor  or  teacher  of  old  may  have  had,  who  flung 
out  his  words  or  deeds  as  archers  draw  their  bows,  not  knowing  where  the  arrow 
would  light,  then  the  love  He  deserves  from  me  is  even  more  tepid  than  the  love 
which,  on  the  supposition.  He  gave  to  me.  But  if  I  can  believe,  as  Paul  believed, 
that  he  was  in  the  mind  and  the  heart  of  the  Man  of  Nazareth  when  He  died  upon 
the  Cross ;  and  if  we  believe,  as  Paul  believed,  that,  though  that  Lord  had  gone  up 
on  high,  there  were  in  His  human-divine  heart  a  love  to  His  poor  servant,  struggling 
down  here  for  His  sake  ;  then,  and  only  then,  can  we  say  reasonably  the  love  that 
Christ  bore,  and  bears  to  me,  "  constraineth  me."  2.  If  there  is  to  be  this  warmth  of 
love,  there  must  be  the  recognition  of  His  death  as  the  great  sacrifice  and  sign  of  Hia 
love  to  us.  "  Eule  thou  over  us,"  said  the  ancient  people  to  their  king,  "  for  thou  hast 
delivered  us  out  of  the  hand  of  our  enemies."  The  centre  of  Christ's  power  over  men's 
hearts  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  He  died  on  the  Cross  for  each  of  us.  That 
teaching  which  denies  the  sacrifical  death  of  Christ  and  has  brought  Him  down  to 
the  level  of  a  man,  has  failed  to  kindle  any  warmth  of  affection  for  Him.  A  Christ 
that  did  not  die  for  me  on  the  Cross  is  not  a  Christ  who  has  either  the  right  or  the 
power  to  rule  my  life.  The  Cross,  interpreted  as  Paul  interpreted  it,  is  the  secret  of 
all  His  power,  and  if  once  Christian  teachers  and  churches  fail  to  grasp  it  as  Paul 
did,  their  strength  is  departed.  II.  What  sort  of  life  will  this  constraining 
LOVE  OF  Christ  produce  ?  1.  A  life  in  which  self  is  deposed  and  Christ  is  King. 
The  natural  life  of  man  has  self  for  its  centre.  That  is  the  definition  of  sin,  and  it 
is  the  condition  of  us  all;  and  nothing  but  Christ  can  radically  eject  it  from  the 
heart,  and  throne  the  unselfishly  Beloved  in  the  vacant  place.  Nature  abhors  a 
vacuum,  and  the  only  way  to  keep  the  devil  out  is  to  get  Christ  in.  There  is  but 
one  power  which  is  strong  enough  to  lift  our  lives  from  the  pivot  on  which  they 
turn,  and  to  set  them  vibrating  in  a  new  direction,  and  that  is  the  recognition  of  the 
infinite  and  so  tender  love  of  Jesus  Christ  for  each  of  us.  That  love  may  constrain 
us,  shutting  out  much  that  one  used  to  like  to  expatiate  in  ;  but  within  these  limits 
there  is  perfect  freedom.  There  is  no  life  so  blessed  and  heroic,  none  in  which 
suffering  is  so  light,  pain  so  easy,  duty  so  delightful  as  the  life  that  we  live  when,  by 
Christ's  grace,  we  have  thrown  off  the  dominion  of  self  and  held  out  willing  wrists 
to  be  enfranchised  by  being  fettered  by  the  "bands  of  love."  A  comet — these 
vagrants  of  the  skies — has  liberty  to  roam,  and  what  does  it  make  of  it  ?  It  plunges 
away  out  into  depths  of  darkness  and  infernos  of  ice  and  cold.    But  if  it  came  within 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  273 

the  attraction  of  some  great  blazing  sun,  and  subsided  into  a  planet,  it  would  have 
lost  nothing  of  its  true  liberty,  and  would  move  in  music  and  light  around  the 
source  of  blessedness  and  life.  And  so  we,  as  long  as  we  make  ourselves  the  "  sinful 
centres  of  our  rebel  powers,"  so  long  do  we  subject  ourselves  to  alterations  of 
temperature  almost  too  great  to  bear.  Let  us  come  back  to  the  light,  and  move 
round  the  Christ ;  satellites  of  that  Sun,  and  therefore  illumined  by  His  light  and 
warmed  by  His  life-producing  heat.  2.  One  that  will  often  look  like  madness. 
Paul  was  evidently  quoting  some  of  the  stinging-nettles  of  speech  which  had  been 
cast  at  him  by  his  antagonists.  "  He  is  mad,"  they  said  of  him,  as  they  said  of 
his  Master.  But  such  enthusiasts  are  the  salt  of  the  earth ;  and  the  madmen  of  to- 
day are  the  Solomons  of  to-morrow.  Oh !  would  that  there  would  come  similar 
"  fanatics  "  once  more !  They  would  lift  all  the  level  of  this  hollow  Christianity  in 
which  so  many  of  us  are  living.  If  we  once  had  amongst  us  men  after  Paul's 
pattern — some  of  us  who  think  ourselves  very  consistent  Christians  would  begin  to 
feel  the  red  coming  into  our  cheeks.  The  man  who  professes  to  live  for  Christ  and 
never  gets  anybody  to  laugh  at  him  as  "  enthusiastic,"  and  "  impracticable,"  and 
"  Quixotic,"  has  much  need  to  ask  himself  whether  he  is  as  near  the  Master  as  he 
conceits  himself  to  be.  3.  One  which,  in  all  its  enthusiasm,  is  ruled  by  the 
highest  sobriety  and  clearest  sanity,  "  Whether  we  be  sober  it  is  for  your  cause." 
There  is  more  sober  sense  in  being  what  the  world  calls  fanatical,  if  the  truths  upon 
the  pages  of  Scripture  are  truths,  than  in  being  cold  and  composed  in  their  presence. 
The  enthusiasts,  who  see  visions  and  dream  dreams  about  God  and  Christ  and 
heaven  and  hell,  and  the  duties  that  are  consequent — these  are  the  sober-minded 
men.  There  were  many  learned  rabbis  in  Jerusalem,  and  many  intimate  friends  in 
Tarsus,  who,  when  the  news  came  that  Gamaliel's  promising  pupil  had  gone  over 
to  the  enemy,  and  flung  up  the  splendid  prospects  opening  before  him,  said  to 
themselves,  "  What  a  fool  the  young  man  is  !  "  They  kept  their  belief  and  he  kept 
his.  AU  the  lives  are  over  now.  Which  of  them  was  the  wise  life  ?  III.  Wh.\t  is 
YOUR  ATTITUDE  TO  THAT  CONSTRAINING  LOVE  ?  The  outward  manner  of  the  apostle's 
life  is  not  for  us,  but  the  principle  which  underlies  is  as  absolutely  and  as  mi- 
peratively  and  as  ail-comprehensively  applicable  in  our  case  as  it  was  in  his.  There 
was  absolutely  no  reason  for  Paul's  devotion  which  does  not  continue  in  full  force 
for  yours  and  mine.  1.  Christian  men  and  women,  do  you  believe  in  that  dying  and 
living  love  for  you  ?  Do  you  repay  it  with  devotion  in  any  measure  adequate  to 
what  you  have  received  ?  2.  And  for  some  of  us  who  make  no  profession,  and  have 
no  reality  of  Christian  feeling,  the  question  is,  "  Do  ye  thus  requite  the  Lord,  O 
foolish  people  and  unwise  ?  "  Jesus  has  loved,  and  does  love,  thee  ;  died  for  thee. 
He  stretches  out  that  grasping  hand,  with  a  nail-hole  in  it,  to  lay  hold  upon  you, 
and  you  slip  from  His  clasp,  and  oppose  to  His  love  a  negligent  and  unaffected 
heart.  Is  there  any  madness  in  this  mad  world  like  that?  Is  there  any  sin  like  the 
sin  of  ingratitude  to  Jesus?  (A.  Maclaren,  D.D.)  The  properties  and  influence 
of  the  love  of  Christ : — I.  How  a  sinner  may  come  to  know  that  Christ  loved  him, 

FOR  A  VERY  OBVIOUS  REASON — THAT  NO  TRUTH  NOR  FACT  CAN  HAVE  ANY  INFLUENCE 
upon    our    CONDUCT,  UNLESS  WE    KNOW  XT   AND   HAVE  SOME    INTEREST    IN    IT.        We  COme 

to  a  knowledge  of  the  love  of  God  and  of  Christ  by  faith.  "  And  this  is  the  record,  that 
God  hath  given  to  us  eternal  life  ;  and  this  life  is  in  His  Son."  II.  Consider  some 
OF  THE  QUALITIES  OF  THE  LOVE  OF  Christ.  1.  It  is  eternal  love.  "  The  Lord  hath 
appeared  of  old  unto  me,  saying.  Yea,  I  have  loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love  ; 
therefore  with  loving-kindness  have  I  drawn  thee."  2.  The  love  of  Christ  is  free 
love.  For  it  is  offered  without  conditions  or  qualifications.  We  are  to  buy  Him 
without  money  and  without  price.  3.  The  love  of  Christ  to  sinners  is  sovereign 
love.  4.  His  love  is  constant  and  everlasting  love.  Like  the  sun,  it  may  some- 
times be  obscured  to  the  believer's  view  by  unbelief,  ingratitude,  and  remaining  lusta 
and  idols ;  but  the  obscurity  is  in  the  behever's  darkened  eye,  not  in  God.  III. 
The  constraining  effects  of  the  love  of  Christ.  1.  The  love  of  Christ, 
when  truly  believed  by  the  renewed  soul,  carries  away  the  soul  by  its  moral  power 
both  to  will  and  to  perform  our  duty  earnestly  and  constantly.  The  soul  when 
under  the  influence  of  this  love,  may  be  compared  to  a  bark  set  down  on  the  cataracts 
of  the  Nile :  whether  the  seamen  will  or  not,  they  are  carried  down  the  stream. 
2.  The  love  of  Christ  constrains  us  to  give  all  diligence  to  make  our  calling  and 
our  election  sure.  3.  If  we  believe  that  God  and  Christ  love  us,  it  will  constrain  us 
sweetly  and  powerfully  to  love  Him  again,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.  4.  But 
the  love  of  Christ  received  into  the  heart  by  faith  in  the  record  constrains,  not  only 
to  holiness  in  general,  but  to  every  particular  duty  required  in  the  holy  law.     [F. 

18 


^74  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

Frew.)  Constraining  love  : — 1.  "  The  love  of  Christ" — His  to  man,  not  man's  to 
Him — yet  His  in  its  quickening  activity,  creating  its  own  image  in  the  breast.  To 
constrain  is  so  to  shut  in  as  to  compel  to  a  given  end.  Unconstrained,  the  river 
would  spread  out  into  a  marsh,  a  dismal  waste,  fruitful  only  of  pestilence  and  death. 
Shut  in  by  its  constraining  banks,  it  flows  a  thing  of  life  and  beauty,  watering 
garden  and  field,  purifying  and  gladdening  cities,  and  broadening  into  the  bay  on 
whose  fair  bosom  ships  float  as  they  come  and  go  on  their  beneficent  mission  of 
exchange  and  distribution.  So  man,  constrained  by  the  love  of  Christ,  is  so  shut  in 
as  to  be  forbidden  to  wander  and  spread  into  a  dismal  and  pestilent  waste ;  is 
forced  rather  to  move  to  a  divine  end,  like  a  river  of  life  flowing  from  God,  hasten- 
ing to  God,  in  a  channel  made  and  moulded  by  His  hand.  2.  Now  I  wish  to  take 
Christian  missions — the  most  manifest  example  of  the  constraining  love  of  Christ — 
as  a  type  of  this  great  truth,  that  the  service  of  God  and  of  man  are  made  one  in  the 
service  of  Christ.  Note — I.  The  relation  between  the  character  of  a  man  and 
HIS  SERVICE  of  HIS  KIND.  A  bad  man  can  never  be  a  minister  of  good.  Eminent 
intellect  without  character  is  mischievous.  A  statesman  with  genius  but  without 
character  is  a  calamity  to  the  State.  The  creative  genius  may  leave  behind  im- 
perishable works  in  hterature  and  art,  but  if  he  be  mean  and  unclean  he  will  leave 
a  heritage  of  evil.  It  is  inevitable  that  the  service  of  man  be  the  peculiar  pre- 
rogative of  the  good.  The  man,  therefore,  that  would  serve  men  in  the  way  of 
Christ  must  have  the  spirit  of  Christ.  Mere  decent,  responsible,  respectable,  con- 
ventional formalism  will  not  do.  It  is  not  enough  to  stand  aloof  from  the  man  that 
does  evil.  It  is  necessary  that  we  take  the  man's  soul  into  our  own  and  save  him,  if 
need  be,  by  our  very  death.     II.  By  what  means,  conditions,  motives  mat  a  man 

BE     made — AS   TO    CHARACTER,    THE    BEST   POSSIBLE    THAT    HE    MAY     BE — AS     TO    SERVICE, 

THE  MOST  FIT  AND  EFFICIENT.  Take — 1.  The  love  of  wealth,  not  of  money — the 
greedy  passion  of  the  miser,  but  love  of  wealth  which  treats  money  as  a  means  of 
distribution.  Look  at  the  immense  factory  with  its  thousands  of  operatives,  filling 
so  many  homes  with  comfort,  so  many  mouths  with  bread.  Look  at  the  great  ships 
as  they  bear  from  distant  lands  to  this,  or  from  this  to  distant  lands,  commodities 
enriching,  gladdening  life.  There  is  wonderful  power  in  wealth  used  as  a  means ; 
but  mark,  to  be  good,  it  is  necessary — (1)  That  it  be  in  the  hands  of  a  good  man.  A 
bad  man  behind  wealth  uses  it  only  to  the  deterioration  of  the  world.  (2)  That  it 
be  distributed.  Accumulated  wealth  is  not  accumulated  weal.  A  few  rich  men  do 
not  make  a  rich  or  a  contented  people.  2.  Love  of  power — the  desire  both  to  make 
and  to  be  a  law  that  men  shall  obey.  A  statesman,  patriotic,  makes  laws  that  he 
may  secure  the  greatest  blessing  to  the  individual  and  to  the  collective  people.  The 
statesman,  ambitious,  makes  laws  to  serve  his  own  ends,  sacrifices  what  was  meant 
for  mankind  to  his  own  personal  good.  The  merely  ambitious  soldier  looks  at  the 
army  he  commands  as  an  immense  machine,  only  to  be  used  that  it  may  be  hurled 
against  a  similar  machine,  so  as  to  break  it  without  itself  being  broken.  The  soldier 
patriotic  thinks  that  every  man  in  that  vast  army  is  a  conscious  spirit,  a  centre  of 
influence,  needing,  if  possible,  to  be  saved.  The  one  says  with  Napoleon,  "  Eussian 
Campaign  !  what  of  it?  It  cost  me  only  three  thousand  men,"  careless  of  the  men, 
careful  of  himself.  The  other,  like  the  hero  of  Sempach,  will  gather  a  sheaf  of 
Austrian  spears  into  his  breast  that  the  rank  of  the  enemy  may  be  broken  and  the 
land  saved.  Love  of  power  blesses  man  only  when  in  the  presence  of  a  great  love  it 
is  glorified  into  patriotism,  philanthropy.  3.  The  love  of  culture.  Its  great  apostle 
tells  us  that  its  function  is  criticism  of  life.  What  that  means  we  know.  A  man 
trained  to  enjoy  the  art  and  literature  of  past  and  present,  made  toward  his  meaner 
fellows  finical,  hypercritical,  helping  them  only  by  sardonic  sarcasm.  In  culture 
there  may  be  the  training  of  a  character  to  a  nobler,  while  self-conscious,  enjoy- 
ment, but  not  to  the  large,  devoted  service  that  seeks  the  saving  of  men.  4.  But 
may  you  not  drill  a  man  into  service  of  his  kind  by  terror  ?  What  makes  a  coward 
unmakes  a  man  of  him  ;  what  compels  a  man  to  a  service  which  he  does  not  love, 
makes  him  impotent  for  good.  In  fear  there  is  no  power  to  create  the  man  that  can 
regenerate  the  world.  III.  Let  us  go  on  now  to  some  typical  cases  th.\t  illus- 
trate   THE   action    of    THOSE   PRINCIPLES    AND    MOTIVES    IMPLIED    IN     THE     LOVE     OF 

Christ.  1.  Here  are  three  men.  Look  at  them  before  the  love  finds  them.  Peter 
is  a  bronzed,  hard-handed,  brawny  fisherman.  He  knows  Jerusalem,  has  heard  of 
Eome  and,  perhaps,  of  Athens  ;  but  cannot  tell  what  they  mean.  He  is  a  man  who 
owns,  perhaps,  his  boat  and  his  nets,  and  thinks  himself  happy  indeed  if  he  lands  a 
draught  of  fishes.  There  he  is — familiar  figure.  Here  now  is  John — more  favoured 
by  nature,  radiant  of  face,  clear  of  brow.     Still,  he  is  but  the  fisherman's  son. 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  275- 

destined  fisherman  to  be — to  be  a  husband,  a  father ;  known  to  his  sons  and  grand- 
sons, then  forgotten.  And  here  is  Paul,  tent-maker,  skilled  in  the  law  and  history 
of  his  people.     He,  left  as  he  is,  would  become  a  name  with  Gamaliel  or  Hillel. 

2.  Mark  how  the  love  of  Christ  comes  to  and  acts  on  these  men.  It  lays  hold  on 
that  Peter.  Suddenly  he  becomes  a  leader  of  men,  who  stands  undismayed  before 
the  priests  and  rulers.  And  this  John  becomes  a  great  interpreter,  historian, 
thinker,  and  ages  sit  at  his  feet  and  dwell  on  his  words.  And  Paul,  converted, 
made  missionary,  in  prisons  oft,  stripes  many,  stoned,  afflicted,  &c.,  still  snatches 
moments  amid  his  career  to  speak  over  the  ages  words  that  live  as  veritable  spirit 
and  power.  3.  This  love  acts  in  each  of  the  men  in  its  own  particular  fashion. 
Peter  it  makes  a  legislator  and  leader  of  men,  and  people  say,  "  How  great  is  Peter ! " 
But  how  different  John !  The  Saviour  says,  "  Son,  behold  Thy  mother."  While 
Peter  had  charge  of  the  sheep  and  of  the  lambs,  John  had  charge  of  the  mother,  and 
that  seemed  all.  But  this  educated  John  till,  through  the  mother's  love  for  him  and 
his  love  to  the  mother,  he  came  to  understand  as  no  other  man  did  the  Saviour's 
love  to  the  world,  the  Father's  love  to  the  Son.  Then  look  at  Paul.  He,  a  trained 
Pharisee,  comes  and  sees  all  history,  all  men,  all  time,  in  the  light  of  Christ.  Law 
and  gospel,  first  and  second  man,  grace  and  sin,  faith  and  works,  all,  as  it  were, 
came  through  him  into  articulate  expression ;  and  he  shows  the  love  making  the 
preacher,  the  missionary,  the  thinker,  all  in  one.  4.  Now  these  three  men  are 
typical  men.  The  love  that  worked  that  change  in  them  is  a  love  working  still. 
Other  loves  lose  their  presence  and  potency  over  men.  This  love,  never.  This  age 
has  seen  no  more  wonderful  discovery  than  that  of  the  conservation  and  correlation 
of  the  physical  forces,  no  atom  ever  destroyed,  every  atom  ever  in  process  of  change^ 
But  think  of  this  grand  moral  dynamic,  one  in  essence,  indestructible  in  being, 
infinite  in  the  variety  of  its  forms,  which  we  call  the  love  of  Christ.  It  took  shape 
in  the  apostles.  Since  then  it  has  created  saints  and  heroes,  who  have  stood  like 
Athanasius  against  the  world,  or  like  Knox,  who  never  feared  the  face  of  men,  and 
thinkers  like  Augustine,  Aquinas,  and  Calvin.  It  has  entered  into  the  spirit  of 
reformers,  and  it  has  made  men  hke  Luther  and  Zwingle  stand  up  to  change  the 
destiny  of  people  and  introduce  a  newer  and  grander  day.  It  has  created  great 
preachers,  like  Howe  and  Bunyan  and  Wesley.  IV.  How  is  it  that  this  love 
HAS  accomplished  SO  MUCH  ?  1.  Mark.  Love  is  an  old  thing.  Christ  did  not 
make  it,  but  found  it  the  most  universal  and  most  potent  force  in  the  world.  But 
ere  He  had  come  one  thing  love  had  never  done.  Lover  to  lover  had  been  dear. 
But  man  as  man  had  not  been  served  through  love.  And  yet  without  love  men 
cannot  be  served.  It  needs  not  that  we  hate — it  needs  only  that  we  be  void  of 
affection,  to  be  unable  to  serve.  2.  But  look  how  hard  it  is  to  love.  See  nations, 
kin,  speaking  the  same  speech,  under  the  same  institutions,  divided  by  a  strip  of 
silver  sea,  face  to  face,  but  disaffected  towards  each  other.  Why  come  wars  and 
fightings?  Nations  do  not  love  each  other.  Classes  are  divided.  Here  stands 
culture  contemptuous  to  ignorance,  and  vice  versa.  Here  is  capital  looking  askance 
at  labour.  There  is  labour  making  wealth,  jealous  of  the  accumulated  wealth  it  has 
seen  made.    And  see  how  men,  for  moral  reasons,  are  unable  to  love  each  other. 

3.  Now  mark  how  Christ  accomplished  this  grand  impossibility  of  love.  He  came, 
and  He  made  love  to  Him  become  love  to  all  men.  Love  to  persons  means  the 
desire  to  possess  the  person  loved.  Love  to  Christ  means  a  passion  to  make  men 
possess  Him.  There  is  no  nation  or  class  in  Him.  There  is  humanity.  In  loving 
Him  you  love  the  very  worst  as  well  as  the  best.  4.  But  so  far  we  have  been  only 
stating  fact.     We  have  not  yet  got  the  why.     Mark,  the  love  that  is  in  Christ  is— 

(1)  God's  love,  made  real,  living  love  on  earth  for  men.  Some  men  think  that  they 
could  learn  God's  love  apart  from  Christ.  Could  they?  Did  they  ere  He  came? 
Can  they  now  He  has  come  ?  "  This  world  is  very  lovely.  O  my  God,  I  thank 
Thee  that  I  live."  And  'tis  so  lovely  to  stand  on  mountain  peak  at  break  of  day, 
and  see  from  out  the  east  the  glorious  sunrise  bringing  light  and  health  and  beauty 
in  his  beams.  But  carry  to  the  mountain  summit  a  man  who  has  just  left  the  bed 
of  death,  where  the  dearest  of  earth  to  him  doth  lie.  What  would  the  man  say  ? 
But  place  him  in  sight  of  the  love  of  Christ  and  you  place  him  in  the  very  heart 
of  God.     The  Man  of  Sorrows  makes  to  the  man  in  sorrow  God  come  divinely  near. 

(2)  The  very  love  that  made  and  the  very  end  that  was  purposed  for  the  world.  The 
love  that  made  the  world  gave  the  Son.  Is  not  the  giver  ever  greater  than  the  thing 
given  ?  The  love  of  God  gave  its  dignity  to  the  gift  of  God.  Without  the  love  how  ever 
was  the  gift  possible?  (3)  Love  to  God  as  a  person.  To  God's  Son  as  a  person. 
There  cannot  be  love  to  aught  but  persons.  Devotion  to  a  cause  is  not  love  to  Christ, 


276  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

not  even  if  the  cause  be  named  a  church.  The  cause  must  be  impersonated.  (4)  God's 
love  sacrificial,  painful,  pitiful,  redemptive.  It  Ufts  us  into  the  nature  of  God  and 
makes  us  see  God,  how  He  feels  pity,  suffers  sacrifice.  {A.  M.  Fairhairn,  D.D.) 
Under  constraint  :—I.  Under  constraint.  Here  is  a  man  who  beyond  all  others 
enjoyed  the  gi-eatest  spiritual  liberty,  glorying  that  he  is  under  constraint.  1.  A 
great  force  held  him  under  its  power.  "  Constraineth."  (1)  Consider  the  various 
meanings  of  the  word  "  constrain."  "  Restrain. "  (a)  The  love  of  God  "  restrains  " 
from  seh-seeking,  and  forbids  the  pursuit  of  any  object  but  the  highest,  (b)  The 
believer  is  "  coerced  or  pressed,"  and  so  impelled  forward  as  one  carried  along  by 
pressure,  (c)  Christ's  love  "keeps  us  employed";  for  we  are  carried  forward  to 
diligence  by  it.  (d)  The  Lord's  servants  are  "  kept  together  and  held  as  a  band" 
under  a  standard.  "  His  banner  over  me  was  love."  (e)  All  their  energies  are 
"  pressed  into  one  channel,  and  made  to  move  "  by  the  love  of  Christ.  (2)  All  great 
lives  have  been  under  the  constraint  of  some  mastering  principle.  A  man  who  is 
everything  by  turns  and  nothing  long  is  a  nobody :  but  a  man,  even  for  mischief, 
becomes  great  when  he  becomes  concentrated.  What  made  Alexander  but  the 
absorption  of  his  whole  mind  in  the  desire  for  conquest  ?  Hence  come  your  Caesars 
and  your  Napoleons — they  are  whole  men  in  their  ambition.  When  you  carry  this 
thought  into  a  holier  sphere  the  same  fact  is  clear.  Howard  could  never  have  been 
the  great  philanthropist  if  he  had  not  been  strangely  under  the  witchery  of  love  to 
prisoners.  Whitfield  and  Wesley  had  but  one  thought,  and  that  was  to  win  souls 
for  Christ.  (3)  Now,  this  kind  of  constraint  implies  no  compulsion,  and  involves 
no  bondage.  It  is  the  highest  order  of  freedom ;  for  when  a  man  does  exactly  what 
he  likes  he  expresses  his  delight  generally  in  language  similar  to  that  of  my  text. 
Though  he  is  perfectly  free  to  leave  it,  he  will  commonly  declare  that  he  cannot 
leave  it.  When  the  love  of  Christ  constrains  us  we  have  not  ceased  to  be  voluntary 
agents  ;  we  are  never  so  free  as  when  we  are  under  bonds  to  Christ.  2.  The  con- 
straining force  was  the  love  of  Christ.  That  love,  according  to  our  text,  is  strongest 
when  seen  in  His  dying  for  men.  Think  of  this  love  tiU  you  feel  its  constraining 
influence.  It  was  love  (1)  Eternal ;  (2)  Unselfish ;  (3)  Most  free  and  spontaneous ; 
(4)  Most  persevering ;  (5)  Infinite,  inconceivable !  It  passeth  the  love  of  women 
and  the  love  of  martyrs.  All  other  lights  of  love  pale  their  ineffectual  brightness 
before  this  blazing  sun  of  love,  whose  warmth  a  man  may  feel,  but  upon  whose 
utmost  light  no  eye  can  gaze.  3.  The  love  of  Christ  operates  upon  us  by  begetting 
in  us  love  to  Him.  "  We  love  Him  because  He  first  loved  us."  (1)  His  person  is  very 
dear  to  us  :  from  His  head  to  His  feet  He  is  altogether  lovely.  We  are  glad  to  be  in 
the  place  of  assembly  when  Jesus  is  within ;  for  whether  on  Tabor  with  two  or  three,  or 
in  the  congregation  of  the  faithful,  when  Jesus  is  present  it  is  good  to  be  there.  (2) 
Tour  endeavours  to  spread  the  gospel  show  that  you  love  His  cause.  (3)  As  to  His 
truth,  a  very  great  part  of  our  love  to  Christ  will  show  itseK  by  attachment  to  the 
pure  gospel,  especially  to  that  doctrine  which  is  the  corner-stone  of  all,  namely, 
that  Christ  died  in  the  stead  of  men.  4.  This  force  acts  proportionately  in  believers. 
We  are  all  of  us  alive,  but  the  vigour  of  life  differs  greatly  in  the  consumptive  and 
the  athletic.  You  will  feel  the  power  of  the  love  of  Christ  in  your  soul  in  proportion 
■ — (1)  As  you  know  it.  Study,  then,  the  love  of  Christ.  (2)  To  your  sense  of  it. 
Knowing  is  well,  but  enjoyment  as  the  result  of  believing  is  better.  (3)  To  the 
grace  which  dwells  within  you.  You  may  measure  your  grace  by  the  power  which 
the  love  of  Christ  has  over  you.  (4)  To  your  Christ-likeness.  5.  It  wiU  operate  after  its 
kind.  Forces  work  according  to  their  nature.  He  who  feels  Christ's  love  acts  as  Christ 
acted.  (1)  If  thou  dost  really  feel  the  love  of  Christ  in  making  a  sacrifice  of  Him- 
self thou  wilt  make  a  sacrifice  of  thyself.  (2)  If  the  love  of  Christ  constrain  you  it 
will  make  you  love  others,  specially  those  who  have  no  apparent  claim  upon  you, 
but  who,  on  the  contrary,  deserve  your  censure.  I  do  not  know  how  else  we  could 
care  for  some,  if  it  were  not  that  Jesus  teaches  us  to  despise  and  despair  of  none. 
(3)  The  love  of  Jesus  Christ  was  a  practical  love.  II.  This  constraint  was  justified 
BY  THE  apostle's  UNDERSTANDING.  "  The  love  of  Christ  constraineth,  because  we 
thus  judge."  When  understanding  is  the  basis  of  affection,  then  a  man's  heart  is 
fixed  and  his  conduct  exemplary.  Paul's  judgment  was  as  the  brazen  altar,  cold 
and  hard,  but  on  it  he  laid  the  coals  of  burning  affection,  vehement  enough  in  their 
flame  to  consume  everything.  So  it  ought  to  be  with  us.  Paul  recognised — 1. 
Substitution.  "  One  died  for  all."  This  is  the  very  sinew  of  Christian  effort.  Did 
He  die  for  me  ?  Then  His  love  hath  mastered  me,  and  henceforth  it  holds  me  as 
its  willing  captive.  2.  Union  to  Christ.  "  If  one  died  for  all,  then  the  all  died." 
Conclusions :  1.  How  different  is  the  inference  of  the  apostle  from  that  of  many 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  277 

professors!  They  say,  "If  Christ  died  once  for  all,  then  I  am  saved,  and  may  sit 
down  in  comfort  and  enjoy  myself,  for  there  is  no  need  for  effort  or  thought."  2. 
How  much  more  ennobling  is  the  apostle's  than  that  of  those  who  do  give  to  the 
cause  of  God  and  serve  Him  after  a  fashion,  but  still  the  main  thought  of  their 
life  is  not  Christ  nor  His  service,  but  the  gaining  of  wealth  or  success  in  their  pro- 
fession 1  The  chief  aim  of  all  of  us  should  be  nothing  of  self,  but  serving  Christ. 
3.  Such  a  pursuit  as  this  is  much  more  peace-giving  to  the  spirit.  If  you  live  for 
Chi'ist,  and  for  Christ  alone,  all  the  carpings  of  men  or  devils  will  never  cast  you 
down.  4.  A  life  spent  for  Jesus  only  is  far  more  worth  looking  back  upon  at  the 
last  than  any  other.  If  you  call  yourselves  Christians  how  will  you  judge  a  life 
spent  in  money-making  ?  (C.  H.  Spunjeon.)  Love  and  obedience  to  Christ : — 
Consider : — I.  Take  some  account  of  Christ's  love  to  us,  which  is  the  foundation 
AND  cause  of  our  LOVE  TO  HiM.  Noticc  the  instances  of  His  love  hinted  at.  1.  That 
Christ  died  for  us  (John  xv.  13 ;  Kom.  v.  6).  2.  That  He  rose  again.  This  was 
designed  for  our  advantage  (Eom.  iv.  25).  As  His  suffering  and  death  were  for  the 
payment  of  our  debt,  so  His  resurrection  was  in  order  to  our  discharge.  He  arose 
and  went  to  heaven,  there  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us,  and  to  prepare  a 
place  there  for  His  followers.  3.  That  He  died  and  rose  again  that  we  might  live  ; 
that  is,  that  we  might  be  acquitted  from  our  guilt,  delivered  from  condemnation, 
be  renewed  to  a  spiritual  life  of  holiness,  and  be  raised  at  last  to  heaven.  II.  Our 
LOVE  TO  Christ  which  is  the  fruit  of  His  love  to  us.  Christ  will  own  none  for 
His  friends  who  love  Him  not  (1  Cor.  xvi.  22 ;  Luke  xiv.  26  ;  Matt.  x.  37).  III. 
The  genuine  and  powerful  effect  of  this  love.  It  will  constrain  us  to  live  unto 
Him,  which  implies — 1.  Obedience  to  His  will  (John  xiv.  15,  21,  23).  This  obedience 
must  be — (1)  Willing  and  hearty  obedience.  Not  like  that  of  slaves  to  a  tyrant, 
where  the  only  motive  to  obey  is  fear  of  punishment.  Of  this  sort  is  all  the  obedi- 
ence which  wicked  men  pay  to  Christ.  (2)  Sincere  and  universal  to  all  Christ's 
commandments,  without  any  exception.  I  do  not  mean  that  it  will  be  perfect ;  but  yet 
true  love  will  not  knowingly  allow  of  any  defect  in  obedience.  (3)  Like  its  principle, 
constant  and  persevering.  We  shall  not  obey  Him  by  fits  and  starts.  Obedience  may 
possibly  admit  of  some  interruptions,  but  it  will  never  be  laid  aside.  2.  Zealous  for 
His  interest  and  honour.  Here  it  will  be  proper  to  consider— (1)  The  nature  of 
zeal  for  Christ.  Zeal  is  the  natural  fervour  of  the  mind  when  it  is  very  earnest  in 
any  pursuit.  Sometimes  it  is  a  very  bad  thing  ;  but  when  it  is  under  the  influence 
of  Divine  grace,  and  directed  to  a  right  object,  it  is  then  exceeding  good  (Gal.  iv. 
18).  Christ  Himself  was  a  pattern  to  us  of  holy  zeal  (John  ii.  17).  Let  the  same 
mind  be  in  us  which  was  also  in  Jesus  Christ — particularly  (a)  Grief  and  resentment 
at  any  injuries  which  are  done  to  His  honour.  A  warm  love  to  Christ  wiU  make 
His  honour  and  interest  as  dear  to  us  as  our  own.  (b)  Courage  in  Christ's  cause, 
as  Christ's  zeal  for  His  Father's  honour  inspired  Him  with  courage  to  drive  out  the 
profaners  of  the  Temple.  Such  was  the  zeal  of  the  apostles  (Acts  iv.  19,  20; 
xxi.  13).  (c)  Diligence  in  using  all  proper  means  to  gain  over  subjects  to  Christ's 
kingdom  and  converts  to  His  gospel,  (d)  Joy  in  the  advancement  of  His  kingdom 
and  interest.  (2)  Motives  and  reasons  for  this  zeal.  Consider — (a)  How  zealous 
Christ  has  been  and  is  for  you  and  your  interest.  He  died  for  you.  (b)  How  little 
all  you  can  do  for  Christ  will  amount  unto,  and  what  a  mean  and  poor  requital  it 
will  be  for  His  love,  (c)  How  zealous  the  devU  and  his  agents  are  against  Christ, 
and  to  hinder  the  advancement  of  His  kingdom,  and  should  not  we  be  at  least  as 
zealous  to  promote  it  ?  {d)  How  Christ  will  nobly  requite  your  zeal  for  Him  another 
day  (Matt.  x.  32 ;  Luke  xii.  8).  (D.  Jennings.)  The  Christian's  secret : — When 
■we  see  a  successful  life  we  are  always  curious  to  know  what  is  the  secret  of  it.  You 
see  a  man  who  is  successful  in  business,  and  you  wonder  what  are  the  qualities  in 
him  -which  make  him  the  successful  man  he  is.  The  motive  power  of  life  is  love. 
1.  Some  Christians  make  the  secret  of  their  life  fear.  What  a  horrible  thing  to  live 
with  nothing  but  that  fear  of  death  to  keep  a  man  away  from  the  slough  of 
animaUsm !  2.  And  the  motive  power  of  a  Christian  life  is  not  conscience.  A  few 
years  ago  a  young  man  who  was  going  to  enter  the  ministry  as  an  apostle  of  ethical 
culture  came  to  see  me,  and  we  talked  his  ministry  over.  He  told  me  he  was  going 
down  into  one  of  the  wards  of  New  York  City  to  work  for  the  regeneration  of  men. 
He  said :  "I  do  not  want  merely  to  make  them  happier ;  I  want  to  make  them 
really  better."  I  asked  him :  "  What  is  the  power  on  which  you  rely  to  make  them 
better  ?  "  "I  shall  appeal  to  their  sense  of  right ;  I  shall  not  appeal  to  anything 
else,  but  I  shall  try  to  show  them  that  they  ought  to  be  righteous  because  it  is 
righteous,  they  ought  to  do  right  because  it  is  right."     He  was  going  to  build  his 


278  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  v, 

religion  on  what  ?  Love  ?  No !  On  conscience.  Judaism,  Puritanism,  and 
Ethical  Culture  are  incarnate  conscience.  Christianity  is  incarnate  love.  A  man 
may  conform  to  law  because  it  is  righteous  law ;  but  he  cannot  love  the  law.  You 
cannot  love  an  abstraction.  3.  Thus  over  against  the  life  that  is  keyed  to  fear  and 
the  hfe  that  is  keyed  to  conscience  Paul  puts  the  life  that  is  keyed  to  love.  "  The 
love  of  Christ  constraineth  us."  I  want  to  trace  the  way  in  which  that  love  grows- 
up  in  a  human  soul.  The  child  begins  by  loving  her  father  or  her  mother.  The 
child  sees  righteousness,  truth,  purity,  patience,  fidelity,  love,  in  that  father,  that 
mother.  And  this  child  who  sees  in  the  father  the  Christly  quality,  but  does  not 
know  it  is  Christly,  and  begins  to  love,  is  already  loving  Christ,  though  it  is  the 
Christ  in  fragment,  the  Christ  in  a  hint.  This  child  goes  out  into  life,  Uttle  by 
little,  and  learns  that  love  is  larger  than  she  thought.  She  learns  that  father  and 
mother  do  not  incarnate  all  the  phases  of  love.  Love  is  not  confined  to  the  few. 
There  are  other  husbands  that  love,  other  fathers  that  love,  other  mothers  that 
love,  other  phases  of  love.  No  one  soul  can  teach  aU  the  lessons  of  love.  The 
length  and  breadth  and  height  of  love — how  large  it  is,  how  multiplex  it  is  !  Learning 
this,  she  learns  to  love  also,  bears  burdens  and  learns  the  patience  of  love,  finds  the 
opportunity  to  do  good  and  learns  the  service  of  love.  For  we  learn  love  only  by 
loving.  Many  stop  there.  They  have  learned  the  love  which  we  call  philanthropy. 
But  they  do  not  know  that  which  lies  beyond  and  is  greater  than  all,  because  it  la 
in  all — the  love  of  God,  the  love  of  Christ.  And  so  they  walk  always,  it  seems  ta 
me,  in  a  certain  sadness  or  possibility  of  sadness.  I  took  my  Greek  Concordance 
the  other  day  to  see  what  this  word  "  constrains  "  means ;  and,  instead  of  looking  up 
the  classical  Greek,  I  looked  to  see  how  it  was  used  elsewhere  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. And  at  first  I  said,  I  am  not  getting  much  light  from  this  investigation.  I 
turned  to  one  incident  where  it  is  said  "  the  crowd  thronged  Jesus  Christ,"  and  I 
found  the  word  "thronged"  was  the  same  as  the  word  "constrained."  And  I 
turned  to  another  passage  where  it  was  said  that  "  the  soldiers  came  and  took  Jesus 
Christ,"  and  I  found  the  word  "  took  "  was  the  same  as  the  word  in  our  text — 
"  constrained."  And  I  came  to  another  passage  where  it  is  said  that  "  a  woman 
was  sick  with  a  great  fever,"  and  I  found  the  word  "  sick  "  was  the  same  as  the 
word  here  "  constrained."  This  seemed  at  first  strange.  But  pondering  made  it 
clear.  Our  text  is  an  illustration  of  St.  Paul's  genius  of  talking  in  metaphor,  for 
Paul  was  a  poet  and  broke  through  the  rules  of  rhetoric  because  his  spirit  was  too 
strong  to  be  caged  by  language.  Paul  is  the  poet,  and  it  is  the  poet  that  speaks  here 
of  love.  Love  is  a  crowd.  Love  from  father,  from  mother,  from  brother,  from 
sister,  from  brethren,  throngs  all  about  Paul,  and  carries  him,  as  it  were,  off  his 
feet,  as  a  man  is  taken  by  a  great  crowd  and  forced  along  the  highway.  Love  is  a 
soldier ;  it  has  come  and  laid  violent  hands  upon  Paul ;  and  he  is  no  longer  his  own 
master.  Love  is  his  master.  Love  has  captured  him,  taken  him  prisoner ;  Love 
does  with  him  what  he  will.  Do  not  be  troubled  if  you  do  not  have  the  full  experi- 
ence of  Paul  at  the  beginning  of  your  life.  Have  you  money,  and  do  you  wonder 
what  you  shall  do  with  it?  Let  love  tell  you.  Have  you  a  Mttle  time  this  week, 
and  do  you  wish  to  know  what  you  shaU  do  with  it  ?  Let  love  teU  you.  Have  you 
a  friend  who  has  done  wrong  to  you,  and  you  wonder  what  you  ought  to  do  ?  Let 
love  tell  you.  Are  you  questioning  what  course  in  life  you  shall  take  ?  Let  love 
tell  you.  [Lyman  Abbott,  D.D.)  Christian  enthusiasm: — 1.  If  enthusiasm  be 
right  in  any  case,  it  is  more  than  justifiable  in  the  Christian.  In  such  a  career  as 
his,  it  is  impious  to  be  calm,  if  cahnness  be  coldness.  2.  Now  Paul  was  an  enthu- 
siast. Young  Saul,  the  pupil  of  Gamaliel,  the  Pharisee,  the  persecutor,  was  an 
enthusiast.  And  Paul,  the  convert,  preacher,  missionary,  is  an  enthusiast  still. 
With  this  difference,  that  the  fire  now  burning  on  the  altar  of  his  heart  is  heaven- 
kindled,  sustained,  and  attracted.  3.  There  were  two  classes  who  did  not  appre- 
ciate Paul's  enthusiasm  ;  men  of  no  reMgion  at  all,  like  Festus,  and  false  brethren. 
While  Festus  said,  "  Paul,  thou  art  beside  thyself,"  persons  connected  with  the 
Church  at  Corinth  said  the  same.  Paul's  defence  was  that  whether  sober  or  mad 
the  love  of  Christ  constrained  him.  Consider — I.  The  love  of  Christ,  i.e.,  the 
love  in  Christ  which  begets  love  for  Christ.  1.  The  love  which  is  in  Christ  is  the 
love  of  God  united  with  the  love  of  man.  Like  a  stream  which  starts  from  inacces- 
sible mountains,  and  on  some  distant  plain  joins  itself  to  some  small  rivulet,  in  the 
love  of  Christ  there  is  everlasting,  self-existent.  Almighty  love ;  yet  minghng  with 
it  is  a  love  begotten  and  limited  by  the  constitution  of  human  nature.  The  love  of 
Christ,  as  Divine,  is  like  the  sun,  distant,  vast,  and  commanding  ;  yet  like  the  fires 
that  blaze  on  our  hearths  in  winter,  cheerful,  accessible,  and  inviting.    It  is  like  m 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  279 

great  mountain  almost  defying  us  to  climb  ;  and  yet  like  green  pastures  at  our  feet, 
tempting  us  to  lie  down.  2.  Oh,  that  we  could  comprehend  this  "  love  of  Christ 
which  passeth  knowledge !  "  In  one  sense  we  do  know  it.  We  know  what  Christ 
did :  "  went  about  doing  good."  We  know  why  Christ  suffered :  "  to  bring  us  to 
God."  But  how  much  is  there,  even  connected  with  these  things,  which  surpasseth 
knowledge  ;  and  what  less  can  he  who  hears  of  Christ's  love  say,  than,  "  Lord,  Thou 
knowest  all  things.  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee"  ?  As  fire  spreads  fire,  if  it  come 
in  contact  with  any  inflammable  material,  so  love  begets  love  in  the  hearts  which 
are  susceptible  of  love.  3.  Now  love  to  Christ  is  awakened  by  the  love  of  Christ. 
In  the  first  instance  our  love  is  simple  gratitude  ;  but  very  soon  it  becomes  delight, 
loyalty,  friendship,  complacency.  And  then  it  increases  with  our  faith,  and  with 
its  own  manifestations.  II.  The  effect  it  produces.  What  does  Paul  mean  by 
constraineth  ?  That  it  held  him  to  one  object  of  life,  that  one  object  being  Christ, 
and  it  shut  him  up  to  one  course  of  conduct.  The  love  of  Christ  laid  hold  of  the 
man's  mind  and  kept  his  thinking  faculty  moving.  It  supplied  him  with  motives. 
It  quickened  his  conscience,  commanded  his  will,  lifted  up  and  cast  down  emotions, 
formed  his  character,  directed  his  conduct,  and  moulded  his  entire  life.  1.  Now  no 
man  need  aspire  to  the  apostleship  in  order  to  be  a  constant  and  devoted  servant  of 
Jesus.  Martha  and  Mary  were  as  much  constrained  by  the  love  of  our  Saviour  as 
was  Paul.  What  we  need  is  not  a  change  of  sphere,  but  a  change  of  influence 
upon  us.  And  the  great  influence  to  move  you  in  your  sphere,  is  the  love  of  Christ. 
2.  How  does  the  love  of  Christ  constrain  you  ?  And  are  you  sometimes  misunder- 
stood because  of  this  ?  Do  you  please  the  men  who  are  trying  to  make  a  com- 
promise between  ungodly  and  Christian  principle  ?  Ai-e  you  at  rest  in  their  society, 
and  are  they  at  ease  in  yours  ?  If  this  be  the  case  you  are  not  what  Paul  was  when 
he  penned  these  words.  Your  career  is  not  like  that  of  a  planet  commanded  and 
controlled  by  the  sun ;  but  that  of  the  iceberg — always  ice — only  sometimes  ice 
thawing  and  melting  upon  the  surface.  And  shall  this  sort  of  being  put  himself 
forward  as  a  Christian  ?  Shall  this  man  ever  be  misinterpreted  ?  What  is  there  to 
perplex  one  ?  A  man  with  no  religious  excitement  cannot  be  a  Christian.  What  is 
this  gospel  but  feeling,  passion,  from  beginning  to  end  ?  It  comes  gushing  out  of 
the  very  heart  of  God.  "  God  is  love,"  and  God  so  loved  the  world,  &o.  Can  I 
believe  this  without  feeling  ?  I  may  make  it  part  of  my  creed  without  feeling. 
But  can  I  Uve  upon  it  without  feeling?  The  coldest  piece  of  humanity  must 
be  warmed  by  the  gospel  if  it  be  believed.  Conclusion : — Use  this  subject  for 
personal  examination.  Do  ask,  what  have  I  in  this  heart  of  mine  ?  Have  I 
fire,  or  have  I  ice?  Apply  the  remedy.  Believe  the  good  news  now.  (S.  Martin.) 
One  died  for  all. — The  ethical  value  of  the  atonement : — I.  But  first  of  all  I  would 
have  you  consider  the  ethical  value  of  the  fact  of  the  atonement.  What  I  mean 
by  that  is,  the  ethical  significance  of  the  atonement  itself  considered  apart  from  our 
apprehension  of  it  and  belief  in  it.  What  was  there  of  ethical  life  and  force  essen- 
tially involved  in  the  atonement  ?  Is  it  a  merely  legal  and  technical  fact,  external 
to  'all  life — something  that  men  can  brush  aside  and  say,  We  can  do  without  it  ? 
Or  is  it  a  manifestation  of  the  ethical  life  of  God,  creation's  fundamental  ethical 
fact,  replete  with  ethical  forces?  1.  Observe,  first,  that  the  act  of  atonement  is 
deep-set  in  the  ethical  life  of  God.  It  is  the  expression,  and  of  course  the  natural 
expression,  of  infinite  love.  It  is  simply  the  ethical  life  of  the  Infinite  acting  out  its 
own  iimer  fulness  under  the  special  conditions  of  a  fallen  world.  The  self-sacrificing 
love  of  Christ  is  actually  the  self-sacrificing  love  of  God.  God  proves  that  He  can 
really  love  by  revealing  the  power  of  self-sacrifice.  The  underlying  source  of  all 
ethical  life  is  the  rich  self-sacrificing  life  of  God  as  revealed  in  Christ.  To  deny 
that  God  is  capable  of  sacrifice  is  to  deny  that  He  is  an  ethical  Being.  If  God  is 
love,  then  it  must  be  possible  for  Him  to  resort  to  sacrifice,  if  necessary,  to  save  the 
world.  2.  The  atonement  was  accomplished  through  the  medium  of  ethical  forces. 
I  want  you  to  notice  these  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  verses  very  carefully,  in  order 
that  you  may  bear  in  mind  what  I  mean.  So  you  perceive  that  the  atonement  was 
not  merely  a  legal  act ;  it  was  God's  life  coming  into  our  life.  Not  God  sending 
His  Son  to  stand  outside  of  our  life,  and  then  pouring  wrath  down  upon  Him 
straight  from  heaven.  There  is  no  life,  no  power  in  that  conception.  That  is  not 
true  atonement.  There  is  yet  another  step  along  the  path  of  ethical  force.  Accord- 
ing to  the  Scriptures  there  have  come  into  the  human  race  new  and  infinite  ethical 
forces  through  the  Atonement.  After  sin  had  come  into  the  world,  man  was  ren- 
dered incapable  in  himself  of  ethical  life.  Sin  brought  in  death  and  complete 
moral  impotency.     Then  Christ  came  and  linked  Himself  to  the  universal  life  of 


280  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

humanity.  When  He  came  He  stood  agamst  the  surging  tide  of  human  sin,  He 
bore  the  terrible  onset  of  it  in  His  own  life,  standing  as  "  the  Son  of  Man  "  in  the 
centre  of  the  terrible  tumult.  Then  with  infinite  power  He  sent  the  tide  back,  and 
brought  humanity  into  the  possibility  of  life  again.  Herein  lies  the  ethical  reality 
of  the  atonement — of  the  great  sacrifice  in  which  the  Son  of  God  suffered  for  the 
sins  of  the  world.  Through  that  expiation,  and  only  through  that,  has  spiritual  life 
and  power  become  possible  for  man.  H.  So  much  for  the  fact  of  the  atonement, 
the  ethical  significance  that  appertains  to  it,  and  the  ethical  force  that  pervades  the 
whole  of  it.  If  this  is  true,  if  the  fact  of  the  Atonement  is  in  very  deed  the  basis  of 
all  ethical  possibility,  then  it  is  natural  to  expect  that  belief  in  the  Atonement 

WILL  be  a  powerful  INSPIRATION  AND  INCENTIVE  TO  ETHICAL  LIFE.       And  We  shall    find 

that  it  is  SO.  1.  First  of  all,  the  consciousness  of  sin  produced  by  the  idea  of  the 
atonement  is  a  mighty  impulse  and  incentive  to  ethical  life.  Which  do  you  think 
of  two  men  is  likely  to  struggle  with  intensity  of  purpose  against  temptations  to  sin — 
the  man  that  thmks  sin  means  death,  the  man  that  believes  it  was  arrested  on  its 
path,  that  it  is  pardoned,  only  through  the  sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God,  or  the 
man  that  thinks  it  is  only  a  little  imperfection  or  immaturity  that  will  gradually 
whittle  itself  away  ?  Which  do  you  think  of  the  two  is  likely  to  be  the  stronger 
morally  and  spiritually?  2.  Then,  again,  the  idea  of  forgiveness  through  expiation 
is  a  mighty  inspiration  to  ethical  and  spiritual  life.  God  forgives  me  at  great  cost 
to  Himself — that  is  love  indeed !  There  are  people  who  talk  of  the  love  of  God 
that  do  not  know  what  they  mean  by  it.  A  love  that  costs  nothing !  A  love  that  is 
utterly  incapable  of  proving  its  own  existence !  For  these  people  tell  us  that  the 
Infinite  is  incapable  of  the  sacrifices  of  love.  He  can  be  complacent,  kind,  benevo- 
lent ;  He  can  let  your  sin  pass  away,  just  because  He  can  do  it  without  trouble  or 
cost  to  Himself.  Is  that  the  inspiration  that  will  send  the  warm  life-throb  of  grati- 
tude and  love  to  God  leaping  in  our  life,  that  will  fire  us  with  enthusiasm  to  follow 
after  holiness  ?  3.  Then,  again,  the  idea  of  the  proprietary  right  of  Jesus  Christ 
over  us  is  one  of  the  grandest  incentives  to  ethical  life  and  service.  Paul  has 
presented  it  to  us  very  fully  here — "  If  one  died,  then  all  died,"  and  "  He  died  for  all, 
that  they  which  live  shall  not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  Him  which 
died  for  them  and  rose  again."  If  Christ's  death  was  an  atonement,  an  expiation, 
then  you  and  I  died  in  that  death.  We  have  no  life  to  call  our  own  any  more  ;  we 
died  on  His  Cross.  What,  then,  is  our  present  condition  ?  Why,  we  are  Christ's 
own.  The  only  life  we  have  is  the  life  He  has  given  us.  What  right  have  you  to 
serve  yourself  ?  Some  one  may  say  that  we  have  the  conception  of  God's  proprietor- 
ship over  us  apart  from  the  atonement.  But  we  know  from  experience  that  in  a 
fallen  world  Uke  this  the  conception  of  God  as  Creator  is  of  little  ethical  value  until 
it  is  set  in  that  of  God,  the  atoning  Saviour.  There  are  those  that  even  make  their 
creation  into  such  a  world  as  this  a  ground  of  complaint  against  God.  But,  taken 
apart,  there  is  no  comparison  between  their  several  ethical  values.  Our  obligation 
to  the  God  that  created  us  is  vague  and  unimportant  compared  with  our  obligation 
to  the  God  that  redeemed  us  through  sacrifice.  The  life  we  received  from  the  hands 
of  the  Creator  cost  Him  but  little  compared  with  that  we  have  received  from  the 
sacrifice  of  the  atoning  God,  so  the  constraining  love  is  vastly  greater  m  the  latter 
case  than  in  the  former.  4.  Further,  the  conception  of  the  ever-present  living 
Christ  is  full  of  inspiration.  But,  says  some  one,  even  apart  from  the  atonement 
and  apart  from  the  God  manifest  in  Christ,  we  may  feel  that  we  have  the  presence 
of  God  with  us.  What  do  you  know  about  the  ethical  relations  of  the  Almighty 
except  what  you  know  in  Jesus  Christ?  Suppose  God  had  not  revealed  Himself  in 
His  Son,  then  the  vague  conception  of  a  Divine  presence  which  would  have  been 
left  to  us  would  have  afforded  httle  inspu-ation  and  stimulus  to  live  a  holy  life. 
III.  Now,  in  order  to  make  our  examination  quite  complete,  it  is  only  fair  to  see 
what  inspiration  we  can  count  upon — what  ethical  forces  remain  to  us  were  we  to 

LEAVE    out    of   ACCOUNT   THE   INCARNATION  OF    GOD  AND   THE   EXPIATORY  ATONEMENT   OF 

Christ.  There  are  left  to  us  the  following  conceptions — 1.  We  have  remaining, 
first  of  all,  the  belief  in  sin  as  an  imperfection  or  immaturity — the  belief  that  this 
sin  is  not  even  in  itself  an  unmitigated  evil  if  an  evil  at  all — is  only  the  reverse  side 
of  good — that  it  is  as  necessary  in  the  economy  of  God's  world  as  goodness — and  we 
have  only  to  wait  a  little  while  and  it  wiU  pass  away.  How  much  inspiration  for 
effort  is  there  in  that  conception — how  much  inspiration  to  struggle  against  sin  ? 
2.  Further,  if  we  leave  the  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ  out  of  account,  we  have  Jesus 
Christ  left  as  a  pattern  for  us.  I  do  not  undervalue  the  fact  that  the  life  of  Christ 
is  an  ideal  copy.    But  compare  that  with  the  belief  that  that  ideal  life  is  also  a 


CHAP,  v.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  281 

living,  infinite  force  within  you.  3.  Further,  we  have  remaining  the  belief  in  God 
as  the  Father  of  spirits.  I  really  cannot  say  how  much  that  would  mean  if  we 
knew  nothing  about  Jesus  Christ  as  God  incarnate.  It  meant  very  little  to  the 
highest  thought  of  man  in  the  Greek  world  before  Christ  came.  People  who  reject 
the  atonement  of  Christ  have  no  right  to  call  God  Father.  It  is  only  in  Christ  that 
we  know  Him  to  be  Father.  Now,  you  can  comjiare  the  two  sets  of  ideas  as  an 
incentive  to  ethical  life — the  atonement  of  Christ  and  the  ideas  that  circle  around  it, 
and  the  ideas  that  are  left  after  we  have  excluded  the  atonement.  I  am  sure  that  you 
will  all  agree  that  there  is  no  comparison  whatever  between  the  two.  It  is  the 
atonement  of  Christ  and  faith  in  that  atonement  that  is  alone  capable  of  building 
up  the  noblest  ethical  life  of  man.  It  is  not  for  me  to  determme  how  far  ethical 
life  may  co-exist  with  mutilated  notions  of  sin  and  atonement,  with  a  superficial 
and  inadequate  faith  in  God.  It  is  not  for  me  to  make  delicate  estimates  of  all  the 
springs  and  currents  of  human  life.  But  it  is  for  me  to  proclaim  this,  that  no  life 
can  ever  be  ethically  perfected  and  glorified  except  through  the  power  of  the  atone- 
ment. (J.  Thomas,  M. A.)  Then  were  all  dead. — The  fruit  of  ChrisVs  death: — 
When  Christ  died  aU  believers  were  dead  in  Him  to  sin  and  to  the  world.  I.  This 
TRUTH  IS  ASSERTED  IN  ScRiPTURE  (Rom.  vi.  6 ;  1  Pet.  iv.  1 ;  Gal.  ii.  20 ;  Col.  iii.  3-5). 

n.    How  CAN  ALL  BE  SAID  TO  BE  DEAD  WHEN  ChRIST  DIED,  SINCE    MOST  WERE  NOT  BORN  ? 

1.  Christ  sustained  the  relation  of  our  Head.  It  was  not  in  His  own  name  that  He 
appeared  before  God's  tribunal,  but  in  ours,  not  as  a  private,  but  as  a  ijublic  person, 
so  tliat  when  He  was  crucified  all  believers  were  crucified  in  Him,  for  the  act  of  a 
common  person  is  the  act  of  every  particular  person  represented  by  him,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  parliament  serveth  for  his  whole  borough  or  county.  Now  that  Christ  was 
such  a  common  person  appeareth  plainly  by  this,  that  Christ  was  to  us  in  grace 
what  Adam  was  to  us  in  nature  or  sin  (Rom.  v.  14 ;  1  Cor.  xv.  21,  4-5).  2.  Christ 
was  on  the  Cross  not  only  as  a  common  person,  but  as  a  surety.  In  His  death  there 
was  not  only  a  satisfaction  for  sin,  but  an  obligation  to  destroy  it  (Rom.  vi.  6).  (1) 
On  God's  part  Christ  undertook  to  destroy  the  body  of  sin  by  the  power  of  His  Spirit 
(Titus  iii.  5;  Rom.  viii.  13).  (2)  On  our  part  He  undertook  that  we  should  no  longer 
serve  sin,  but  use  all  godly  endeavours  for  the  subduing  it.  Christ's  act  being  the 
act  of  a  surety.  He  did  oblige  all  the  parties  interested.  3.  Our  consent  to  this 
engagement  is — (1)  Actually  given  when  we  are  converted  (Rom.  vi.  13).  Till  the 
merit  of  Christ's  death  be  applied  by  faith  to  the  hearts  of  sinners,  they  are  alive  to 
sin,  but  dead  to  righteousness;  but  then  they  are  dead  to  sin,  and  aUve  to  righteous- 
ness, and  as  alive  yield  up  themselves  to  serve  God  in  aU  things.  (2)  Solemnly 
implied  in  baptism  (Rom.  vi.  3-5).     III.  How  can  Christians  be  dead  to  sin  and 

the   world,  since    AFTER   CONVERSION   THEY   FEEL    SO    MANY   CARNAL   MOTIONS?       1.    By 

consenting  to  Christ's  engagement  they  have  bound  themselves  to  die  unto  sin  (Rom. 
vi.  2 ;  Col.  iii.  3-5).  2.  When  the  work  is  begun,  corruption  is  wounded  to  the  very 
heai't  (Rom.  vi.  14).  3.  The  work  is  carried  on  by  degrees,  and  the  strength  of  sin 
is  weakened  by  the  power  of  grace,  though  not  totally  subdued  (Gal.  v.  17).  4. 
Christ  hath  undertaken  to  subdue  it  wholly,  and  at  length  the  soul  shall  be  without 
spot,  blemish,  or  wrinkle  (Eph.  v.  27 ;  Phil.  i.  6 ;  1  Thess.  v.  23,  24).     IV.  What 

USE   THE    DEATH  OF  ChrIST    HATH   TO    MAKE  US    DIE  UNTO  SIN  AND  THE  WORLD.       1.    ThiS 

was  Christ's  end.  He  died  not  only  to  expiate  the  guilt  of  sin,  but  also  to  take 
away  its  strength  and  power  (1  John  iii.  8 ;  Gal.  ii.  17).  Now  shall  we  make  void 
the  end  of  Christ's  death,  which  was  to  oppose  and  resist  sin  ?  Shall  we  cherish 
that  which  He  came  to  destroy  ?  God  forbid.  Paul  gloried  in  the  Cross,  as  by  it 
crucified  to  the  world  (Gal.  vi.  14).  2.  By  way  of  representation,  the  death  and 
agonies  of  Christ  do  set  forth  the  hatefuhiess  of  sin.  3.  It  worketh  on  love.  It 
should  make  sin  hateful  to  consider  what  it  did  to  Christ,  our  dearest  Lord  and 
Redeemer.  4.  By  way  of  merit.  Christ  shed  His  blood  not  only  to  redeem  us  from 
the  displeasure  of  God  and  the  rigour  of  the  law,  but  from  all  iniquity  (Titus  ii.  14 ; 
1  Peter  i.  18 ;  Gal.  i.  4).  Our  dying  to  sin  is  a  part  of  Christ's  purchase  as  well  as 
pardon.  5.  By  way  of  pattern.  Christ  hath  taught  us  how  to  die  to  sin  by  the 
example  of  His  own  death,  that  is,  He  denied  Himself  for  us  that  we  might  deny 
ourselves  for  Him.     (T.  Manton,  D.D.) 

Ver.  15.  He  died  for  all,  that  they  which  live  should  not  henceforth  live  unto 

themselves.— Js^ew  life  in  Christ : — By  virtue  of  Christ's  death  and  resurrection 
Christians  obtain  the  grace  of  a  new  life.  I.  There  is  a  spiritual  life.  Note — 1. 
The  correspondence  between  common  life  and  this  life  of  grace.  (1)  The  natural 
life  supposes  generation,  so  does  the  spiritual  (John  iii.  3 ;  1  John  ii.  27).   (2)  Where 


282  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTEATOR.  [chap.  v. 

there  is  life  there  is  sense  and  feeling,  especially  if  wrong  and  violence  be  offered  to 
it,  and  so  is  the  spiritual  life  bewrayed  by  the  tenderness  of  the  heart  and  the  sense 
that  we  have  of  the  interest  of  God.  Can  a  roan  be  alive  and  not  feel  it  ?  And  can 
you  have  the  life  of  grace  and  not  feel  the  decays  and  interruptions  of  it,  and  neither 
be  sensible  of  comforts  or  injuries?  (3)  Where  there  is  life  there  is  appetite,  an 
earnest  desire  after  that  which  may  feed  and  support  this  life.  So  spiritually  (1  Pet. 
ii.  2 ;  John  vi.  27).  The  new  nature  hath  its  proper  supports,  and  there  will  be 
something  relished  besides  such  things  as  gratify  the  animal  life.  In  correspondence 
with  this  there  will  be  a  desire  that  carrieth  us  to  that  which  is  food  to  the  soul,  to 
Christ  especially,  and  to  the  ordinances  in  which  He  is  exhibited  to  us.  (4)  Where 
there  is  life  there  will  be  growth ;  so  do  the  children  of  God  grow  in  grace  (Psa. 
xcii.  13).  (5)  Life  is  active  and  stirring.  So  spiritual  life  hath  its  operations ;  it 
cannot  well  be  hid.  Some  only  "  have  a  name  to  live,  and  are  dead."  2.  The 
differences.  They  differ — (1)  In  dignity.  Natural  life  is  but  a  "  wind,"  a  "vapour," 
a  continued  sickness,  but  this  is  the  life  of  God,  and  was  a  life  bought  at  a  dearer 
rate  than  the  life  of  nature  (John  vi.  51).  (2)  In  origin.  The  natural  life  is  brought 
down  unto  us  by  many  generations  from  the  "  first  Adam."  AH  that  our  parents  could 
do  was  to  make  way  for  the  union  of  soul  and  body  together.  But  by  this  life  we 
and  Christ  are  united  together,  and  He  becomes  a  life-making  spirit  unto  us.  (3)  In 
duration.  All  our  labour  here  is  to  maintain  a  lamp  that  soon  goes  out,  or  to  prop 
up  a  tabernacle  that  is  always  falling.  But  the  spiritual  life  begins  in  grace  and 
ends  in  glory.  II.  The  respect  that  is  between  this  life  and  Chbist's  besureec- 
TiON.  Christ's  resurrection  is — 1.  An  example  of  it.  (1)  Christ  died  before  He  rose, 
and  usually  God  kiUeth  us  before  He  maketh  us  alive.  The  word  is  a  kilUng  letter 
before  it  is  a  word  of  life  (Rom.  vii.  9).  (2)  The  same  Spirit  of  holiness  that  quick- 
ened Christ  quickeneth  us  (Eom.  i.  4,  viii.  14).  (3)  Christ,  being  raised  from  the 
dead,  dieth  no  more  (Rom.  vi.  9).  So  is  a  Christian  put  into  an  unchangeable  state ; 
sin  hath  no  more  dominion  over  him  (John  xi.  25,  26).  2.  A  pledge  of  it.  And 
therefore  He  is  called  the  firstfruits  from  the  dead  (1  Cor.  xv.  20).  His  resurrection 
was  in  our  name;  therefore  we  are  said  to  be  raised  with  Christ  (Col.  iii.  1),  and 
quickened  together  with  Christ  (Col.  ii.  13;  Eph.  ii.  4,  5).  8.  A  cause  of  it.  That 
Spirit  of  power  by  which  Christ  was  raised  out  of  the  grave  is  the  very  efi&cient 
cause  of  our  being  raised  and  quickened  (1  Peter  i.  3 ;  Eph.  i.  19,  20).  (T.  Manton, 
D.D.)  The  end  of  ChrisVs  death  for  all  men : — Now  what  applies  to  the  Old 
Testament  Church  applies  also  to  the  New  Testament  Church,  for,  if  the  love  which 
God  bestowed  of  old  upon  His  people  were  to  be  compared  to  a  drop,  His  love  as 
now  exhibited  might  be  compared  to  an  ocean.  Much  more,  then,  may  God  now 
look  for  fruits  from  those  who  compose  that  Church.  Now  the  nature  of  the  fruit 
which  He  expects  is  specified  in  the  text,  and  it  is  this :  a  life  which  must  be  a  life 
not  unto  ourselves,  but  unto  "  Him  who  died  for  us  and  rose  again."  I.  What  is 
the  manner  of  life  which  should  not  be  ;  OR,  WHAT  is  by  nature  the  life  unto 
SELF?  The  text  is  pretty  clear  in  its  condemnation  of  such  a  life,  "That  they 
should  not  live  unto  themselves."  We  may,  then,  usefuUy  inquire.  What  is  life  to, 
or  living  to,  oneself  ?  It  may  be  said  to  consist  in  following  or  pursuing  our  own 
wills,  glory,  ends,  and  lusts.  1.  The  will  of  man  is  by  nature  in  direct  opposition 
to  the  will  of  God.  2.  But,  besides  following  his  own  wiU,  the  natural  man  follows 
his  own  glory.  3.  But  we  may  be  so  unambitious,  perhaps,  as  that  the  word  glory 
may  seem  to  be  utterly  inapplicable  in  our  case ;  yet  all  have  ends  in  view,  though 
there  may  be  no  glory  in  them — plans,  or  something  to  which  God's  great  end,  for 
us,  and  which  He  sets  before  us  in  the  Bible,  is  subordinated.  First  and  foremost 
is  self's  end ;  it  may  be  a  lawful  or  reasonable  end  in  itself,  except  as  it  is  brought 
unduly  and  unlawfully  forward.  4.  There  is  a  fourth  following,  which  is  neither 
glorious  nor  profitable,  yet  common,  and  the  grossest ;  it  is  lust.  Christ  died  that 
they  who  Uved  might  live  to  some  purpose.  II.  As  to  the  manner  of  life  which 
SHOULD  BE,  OR  LIFE  NOT  TO  SELF,  BUT  TO  Cheist.  1.  The  pattern  Saint — with  reve- 
rence be  it  said — whom  God  proposed  for  our  imitation  in  the  matter  of  the  will,  as 
in  all  things  else,  is  an  example.  He  was  subjected  to  sufferings  that  He  might,  in 
the  entire  subjection  of  His  own  will  to  His  Father's,  teach  us  by  example  as  well 
as  precept.  Our  blessed  Lord  says,  "  I  came  not  to  do  Mine  own  will,  but  the  will 
of  Him  that  sent  Me."  2.  To  live  to  Christ,  also,  they  must  seek  not  their  own 
glory,  but  the  glory  of  God.  This  did  Christ  Himself.  3.  Living  to  Christ  will  also 
involve  seeking  the  interests  of  Christ— not  our  own,  but  Christ's  ends.  4.  And 
there  is  a  fourth  pursuit  if  the  believer  is  to  crucify  and  to  mortify  the  old  man  with 
bis  lusts  and  affections.     "Rejoice  in  the  Lord  alway,  and  again  I  say  rejoice." 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  283 

And  among  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  enumerated  by  St.  Paul  in  writing  to  the  Gala- 
tians  (vi.)  are  "joy  and  peace."  But  you  will  observe  an  important  clause  of  our 
text  to  have  been  as  yet  unnoticed — "  That  they  which  live."  A  third  and  con- 
cluding inquiry  should  be  made  concerning  this  life.  III.  What  is  it  ?  Whence 
COMES  IT?  It  is  the  Spirit's  work,  and  it  is  Christ's  work,  for  "the  Son  quickeneth 
whom  He  will,"  and  it  "  is  the  Spirit  that  quickeneth."  Christ  is  called  a  "  quick- 
ening Spirit "  because  of  the  power  He  exercises  in  this  matter,  and  perhaps  the  first 
indication  of  His  work  is  giving  liberty  to  the  will.  (O.  TV.  W.  Forester,  M.A.) 
Self  not  the  chief  end  of  life  : — 1.  Self  is  the  chief  end  of  every  natural  man.  "  That 
they  which  live  should  not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves" — implying  that  all 
men  living,  who  are  not  under  the  actual  benefit  and  efficacy  of  our  Saviour's 
death,  do  live  to  themselves.  2.  The  end  of  our  Saviour's  dying  and  rising  again 
was  to  change  the  corrupt  end  of  the  creature.  3.  Therefore  we  must  be  taken  off 
from  ourselves  as  our  end,  and  be  fixed  upon  another,  even  upon  Christ,  else  we 
answer  not  the  end  of  Christ's  death  and  resurrection.  4.  It  is  highly  equitable 
that,  if  Christ  died  for  us  and  was  raised  for  us  as  our  happiness,  we  should  live  to 
His  glory,  and  make  Him  our  end  in  all  our  actions  and  the  whole  course  of  our  lives. 
The  apostle  uses  this  consideration  as  an  argument,  and  as  a  copy  and  exemplar. 
Therefore,  as  He  rose  to  justify  us,  we  must  rise  to  glorify  Him.  (Bp.  Hackett.) 
Fully  consecrated  to  Christ : — Mr.  Moody,  in  one  of  his  addresses,  said,  "  I  see  a 
man  on  this  platform — I  do  not  know  if  he  remembers  it — but  when  I  was  here  in 
1867,  there  was  a  merchant  who  came  over  from  Dublin,  and  was  talking  with  this 
business  man  in  London ;  and  as  I  happened  to  look  in,  this  business  man  in 
London  introduced  me  to  the  man  from  Dublin.  The  DubUn  man  said  to  the 
London  man,  alluding  to  me,  '  Is  this  young  man  all  O  0  ? '  Said  the  London 
man,  '  What  do  you  mean  by  O  O  ? '  Said  the  Dublin  man,  '  Is  he  Out  and  Out 
for  Christ  ? '  I  tell  you  it  burned  down  into  my  soul.  This  friend  said,  '  I  was 
a  little  ashamed,'  but  I  thought  I  was  not,  though  I  was  a  young  man  then." 
Living  to  Christ : — Living  to  Christ  in  small  things  and  living  for  Christ  every  day 
is  the  secret  of  large  fruitfulness.  A  peach-tree  or  an  orange  does  not  leap  into  a 
bounty  of  fruit  by  one  spasmodic  effort ;  an  orchard  does  not  ripen  under  a  single 
day's  sunshine.  Every  rain-drop,  every  sunbeam,  every  inch  of  subsoQ  does  its 
part.  A  fruitful  Christian  is  a  growth.  To  finish  up  a  godly  character  by  a  mere 
religion  of  Sundays  and  sermons  and  sacraments  and  revivals  and  special  seasons 
is  impossible.  A  man  may  be  converted  in  an  instant,  but  he  must  grow  by  the 
year.  The  tough  fibre  of  the  slender  branch  that  can  hold  up  a  half-bushel  of 
oranges  is  very  different  from  a  little  willow-switch ;  it  is  the  steady,  compacting 
process  that  makes  that  Mttle  limb  like  a  steel  wire.  Such  is  a  healthy  and  holy 
behever's  life.      (T.  L.  Cuyler,  D.D.)  Henceforth  : — In  passing  over  a  moun- 

tainous country  the  traveller  comes  at  length  to  the  water-shed.  Up  till  he  reached 
that  elevation  the  brook  has  been  meeting  him ;  but  so  soon  as  he  has  crossed  it  a 
new-born  rivulet  runs  dancing  along  with  him.  The  external  features  of  this  ridge 
may  be  different  in  different  cases.  In  one  they  may  be  clearly  defined  ;  in  another 
they  may  be  so  little  marked  that  it  may  be  difficult  to  say  where  precisely  the 
transition  has  been  made,  and  the  tourist  can  only  tell  that  he  has  made  it  when  he 
sees  the  new  direction  which  the  water  is  taking.  But  however  it  may  be  outwardly 
indicated,  the  fact  remains  that  at  such  a  ridge  a  few  yards  will  determine  whether 
the  water  falling  from  the  clouds  will  find  its  destination  in  one  ocean  or  another. 
Now  the  moment  of  conversion  is  the  water-shed  of  life.  Sometimes  the  transition 
is  distinctly  defined ;  sometimes  it  is  hardly  discernible  ;  yet  always  it  is  the  turning- 
point  of  a  man's  eternity.  This  is  the  point  which  is  indicated  by  the  "  henceforth  " 
of  my  text.  Mark — I.  What  precedes  it.  There  are  three  descriptions  of  the  life 
before  conversion  given  by  Paul.  1.  In  the  verse  before  us.  To  hve  unto  ourselves 
is  to  make  seK  the  ruler,  and  selfishness  the  motive  of  our  existence.  Everybody 
hisses  at  the  miser,  but  many  actions  which  are  accounted  noble  are  just  as 
selfish  as  his.  2.  In  Eph.  iv.  7.  Walking  "  as  other  Gentiles  walk "  exactly 
delineates  the  kind  of  life  which  multitudes  are  leading.  They  do  as  other  people 
do ;  and  if  a  thing  is  customary,  that  is  held  by  them  to  be  a  sufficient  reason  for 
their  practising  it.  They  never  ask  what  is  the  will  of  God  in  the  matter.  Is  a 
man  asked  to  contribute  to  some  good  object,  then  instead  of  inquiring  whether  in 
God's  sight  he  ought  to  give,  and  if  so,  how  much,  he  wUl  say,  "  Let  me  see  who 
are  subscribing,  and  what  amounts."  Is  he  besought  to  help  some  strui^gling  cause, 
then  his  inquiry  will  be,  not  what  Christ  would  have  him  do,  but  whether  any 
persons  of  respectabUity  are  connected  with  it.    Is  he  in  doubt  as  to  the  propriety 


284  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

of  some  course  of  conduct,  his  scruples  are  removed  when  you  tell  him  that  this  one 
and  that  one  of  the  fashionables  do  the  same.  3.  In  Eom.  vi.  6.  Up  to  the  "  hence- 
forth "  they  had  been  serving  sin ;  and,  indeed,  this  is  said  in  so  many  words  in  the 
17th  verse.  This  is  the  most  terrible  description  of  the  three — "  Ye  were  the  slaves 
of  sin,"  and  the  meaning  is  that  in  the  unconverted  sin  has  the  entire  mastery.  By 
habitual  indulgence  in  it  they  have  given  it  the  upper  hand,  and  now  it  holds  them 
in  chains  which  they  themselves  have  formed.  II.  What  follows  it.  We  have 
no  such  variety  as  in  the  former  case,  for  though  error  is  manifold,  truth  is  one. 
There  are  different  ways  to  perdition,  but  there  is  only  one  to  glory.  There  may  be 
diversity  of  phase,  but  the  same  root  principle  exists  in  every  true  believer.  "  To 
me  to  live  is  Christ  " ;  "I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me."  These  profound 
utterances  imply  that  what  before  was  seK  in  the  apostle  was  now  Christ.  "  What 
things  before  were  gain  to  him,  those  he  counted  loss  for  Christ."  Now  it  is  the 
same  with  every  real  Christian.  When  a  man  truly  passes  this  "henceforth,"  his 
whole  being  runs  Christward.  The  volume  of  the  river  may  be  small  at  first ;  but, 
small  as  it  is,  its  direction  is  decided,  and  it  gathers  magnitude  as  it  flows.  He  has 
Christ  enthroned  in  his  heart  as  the  Lord  of  his  love  ;  over  his  intellect  as  his 
instructor  in  knowledge ;  over  his  will  as  the  guide  of  his  choice  ;  over  his  life  as 
the  director  of  his  conduct ;  yea,  he  can  say  with  truth  that  he  is  Christ's,  as  well  as 
that  Christ  is  his.  III.  What  produces  it.  The  influence  on  a  man's  heart  of  the 
love  of  Christ  as  that  is  manifested  in  His  atoning  death  for  him.  Look  at  the 
history  of  Paul's  own  conversion,  and  you  will  see  that  the  change  in  him  was 
brought  about  through  his  belief  that  Jesus  died  for  his  sins  and  rose  again  for  his 
justification.  Now  it  is  the  same  with  the  convert  yet.  It  is  his  faith  that  Jesus 
Christ  the  Son  of  God  loved  him  and  gave  Himself  for  him,  which  through  the 
agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost  brings  about  this  transformation.  Christ  is  only  a 
Saviour,  or  at  most  the  Saviour,  till  I  appropriate  Him,  but  when  I  do  that  He  is 
my  Saviour  ;  and  that  moment  is  the  "  henceforth  "  of  my  life.  Conclusion :  But 
some  one  may  ask.  Why  should  I  seek  to  pass  this  "henceforth"  ?  What  is  there 
about  conversion  that  makes  it  of  such  importance  ?  1.  It  is  essential  to  your 
reconciliation  witli  God,  and  your  enjoyment  of  the  blessedness  of  heaven.  2.  It  will 
intensify  your  happiness.  3.  It  will  increase  your  usefulness.  (W.  M.  Taylor,  D.D.) 
Wherefore  henceforth  know  we  no  man  after  the  flesh  :  yea,  though  we  have 
known  Christ. — The  Christian  has  new  views: — I.  Of  men.  1.  He  once  estimated 
them  by  their  earthly  circumstances.  2.  He  now  esteems  them  according  to  their 
moral  and  rehgious  worth.  II.  Of  Christ.  1.  He  once  despised  and  lightly 
esteemed  Him.  2.  He  now  regards  Him  as  his  Saviour  and  Lord.  (J.  Lyth,  D.D.)/ 
Spiritual  knowledge : — I.  Of  Christ.  1.  Is  not  that  the  same  as  wanting  to  forget  the 
Saviour's  humanity  ?  Should  we  have  only  a  glorified  Christ  as  the  obj  eet  of  our  conten- 
tion ?  No.  Paul  simply  refuses  to  boast,  as  did  those  false  teachers  who  troubled 
his  ministry,  of  having  known  Christ  in  Judaea  ;  he  knows  Christ  only  according  to 
the  spirit — i.e.,  as  his  Saviour,  which  is  the  essential  thing.  2.  Let  us  draw  from 
this  thought  an  important  lesson.  Who  has  not  envied  Christ's  contemporaries  ? 
It  seems  to  us  that  had  we  seen  and  heard  Him,  our  hearts  would  have  been  more 
moved,  and  doubt  would  have  been  impossible.  (1)  Now  listen  to  Christ  Himself. 
A  woman  cries  out,  "  Blessed  is  the  womb  that  bare  Thee."  He  answers,  "Rather 
blessed  are  they  that  hear  the  Word  of  God  and  keep  it."  A  man  says,  "  Thy 
mother  and  Thy  brethren  stand  without."  He  answers,  "My  mother  and  My 
brethren  are  those  who  hear  the  Word  of  God  and  do  it."  His  apostles  would  like 
to  retain  Him.  He  says,  "  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away."  Mary  Magda- 
lene would  lay  hold  on  Him.  Jesus  answers  her,  "  Touch  Me  not !  "  What  does 
all  this  mean  if  not  that  it  is  by  the  soul,  before  everything,  by  faith  that  Jesus 
would  be  known  and  possessed.  This,  then,  is  the  consoling  conclusion,  that 
neither  time  nor  distance  hinders  Jesus  from  being  known  and  His  presence  felt. 
And  is  not  all  this  bright  with  evidence  ?  Was  not  the  Church  which  saw  Christ 
feeble,  timid,  and  sluggish,  and  did  not  Christ  have  to  leave  her  that  she  might 
receive  the  baptism  from  on  high  ?  Did  His  discourses  ever  produce  the  wonderful 
effect  which  they  have  pi'oduced  since  ?  Why,  He  touches  more  hearts  in  a  single 
day  now  than  during  the  three  years  of  His  ministry !  (2)  You  envy  the  privilege 
of  His  disciples.  Are  you  certain  that  His  mean  condition  would  not  have  turned 
you  from  Him  ?  Who  knows  if  you  would  not  have  denied  Him  ?  Supposing, 
however,  that  you  had  remained  faithful  to  Him,  would  you  have  understood  His 
work ?  Would  you  not  have  been  attached  to  His  earthly  person  more  than  to  His 
Divine  mission — would  you  have  loved  Him  according  to  the  spirit,  as  He  would 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  285 

have  Himself  loved  ?  3.  What  is  knowing  Christ  after  the  flesh  to-day  ?  This :  ' 
To  melt  at  the  recollection  of  Jesus  with  an  emotion  entirely  human ;  to  weep  over 
Him  as  the  victim  of  human  fanaticism  ;  to  honour  His  relics  and  memory.  He  is 
known  according  to  the  spirit.  When  at  the  foot  of  His  Cross,  it  is  not  over  Him, 
but  over  ourselves,  that  peoi)le  weep ;  when  in  His  death  they  contemplate  not  His 
sufferings  merely,  but  more  especially  His  sacrifice ;  when  they  act  in  union  with 
His  work,  rejoice  in  His  triumphs,  and  prepare  for  His  coming.  II.  Of  men.  1. 
A  signification  has  been  given  to  these  words  which  provokes  a  righteous  protest. 
We  see  Christians,  under  the  pretext  of  an  imaginary  perfection,  break  in  sunder  all 
the  ties  of  flesh  and  blood,  renounce  their  families,  and,  having  put  before  them  the 
wall  of  monastic  vows,  say  to  them,  "I  know  you  no  longer  !  "  Spiritual  heroism, 
people  exclaimed — brilliant  triumphs  gained  over  the  flesh  !  Is  that  what  the  gospel 
teaches  us  ?  No !  St.  Paul  tells  us  that  the  Christian  who  neglects  his  kindred  is 
worse  than  an  infidel.  If,  then,  under  pretext  of  renouncing  the  flesh,  people  should 
violate  or  neglect  natural  laws,  they  have  against  them  not  only  Nature's  voice,  but 
God's.  There  will  be  cited  here  the  numerous  passages  in  which  our  Lord  unspar- 
ingly condemns  all  those  who,  before  following  Him,  consult  flesh  and  blood.  "  If 
any  man  hate  not,"  &c.  But  He  speaks  of  choosing  between  duty  and  delight — - 
between  the  law  of  God  and  the  affections  of  the  family.  Here  our  conscience  gives 
Christ  a  full  assent.  But  far  from  this  be  the  system  which  condemns  the  life  of 
the  heart,  the  joys  of  existence  and  the  flesh,  as  evil  in  themselves.  2.  What  must, 
then,  be  understood  by  "  I  know  no  one  after  the  flesh  "  ?  In  every  man  there  are 
two  natures — flesh  and  spirit.  To  the  eyes  of  flesh  you  are  rich,  poor — a  master,  a 
servant,  &c. ;  to  the  eyes  of  the  spirit  you  are  a  child  of  God.  Now,  St.  Paul 
declares  to  us  that  henceforth  what  he  would  know  in  every  man  is  the  spiritual  and 
immortal  nature.  Before  Christ,  what  was  a  poor  man,  a  slave,  a  publican  ?  Now, 
to  the  eyes  of  Jesus  the  soul  of  the  lowest  harlot  weighs  as  much  when  put  in  the 
scales  as  the  soul  of  Caesar.  Everywhere  He  only  sees  sinners  to  be  saved ;  to  all 
He  offers  the  same  language,  grants  the  same  love.  In  the  school  of  Christ  Paul 
learnt  to  see  in  the  Festuses  and  Agrippas  only  lost  souls,  whom  he  will  cause  to 
hear  the  truth  which  saves  without  being  preoccupied  with  their  sceptre  or  their 
crown ;  it  is  there  that  he  learnt  to  preach  the  gospel  to  an  Aquila  and  a  Lydia, 
with  the  very  same  love  as  had  it  been  the  soul  of  the  Pro-consul  Sergius  or  the 
Governor  Publius.  It  is  thus  that  we  must  know  men.  The  world  has  its  dis- 
tinctions of  rank,  of  learning,  of  fortune,  and  they  are  necessary.  Should  you  over- 
turn them  to-day  they  would  reappear  to-morrow.  Let  us  respect  them.  But  let 
us  know  men  by  what  they  have  that  is  great  and  immortal.  (E.  Berder,  D.D.) 
Men  not  to  be  knoicn  after  the  Jlesh  : — Not  to  know  men  after  the  flesh  is  not  to 
judge  of  men  according  to  endowments,  though  never  so  glittering,  which  arise  only 
from  fleshly  principles.  To  esteem  man  by  inward  grace.  Men  esteem  not  their 
fields  for  the  gay  wild  flowers  in  them,  but  for  the  corn  and  fruit ;  "  yea,  though  we 
have  known  Christ  after  the  flesh,  yet  now  henceforth  know  we  Him  no  more."  We 
do  not  glory  in  Him,  because  He  was  of  kin  to  us,  according  to  the  flesh.  We  look 
upon  Him  no  more,  only  as  a  miraculous  man ;  but  we  know  Him  as  the  great 
Kedeemer  of  the  world.  We  consider  Him  in  those  excellent  things  He  hath  done, 
those  excellent  graces  which  He  hath  communicated,  those  excellent  offices  He  doth 
exercise ;  we  know  Him,  after  a  spiritual  manner,  as  the  Author  of  all  grace.  1. 
Natural  men  have  no  delight  in  anything  but  secular  concerns  ;  love  nothing  but  for 
their  own  advantage ;  admire  not  any  true  spiritual  worth.  2.  An  evidence  of  being 
taken  off  from  ourselves  and  living  to  Christ  is  our  valuation  either  of  ourselves  or 
others,  according  to  holiness.  And  as  a  new  creature  is  framed  after  the  image  of 
God,  so  his  affections  and  valuations  of  men  or  things  are  according  to  God's  esteem 
of  them.  3.  Our  professions  of  Christ,  serving  Him  and  loving  Him  barely  for  our- 
selves and  for  fleshly  ends  doth  not  consist  with  regeneration.  Such  a  love  is  a  love 
to  ourselves,  not  to  Christ.  4.  We  should  eye  Christ  and  arise  to  the  knowledge  of 
Ilim,  as  He  is  advanced  and  exalted  by  God.      (Bishop  Hackett.)  The   new 

knowledpe  of  Christ  and  man  : — Paul  had  just  said,  "  One  died  for  all,  therefore  all 
died" — i.e.,  according  to  God's  thoughts  and  purpose,  the  whole  race,  when  Christ 
died,  ceased  to  belong  to  the  visible  and  transient  world ;  and  we,  entering  into  the 
thought  of  God,  "  henceforth  know  no  man  after  the  flesh."  In  death  all  earthly 
distinctions  disappear.  The  rich  man  is  rich,  the  poor  man  is  poor  no  longer,  &c. 
But  further,  "Even  though  we  have  known  Christ  after  the  flesh,  yet  now  we 
know  Him  so  no  more."  There  were  Christian  people  then  living  who  had  seen 
Christ,  and  this  was  surely  a  great  distinction  and  blessedness ;  but  it  may  have  been 


286  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

a  peril  to  them.  I  can  imagine  them  assuming  a  certain  superiority  over  their 
brethren.  "  We  did  not  receive  the  gospel  from  Paul,  or  ApoUos,  or  Peter,  but  from 
the  Christ  Himself."  And  I  can  also  imagine  that  others,  when  the  memory  of  our 
Lord's  earthly  life  was  so  fresh,  would  feel  an  absorbing  interest  in  all  that  they 
could  learn  about  Christ  as  a  man  among  men,  and  would  come  to  think  of  Him 
under  the  common  conditions  of  human  life.  There  are  some  of  us,  Paul  seems  to 
say,  who  have  known  Christ  after  the  flesh ;  but  what  does  it  matter  that  we 
remember  His  face,  voice,  manner,  dress  ?  To  us  He  is  not  first  of  all  a  fellow- 
countryman,  whom  we  used  to  see  in  the  Synagogue  on  the  Sabbath,  and  whose 
brethren  and  sisters  and  friends  we  knew ;  or  a  wonderful  religious  teacher,  who  in 
our  presence  said  many  wonderful  things  and  did  many  wonderful  works.  To  us 
Pie  is  the  Eternal  Son  of  God,  the  Brother  of  aU  men.  His  earthly  life  has  passed 
into  a  larger,  mightier,  and  more  glorious  life.  Paul's  gospel  began  where  the 
gospel  of  those  who  knew  Christ  after  the  flesh  ended — with  the  suffering  and  the 
death  of  Christ.  "  I  delivered  unto  you  among  the  first  things  that  Christ  died  for 
your  sins  according  to  the  Scriptures."  All  that  went  before  Paul  passed  over  very 
lightly.  Consider :  I.  The  new  knowledge  op  Christ.  To  Paul,  Christ  was 
infinitely  more  than  an  august  and  pathetic  tradition,  and  He  must  be  infinitely 
more  to  us  if  we  are  to  preach  the  gospel  with  any  effect.  1.  We  shall  miss  the 
/  substance  of  our  message  if  we  know  Christ  after  the  flesh.  From  the  materials 
given  to  us  in  His  teaching  and  history,  we  may  construct  a  beautiful  system  of 
ethics  and  a  noble  conception  of  God,  but  we  shall  stiU  miss  the  most  animating 
and  effective  part  of  the  gospel.  Christianity  is  a  historical  religion ;  but  the 
history  on  which  our  faith  is  founded  did  not  come  to  an  end  eighteen  hundred  years 
ago.  Through  sixty  generations  men  of  every  land  have  discovered  for  themselves 
that  He  is  living  still.  Not  in  the  remembrance  of  Christ,  but  in  the  living,  per- 
sonal Christ — a  great  multitude  whom  no  man  can  number  have  found  God.  The 
life  of  every  Christian  man  adds  to  the  great  story  new  miracles  of  mercy  and 
power  wrought  by  Christ.  The  Canon  is  not  closed.  Every  age  contributes 
material  for  new  gospels.  We  have  not  to  teach  men  a  mere  method  of  salvation 
revealed  by  Christ  eighteen  centuries  ago.  The  Christian  method  of  salvation  is  the 
method  by  which  Christ  Himself  saves  men  now.  With  a  dead  Christ,  belonging  to 
a  remote  age,  and  not  able  and  eager  to  save  men  now,  the  Christian  method  of 
salvation  would  be  worthless.  2.  To  have  seen  the  Lord  after  He  had  risen,  was 
one  of  the  qualifications  for  the  apostleship  ;  and  the  apostles  were  not  merely  wit- 
nesses that  Christ  had  died  and  had  risen  again.  When  Christ  rose  He  passed  into 
new  and  higher  regions  of  Ufe.  His  appearances  during  the  forty  days  had  this 
among  other  purposes,  to  bring  home  to  them  the  immense  change  through  which 
He  had  passed,  and  to  discipline  their  faith  in  the  reality  of  His  presence  in  the 
"?  ;  invisible  and  eternal  order.  They  saw  that  the  limitations  of  His  human  life  had 
been  dissolved,  and  they  were  gradually  prepared  to  receive  His  own  wonderful 
words,  "  All  authority  hath  been  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  on  earth."  Not  till 
they  had  this  new  knowledge  of  Christ  could  they  be  sent  to  make  disciples  of  all 
nations.  3.  Now,  have  we  that  kind  of  knowledge  of  Christ  which  is  necessary 
both  for  our  work  at  home  and  for  our  missions  to  the  heathen  ?  Do  we  think  it 
enough  to  know  Christ  after  the  flesh  ?  During  the  last  forty  years  there  has  been 
a  remarkable  awakening  of  interest  in  the  earthly  history  of  our  Lord.  There  are 
tens  of  thousands  who  have  been  reading  the  four  gospels  from  their  childhood  who 
feel  as  if  they  had  eome  to  know  Jesus  of  Nazareth  for  the  first  time.  They  have 
been  able  to  place  Him  in  His  true  relations  to  His  age  and  to  His  country.  The 
whole  story  has  become  real  and  solid  to  them.  They  know  Him  almost  as  well  as 
the  men  and  women  knew  Him  who  actually  saw  and  heard  Him.  There  is  a  real 
value  in  knowledge  of  this  kind.  But  if  our  most  effective  conception  of  Christ  is  a 
mere  historical  conception,  then  we  know  Christ  after  the  flesh.  And  our  know- 
ledge isru3imentary  and  imperfect.  We  must  see  Him  descend  into  the  mystery  of 
death,  wait  for  His  emergence  from  darkness,  join  in  the  songs  which  hail  His 
resurrection,  see  Him  ascending  to  the  throne  of  God,  rejoice  that  He  belongs,  not 
merely  to  the  distant  past,  but  that  He  is  the  contemporary  of  all  generations ; 
rejoice  that  He  is  here,  not  under  the  limitations  of  His  earthly  life,  but  in  the 
glorious  fulness  of  Divine  power,  surrounded  with  the  splendour  of  God's  eternal 
kingdom.  4.  It  was  one  of  the  innumerable  evils  which  Eomanism  inflicted  on 
Christendom  that  it  held  constantly  before  the  eyes  the  exhausted,  agonised  form  of 
Christ  on  the  Cross,  and  so  deprived  men  of  the  animation  and  courage  inspired  by 
the  knowledge  that  He  is  now  on  the  throne  of  the  Eternal.    A  similar  loss  may  be 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  COBINTHIANS.  287 

inflicted  on  ourselves  if  our  thoughts  are  imprisoned  within  the  limits  of  His  earthly 
life,  and  if  we  do  not  exult  in  His  resurrection  and  in  His  constant  presence  in  the 
Church.  Ai'e  we,  then,  to  forget  His  earthly  history  ?  Ah,  no !  But  we  know 
Him,  not  as  His  contemporaries  knew  Him,  but  with  a  larger  and  deeper  knowledge. 
That  poverty,  that  homelessness,  that  physical  exhaustion,  that  agony  —  behind 
them  all  we  see  the  Divine  glory.  In  Christ,  even  during  His  earthly  years,  we 
look  "  not  at  the  things  which  are  seen  and  temporal,  but  at  the  things  which  are 
not  seen  and  eternal."  5.  And  there  are  times  when,  if  the  story  of  the  historic 
Christ  is  to  command  confidence,  it  must  be  sustained  by  the  testimony  of  living 
men  who  have  been  delivered  by  the  living  Christ  from  the  consciousness  of  guilt, 
from  evil  passion,  and  habit,  and  eternal  death.  Indeed,  according  to  the  ordinary 
methods  of  the  Divine  mercy,  it  is  this  personal  testimony  that  moves  the  hearts  of 
men  to  repent  and  inspires  them  with  faith.  H.  The  new  knowledge  of  man.  It 
is  not  enough  that  we  cease  to  know  Christ  after  the  flesh.  The  fires  of  missionary/ 
enthusiasm  will  burn  low  unless  we  are  also  able  to  say  we  henceforth  know  no  man} 
after  the  flesh.  We  must  see  men  not  merely  in  their  place  in  the  visible  and 
temporal  order,  but  environed  with  the  invisible  and  the  eternal  order.  1.  This 
man  has  immense  wealth,  but  has  he  risen  with  Christ  and  made  sure  of  the  ever- 
lasting inheritance  ?  If  not,  how  poor  I  That  man  is  poor,  ill-clad,  lives  a  hard 
and  cheerless  life,  but  is  he  in  Christ  ?  Yes  ;  then  how  rich,  for  he  is  the  heir  of 
God's  eternal  righteousness  and  glory !  So  with  regard  to  princes  and  paupers, 
learned  and  ignorant,  moralists  and  profligates,  to  achieve  the  dignity  to  which  the 
eternal  purpose  of  God  destined  even  the  obscurest  of  mankind.  That  man  is  a 
slave,  but  is  he  one  with  Christ  ?  If  he  is,  eternal  glories  sit  already  on  his  brow, 
and  he  may  stand  at  last  among  the  principalities  and  powers  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  This  man  has  learning,  keen  and  vigorous  intellect,  genius  which  will  give 
him  fame  through  many  generations,  but  does  he  know  the  Eternal?  If  not,  he  has 
missed  the  knowledge  which  it  supremely  concerns  him  to  possess.  That  man,  as 
men  deem,  knows  nothing,  his  mind  is  dull  and  uninstructed,  he  has  never  mastered 
even  the  elements  of  science,  the  songs  of  great  poets  have  never  kindled  his  imagina- 
tion, he  has  never  heard  even  the  names  of  the  great  teachers  of  the  race ;  but  does 
he  know  Christ  ?  Yes  ?  Then  he  has  been  taught  of  God  and  received  the  illumina- 
tion of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  has  a  wisdom  transcending  all  the  wisdom  of  the 
schools.  2.  And  in  the  presence  of  races  degraded  through  a  long  succession  of 
generations,  we  must  not  despair,  for  they  are  living  in  a  redeemed  world ;  every 
man  is  dear  to  God,  and  by  the  power  of  His  Spirit  may  rise  to  unknown  heights  of 
righteousness  and  glory.  We  must  know  no  man  "  after  the  flesh."  3.  We  must 
not  know  ourselves  after  the  flesh  if  we  are  to  have  the  strength  which  the  great 
tasks  to  which  we  are  called  demand.  Who  are  we  that  we  should  hope  to  change 
the  religious  faith  of  hundreds  of  millions  of  men  ?  What  resources  have  we  for  so 
immense  a  work  ?  We  should  lose  all  heart  and  courage  if  we  measured  ourselves 
against  the  difiiculties,  the  impossibilities  of  our  enterprise.  But  we  are  greater 
than  we  seem.  We  are  one  with  Christ,  who  descended  from  the  heights  of  God  to 
seek  and  to  save  the  lost,  and  who,  now  that  He  has  returned  to  His  glory,  is  seek- 
ing and  saving  them  still.  And  it  is  He  that  is  seeking.  He  that  is  saving  them, 
through  us.  His  power  sustains  our  weakness,  and  in  our  very  weakness  is  per- 
fected. Let  us  be  of  good  courage ;  all  things  are  possible  to  us,  for  we  are  one  with 
Him.     {R.  W.  Dale,  D.D.)  How  to  view  our  fellow-men  : — As  a  new  creature 

(ver.  17),  he  who  is  in  Christ  takes  a  new  view  of  almost  all  the  objects  by  which  he 
is  surrounded.  The  eyes  of  his  understanding  being  enlightened,  he  sees  them  in  a 
new  light,  and  that  a  true  light.  He  gets  a  new  view  of  sin,  of  Christ,  of  time,  of 
this  world,  of  himself,  and,  lastly,  of  his  fellow-men.  Henceforth  he  knows  no  man 
after  the  flesh.  I.  We  see  the  worth  of  our  own  souls,  and  that  the  souls  of 
OTHERS  ARE  OF  EQUAL  WORTH.  The  father  realises  that  his  children  have  souls, 
which,  like  his  own,  will  exist  for  ever.  The  mother,  as  she  rocks  her  infant  to 
rest  on  her  bosom,  knows  that  the  heart  which  has  begun  to  beat  in  that  little 
frame  will  not  find  rest  till  it  is  laid  on  the  breast  of  Jesus.  We  are  not  surrounded 
by  the  mere  creatures  of  a  day,  but  by  i-esponsible  and  undying  men,  whose  souls 
shall  exist  as  long  as  God  Himself.     II.  We  see  that  as  by  nature  we  .are  under 

THE  SENTENCE  OF  CONDEMNATION,  SO  OTHERS    ARE    UNDER   THE    SAME    SENTENCE.      When 

is  it  that  we  think  most  of  an  earthly  friend,  and  are  most  deeply  interested  in  his 
welfare  ?  Is  it  when  he  is  known  to  be  in  safety,  or  is  it  not  rather  when  he  is  in 
peril  ?  When  is  it  that  the  wife  thinks  most  of  the  husband,  and  the  sister  feels  the 
deepest  interest  in  the  brother  ?     Is  it  not  when  laid  on  a  bed  of  distress,  or  when 


288  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

fighting  with  the  bUlows  of  death  ?  It  was  to  seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost 
that  Christ  left  the  bosom  of  the  Father  and  came  to  this  cold  world,  and  died 
amidst  the  agonies  of  the  Cross.  Those  who  have  the  same  mind  in  them  which 
was  also  in  Christ  Jesus  will  hasten  to  be  fellow-workers  with  Him  in  saving  souls 
from  death.  III.  As  having  attained  the  enjoyment  of  Christ's  peace,  we  seek 
THAT  otheks  MAY  siLABE  IT  WITH  US.  As  long  as  we  Were  without  Christ  and  Christ's 
peace,  we  did  not  know  the  value  of  them,  and  so  could  not  be  expected  heartily  to 
recommend  them  to  others.  But  when  we  have  "  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  good," 
then  we  can  enlarge  upon  our  own  experience,  and  we  feel  that  if  we  were  but  the 
insi  iments  of  communicating  that  peace  to  others,  we  would  be  conveying  a  greater 
amount  of  good  than  by  the  largest  temporal  benefits.     IV.  When  we  love  Christ 

ourselves,  then    our    hearts    ABE    DRAWN    TOWARDS    THOSE    WHO,   LIKE    US,    LOVE    THE 

Lord  Jesus.  Man  is,  in  his  very  nature,  a  social  being.  It  is  this  principle  abused 
which  congregates  the  wicked.  It  is  the  same  attraction,  now  sanctified,  which 
brings  together  the  children  of  God.  And  how  often  has  it  happened  that,  when 
holding  sacred  converse  with  one  another,  Jesus  Himself  has  joined  us,  as  He  did 
the  two  disciples  on  the  road  to  Emmaus  ?     V.  These  views  and  motives  will 

IMPEL  those  who  ABE  SWAYED  BY  THEM  TO  DO  GOOD  AS  GoD  MAY  GIVE  THEM  OPPOR- 
TUNITY. All  genuine  religion  begins  within,  but  while  it  begins  within,  it  does  not 
end  there ;  it  begins  within  only  as  all  streams  commence  in  some  mountain  where 
are  their  heaven-fed  fountains ;  but  it  flows  out  like  the  stream,  and  carries  with  it 
a  refreshing  and  fertilising  influence.  Watering,  in  this  way,  the  objects  imme- 
diately around  them.  Christian  faith  and  zeal  will  flow  towards  more  distant  objects, 
towards  the  world  at  large.  The  prayer  will  be  that,  beginning  at  Jerusalem — that 
is,  at  home — the  gospel  be  preached  to  every  creature.  Conclusion :  From  this 
survey  we  see — 1.  What  is  the  grand  function  of  the  organised  Church  ;  it  is  to 
proclaim  the  way,  sustain  the  truth,  and  propagate  the  life.  2.  The  grand  aim 
of  Church  ordinances.  We  are  to  secure,  in  regard  to  them,  that  they  be  in 
thorough  accordance  with  the  Word  of  God,  and  that  they  be  employed  to  edify  the 
Church,  and  not  for  the  purpose  of  gratifying  the  senses  or  stimulating  the  imagina- 
tion. 3.  What  is  the  style  of  preaching  most  fitted  to  advance  the  kingdom  of  God  ? 
It  is  preaching  founded  on  Scripture,  that  speaks  of  Christ,  and  speaks  to  all — to 
rich  and  poor,  to  rich  and  barbarian,  to  old  and  young.  It  is  a  great  evil  in  our 
community,  the  separation  of  rich  and  poor,  especially  in  our  great  cities.  But  it  is 
vastly  greater  when  it  is  permitted  to  enter  the  house  of  God,  which  is  meant  to 
counteract  and  soften  the  severances  of  the  world.  {J.  McCosh,  D.D.)  St.  Pmd's 
gospel : — I  wonder  what  impression  that  strange  sentence  produces  upon  the  mind 
of  an  average  Englishman.  Does  it  give  him  any  intelligible  idea  at  all  ?  Yet  St. 
Paul  undoubtedly  regarded  that  sentence  as  one  of  the  most  important  he  ever 
;  wrote.  It  reminds  us  of  the  striking  difference  between  him  and  the  other  apostles. 
While  Christ  Uved  on  earth  St.  Paul  never  knew  Him.  Now  the  apostles  and  the 
Jewish  Christians  generally  attached  the  very  greatest  importance  to  the  fact  that 
they  had  thus  known  Christ.  St.  Paul,  on  the  other  hand,  instead  of  bewailing  his 
disqualification,  as  they  represented  it,  declared  with  special  emphasis  it  made  no 
difference  at  all.  You  will  remember  how  emphatically  in  a  characteristic  passage 
in  Galatians  he  repudiated  the  idea  that  he  owed  anything  at  all  to  the  other 
apostles.  They  were  in  no  sense  his  superiors.  They  were  in  no  sense  better 
qualified  for  their  office  because  they  had  known  Christ  after  the  flesh  and  he  had 
not.  When  he  met  these  apostles  who  had  known  Christ  in  the  flesh  he  declared, 
"  They,  I  say,  who  were  of  repute  imparted  nothing  to  me"  (Gal.  ii.  6).  He  declares 
that  their  knowledge  of  Christ  after  the  flesh  was  no  advantage  to  them ;  and  in  the 
passage  before  us  he  goes  so  far  as  to  say  that  if  he  himself  had  known  Christ  after 
the  flesh  he  would  have  rid  himself  of  the  knowledge,  for  that  knowledge  at  that 
particular  time  was  a  danger  and  a  temptation.  It  led  men  to  exaggerate  the 
importance  of  those  things  about  Christ  which  were  seen  and  temporal,  and  to  over- 
look to  some  extent  those  things  which  alone  were  of  everlasting  importance.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  those  who  did  thus  know  Christ  after  the  flesh  either  never  realised 
His  true  glory,  or  were  many  long  years  in  coming  to  the  knowledge  of  Him.  Have 
you  ever  realised  the  startling  fact  that  St.  Paul  never  once  refers  to  the  lovely  life 
of  our  Lord  as  recorded  in  the  gospels  ?  He  never  mentions  any  of  His  miracles, 
parables,  words,  or  deeds.  His  silence  teaches  us,  even  more  significantly  than  his 
speech,  that  the  essence  of  the  gospel  lies  far  below  the  mere  details,  incomparable 
as  they  are,  of  the  human  life  of  our  Lord.  You  and  I  are  particularly  interested 
in  this  remarkable  feature  of   St.  Paul's  experience,  for  we  are  like  him.      We 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  289 

are  not  like  St.  Peter,  who  was  a  disciple  from  the  beginning.  We  never  met 
Christ,  we  never  heard  His  loving  voice.  We  may  have  an  immeasurably  better 
knowledge  of  Him.  We  may  know  Him  as  St.  Paul  himself  knew  Him,  in  the 
deepest  sense  of  the  word,  better  than  any  one  else,  except  St.  John.  How  did  he 
know  Him  ?  His  knowledge  is  expressed  in  that  ever-memorable  phrase,  *'  It  was 
the  good  pleasure  of  God,  who  separated  me  from  my  mother's  womb,  to  reveal  His 

)  Son  in  me."  Not  outside  of  me,  but  i«  me.  O,  what  does  that  mean  ?  It  means 
thatTkere  are  two  totally  ditferent  ways  of  contemplating  Jesus  Christ.  We  may 
dwell  on  the  known  incidents  of  that  lovely  life  just  as  we  might  dwell  upon  Plato's 
incomparable  account  of  the  trial  and  death  of  Socrates.  Any  such  study  of  the 
mere  fragmentary  history  of  the  beautiful  incidents  in  the  human  life  of  our  Lord 
is  as  inspiring  as  it  is  ennobling.  But  it  is  outside  of  us.  It  does  not  stir  the 
depths  of  our  being.     Or,  on  the  other  hand,  we  may  think  of  Jesus  Christ  in  a 

<^  totally  different  way — as  the  Kisen  Christ,  the  Living  Christ,  the  Christ  in  whom 
we  all  at  this  very  moment  live  and  move  and  have  our  being ;  the  Christ  who  is 
literally  in  every  one  of  us.  This,  indeed,  is  what  St.  Paul  called  "  my  gospel  " — 
the  gospel  which  God  sent  to  him  by  revelation,  the  gospel  which  he  was  better 
qualified  to  propound,  because  he  was  not  confused  by  any  knowledge  of  Christ 
after  the  flesh.  St.  Paul  himself  was  amazed  and  perplexed  and  agitated,  and  said. 
What  is  the  matter  with  me  ?  I  am  a  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews.  I  have  kept  all 
the  law,  and  yet  I  am  as  wretched  as  I  can  be.  Then  he  discovered  that  it  was 
Christ  who  made  him  wretched.  At  last,  he  said,  "  It  pleased  God  to  reveal  Him- 
self in  me.  Then  I  realised  that  there  could  be  no  happiness  for  me  until  I  sub- 
mitted to  the  Divine  Saviour.  Thank  God,  I  did  not  know  Him  after  the  flesh,  for 
I  might  then  have  been  prevented  from  knowing  as  I  know  now,  that  He  is  the 
great  light  of  God,  who  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world."  Take  the 
case  of  an  agnostic,  who  declares  that  he  never  felt  the  least  religious  emotion,  a 
man  of  high  character  and  very  scrupulous  conscience.  You  say  to  me.  How  do 
you  reconcile  that  case  with  your  theory  of  Christ  being  in  the  heart  of  every  man  ? 

,     Quite  easily.     If  in  midwinter  you  wander  with  me  into  the  wood,  would  you  say  it 

/  was  dead  ?  Not  a  leaf,  not  a  bud,  not  a  blade  of  grass.  But  you  are  not  deceived 
by  the  superficial  appearance.  You  wait  for  the  sunshine  and  the  rain,  and  you 
shall  see  the  summer.  And  in  the  case  of  this  agnostic,  wait  until  your  Father  in 
heaven  has  sent  him  the  sunshine  of  His  love  and  the  rain  of  His  grace,  and  you 
shall  find  strange  stirrings  in  the  depths  of  his  soul,  for  Christ  is  in  him,  as  He  is 
in  all  of  us.  This  is,  indeed,  what  St.  Paul  meant  in  the  first  part  of  my  text, 
where  he  says,  "  We  henceforth  know  no  man  after  the  flesh."  He  not  only 
refused  to  know  Christ  after  the  flesh,  but  he  refused  to  know  anybody  else 
after  the  flesh.  He  could  not  think  of  any  man  apart  from  the  Divine  Christ. 
He  never  thought  of  any  man  without  realising  that  Christ  was  in  every  man. 
You  are  not  a  mere  man  or  woman  to  me.  You  are  men  and  women  re- 
deemed by  the  precious  blood  of  Christ.  You  are  human  beings  dear  to 
God,  dearer  than  you  are  to  yourself  or  anybody  else.  (H.  Price  Huqhes,  M.A.) 
The  perpetuity  of  the  Divine  incarnation,: — I.  Consider  what  the  apostle  meant. 
It  is  very  probable  that  he  had  in  view  those  who  underrated  his  authority  because 
he  had  not  been  one  of  the  original  disciples,  and  so  seen  Christ  face  to  face.  And 
it  was  of  course  but  natural,  that  as  years  stole  on,  greater  interest  and  authority 
would  attach  to  those  who,  like  Peter  and  John,  had  held  converse  with  the 
Redeemer.  Whether  St.  Paul  ever  beheld  the  Saviour  has  been  questioned.  On 
the  one  hand,  if  he  had  seen  Him,  we  should  expect  some  mention  of  it ;  on  the 
other,  brought  up  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel,  he  could  scarcely,  we  imagine,  have  failed 
to  have  his  attention  drawn  to  the  miracles  and  teaching  of  Christ,  and  if  so  would 
scarcely  have  failed  to  obtain  a  sight  of  Him.  The  text  sounds  as  though  he  were 
himself  uncertain  about  the  matter.  And  it  is  quite  easy  to  imagine  that  he  may 
have  been  in  one  of  the  many  crowds  which  at  various  seasons  gathered  round  our 
Lord ;  and  yet  have  been  so  situated  as  to  be  uncertain  whether  he  had  really 
caught  sight  of  His  sacred  form.  However  this  be,  he  declares  at  any  rate  that 
henceforth  he  would  neither  build  nor  exalt  himself  upon  that  knowledge.  1.  But 
did  the  apostle  mean  that  from  that  time  he  would  cease  to  think  of  Him  as  clothed 
with  flesh  and  meditate  only  upon  His  Divinity  ?  Surely  not.  So  to  have  done 
would  have  been  to  lose  sight  of  one  of  the  most  stupendous  truths  of  the  gospel-  - 
viz.,  that  Christ  Jesus  is  at  this  moment  in  the  likeness  of  man.  The  Eternal 
Word  when  He  became  incarnate  became  so  for  ever.  Oh !  if  we  desired  to  set 
before  you  in  all  its  marvellousness  the  great  miracle  of  the  incarnation,  it  is  not 

19 


290  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

through  the  dmmess  of  past  centuries  to  the  valleys  of  Judah  that  we  would  try  to 
lead  your  thoughts.  Beyond  the  third  heaven,  where  the  cherubim  and  seraphim 
are  ever  waiting,  where  the  song  that  none  can  learn  is  ever  swelling,  and  the 
unspeakable  words  which  it  is  not  lawful  for  men  to  utter  are  ever  sounding,  in  the 
centre  of  the  light  inaccessible,  we  would  teach  you  to  behold  the  form  of  Man. 
And  we  cannot  but  observe  how  thorough  recognition  of  the  present  manhood  of 
Christ  satisfies  the  longing  of  the  human  heart  for  a  sympathetic  being  in  the 
object  of  worship.  2.  Think  you  it  was  this  truth,  so  rich  in  consolation  for  all 
who  are  partakers  of  human  nature,  that  St.  Paul  resolved  to  put  from  his  mind  ? 
Kather  was  it  this  truth  on  which  he  purposed  to  build  exclusive  of  all  others.  He 
would  not  in  completing  the  Incarnation  be  ever  going  back  to  the  remembrance  of 
the  Saviour  in  His  body  of  weakness,  when  he  might  fiU  his  soul  with  the  thought 
of  that  same  body  radiant  in  beauty,  the  centre  of  the  heavenly  host.  The  form  of 
the  Son  of  Man  as  seen  at  Jerusalem,  was  but  the  first  and  most  transitory  revela- 
tion of  the  great  miracle  of  Mary's  conception  ;  the  nobler  and  more  lasting  results 
of  the  same  Divine  child-bearing  were  the  sight  by  faith  of  the  same  form  of  a  man 
for  ever  enthroned  on  high.  Who  wonders  then  that  the  inspired  apostle,  thus 
looking  to  the  present  and  the  future,  was  ready  to  forget  the  past,  and  that  as  the 
vision  of  the  excellent  glory  rose  up  in  his  mind,  he  cast  behind  him  the  remembrance 
of  his  God  in  His  humiliation  ?  H.  The  lessons  for  us.  1.  There  is  amongst 
us  a  great  tendency  to  view  the  days  of  Christ's  personal  sojourn  upon  earth  as 
days  of  extraordinary  privilege.  2.  Now  in  opposition  to  these  ideas,  we  conceive 
Scripture  to  intimate  that  we  are  the  more  highly  favoured.  Christ  Himself  said, 
"  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away."  (1)  We  can  hai'dly  fail  to  perceive  that 
the  sight  of  God  must  have  been  itself  a  temptation  to  unbelief.  Was  there,  think 
you,  nothing  hard  in  reaUsing  the  fact,  that  the  Being  to  whom  they  spoke  as  man 
to  man  was  very  God?  If,  therefore.  His  bodily  presence  was  a  source  of  joy,  so 
I  also  was  it  a  source  of  temptation.  Many  a  man  who  believes  Christ  is  God,  now 
/  0  r-that  He  is  unseen,  would  have  disbelieved  if  he  had  beheld  Him  in  the  form  of  a 
servant.  (2)  And  this  being  so,  we  would  remind  you  that  Christ  is  really  present 
with  His  redeemed  now,  as  He  was  with  His  disciples  in  Galilee.  An  object  is  not 
less  real  because  it  is  unseen.  What  spiritual  advantages  did  the  disciples  reap 
from  proximity  to  their  Master  ?  He  was  then*  counsellor ;  and  will  He  not  teach 
us  ?  He  was  their  support ;  and  are  not  His  everlasting  arms  around  us  ?  Now, 
moreover.  He  is  not  only  present,  but  omnipresent.  They  could  be  separated  from 
Him  for  awhile ;  we  can  never  be  parted.  {Bp.  Woodford.)  The  brotherhood  of 
man: — "  Henceforth  know  we  no  man  after  the  flesh."  In  these  words  St.  Paul  is 
evidently  contrasting  the  view  he  had  been  accustomed  to  entertain  respecting  his 
fellow-men  before  his  conversion  to  Christ,  with  that  he  took  now  that  he  had  been 
\  brought  under  the  influence  of  Christian  truth.  Then  he  estimated  men  "  after  the 
flesh,"  i.e.,  he  judged  them  by  earthly  standards.  These  were  the  questions  he 
would  doubtless  have  asked  himself  respecting  any  upon  whom  he  wished  to  pass 
judgment :  What  is  his  descent  ?  Where  has  he  been  instructed  ?  Has  he  passed 
through  the  schools  of  philosophy  sitting  at  Gamaliel's  feet  ?  What  are  his  profes- 
sions ?  Does  he  fast  twice  a  week  ?  But  now  that  he  had  been  brought  into  contact 
with  Christ  Jesus,  and  had  become  the  recipient  of  His  salvation,  he  estimated  men 
according  to  a  very  different  standard.  Then,  "  after  the  flesh,"  but  now  after  the 
spirit.  And  these,  we  may  reasonably  suppose,  are  the  inquiries  which  would  rise 
within  him  :  Have  they  the  spirit  of  Christ  ?  Are  their  hearts  right  in  the  sight  of 
God  ?  Do  they  love  and  practice  the  principles  of  the  gospel  of  peace  ?  This  two- 
fold method  of  estimating  men  prevails  still.  If  you  judge  men  after  the  flesh,  the 
undoubted  effect  will  be  to  narrow  and  to  contract  your  sympathies.  Adopting  such 
a  test  as  this,  society  will  necessarily  be  broken  up  into  fragments,  each  caring  only 
for  itself ;  the  man  of  rank  caring  only  for  those  of  noble  descent,  the  man  of  wealth 
for  those  of  large  possessions,  or  the  man  of  culture  for  those  of  educated  tastes, 
while  the  mass  of  those  who  possess  none  of  the  enrichments  will  be  left  to  them- 
selves. Only  let  men  be  judged,  not  "  aiter  the  flesh,"  but  according  to  their 
character,  and  large-heartedness,  and  world-embracing  love  will  take  the  place  of 
that  exclusiveness  which  the  opposite  course  engenders.  "  The  Lord  looketh  at  the 
heart."  He  recognised  in  the  fallen  those  who  were  capable  of  being  raised  from 
their  degradation,  and  of  loving  and  serving  Him  in  holiness  and  righteousness. 
And  beholding  thus  their  moral  and  spiritual  capabilities.  His  heart  yearned  foi 
their  uplifting.  The  fuhiess  of  time  at  length  arrived.  Or  think  of  St.  Paul.  He 
*     resolved  that  he  would  henceforth  judge  men  after  their  character,  and  not  after 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  291 

the  flesh,  and  the  effect  of  this  decision  was  that  he  saw  some  around  him  who  had 
clearly  become  renewed  in  the  spu-it  of  their  minds — who  had  become  new  creatures 
in  Christ  Jesus.  And  even  so  with  ourselves,  if  we  only  view  men  in  the  light 
of  their  spiritual  character  and  capacities,  the  effect  will  unquestionably  be  that  we 
shall  find  among  all  classes  in  society  men  whose  lives  are  marked  by  the  principles 
of  righteousness,  and  beholding  what  "the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus"  has  wrought  for 
them,  and  conscious  that  it  can  effect  similar  results  wherever  it  is  received,  we 
shall  be  constrained  to  labour  for  its  extension  throughout  the  world,  that  thus  the 
entire  moral  aspect  of  the  universe  may  be  changed,  the  desert  rejoicing  and 
blossomiBg  as  the  rose,  earth  becoming  like  heaven.  And  thus  we  see  that  the 
rehgion  of  Christ  calls  forth  the  sympathy  and  love  of  men  towards  the  entke  race 
to  which  they  belong.  The  apostle  adds :  "  Yea,  though  we  have  known  Christ 
after  the  flesh,  yet  now  henceforth  know  we  Him  no  more."  In  this  early  Church 
gathered  in  the  city  of  Corinth  there  were  several  parties.  In  condemning  the 
divisions  which  had  thus  arisen,  the  apostle  uses  the  words  :  "  Every  one  of  you 
saith,  I  am  of  Paul,  and  I  of  Apollos,  and  I  of  Cephas,  and  I  of  Christ."  Now  the 
question  is  naturally  suggested,  what  could  be  the  meaning  of  any  who  said,  "I  am 
of  Christ."  It  would  appear  that  the  persons  who  said  this  were  converts  from 
Judaism,  and  who  claimed  some  special  relationship  to  Chi-ist,  arising  from  the  fact 
that  they  had  seen  Him  when  He  sojourned  upon  earth.  We  are  now  prepared  to 
apprehend  the  meaning  of  St.  Paul  in  the  words  before  us.  He  felt  that  he  might 
as  justly  as  any  of  them  rejoice  in  having  seen  Christ  in  the  flesh ;  but  he  would 
not,  in  that  he  felt  there  was  a  far  higher  view  of  Christ  than  that  of  gazing  upon 
His  outward  form,  even  the  apprehension  by  faith  of  the  spiritual  presence  of  the 
Redeemer  ;  the  contemplation  of  His  character  and  spirit,  and  the  so  beholding  of 
this  as  to  enter  into  it,  and  to  be  changed  into  the  same  from  glory  to  glory,  even  as 
by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  It  was  after  this  that  his  noble  spirit  aspired.  It  must 
not  be  supposed  that  the  apostle  was  indifferent  to  the  great  fact  of  the  humanity 
of  the  Son  of  God  ;  indeed,  is  there  any  writer,  save  the  Evangelist  John,  who 
refers  more  frequently  or  touchingly  to  this  than  St.  Paul  ?  Does  he  not  remind 
the  Galatians  how  that  in  the  fulness  of  time,  "  God  sent  forth  His  Son,  made  of  a 
woman,"  &c.  And,  in  this  respect,  the  apostle  presents  a  worthy  pattern  to  us. 
Like  him,  let  us  not  look  so  much  to  that  which  is  material,  as  to  that  which  is 
spiritual  in  relation  to  Christ  Jesus.  It  behoves  us,  therefore,  to  be  careful  that  we 
do  not  lose  sight  of  that  spiritual  apprehension  of  the  Saviour  which  alone  can  meet 
the  requirements,  and  satisfy  the  aspirations  of  the  soul  of  man.  It  is  even  so. 
He  is  the  eternal  One.  He  is  the  very  Son  of  God.  And  having  been  made  perfect 
through  suffering.  He  has  entered  into  His  glory.  His  humiliation  is  past,  and  He 
is  now  exalted  at  God's  right  hand.  The  kingly  diadem  encircles  His  brow.  We 
have  known  Him  after  the  flesh,  battling  with  poverty,  and  with  temptation  and 
sin,  with  woe  and  death,  but  henceforth  we  know  Him  thus  no  more.  He  is  the 
victor  now — the  King  of  glory.     (S.  D.  Hiilman.) 

Ver.  17.  Therefore  if  any  man  be  in  Christ  lie  is  a  new  creature. — In  Christ  and 
what  it  involves : — I.  The  new  relation  indicated.     The  believer  is  "  in  Christ." 

1.  As  the  ground  of  his  acceptance  (Phil.  iii.  9).  Christ  by  His  atoning  sacrifice 
has  supplied  the  grounds  whereby  sinful  men  may  become  objects  of  complacent 
regard  to  God.  We  are  lost  in  ourselves,  but  are  to  find  ourselves  in  Him,  surrounded 
by  His  merits  as  with  a  wall  of  defence,  sheltered  by  them  as  by  an  all-embracing 
canopy.     This  alone  is  the  position  "wherein  we  are  accepted  in  the  beloved." 

2.  As  deriving  from  Him  his  spiritual  life  (John  xv.  4,  5 ;  cf.  Gal.  ii.  20).  The 
link  of  union  being  faith.  Christ  is  "  the  living  soul"  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
believer.  The  order  is,  first  the  believer  enters  into  Christ  by  faith,  then  Christ  enters 
into  the  believer  by  power.  The  branch  is  in  the  tree  by  union  with  it,  and  the  tree  is 
in  the  branch  by  the  life  it  imparts  to  it  in  the  nourishing  sap.  3.  As  the  sphere  of 
his  activities.  Suppose,  e.g.,  a  person  hears  a  glowing  account  of  Australia.  He 
believes  every  word  of  the  account.  By  this  act  of  faith  Australia  enters  his  heart, 
and  he  becomes  possessed  by  an  intense  desire  to  get  there.  Physically,  Australia 
and  he  are  thousands  of  miles  apart,  but  morally  Australia  dwells  in  his  heart,  and 
has  become  a  motive  power  within  him,  and  will  not  give  him  rest  until  it  brings 
him  bodily  there.  He  ventures  across  the  ocean,  until  he  finds  himself  actually 
in  the  country  which  was  already  in  his  heart.  Here,  now,  he  lives  and  acts. 
Thus  it  is  with  the  believer  ;  the  whole  fabric  of  his  life  becomes  perineated  by  its 
spirit  and  purposes.     Such  expressions  as  "  in  sin,"  "  in  faith,"  "  in  wisdom,"  "  in 


292  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

love,"  "in  the  spirit,"  mean  that  the  particular  things  in  which  the  person  is  said 
to  be,  form  the  sphere  of  his  activity,  the  circle  in  which  he  moves,  the  atmosphere 
in  which  he  breathes.  And  this  devotedness  of  life  to  Christ  is  not  limited  to  the 
religious  activities,  but  includes  all  secular  employments.  II.  The  new  expe- 
EiENCES  involved  IN  THIS  KELATioN.  1.  He  who  is  in  Christ  is  a  new  creation. 
In  what  sense?  Clearly  not  in  any  physical  or  constitutional  sense,  for  in  that 
case  he  would  not  be  the  same  person  alter  the  change.  The  latter  portion  of  the 
text  explains  the  nature  of  this  important  process.  It  is  not  the  person  that  passes 
away,  but  his  things,  his  former  principles,  motives,  aims,  and  habits  :  and  new 
ones  have  been  substituted.  2.  This  change  involves  an  entire  reversal  of  the 
whole  tenor  of  the  hfe.  Take,  e.g.,  the  steam  locomotive.  Its  course  is  in  a  certain 
direction,  but  connected  with  it  is  the  reversing  gear.  By  the  action  of  this  gear 
the  engine  which  may  be  seen  proceeding  with  such  speed  in  one  direction  may  in 
a  few  minutes  be  seen  moving  with  equal  velocity  in  the  contrary  direction.  The 
change  does  not  involve  any  change  in  its  construction,  but  only  in  its  coui'se; 
every  wheel,  rod,  and  crank  that  worked  before  works  now,  only  in  the  reverse 
direction.  This  represents  the  change  effected  upon  the  believer  through  his 
relation  to  Christ.  There  has  been  no  change  effected  in  his  constitution,  only  the 
whole  course  of  his  activities  has  been  changed  as  to  direction.  And  the  change 
in  these  respects  has  been  so  entire  as  to  justify  the  statement  that  he  who  has 
undergone  it  is  a  new  creature.  The  new  life  is  so  different  from  the  old,  so 
changed  as  to  its  employment  and  aims,  as  to  be  like  the  life  of  another  person. 
Paul  himself  is  a  striking  exemplification  of  this  truth.  {A.  J.  Parry.)  If  any 
vian  he  in  Christ,  he  i.^  a  new  creature  : — When  the  Apostle  Paul  said  this,  I  suppose 
he  was  thinking  of  himself.  What  a  different  man  he  had  become  since  he  was  a 
Christian !  I  do  not  wonder  that  he  thought  himself  almost  a  new  creation  by  the 
Almighty  Maker.  How  many  old  things  had  passed  away ;  how  many  new  things 
had  come !  His  whole  manner  of  thought  had  been  revolutionised.  Before,  he  was 
on  the  highway  to  position  and  honour  in  the  Jewish  Church  ;  now,  he  was  reviled 
as  an  apostate.  He  had  entered  a  new  world  of  thought  and  life.  But  notice  the 
stress  laid  by  the  apostle,  here  and  elsewhere,  on  that  little  preposition  "  in."  It 
is  to  be  in  Christ  which  makes  one  a  new  creature.  So  he  says,  "  My  wish  is  that 
I  may  be  found  in  Him  "  ;  and  in  another  place,  "  When  God  revealed  His  Son  in 
Me."  It  is  one  thing  to  be  with  Christ,  and  another  thing  to  be  in  Him.  If  we  had 
been  with  Christ  when  He  was  walking  the  streets  of  Capernaum  or  Jerusalem,  we 
might  not  have  thought  much  about  it.  Nicodemus  was  with  Him,  and  had  a  long 
conversation  with  Jesus,  but  does  not  seem  to  have  come  again.  Judas  was  with 
Jesus  during  all  His  ministry,  and  then  betrayed  Him.  We  are  all  of  us  with  Jesus, 
in  a  certain  sense,  by  being  taught  about  Him  from  childhood,  by  growing  up  in  the 
midst  of  Christian  society.  But  we  are  not  necessarily  in  sympathy  or  union  with 
Him  on  that  account.  Our  purposes  may  be  very  different  from  His.  Contiguity 
is  not  union.  How  often  parents  and  children,  brothers  and  sisters,  husbands  and 
wives,  live  together,  side  by  side,  for  years,  in  utter  ignorance  of  each  other's  inmost 
thoughts,  sorrows,  experiences,  and  hopes.  They  do  not  understand  each  other  at 
aU ;  for  it  is  mutual  love,  not  proximity,  which  leads  to  mutual  knowledge.  Nor  is 
it  enough  even  to  be  strongly  attached  to  others,  and  clingingly  devoted  to  them. 
That  does  not  necessarily  produce  real  union.  We  may  cling  to  them  externally, 
yet  never  be  in  them,  never  get  a  glimpse  of  the  real  secret  of  their  hves.  It  was 
the  sort  of  feeling  with  which  a  snail  sticks  to  the  rock,  or  a  barnacle  to  a  ship's 
bottom — because  they  need  something  strong  and  solid  to  cling  to.  To  cling  to 
another  for  our  own  comfort  is  not  to  be  in  him.  So  some  persons  cling  to  Jesus — 
for  their  own  salvation.  Weak  in  themselves,  they  need  something  to  hold  them 
up.  They  may  cling  merely  for  their  own  sake,  only  to  be  saved.  They  have  not 
entered  into  the  mind  or  the  heart  of  Christ  at  all.  Nor  is  it  enough  to  have  a  great 
deal  to  say  or  to  do  about  Christ  in  order  to  be  in  Him.  You  may  spend  your  life 
in  talking  about  Him,  using  His  Name  on  all  occasions,  and  yet  be  in  no  real  union 
with  Him.  Men  may  fight  for  Him,  die  for  Him,  and  not  be  in  Him.  The 
crusaders  who  went  to  Palestine  to  die  under  the  banner  of  the  Cross  were,  many  of 
them,  in  no  sympathy  with  Him.  To  be  in  Christ  we  must  love  Him.  But  love 
means  much  more  than  blind  affectionate  instincts,  or  clinging  attachments,  or 
sudden  emotions.  Love  looks  up  to  receive  a  higher  influence,  to  be  inspired  by  a 
purer  life.  Love  must  elevate  us,  or  it  is  not  really  love.  If  any  man  loves,  he  is 
in  the  person  he  loves.  He  has  entered  into  his  soul,  and  has  something  of  his 
spirit.    If  any  man  loves  Christ,  he  is  in  Chi-ist,  because  he  has  something  of 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  293 

Christ's  spirit,  and  is  anew  creature.  He  has  something  added  to  him,  or  developed 
out  of  him,  that  was  not  there  before.  There  is  nothing  sudden,  nothing  artificial 
about  this.  This  change  is  as  natural  as  that  by  which  the  blood  renews  the  body  ; 
the  body  seeming  to  continue  the  same,  but  always  becoming  different.  It  is  a 
growth,  and  all  growths  are  gradual.  Conversion  is  always  sudden,  for  it  is  simply 
turning  round.  But  regeneration  is  gradual,  for  it  is  a  growth.  Paul  was  converted 
in  a  moment  on  his  way  to  Damascus.  He  changed  his  mind  about  Christianity. 
He  began  a  new  life.  But  it  took  him  a  long  time  to  become  a  Christian.  Thus, 
if  we  are  in  Christ,  we  grow  into  new  convictions.  Not  into  new  speculations  or 
beliefs,  for  these  may  change  suddenly,  or  may  not  change  at  all.  Belief  puts  us 
with  Christ,  but  not  in  him.  A  creed  is  like  a  carriage,  which  may  take  us  to  the 
place  where  our  friend  is,  but  cannot  put  us  into  communion  with  him.  But  if  we 
are  in  Christ,  we  have  new  convictions.  Spiritual  things  become  more  real  to  us. 
God  becomes  to  us  more  real.  So,  also,  if  we  ai-e  in  Christ,  we  grow  into  new 
affections.  A  change  of  heart,  as  it  is  called,  does  not  mean  any  new  faculty  or 
power  of  loving  implanted  in  us,  which  we  had  not  before.  It  means  having  new 
objects  of  love.  What  we  did  before  merely  from  a  sense  of  duty,  we  now  do  with 
pleasure.  So,  again,  the  Bible  is  a  new  book  if  we  are  in  Christ.  If  you  stand  out- 
side of  the  Cathedral  of  Milan,  or  the  Minster  of  Cologne,  and  look  on  the  vast 
windows  of  the  choir,  they  seem  dark  and  dingy.  But  go  inside  and  let  the  light 
stream  through  them,  and  they  turn  into  emeralds,  and  sapphires,  and  rubies,  and 
are  gorgeous  with  the  forms  of  saints  and  angels.  So  enter  into  a  book,  sympathise 
with  the  spirit  and  aim  of  its  author,  and  you  can  understand  it.  We  call  the  Bible 
a  supernatural  book.  I  call  it  the  most  intensely  natural  book  ever  written.  It  is  a 
revelation  of  human  nature,  showing  its  motives  and  workings.  It  is  like  a  watch 
with  a  transparent  dial,  through  which  we  look  and  see  the  movement.  Again,  if 
we  are  in  Christ,  Ufe  becomes  new.  Nothing  prevents  life  from  seeming  old,  stale, 
flat,  and  weary,  like  having  an  object — something  we  are  interested  in,  something  we 
love  to  do.  The  higher  and  better  this  object  is,  the  more  of  interest  it  adds  to  our 
life.  There  is  no  end  to  the  joy  and  freshness  of  existence,  if  we  can  have  Christ  in 
our  hearts,  and  be  in  His  heart,  by  drinking  His  spirit.  And  if  any  man  be  in  Christ, 
death  is  new.  Death  has  lost  its  terrors.  {Jas.  Freeman  Clarke.)  The  mart  in 
Christ,  and  what  he  becomes  : — I.  The  state  supposed.  "  If  any  man  be  in  Christ." 
1.  Any  man  may  be  in  Christ.  For  what  hinders  ?  Nothing  from  without  the 
sinner  himself.  There  is  no  prohibition,  no  legal  barrier  interposed  to  prevent  any 
one  being  in  Christ.  2.  Every  man  must  be  in  Christ  in  order  to  be  saved.  3.  Every 
believer  is  in  Christ.  The  sinner,  by  the  first  act  of  faith  in  Christ,  becomes  united 
to  Him,  or  one  with  Him.  In  what  respects  one  ?  Not  one  in  essence,  in  nature, 
or  person ;  but  one  with  Christ  in  law — in  the  eye  of  the  Divine  Lawgiver.  The 
believer  is  so  treated  as  if  he  had  done  what  Christ  did.  H.  The  consequent 
CHANGE  affiemed.  The  change  is  not  antecedent  to,  but  consequent  on,  the  state 
of  being  in  Christ.  Every  man  in  Christ  is  brought  into — 1.  New  relations. 
Every  state  of  being  gives  rise  to  corresponding  relations.  A  state  of  poverty,  for 
instance,  has  its  relations  generally  among  the  poor  of  this  world ;  of  wealth, 
among  the  rich  ;  of  rank,  among  the  noble  ;  of  power,  among  the  powerful ;  of  rule 
and  authority,  among  the  rulers  of  this  world ;  of  liberty,  among  the  free ;  of 
subjection,  among  the  servile  ;  and  of  captivity,  among  the  captives.  So  it  is  with 
spiritual  relations.  Of  these  Christ  is  at  once  the  source  and  the  centre.  The  relations 
of  every  one  in  Christ  are  all  changed.  Being  in  Christ  the  man  is  out  with  Satan  ;  he 
is  severed  from  the  world.  2.  Receives  a  new  nature  or  disposition.  New  relations 
tend  to  the  formation  of  a  new  character,  to  fit  the  "  man  in  Chi'ist,"  for  intercourse 
with  those  to  whom  he  is  spiritually  related.  A  mere  superficial  and  temporary 
change  wiU  not  answer  the  appellation  of  a  new  creature.  That  can  mean  nothing 
less  than  a  real,  a  radical,  a  universal,  and  abiding  change  over  the  whole  man,  over 
his  whole  spirit,  and  soul,  and  body.  The  new  creature  has  new  views.  It  is  in  the 
new  as  it  was  in  the  old  creation ;  the  first  element  produced  to  dispel  the  darkness 
and  disorders  all  around  was  light.  New  inclinations  as  well  as  new  views.  New 
affections.  HI.  The  evidence  adduced.  Old  connections  with  the  devil,  the 
world,  and  the  flesh,  are  broken  off ;  old  idols  are  cast  away.  "  Behold,  all  things 
are  become  new."  The  man  in  Christ  becomes  a  Christian,  who  is  become  a  new 
man,  and  comes  into  a  new  world.  To  the  new  creature,  even  old  and  familiar 
things  wear  a  new  aspect.  To  his  eyes,  the  sun  shines  with  new  splendour,  the 
heavens  display  new  glory,  "  the  manifold  works  of  God  "  present  new  wonders. 
"Behold  !  "  which  is  a  note  of  attention,  of  wonder,  and  of  admiration.     1,  With 


294  J:HE  biblical  illustrator.  [chap.  v. 

attention,  for  its  certainty  and  importance.  2.  With  wonder,  for  its  novelty.  S. 
With  admiration,  for  its  excellence.  New  things  may  be  noteworthy  for  their  great- 
ness and  novelty,  but  not  for  excellence  or  usefulness.  (Geo.  Rohson.)  Man  in 
Christ  a  new  man  (text  in  conjunction  with  vers.  13-16)  : — We  can  attach  only  four 
intelligible  ideas  to  the  expression  "  in  Christ."  1.  In  His  ever-sustaining  energy. 
This  cannot  be  the  idea,  inasmuch  as  Paul  uses  it  to  designate  the  state  of  a. 
particular  class  of  men ;  whereas  all  men,  good  and  bad,  live  in  Him.  2.  In  His 
dispensation.  Again,  as  Paul  means  here  the  state  only  of  a  certain  class  of  men, 
this  cannot  be  the  idea,  since  all  men  now  during  eighteen  hundred  years  have  been 
in  Christ  in  this  sense.  3.  In  His  affection.  There  is  propriety  in  a  man  saying 
of  his  friend,  or  a  loving  parent  of  his  child,  "  He  hves  in  me.  He  mingles  with  all 
my  thoughts,  sympathies,  and  plans."  In  this  sense  men  are  verily  in  Christ. 
4.  In  His  character.  Without  figure,  we  hve  in  the  character  of  others.  The  soul 
of  the  artist  lives  in  the  genius  of  his  master ;  that  of  the  pupil  in  the  ideas  and 
mental  habits  of  his  admired  teacher.  The  spirit  of  our  heroes,  the  ideas  of  our 
favourite  authors,  do  we  not  Uve  in  them  ?  So  all  men  in  a  moral  sense  live  either 
"in  Adam,"  or  "in  Christ."  The  selfishness,  the  carnality,  the  falseness,  and  the 
moral  atheism,  which  came  into  the  world  through  Adam,  form  that  moral  atmo- 
sphere which  the  millions  breathe  as  their  vital  air.  To  be  "  in  Christ "  is  to  be  so 
thoroughly  impregnated  with  His  ideas,  so  imbued  with  His  spirit,  so  inspired  with 
His  purposes  that  our  spirits  live  in  Him.  This  connection  is  most  vital.  Hence 
the  Bible  teaches  that  what  the  foundation  is  to  the  building,  the  fountain  to  the 
stream,  the  root  to  the  tree,  the  head  to  the  body,  Christ  is  to  the  good.  Now  he 
that  is  so  in  Christ  is  a  "  new  creature,"  a  new  man.  This  man  has  three  things 
new.  I.  A  NEW  imperial  impulse  (ver.  14).  Love  transfigures  the  lover  into  the 
spirit  of  the  object.  Now  this  love  in  Paul's  case  became  the  dominant  passion  of 
his  being.  It  carried  him  on  Uke  a  resistless  torrent.  1.  This  new  governing 
impulse  is  incomprehensible  to  those  who  possess  it  not  (ver.  13).  The  apostle 
under  its  influence  appeared  to  be  mad  to  some.  They  saw  him  brave  the 
greatest  perils,  &c.,  and  they  could  not  discover  the  principle  which  produced  this 
self-sacrificing  conduct.  It  was  not  ambition,  for  Paul  repudiated  power.  It  was 
not  avarice,  for  Paul  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things.  The  world  never  has  under- 
stood the  principles  that  rule  the  truly  good.  The  world  did  not  understand  Christ ; 
even  His  own  relations  considered  Him  mad.  "  The  world  knoweth  us  not,  because 
it  knew  Him  not."  Love  alone  can  interpret  love.  2.  Arises  from  reflection  upon  the 
death  of  Christ.  The  apostle  assumes  that  "  Christ  died  for  all."  Now  the  fact 
that  "  Christ  died  for  all,"  seemed  to  suggest  to  the  apostle  two  strong  reasons  why 
he  should  be  zealous  in  the  cause  of  Christ.  (1)  That  the  whole  world  was  in  a 
ruined  condition.  "  Then  were  all  dead,"  in  a  moral  sense.  With  this  view  of  the 
world,  he  felt  overwhelmed  with  the  magnitude  of  his  work.  (2)  That  the  principle 
of  self-sacrifice  is  the  binding  principle  of  action.  "  He  died  for  all,  that  they 
which  live,"  &c.  Selfishness  is  the  death  of  the  world.  Christ  died  to  destroy  it. 
n.  A  NEW  social  standard  (ver.  16).  "Henceforth"  implies  that  he  did  once 
know  men  after  the  flesh ;  that  his  conduct  towards  men  was  once  regulated  by 
carnal  standards.  Such  standards,  however,  Christianity  regards  as  false  and 
evanescent.  It  estimates  man  by  his  righteousness  and  not  by  his  rank.  The 
fact  that  this  is  the  true  standard  serves :  1.  As  a  test  by  which  to  tiy  our  own 
rehgion.  What  is  the  kind  of  sympathy  we  have  with  Christ  ?  2.  To  guide  us  in 
the  promotion  of  Christianity.  In  our  endeavours  to  convert  the  world,  we  are  not 
to  inquire  if  men  are  rich  or  poor,  &c. ;  it  is  sufficient  to  know  that  they  are  men, 
and  that  they  are  morally  dead.  3.  To  indicate  the  principle  on  which  we  should 
form  our  friendship  with  men.  It  should  be  not  on  account  of  their  material  con- 
dition but  of  their  spiritual  character.  4.  As  a  rule  to  regulate  our  actions.  Paul 
said,  "  When  it  pleased  God  to  reveal  His  Son  in  me,  I  conferred  not  with  flesh  and 
blood."  Spiritual  considerations  not  material  ones  then  ruled  him ;  principles  not 
persons  became  his  authorities.  HI.  A  new  spiritual  history  (ver.  17).  In  what 
sense  can  you  call  this  change  a  "  creation  "?  1.  It  is  unlike  the  first  creation  in 
many  respects.  The  first  creation — (1)  Was  the  production  of  something  out  of 
nothing.  It  is  not  so  in  the  new.  No  new  element  or  faculty  of  being  is  produced ; 
the  change  is  simply  in  the  mode  and  course  of  action.  When  a  vessel  that  has 
been  pursuing  her  course  to  some  northern  port  turns  directly  round  and  sails  to 
the  south  there  is  no  change  in  the  vessel,  the  mariners,  or  the  cargo.  The  change 
is  simply  in  the  course.  (2)  Presented  no  difficulties.  The  Creator  had  only  to 
speak  and  it  was  done,  to  command  and  it  stood  fast.    But  in  this  moral  change 


CHAP,  v.]  U.  CORINTHIANS.  295 

there  are  resisting  forces — "  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil."  (3)  There  was 
nothing  but  direct  force.  There  was  no  instrumentality.  But  in  tnis  change  you 
must  have  Divine  argument,  suasion,  example :  God  did  not  "  strive  "  to  create,  but 
He  strives  to  save.  2.  Wherein  then  is  the  propriety  of  representing  this  moral 
change  as  a  creation  ?  In  both  cases  there  is  the  production  (1)  of  something  new ; 
a  new  imperial  passion,  love  !  This  passion  for  Christ  is  a  new  thing  in  the  universe. 
(2)  Of  something  new  by  Divine  agency.  The  architect  can  rear  a  cathedral,  the 
sculptor  can  carve  from  marble,  the  painter  can  depict  life  on  his  canvas,  the 
machinist  can  construct  engines,  but  not  one  of  them  can  create.  God  alone  can 
create.  It  is  so  in  this  moral  change.  He  alone  can  produce  it.  (3)  Something 
new  according  to  a  Divine  plan.  Everything  in  the  universe  is  formed  by  plan. 
The  work  in  the  human  soul  is  also  so.  "  We  are  His  workmanship,  created  in 
Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works,"  &c.  "  We  are  predestinated  to  be  conformed  to  the 
image  of  Christ."  Conversions  are  accomplished  by  plan.  We  may  not  know  the 
plan.  The  architect  has  the  outline  of  that  majestic  cathedral  which  is  in  course 
of  building : — very  few,  if  any,  know  of  it ;  he  has  it  in  the  secrets  of  his  own  brain. 
Still  the  building  under  his  superintendence  is  advancing.  Hundreds,  perhaps 
thousands,  are  helping  to  work  his  plan.  Some  are  excavating  the  mountains,  and 
some  are  ploughing  the  seas,  &c.  Very  few  of  the  workers  are  known  to  each  other, 
yet  the  act  of  each  helps  to  work  out  the  plan  of  the  architect.  So  it  is  in  the 
moral  creation.  Heaven,  earth,  matter,  mind,  even  hell  is  unwittingly  working  for 
it.  (4)  Something  new  which  develops  the  Divine  glory.  The  universe  is  a  mirror 
of  God,  &c.  There  is  more  of  His  glory  seen  in  the  free  intellect,  the  pure  sympathies, 
the  lofty  aspirations,  the  refined  conscience  of  one  regenerate  soul  than  the  whole 
material  universe  displays.  (5)  Something  new  in  a  gradual  way.  According  to 
geology  unnumbered  ages  were  taken  up  in  bringing  this  earth  to  its  present  form 
as  a  suitable  residence  for  man.  So  man  does  not  become  virtuous  and  great  by  a 
bound ;  it  is  by  a  series  of  efforts  and  a  course  of  training.  3.  These  remarks 
are  sufficient  to  show  the  propriety  of  representing  man's  moral  change  as  a 
"  creation."  It  is  not,  however,  the  things  without  that  change.  Material  nature, 
society,  events  that  pass  over  him — all  may  remain  the  same ;  but  the 
change  is  within.  His  consciousness  is  changed,  and  with  that  all  has  changed. 
He  looks  at  the  forms  of  the  universe  with  a  new  eye,  with  a  new  judgment. 
He  looks  at  all  through  the  medium  of  a  new  passion,  and  all  assume  new 
phases.  If  you  would  have  me  admire  some  fine  piece  of  architecture,  or 
some  magnificent  painting,  inspire  me  first  with  a  love  for  the  artist.  The 
moment  we  look  at  the  universe  through  love  to  Christ,  the  Great  Architect,  it 
becomes  new :  the  old  universe  passes  away,  and  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth 
appear.  Conclusion  :  Such,  then,  is  what  Christianity  does  for  us.  What  a  world 
this  will  be  when  Christianity  shall  have  realised  its  sublime  mission!  I  rejoice 
to  believe  that  that  period  will  one  day  come.  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  Man 
in  Christ  a  new  creature : — I.  What  a  new  cbeatuee  is.  It  is  a  second  birth 
added  to  the  first.  1.  The  efficient  cause  is  the  Holy  Ghost ;  who  but  God  can 
alter  the  hearts  of  men,  and  turn  stones  into  flesh?  2.  The  organical  cause  or 
instrument  is  the  Word  of  God  (Jas.  i.  18).  3.  The  matter  is  the  restoring  of  God's 
image  lost  by  the  fall.  He  does  not  bestow  new  faculties,  but  new  qualities.  As  in 
the  altering  of  a  lute,  the  strings  are  not  new,  but  the  tune  is  mended  ;  so,  in  the 
new  creature,  the  substance  of  the  soul  is  not  new,  but  is  new  tuned  by  grace ; 
the  heart  that  before  was  proud  is  now  humble,  (fee.  II.  What  kind  of  work  the 
NEW  CREATURE  IS.  1.  A  work  of  Divinc  power  (Eph.  i.  20).  It  is  a  work  of  greater 
power  to  produce  the  new  creature  than  to  make  a  world.  (1)  When  God  made  the 
world  He  met  with  no  opposition  ;  but  when  God  is  about  to  make  a  new  creature 
Satan  and  the  heart  oppose  Him.  (2)  It  cost  God  nothing  to  make  the  world, 
but  to  make  the  new  creature  cost  the  shedding  of  Christ's  blood.  2.  A  work  of 
free  grace.  There  is  nothing  in  us  to  move  God  to  make  us  anew;  "By  the  grace 
of  God  I  am  what  I  am."  3.  A  work  of  rare  excellency.  A  soul  beautified  with 
holiness  is  like  the  firmament  bespangled  with  glittering  stars ;  it  is  God's  lesser 
heaven.  In  the  incarnation,  God  made  Himself  in  the  image  of  man  ;  in  the  new 
creation,  man  is  made  in  the  image  of  God.  4.  Concerning  the  new  creature,  I 
shall  lay  down  two  positions  :  (1)  That  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  a  natural  man  to 
convert  himself,  because  it  is  a  new  creation.  (2)  When  God  converts  a  sinner.  He 
doth  more  than  use  a  moral  persuasion,  for  conversion  is  a  new  creation.  III.  The 
COUNTERFEITS  OF  THE  NEW  CREATURE.  1.  Natural  honesty,  moral  virtue,  &c.  Morality 
is  but  nature  at  best.    Heat  water  to  the  highest  degree,  you  cannot  make  wine  of  it. 


296  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap. 


2.  Eeligious  education.  This  is  a  good  wall  to  plant  the  vine  of  grace  against,  but 
it  is  not  grace.  Have  not  we  seen  many  who  have  been  trained  up  religiously,  who 
have  lived  to  be  a  shame  to  their  friends  ?  3.  A  form  of  godliness.  Every  bird 
that  hath  fine  feathers  hath  not  sweet  flesh  ;  all  that  shine  with  the  golden  feathers 
of  profession  are  not  saints.  How  devout  were  the  Pharisees !  Dasdalus,  by  art, 
made  images  to  move  by  themselves,  insomuch  that  people  thought  they  were 
living;  formalists  do  so  counterfeit  a  devotion  that  others  think  they  are  living 
saints — they  are  religious  mountebanks.  4.  Change  of  opinion.  Man  may  change 
from  error  to  truth,  yet  only  in  the  head,  not  in  the  heart.  5.  Sudden  passion,  or 
stirring  of  the  affections.  Many  desire  heaven,  but  will  not  come  up  to  the  price. 
King  Herod  heard  John  gladly;  his  affections  were  moved,  but  his  sin  was  not 
removed.  6.  Trouble  for  sin,  i.e.,  while  God's  judgments  lie  upon  men ;  when 
these  are  removed,  their  trouble  ceaseth  (Psa.  Ixxviii.  34-36).  Metal  out  of  the 
furnace  returns  to  its  former  hardness.  7.  Possession  of  the  Spirit.  A  man  may 
have  some  slight  transient  work  of  the  Spirit,  but  it  doth  not  go  to  the  root ;  he 
may  have  the  Spirit  to  convince  him,  not  to  convert  him,  the  motions  of  the  Spirit, 
but  the  walk  after  the  flesh.  8.  Abstaining  from  sin.  This  abstaining  may  be 
from  restraining  grace,  not  renewing  grace.  Men  may  leave  gross  sin,  and  yet  li\e 
in  more  spiritual  sins ;  leave  drunkenness  and  live  in  pride ;  leave  uncleanness  and 
live  in  malice.  IV.  Wheeedj  the  essence  of  the  new  creatdee  exists.  1.  In 
general  it  is — (1)  A  great  change.  He  who  is  a  new  creature  is  not  the  same  man 
he  was.  He  is  of  another  spirit.  (2)  A  visible  change,  one  from  darkness  to  light. 
Paul,  when  converted,  was  so  altered  that  all  who  saw  him  could  scarcely  believe 
that  he  was  the  same.  (3)  An  inward  change.  Though  the  heart  be  not  new-made, 
it  is  new  moulded.  2.  More  particularly  it  consists  in  two  things.  (1)  "  Old  things 
^re  passed  away."  Old  pride,  old  ignorance,  old  malice ;  the  old  house  must  be 
pulled  down  ere  you  can  set  up  a  new,  yet  though  it  be  a  thorough  change,  it  is  not 
a  perfect  change ;  sin  will  remain.  If  sin  then  is  not  quite  done  away,  how  far 
must  one  put  off  the  old  man,  that  he  may  be  a  new  creature  ?  There  must  be — (a) 
A  grieving  for  the  remains  of  corruption  (Rom.  vii.  24) .  (b)  A  detestation  of  old  things, 
as  one  would  detest  a  garment  in  which  is  the  plague  (Psa.  cxix.  63).  (c)  An  opposition 
against  all  old  things ;  a  Christian  not  only  complains  of  sin,  but  fights  against  it 
(Gal.  V.  17).     (d)  A  mortification  of    old  corrupt  lusts  (Gal.  v.  24 ;  Rom.  vi.  11). 

(2)  "All  things  are  become  new."  The  new  creature  is  new  all  over ;  grace,  though 
it  be  but  in  part,  yet  it  is  in  every  part.  There  is — (a)  A  new  understanding 
(Eph.  iii.  24).  The  new  creature  is  enlightened  to  see  that  which  he  never  saw 
before.  He  knows  Christ  after  another  manner.  He  knows  himself  better  than  he 
did.  When  the  sun  shines  into  a  room  it  discovers  all  the  dust  and  cobwebs  in  it ; 
so,  when  the  light  of  the  Spirit  shines  into  the  heart  it  discovers  that  corruption 
which  before  lay  hid.  A  wicked  man,  blinded  with  self-love,  admires  himself  ;  like 
Narcissus,  that  seeing  his  own  shadow  upon  the  water,  fell  in  love  with  it.  (b)  A 
renewal  of  conscience.  The  least  hair  makes  the  eye  weep,  and  the  least  sin  makes 
conscience  smite.  A  good  conscience  is  a  star  to  guide,  a  register  to  record,  a  judge 
to  determine,  a  witness  to  accuse  or  excuse ;  if  conscience  doth  all  these  offices 
right,  then  it  is  a  renewed  conscience,  and  speaks  peace,  (c)  The  will  is  renewed. 
An  old  bowl  may  have  a  new  bias  put  into  it ;  the  will  having  a  new  bias  of  grace 
put  into  it  is  strongly  carried  to  good,  and  carries  all  the  affections  along  with  it. 
(d)  A  new  conversation.  Grace  alters  a  man's  walk ;  before  he  walked  proudly, 
now  humbly  ;  before  loosely,  now  hoUly ;  he  makes  the  Word  his  rule,  and  Christ's 
life  his  pattern.  Conclusion — 1.  In  this,  true  Christianity  consists.  It  is  not 
baptism  makes  a  Christian ;  many  are  no  better  than  baptised  heathens.  2.  It  is  the 
new  creature  fits  us  for  communion  with  God.  Birds  cannot  converse  with  men 
unless  they  had  a  rational  nature  put  into  them,  nor  can  men  converse  with  God, 
unless  they  partake  of  the  Divine  nature.  Every  one  that  hangs  about  the  court 
doth  not  speak  with  the  king.  3.  The  necessity  of  being  new  creatures.  Till  then — 
(1)  We  are  odious  to  God.  (2)  Our  duties  are  not  accepted  with  God  ;  they  are  but 
wild  grapes.  When  they  brought  Tamarlane  a  pot  of  gold  he  asked  what  stamp  it 
had  on  it,  and  when  he  saw  the  Roman  stamp  on  it  he  refused  it ;  so  if  God  doth  not 
see  His  own  stamp  and  image  on  the  soul.  He  rejects  the  most  specious  services. 

(3)  Get  no  benefit  by  ordinances.  The  Word  preached  is  a  "  savour  of  death  "  ;  nay 
Christ  HimseK  is  accidentally  a  "rock  of  offence."  (4)  We  cannot  arrive  at 
heaven  (Rev.  xxi.  27).  Heaven  is  not  like  Noah's  ark — that  received  clean  and 
unclean.  Only  the  pure  in  heart  shall  see  God.  4.  The  excellency  of  the  new 
creature.     (1)  Its  nobility.     The  new  creature  fetcheth  its  pedigree  from  heaven ; 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  297 

it  is  born  of  God,  and  is  fellow-commoner  with  angels.  (2)  Its  immortality.  The 
new  creature  is  begotten  of  the  incorruptible  seed  of  the  Word,  and  never  dies.  5. 
The  misery  of  the  unregenerate  creature ;  dying  so  "  good  were  it  for  that  man  if 
he  had  never  been  born."  (T.  Watson.)  The  new  creature  : — Our  text  is  to  be 
viewed — I.  As  a  requisition  upon  the  binner.  Nothing  short  of  a  new  creation 
can  constitute  any  man  a  Christian.  1.  If  we  consider  the  extent  of  the  requisition, 
as  applied  to  individuals,  the  emphasis  rests  upon  the  word  "  any."  It  matters  not 
who  he  may  be.  No  man  can  become  a  Christian  in  any  other  method.  2.  The 
requisition  may  be  considered  in  its  application  to  character  in  each  individual. 
Here  the  emphasis  is  on  the  words  "  new  creature."  (1)  The  object  to  be  obtained 
marks  this  necessity  for  a  new  creation.  This  object  is  not  to  be  in  the  church. 
That  may  easily  be  secured  by  conformity  to  outward  ordinances.  It  is  not 
reform  in  external  conduct  merely.  This  may  be  accomplished  by  man's  own 
exertions.  It  is  not  to  obtain  a  good  reputation  among  men.  But  it  is  to 
be  in  Christ,  and  to  be  made  an  heir  of  everlasting  glory.  This  object  no 
partial  change  of  character  can  secure.  (2)  That  which  separates  men  from 
God  is  a  radical  perversion  of  motive  and  principle ;  the  change  required 
therefore  is  a  change  of  the  heart,  a  new  creation  of  the  soul  in  its  prin- 
ciples and  objects  of  pursuit.  They  have  but  one  simple  want.  But  that  want 
is  a  total  one.  They  must  be  new  men.  II.  As  a  privilege  to  the  Christian.  He 
is  a  new  creature — 1.  In  the  personal  relations  which  he  sustains.  (1)  In  his 
relations  to  God  his  Creator  and  Judge.  He  stands  in  the  Divine  presence  no  longer 
under  condemnation.  The  penalty  for  his  sin  has  been  endured.  God  is  no  longer 
angry,  but  is  a  reconciled  Father.  He  enjoys  the  comfort  of  this  new  relation. 
His  conscience  is  peaceful  through  the  blood  of  sprinkling,  and  perfect  love  has 
cast  out  fear.  (2)  In  his  relation  to  Jesus  the  Saviour.  Once,  like  others,  he 
despised  and  rejected  Him.  Now  he  has  embraced  Him  in  the  warm  affections  of 
his  heart,  as  his  comfort,  and  hope,  and  portion  for  ever.  (3)  In  his  relations  to 
men  around  him.  To  the  children  of  God,  wherever  they  are,  he  is  a  brother  and 
a  friend.  To  the  unconverted,  he  feels  a  bond  of  pity  which  he  never  knew 
before.  He  now  knows  the  galling  chain  which  they  ignorantly  wear.  He  labours 
and  prays  that  they  may  also  become  new  creatures  in  Jesus  Christ.  2.  In  his 
personal  character.  (1)  He  is  released  from  the  dominion  of  sin.  It  may  dwell 
within  him,  but  it  dwells  there  as  a  captive,  not  as  a  ruler.  (2)  He  is  released  from 
the  darkness  and  confusion  of  mind,  which  sin  has  produced.  The  image  of  God 
which  was  lost  in  man's  apostasy,  has  been  restored.  In  the  true  order  of  his 
powers,  his  whole  soul  is  devoted  to  the  service  of  God.  Thus  his  heart  has  become 
right  in  the  sight  of  God.  (3)  He  has  received  a  principle  of  Divine  grace  within 
him,  which  shall  flourish  and  increase  for  ever.  3.  In  his  associates.  There  was 
a  time  when  he  avoided  the  society  of  the  pious,  when  he  loved  the  associations  of 
the  worldly.  Now  there  has  been  a  total  revolution  in  all  his  intercourse  with  men. 
He  has  forsaken  the  society  of  those  who  fear  not  God,  and  he  selects  for  his 
friends  those  in  whom  he  can  find  the  mind  of  Christ.  He  now  regards  men 
according  to  their  character  in  the  sight  of  God.  4.  In  his  occupation  and  enjoy- 
ments. His  desire  is  in  the  fulfilment  of  every  required  duty,  to  honour  the  God 
whom  he  delights  to  serve.  Eeligion  sanctifies  his  daily  engagements.  His 
comforts  and  joys  come  to  him  from  above.  He  looks  beyond  the  bounds  of  sense 
to  find  his  joy  and  his  crown  of  rejoicing  in  eternity.  Prayer  is  no  longer  a  task 
but  a  pleasure.  The  Bible  comes  to  him  not  so  much  to  remind  him  of  a 
duty  as  to  call  him  to  a  privilege.  5.  In  his  prospects.  {S.  H.  Tyng,  D.D.) 
The  believer  a  new  creature  : — I.  The  Christian's  position — "  in  Christ."  There 
are  three  stages  of  the  soul.  First — Without  Christ,  this  is  the  state  of  nature,  and 
is  a  most  unhappy  condition.  It  is  inconvenient  to  be  without  gold  ;  it  is  miserable 
to  be  without  health,  without  a  friend,  without  reputation,  but  to  be  without  Christ 
is  the  worst  lack  in  all  the  world.  The  next  state,  "  in  Christ,"  leadeth  to  the  third, 
■with  Christ,  which  is  the  state  of  glory.  1.  Our  business  now  is  with  the  second, 
"  in  Christ,"  which  is  the  state  of  grace.  I  never  heard  of  any  persons  being  in  any 
other  man  but  Christ.  We  may  follow  certain  leaders,  and  imitate  eminent 
examples,  but  no  man  is  said  in  these  respects  to  be  in  another.  (1)  We  must 
interpret  this  by  scriptural  symbols,  (a)  We  were  all  of  us  in  the  first  Adam. 
Adam  stood  for  us.  Now,  as  in  Adam  we  aU  fell,  so  all  who  are  in  Christ  are 
restored,  (b)  Noah's  ark  was  a  type  of  Christ.  Christ  is  the  ark  of  God  provided 
against  the  day  of  judgment,  and  we  are  in  Him.  (c)  Christ  is  God's  eternal  city  of 
rtJuge,  and  we,  having  offended,  flee  for  our  lives  and  enter  where  vengeance  cannot 


298  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

reach  us.  (2)  Christ  represents  us  as  being  in  Him  as  the  branch  is  in  the  vine. 
(3)  Paul  describes  us  as  being  in  Christ  also  as  the  stone  is  in  the  building.  In  some 
of  the  old  Eoman  walls  you  can  scarcely  tell  which  is  the  firmer,  the  cement  or  the 
stone,  for  their  cement  held  the  stones  together  as  though  they  were  one  mass  of 
rock ;  and  such  is  the  eternal  love  which  binds  the  saints  to  Christ.  2.  "  How  da 
we  come  to  be  there  ?  "  (1)  By  faith.  (2)  By  love.  When  love  and  faith  come 
together,  then  there  is  a  blessedly  sweet  communion.  11.  The  believer's 
CHABACTER — a  "  new  creature."  The  phrase  suggests — 1.  A  radical  change.  (!)• 
A  man  may  undergo  many  changes,  but  they  may  be  far  from  being  radical  enough, 
to  be  a  new  creation.  Ahab  may  humble  himself,  but  he  is  Ahab  still,  (a)  Con- 
version is  sometimes  described  as  healing ;  but  healing  does  not  rise  to  the  radical 
character  of  the  text.  Naaman  washed  in  Jordan,  and  came  up  with  his  flesh 
clean  like  unto  a  Uttle  child ;  but  it  was  the  same  flesh  and  the  same  Naaman. 
The  woman,  bowed  down  with  infirmity  eighteen  years,  was  marvellously  changed 
when  she  stood  upright ;  but  she  was  the  same  woman.  (6)  There  are  great  moral 
changes  wrought  in  many  which  are  not  saving.  A  drunkard  may  become  sober, 
and  many  persons  of  debauched  habits  regular ;  and  yet  their  changes  may  not 
amount  to  regeneration.  The  most  startling  changes  will  not  sufiice  unless  they 
are  total  and  deep.  The  Ethiopian  might  change  his  skin,  the  leopard  his  spots ; 
but  the  leopard  would  remain  a  leopard,  and  the  Ethiop  would  still  be  black  at 
heart,  (c)  Even  the  metaphor  of  resurrection  does  not  go  so  far  as  the  language  of 
the  text.  The  daughter  of  Jairus  is  the  same  child,  and  Lazarus  is  the  same  man 
after  restoration  to  Ufe.  A  new  creation  is  a  root-and-branch  change ;  not  an 
alteration  of  the  walls  only,  but  of  the  foundation ;  not  a  new  figuring  of  the  visible 
tapestry,  but  a  renewal  of  the  fabric  itself.  (2)  We  are  new  creatures  through  being 
in  Christ.  People  object  to  the  doctrine  that  men  are  saved  by  faith  in  Christ  on 
the  ground  that  there  must  be  a  great  moral  change.  But  if  those  who  are  in 
Christ  are  new  creatures,  what  greater  change  can  be  desired  ?  He  who  beheves  in 
Christ,  finding  himself  pardoned,  loves  Christ,  and  loves  the  God  who  gave  Christ, 
and  love  to  God  expels  love  to  sin.  2.  A  Divine  work.  If  any  doubt  it,  let  us  bid 
them  make  the  effort  to  create  the  smallest  object.  (1)  Eegeneration  is  God's  sole 
work.  In  the  first  creation  who  helped  God  ?  So  the  sovereign  wUl  of  God  creates 
men  heirs  of  grace.  (2)  It  was  more  difficult  to  create  a  Christian  than  to  create  a 
world.  Unto  Him,  then,  be  glory  and  strength !  3.  Kemarkable  freshness.  It  is 
very  long  sLuce  this  world  saw  a  new  creature.  All  the  creatures  we  now  see  are  old 
and  antiquated.  Any  new  creature  coming  fresh  into  the  world  would  startle  us  all. 
And  yet  the  text  teUs  you  that  there  are  new  creatures  upon  earth,  fruits  that  have 
freshness  and  bloom  of  Eden  about  them,  life  with  the  dew  of  its  youth  upon  it ; 
and  these  new  creatures  are  Christian  men.  There  is  a  freshness  about  them  which 
is  to  be  found  nowhere  else.  He  that  prayed  yesterday  with  joy,  shall  pray  in  fifty 
years'  time,  if  he  be  on  earth,  with  the  selfsame  delight.  He  that  loves  his  Maker, 
and  feels  his  heart  beat  high  at  the  mention  of  the  name  of  Jesus,  shall  find  as  much 
transport  in  that  name,  if  he  hves  to  the  age  of  Methuselah,  as  he  doth  now. 
(C  H.  Spiirgeon.)  Of  the  nature  and  necessity  of  the  new  creature  .-—That 
God's  creating  of  a  new  supernatural  work  of  grace  in  the  soul  of  any  man,  is 
that  man's  sure  and  infalhble  evidence  of  a  saving  interest  in  Jesus  Chi-ist.  Why 
the  regenerating  work  of  the  Spirit  is  called  a  new  creation.  Fust,  the  same 
almighty  Author  who  created  the  world  created  also  this  work  of  grace  in  the  soul 
of  man  (chap.  iv.  6).  Secondly,  the  first  thing  that  God  created  in  the  natural  world 
was  light  (Gen.  i.  3),  and  the  first  thing  which  God  createth  in  the  new  creation  is  the 
light  of  spiritual  knowledge  (Col.  iii.  10).  Thirdly,  creation  is  out  of  nothing ;  it 
requires  no  pre-existent  matter.  So  it  is  also  in  the  new  creation  (1  Pet.  ii.  9,  10). 
Fourthly,  it  was  the  virtue  and  efficacy  of  the  Spirit  of  God  which  gave  the  natural 
world  its  being  by  creation  (Gen.  i.  2).  Fifthly,  the  Word  of  God  was  the  instrument 
of  the  first  creation  (Psa.  xxxiii.  6-9).  Sixthly,  the  same  power  which  created  the  world 
still  supports  it  in  its  being :  the  world  owes  its  conservation,  as  well  as  its  existence,, 
to  the  power  of  God.  Just  so  it  is  with  the  new  creation  (Jude  ver.  1,  "Preserved  in 
Christ  Jesus,"  and  1  Pet.  i.  5).  Seventhly,  in  a  word,  God  surveyed  the  first  creation 
with  complacence  and  great  delight  (Gen.  i.  31).  So  this  also  in  the  second  creation  ; 
nothing  delights  God  more  than  the  works  of  grace  in  the  souls  of  His  people. 
Next  we  must  inquire,  in  what  respects  every  soul  that  is  in  Christ  is  made  a  new 
creature ;  and  here  we  shall  find  a  threefold  renovation  of  every  man  that  is  in 
Christ.  First,  he  is  renewed  in  his  state  and  condition:  for  he  passeth  from  death  to 
life  in  his  justification  (1  John  iii.  14).     Secondly,  every  man  in  Christ  is  renewed  in. 


CHAP,  v.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  299 

liis  frame  and  constitution ;  all  the  faculties  and  affections  of  his  soul  are  renewed  by 
regeneration  :  his  understanding  was  dark,  but  now  is  light  in  the  Lord  (Eph.  v.  8) ; 
his  conscience  was  dead  and  secure,  or  full  of  guilt  and  horror,  but  is  now  become 
tender,  watchful,  and  full  of  peace  (Heb.  ix.  14) ;  his  will  was  rebellious  and 
inflexible  ;  but  is  now  made  obedient  and  complying  with  the  will  of  God  (Psa.  ex.  2). 
Thirdly,  the  man  in  Christ  is  renewed  in  his  practice  and  conversation ;  the  manner 
of  operation  always  follows  the  nature  of  beings.  Now  the  regenerate  not  being 
what  they  were,  cannot  walk  nnd  act  as  once  they  did  (Eph.  ii.  1-3).  Thirdly, 
let  us  inquire  into  the  properties  and  qualities  of  this  new  creature.  First,  the 
Scripture  speaks  of  it  as  a  thing  of  great  difficulty  to  be  conceived  by  man 
(John  iii.  8).  Secondly,  but  though  this  life  of  the  new  creature  be  a  great  mystery 
and  secret  in  some  respects ;  yet  so  far  as  it  appears  unto  us,  the  new  creature  is  the 
most  beautiful  and  lovely  creature  that  ever  God  made ;  for  the  beauty  of  the  Lord 
Himself  is  upon  it :  "  The  new  man  is  created  after  God"  (Eph.  iv.  24).  Thirdly, 
this  new  creature  is  created  in  man  upon  the  highest  design  that  ever  any  work  of 
God  was  wrought:  the  end  of  its  creation  is  high  and  noble  (Col.  i.  12).  Fourthly, 
this  new  creation  is  the  most  necessary  work  that  ever  God  wrought  upon  the  soul 
of  man  :  the  eternal  well-being  of  his  soul  depends  upon  it ;  and  without  it  no  man 
shall  see  God  (Heb.  xii.  14;  John  i.  3-5).  Fifthly,  the  new  creature  is  a  marvellous 
•creatm-e  ;  tliere  are  many  wonders  in  the  first  creation  (Psa.  cxi.  2).  But  there  are 
no  wonders  in  nature,  hke  those  in  grace.  Sixthly,  the  new  creature  is  an  immortal 
creature  (John  iv.  14).  Seventhly,  the  new  creature  is  an  heavenly  creature  ;  "  It  is 
not  born  of  llesh,  nor  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God  "  (John  i.  13) ;  its 
descent  is  heavenly.  Eighthly,  the  new  creature  is  an  active  and  laborious  creature ; 
no  sooner  is  it  born,  but  it  is  acting  in  the  soul  (Acts  ix.  6).  Behold  he  prayeth  ! 
Activity  is  its  very  nature  (Gal.  v.  25).  Ninthly,  the  new  creature  is  a  thriving  creature, 
growing  from  strength  to  strength  (1  Pet.  ii.  2),  and  changing  the  soul  in  which  it  is 
subjected  from  glory  unto  glory  (chap.  iii.  18).  Tenthly,  the  new  creature  is  a  creature 
of  wonderful  preservation.  There  are  many  wonders  of  Divine  providence  in  the 
preservation  of  our  natural  lives,  but  none  like  those  whereby  the  life  of  the  new 
creature  is  preserved  in  our  souls.  Fourthly,  we  will  demonstrate  the  necessity  of 
this  new  creation  to  all  that  are  in  Christ,  and  by  Him  do  attain  salvation  ;  and  the 
necessity  of  the  new  creature  will  appear  divers  ways.  First,  from  the  positive  and 
express  will  of  God  revealed  in  Scripture.  Secondly,  this  new  creation  is  the 
inchoative  part  of  that  great  salvation  which  we  expect  through  Christ,  and  there- 
fore, without  this,  all  expectations  of  salvation  must  vanish.  Salvation  and  reno- 
vation are  inseparably  connected.  Thirdly,  so  necessary  is  the  new  creation  to  all 
that  expect  salvation  by  Christ ;  that  without  this,  heaven  would  be  no  heaven. 
Fourthly,  there  is  an  absolute  necessity  of  the  new  creature  to  all  that  expect  interest 
in  Christ  and  the  glory  to  come,  since  aU  the  characters  and  signs  of  such  an 
interest,  are  constantly  taken  from  the  new  creature  wrought  in  us.  Fifthly,  the 
last  thing  is,  how  the  new  creation  is  an  infalhble  proof  and  evidence  of  the  soul's 
interest  in  Christ ;  and  this  will  appear  divers  ways.  First,  where  all  the  saving 
graces  of  the  Spirit  are,  there  interest  in  Christ  must  needs  be  certain ;  and  where 
the  new  creature  is,  there  all  the  saving  graces  of  the  Spirit  are.  Secondly,  to  con- 
clude :  where  all  the  causes  of  an  interest  in  Christ  are  found,  and  all  the  effects  and 
fruits  of  an  interest  in  Christ  do  appear,  there,  undoubtedly,  a  real  interest  in  Christ 
is  found  ;  but  wherever  you  find  a  new  creature,  you  find  all  the  causes  and  all  the 
effects  of  an  interest  in  Christ.  Is  the  new  creature  the  infallible  evidence  of  our 
saving  interest  in  Christ?  From  hence,  then,  we  are  informed^Inference  1.  How 
miserable  an  estate  all  unrenewed  souls  are  in.  Inference  2.  On  the  contrary,  we 
may  hence  learn  what  cause  regenerate  souls  have  to  bless  God  for  the  day  wherein 
they  were  born.  Inference  3.  Learn  from  hence  that  the  work  of  grace  is  wholly 
supernatural ;  a  creation-work  is  above  the  power  of  the  creature.  Inference  4.  If 
the  work  of  grace  be  a  new  creation,  let  not  the  parents  and  friends  of  the  unregenerate 
utterly  despair  of  the  conversion  of  their  relations,  how  great  soever  their  present 
discouragements  are.  If  it  had  been  possible  for  a  man  to  have  seen  the  rude  chaos 
before  the  Spirit  of  God  moved  upon  it,  would  he  not  have  said,  Can  such  a  beautiful 
order  of  beings,  such  a  pleasant  variety  of  creatures,  spring  out  of  this  dark  lump  ? 
Surely  it  would  have  been  very  hard  for  a  man  to  have  imagined  it.  Inference  5. 
If  none  but  new  creatures  be  in  Christ,  how  small  a  remnant  among  men  belong  to 
Christ  in  this  world  !  Inference  6.  If  the  change  by  grace  be  a  new  creation,  how 
universal  and  marvellous  a  change  doth  regeneration  make  upon  men !  First, 
because  the  work  of  grace  is  wrought  in  divers  methods  and  manners  in  the  people 


300  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  t, 

of  God.  Some  are  changed  from  a  state  of  notorious  profaneness  unto  serious 
godliness;  there  the  change  is  conspicuous  and  very  evident:  but  in  others  it  is 
more  insensibly  distilled  in  their  tender  years,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  upon  religious 
education,  and  there  it  is  more  indiscernible.  Secondly,  though  a  great  change  be 
wrought,  yet  much  natural  corruption  still  remains  for  their  humiliation.  Thirdly, 
in  some  the  new  creature  shows  itself  mostly  in  the  affectionate  part  in  desires  after 
God ;  and  but  little  in  the  clearness  of  their  understandings,  for  want  of  which  they 
are  kept  in  darkness  most  of  their  days.  Fourthly,  some  Christians  are  more  tried 
and  exercised  by  temptation  from  Satan  than  others  are ;  and  these  clouds  darken 
the  work  of  grace  in  them.  Fifthly,  there  is  great  difference  and  variety  found  in  the 
natural  tempers  and  constitutions  of  the  regenerate ;  some  are  of  a  more  melancholy, 
fearful,  and  suspicious  temper  than  others,  and  are  therefore  much  longer  held 
under  doubtings.  Inference  7.  How  incongruous  are  carnal  ways  to  the  spirit  of 
Christians !  who  being  new  creatures,  can  never  find  pleasure  in  their  former  sinful 
companions  and  practices.  K  none  be  in  Christ  but  new  creatures,  and  the  new 
creation  make  such  a  change  as  hath  been  described,  this  may  convince  us  how 
many  of  us  deceive  ourselves,  and  run  into  fatal  mistakes  in  the  greatest  concern- 
ment we  have  in  this  world.  First,  that  the  change  made  by  civility  upon  such  as 
were  lewd  and  profane  is,  in  its  whole  kind  and  nature,  a  different  thing  from  the 
new  creature.  Secondly,  that  many  strong  convictions  and  troubles  for  sin  may  be 
found  where  the  new  creature  is  never  formed.  Thirdly,  that  excellent  gifts  and 
abilities,  fitting  men  for  service  in  the  Church  of  God,  may  be  where  the  new  creature 
is  not ;  for  these  are  promiscuously  dispensed  by  the  Spirit,  both  to  the  regenerate 
and  unregenerate  (Matt,  vii.22).  Fourthly,  be  convinced  that  multitudes  of  religious 
duties  may  be  performed  by  men,  in  whom  the  new  creature  was  never  formed. 
Next,  therefore,  let  me  persuade  every  man  to  try  the  state  of  his  own  heart  in  this 
matter.  First,  consider  well  the  antecedents  of  the  new  creature ;  have  those  things 
passed  upon  your  souls,  which  ordinarily  make  way  for  the  new  creature.  1.  Hath 
the  Lord  opened  the  eyes  of  your  understanding  in  the  knowledge  of  sin  and  of 
Christ  (Acts  xxvi.  18).  2.  Hath  He  brought  home  the  Word  with  mighty  power  and 
efficacy  upon  your  hearts  to  convince  and  humble  them  (Rom.  vii.  9  ;  1  Thess.  i.  5). 
3.  Have  these  convictions  overturned  your  vain  confidences,  and  brought  you  to 
inward  distress  of  soul.  Secondly,  consider  the  concomitant  frames  and  workings 
of  spirit,  which  ordinarily  attend  the  production  of  the  new  creature.  1.  Have  your 
vain  spirits  been  composed  to  the  greatest  seriousness  and  most  solemn  consideration 
of  things  eternal,  as  the  hearts  of  aU  those  are  whom  God  regenerates?  2,  A. 
lowly,  meek,  and  humble  frame  of  heart  accompanies  the  new  creation ;  the  soul 
is  weary  and  heavy  laden  (Matt.  xi.  28).  3.  A  longing  frame  of  spirit  accompanies 
the  new  creation ;  the  desires  of  the  soul  are  ardent  after  Christ.  Thirdly,  weigh 
well  the  effects  and  consequents  of  the  new  creature,  and  consider  whether  such 
fruits  as  these  are  found  in  your  hearts  and  lives.  1.  Wherever  the  new  creature 
is  formed,  there  a  man's  course  and  conversation  is  changed  (Eph.  iv.  22).  2.  The 
new  creature  continually  opposes  and  conflicts  with  the  motions  of  sin  in  the  heart 
(Gal.  V.  17).  3.  The  mind  and  affections  of  the  new  creature  are  set  upon  heavenly 
and  spiritual  things  (Col.  iii.  1,  2 ;  Eph.  iv.  23  ;  Eom.  viii.  5).  4.  The  new  creature 
is  a  praying  creature,  living  by  its  daily  communion  with  God  (Zech.  xii.  10; 
Acts  ix.  11).  If  the  new  creation  be  a  sound  evidence  of  our  interest  in  Christ, 
then  let  me  persuade  all  that  are  in  Christ  to  evidence  themselves  to  be  so,  by 
walking  as  it  becomes  new  creatines.  The  new  creature  is  born  from  above;  aU 
its  tendencies  are  heavenward.  Let  every  new  creature  be  cheerful  and  thankful : 
if  God  hath  renewed  your  natures  and  thus  altered  the  temper  of  your  hearts, 
He  hath  bestowed  the  richest  mercy  upon  you  that  heaven  or  earth  affords. 
This  is  a  work  of  the  greatest  rarity.  "This  is  the  Lord's  doing,  and  it  is 
marvellous  in  our  eyes."  There  are  unsearchable  wonders  in  its  generation, 
in  its  operation,  and  in  its  preservation.      (John  Flavel.)  The  new    creature 

delineated: — Consider  this  change,  on  account  whereof  Christians  are  new 
creatures  in  respect  of — I.  The  inward  frame  of  inNc.  And  this  is  what  the 
Scripture  calls  a  new  heart,  a  new  spirit,  a  renovation  in  the  spirit  of  the  mind, 
a  transformation  by  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  There  is  a  change  in  their — 
1.  Apprehensions.  (1)  They  had  once  a  notional  sight  only  of  the  being  and  per- 
fections of  God  ;  but  now  they  appear  to  them  the  surest  realities.  (2)  They  once 
saw  no  beauty  in  Christ,  nor  were  sensible  of  any  need  they  stood  in  of  Him ;  but  He 
is  now  altogether  lovely.  (3)  They  once  saw  no  great  evil  in  sin  ;  but  it  now  appears 
an  evil  and  bitter  thing.     (4)  They  once  saw  no  great  beauty  in  holiness ;  but  it  now 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  301 

appears  the  most  amiable  grace.  2.  Purposes.  Once  the  bent  of  their  mind  was 
towards  the  earth ;  it  is  now  towards  heaven.  3.  Affections.  There  is  a  change  in 
their — (1)  Love.  They  now  hate  what  they  once  loved,  and  vice  versa.  (2)  Sorrow. 
The  things  which  once  moved  their  grief  were  worldly  losses  and  crosses,  pain  in 
their  bodies,  &c.  As  for  their  sins,  they  were  not  grieved  on  account  of  them.  But 
the  new  creation  has  wonderfully  turned  the  channel  of  their  sorrow.  (3)  Hope. 
This  they  once  placed  on  the  creature ;  but  they  now  place  it  on  the  Creator. 
They  had  once  no  views  beyond  this  earth  ;  but  they  now  reach  to  heaven. 
(4)  Fear.  The  things  which  once  moved  their  fear,  were  the  threats  of  men, 
the  frowns  of  the  world,  &c.  They  now  fear  God's  displeasure  more  than  any- 
thing else.  They  dare  not  now  live  in  sin.  (5)  Anger.  They  were  once  angry 
with  those  who  were  a  hindrance  to  them  in  sin ;  but  they  now  love  and  thank  them. 
Their  anger  is  now  turned  against  themselves.  11.  The  outwakd  course  and 
MANNER  OF  LIFE.  They  do  not  now  live  in  sin  as  they  once  did  ;  but  "have  put  off 
concerning  the  former  conversation,  the  old  man,"  &c.  And  this  reformation  is 
sometimes  so  remarkable  that  it  is  taken  notice  of,  and  admired  by  others.  But 
this  change  carries  more  in  it  than  what  is  negative.  It  is  a  change  not  only  from 
sin,  but  to  hoUness.  That  is,  they  live  in  the  practice  of  the  whole  of  their  duty ;  all 
that  duty  they  owe,  either  to  God,  their  neighbour,  or  themselves.  (C.  Chauncey,A.M.) 
The  change  which  grace  makes  in  the  human  character : — I.  A  visible  change — 
"  Behold."  There  is  a  change  without  as  the  expression  and  effect  of  a  change 
within.  This  visibility  will  appear — 1.  To  ourselves.  If  a  man  entertains  a  hope 
that  it  has  taken  place,  and  yet  is  not  able  to  perceive  that  he  is  in  any  wise  different 
from  what  he  was  before,  that  man  ought  rather  to  fear  than  hope.  2.  To  others. 
It  behoves  us  so  to  conduct  ourselves  that  men  shall  take  knowledge  of  us  that  we 
have  been  with  Jesus.  We  must  seem  to  be  religious  as  well  as  be  so  actually. 
How  otherwise  can  we  be  the  lights  of  the  world  ?  Must  we  not  show  our  faith  by 
our  works  ?  H.  An  admirable  change.  The  interjection  is  thrown  in  not  barely  to 
attract  attention,  but  to  excite  wonder  and  admiration.  It  is  admirable  if  we  con- 
sider— 1.  Its  author.  It  is  God.  Every  work  of  God  is  admirable.  What  a  noble 
piece  of  work  is  man,  even  in  his  ruins !  how  much  more  then  in  his  restoration  I 
2.  The  loving-kindness  displayed  in  making  it.  "  Behold,  what  manner  of  love  "  is 
here !  3.  Its  nature  and  connections.  It  is  a  singular  change,  infinitely  superior  to 
any  other  of  which  the  human  character  is  susceptible.  Other  changes  are  neces- 
sarily superficial ;  this  is  deep  and  radical.  It  inserts  a  new  mainspring.  What 
evils  other  changes  restrain  or  abate,  this  eradicates ;  and  this  communicates  the 
reality  of  the  good,  of  which  they  do  but  put  on  this  appearance.  III.  A  thorough 
CH.VNGE.  "  All  things  are  become  new."  There  may  be  a  partial  reformation,  while 
the  heart  remains  unchanged ;  but  if  the  heart  is  changed,  the  reformation  must  be 
universal.  Where  one  trait  of  the  Christian  character  is  found,  there  they  are  all 
found.  WTiere  faith  is,  there  is  love,  for  faith  worketh  by  love ;  and  where  these 
are,  in  inseparable  society  is  found  the  whole  sisterhood  of  graces,  joy,  peace,  long- 
suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  meekness,  temperance.  And  so  the  heart  that  hates 
one  sin  hates  all,  and  is  equally  disposed  to  renounce  all.  Therefore  if  any  of  you 
find  that  your  religion  is  not  universally  influential,  you  may  conclude  that  it  is 
vain.  IV.  A  change  of  the  nature  of  a  substitution,  and  not  a  superaddition. 
There  is  a  passing  away  of  the  old  things,  and  a  coming  in  their  place  of  new.  The 
new  man  is  not  put  on  over  the  old  man,  but  the  old  man  is  first  put  off.  The  soul 
becomes  dead  unto  sin  before  it  is  made  alive  unto  righteousness.  V.  A  great 
change.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  affirm  this  after  what  has  been  already  said.  It  is  a 
work  of  God  ;  a  new  creation  ;  a  passing  from  death  unto  life,  a  being  born  again, 
a  translation  out  of  darkness  into  marvellous  light,  a  resurrection.  VI.  A  perma- 
nent CHANGE.  It  lasts.  {W.  Nevins,  D.D.)  Is  conversion  necessary  ? — I.  In 
order  to  salvation  a  radical  change  is  necessary.  1.  Everywhere  in  Scripture 
men  are  divided  into  two  classes,  with  a  very  sharp  line  of  distinction  between  them 
— sheep  lost  and  sheep  found,  guests  refusing  and  guests  feasting,  wise  virgins  and 
foolish,  sheep  and  goats,  men  "  dead  in  trespasses  and  sin  "  and  alive  to  God,  men  in 
darkness  or  in  light,  "  children  of  God  "  and  "  children  of  wrath,"  believers  who  are 
not  condemned  and  of  those  who  are  condemned  already,  &c.,  &c.  2.  The  Word 
of  God  speaks  of  this  inward  change  as — (1)  a  birth  (John  i.  12,  13  ;  iii. ;  v.  4 ;  1 
John  V.  1).  (2)  A  quickening  (Eph.  i.  19;  ii.  1).  (3)  A  creation,  as  in  our  text, 
and  this  also  is  no  mere  formality,  or  an  attendant  upon  a  rite  (Gal.  vi.  15 ;  Eph.  ii. 
10;  iv.  24).  (4)  A  translation  (Col.  i.  13).  (5)  A  "passing  from  death  unto  life" 
(1  John  iii.  14 ;  John  v.  24).     (6)  A  being  "  begotten  again  "  (1  Pet.  i.  3 ;  Jas.  i 


302  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

18).  Can  you  conceive  of  any  language  more  plainly  descriptive  of  a  most  solemn 
change  ?  3.  The  Scriptures  speak  of  it  as  producing  a  very  wonderful  change  in 
the  subject  of  it.  (1)  In  the  character  (Rom.  vi.  17,  22;  Col.  iii.  9;  Gal.  v.  24). 
(2)  In  feeling.  Enmity  to  God  is  exchanged  for  love  to  God  (Col.  i.  21).  This 
arises  very  much  from  a  change  of  man's  judicial  state  before  God.  Before  a  man 
is  converted  he  is  condemned,  but  when  he  receives  spiritual  life  we  read  "  there  is 
therefore  now  no  condemnation,"  &c.  This  altogether  changes  his  condition  as  to 
inward  happiness  (Rom.  v.  1,  11).  4.  It  is  further  represented  as  the  chief  blessing 
in  the  covenant  of  grace  (Jer.  xxxi.  33,  cf.  Heb.  x.  16;  Ezek.  xxxvi.  26,  27).  II. 
This  change  is  feequently  very  marked  as  to  its  time  and  circumstances.  Many 
souls  truly  born  of  God  could  not  lay  their  finger  upon  any  date  and  say,  "At  such 
a  time  I  passed  from  death  unto  life."  Conversion  is  often  so  surrounded  by 
restraining  grace  that  it  appears  to  be  a  very  gradual  thing,  and  the  rising  of  the 
sun  of  righteousness  in  the  soul  is  comparable  to  the  dawning  of  day,  with  a  grey 
light  at  first,  and  a  gradual  increase  to  a  noonday  splendour.  Yet,  as  there  is  a 
time  when  the  sun  rises,  so  is  there  a  time  of  new  birth.  If  a  dead  man  were 
restored  to  life,  he  might  not  be  able  to  say  exactly  when  life  began,  but  there  is 
such  a  moment.  There  must  be  a  time  when  a  man  ceases  to  be  an  unbeliever  and 
becomes  a  behever  in  Jesus.  In  many  cases,  however,  the  day,  hour,  and  place  are 
fully  known,  and  we  might  expect  this — 1.  From  many  other  works  of  God.  How 
very  particular  God  is  about  the  time  of  creation  !  "  The  evening  and  the  morning 
were  the  first  day."  "  God  said.  Let  there  be  light :  and  there  was  light."  So  in 
the  miracles  of  Christ.  The  water  turns  at  once  to  wine,  the  fig-tree  immediately 
withers  away,  the  loaves  and  fishes  are  at  once  multiplied  in  the  hands  of  the  dis- 
ciples. Miracles  of  healing  were  as  a  rule  instantaneous.  2.  From  the  work  itself. 
If  it  be  worthy  to  be  called  a  resurrection,  there  must  manifestly  be  a  time  in  which 
the  dead  man  ceases  to  be  dead  and  becomes  alive.  3.  From  the  conversions  men- 
tioned in  Scripture.  Paul  was  one  moment  an  opponent  of  Christ,  and  the  next 
was  crying,  "  Who  art  Thou,  Lord  ?  "  and  this  conversion  was  to  be  a  pattern  (1  Tim. 
i.  15,  16).  Let  us  look  at  other  instances.  The  Samaritan  woman,  Zacchseus, 
Matthew,  the  three  thousand  at  Pentecost,  the  Philippian  jailer.  It  would  be  much 
more  difficult  to  find  a  gradual  conversion  in  Scripture  than  a  sudden  one.  4.  From 
experience.  The  matter  is  one  about  which  I  feel  it  a  weariness  to  argue,  because 
these  wonders  of  grace  happen  daily  before  our  eyes,  and  it  is  like  trying  to  prove 
that  the  sun  rises  in  the  morning.  III.  This  ch.ange  is  recognisable  by  certain 
SIGNS.  1.  A  sense  of  sin.  True  conversion  always  has  in  it  a  humbling  sense  of 
the  need  of  Divine  grace.  2.  Faith  in  Jesus.  3.  The  change  of  his  principles, 
objects,  desires,  life.  A  convert  once  said,  "  Either  the  world  is  altered  or  else  I 
am."  The  very  faces  of  our  children  look  different  to  us,  for  we  regard  them  under 
a  new  aspect,  viewing  them  as  heirs  of  immortality.  We  view  our  friends  from  a 
different  stand-point.  Our  very  business  seems  altered.  We  learn  to  sanctify  the 
hammer  and  the  plough  by  serving  the  Lord  with  them.  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.) 
Regeneration  is — I.  A  change.  1.  A  real  change ;  from  nature  to  grace,  as  well  as 
by  grace.  2.  A  common  change  to  aU  the  children  of  God.  "  If  any  man  be  in 
Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature."  3.  A  change  quite  contrary  to  the  former  frame. 
What  more  contrary  to  light  than  darkness?  (Eph.  v.  8)  ;  flesh  to  spirit  (John  iii.  6) ; 
translation  from  one  kingdom  to  another  (Col.  i.  13).  4.  A  universal  change  of  the 
whole  man.  It  is  a  new  creature,  not  only  a  new  power  or  new  faculty.  Under- 
standing, wiU,  conscience,  affections,  all  were  corrupted  by  sin,  all  are  renewed  by 
grace.  5.  Principally  an  inward  change.  It  is  as  inward  as  the  soul  itself.  It  is  a 
clean  heart  David  desires,  not  only  clean  hands  (Psa.  li.  10).  If  it  were  not  so,  there 
could  be  no  outward  rectified  change.  The  spring  and  wheels  of  the  clock  must  be 
mended  before  the  hand  of  the  dial  will  stand  right.  II.  A  vital  principle.  This 
new  creation  is  a  translation  from  death  to  life  (1  John  iii.  14).  It  is  not,  then,  a 
gilding,  but  a  quickening ;  not  a  carving,  but  an  enlivening.  III.  A  habit.  It  is 
impossible  to  conceive  a  new  creature  without  new  habits.  Nothing  can  be  changed 
from  a  state  of  corruption  to  a  state  of  purity  without  them.  IV.  A  law  put  into 
THE  heart.  Every  creature  hath  a  law  belonging  to  its  nature.  Man  hath  a  law  of 
reason,  beasts  a  law  of  sense  and  instinct,  plants  a  law  of  vegetation,  inanimate 
creatures  a  law  of  motion.  A  new  creature  hath  a  law  put  into  his  heart  (Jer.  xxxi. 
23  ;  cf.  Heb.  viii.  10).  It  is  called  the  "  law  of  the  mind"  (Rom.  vii.  23),  it  begin- 
ning first  in  the  illumination  of  that  faculty — as  sin  began  first  in  a  false  judgment 
made  of  the  precept  of  God,  "  You  shall  be  as  gods,  knowing  good  and  evil."  It 
consists  in  an  inward  conformity  of  the  heart  to  the  law.     The  soul  hath  a  likeness 


CHAP,  v.]  11.  COniNTHIANS.  303 

to  the  word  and  doctrine  of  the  gospel  within  it  (Rom.  vi.  17).  As  melted  metal 
poured  into  a  mould  loses  its  former  form,  and  puts  on  a  new  shape,  the  same  figure 
with  the  mould  into  which  it  is  poured ;  the  soul,  which  before  was  a  servant  of  sin, 
and  had  the  image  of  the  law  of  sin,  being  melted  by  the  Spirit,  is  cast  into  the 
figure  and  form  of  the  law.  V.  A  likeness  to  God.  Every  creature  hath  a  like- 
ness to  something  or  other  in  the  rank  of  beings:  the  new  creature  is  framed 
according  to  the  most  exact  pattern,  even  God  Himself.  The  new  creature  is 
begotten ;  begotten,  then,  in  the  likeness  of  the  begetter,  which  is  God.  Were  not  a 
real  likeness  attainable,  why  should  those  exhortations  be,  of  being  "  holy  as  God  is 
holy,  pure  as  He  is  pure"  ?  (1  Pet.  i.  15  ;  1  John  iii.  3).     (S.  Charnock,  B.D.) 

Vers.  18-21.  And  all  things  axe  of  God  who  hath  reconciled  us  to  Himself 
"by  Jesus  Christ. — High  doctrine  : — Whatsoever  the  Christian  can  desire  is  to  be 
found  in  the  "  all  things."  But  lest  even  that  should  not  be  comprehensive  enough, 
■our  summary  contains  a  still  greater  word,  "  God."  If  we  be  thirsty,  here  are 
streams  that  never  can  be  exhausted.  If  we  be  poor,  here  are  riches  inexhaustible. 
I.  The  doctrine  itself.  1.  What  is  meant  here  by  the  term,  "  all  things  "  ?  Do 
we  call  that  man  an  infidel  who  should  teach  that  some  things  of  the  old  creation 
■were  of  man  ?  What  name  shall  I  give  to  him  who  will  say  that  anything  in  the 
new  creation  of  grace  is  of  man  ?  This  is  of  God  as  to — (1)  Its  first  implanting.  If 
thou  hast  but  one  good  thought  in  thy  heart  it  is  of  God  ;  for  "  all  things  are  of 
God."  (2)  Its  subsequent  outworking.  Has  the  believer  strength — it  is  of  Go>-.  Is 
he  preserved  in  the  midst  of  temptation — his  integrity  is  of  God.  (3)  Its  privileges, 
pardon,  justification,  sanctification,  adoption,  communion.  Who  will  dare  to  think 
of  these  things  apart  from  the  unspeakable  grace  of  the  Most  High  ?  (4)  Its  actions. 
See  yonder  missionary  venturing  even  unto  death  ?  Let  us  give  him  his  meed  of 
tribute  ;  he  hath  done  valiantly.  But  let  us  remember  that  everything  in  him  that 
was  good,  was  of  God.  Does  the  martyr  burn  at  the  stake  ?  Is  there  a  Christian, 
generous,  thoughtful  of  the  woes  of  others,  mighty  in  prayer  and  diligent  in  service  ? 
All  these  things  are  of  God.  Set  down  no  virtue  to  man.  Good  things  are  exotics 
in  the  human  heart.  2.  How  and  in  what  respect  are  aU  things  of  God  ?  (1)  In 
the  planning.  Nay,  in  all  the  work  of  salvation  God  is  the  sole  designer.  (2)  In 
the  purchase  and  procuring.  One  price  hath  bought  His  people.  (3)  In  the  apply- 
ing and  bringing  of  it  home  to  each  individual  conscience.  God  will  make  men 
willing  in  the  day  of  His  power.  (4)  In  the  maintaining.  Leave  the  Christian  to 
himself  to  maintain  the  grace  already  begun,  and  he  is  gone.  (5)  In  the  completing. 
The  last  steps  shall  be  of  God  as  much  as  the  first.  3.  Why  is  it  that  "  all  things 
are  of  God  "  ?  Because — (1)  There  cannot  be  anything  of  man.  What  can  a  dead 
man  do  towards  his  own  resurrection  ?  Till  the  stone  shall  of  itself  fly  upwards,  till 
the  sea  shall  beget  fire,  and  until  fire  distil  the  shower,  then  and  not  till  then  shall 
depraved  humanity  breathe  goodness  within  itself.  (2)  It  is  expressly  told  us  not 
that  some  good  gifts,  and  some  perfect  gifts  are  from  above,  but  every  one.  God 
were  only  in  part  the  world's  benefactor,  if  there  were  other  fountains  out  of  which 
the  world  could  draw.  (3)  All  the  glory  is  God's.  Now  if  that  be  so  the  work  must 
have  been  His ;  for  where  the  work  is,  there  must  be  the  merit.  (4)  You  as  Chris- 
tians are  compelled  to  feel — "  Thou  hast  wrought  all  our  works  in  us."  H.  The 
excellent  tendencies  of  this  doctrine.  1.  It  compels  nsen  to  think.  2.  It  rouses 
enthusiasm  in  the  minds  of  those  who  beHeve  it.  3.  It  humbles  men.  4.  It 
affords  consolation  for  the  troubled  heart.  If  all  things  be  of  God,  let  not  thy 
spirit  be  rufJled  and  affrighted  by  the  tempest.  5.  It  encourages  the  sinner. 
You  are  naked ;  the  robe  in  which  you  shall  be  dressed  is  of  God.  You  are 
filthy  ;  the  washing  is  of  God.  You  are  unworthy  ;  your  worthiness  must 
be  of  God.  You  are  guilty ;  your  pardon  is  of  God.  AU  you  are  bidden  to  do  is 
simply  to  be  a  receiver.  Come  with  your  empty  pitcher,  and  hold  it  now  to  the 
flowing  fountain.  (C  H.  Spurgeon.)  God  the  new  Creator : — I.  God  is  the 
original  author  of  the  new  creature,  and  all  things  which  belong  thereunto. 
That  will  appear — 1.  From  the  state  of  the  person  to  be  renewed.  Can  a  stony  heart 
of  itself  become  tender  ?  (Ezek.  xxxvi.  2G),  or  a  dead  heart  quicken  itself  ?  (Eph.  ii. 
5.)  2.  From  the  nature  of  this  work.  Creation  is  a  work  of  omnipotency,  and 
proper  to  God.  3.  From  its  connection  with  reconciliation.  We  can  no  more  con- 
vert ourselves  than  reconcile  ourselves  to  God.  Renewing  and  reconciling  grace  are 
often  spoken  of  together,  as  in  the  text.  There  must  be  a  supernatural  work  upon 
us,  to  cure  our  unholiness,  as  well  as  a  supernatural  work  without  us,  to  overcome 
our  guiltiness.    4.  From  the  effect  of  this  renovation,  which  is  the  implantation  of 


304  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 


the  graces  of  faith,  hope,  and  love,  which  are  our  hght,  life,  and  power.  5.  From 
the  fact  that  all  things  belonging  to  the  new  creature  the  Scripture  ascribeth  to  God 
(Phil.  ii.  13).  6.  What  is  the  true  use  to  be  made  of  this  doctrine?  (1)  To  make 
us  sensible  that  it  is  a  hard  task  to  get  the  change  of  the  new  creature.  (2)  To 
check  despair.  He  that  can  turn  water  into  wine  can  also  turn  lions  into  lambs. 
(3)  To  keep  us  humble — "  AU  things  are  of  God  "  (1  Cor.  iv.  7).  (4)  To  make  us 
thankful.  Give  God  the  praise  of  changing  thy  nature,  if  from  a  bad  man  thou  art 
become  good.  (5)  To  inflame  our  love  to  God  in  Christ.  (6)  To  encourage  a  cheer- 
ful and  continual  dependence  upon  God  for  that  grace  which  is  necessary.  If  we 
did  keep  the  stock  ourselves  the  throne  of  grace  would  be  neglected.    II.  God  is  the 

AUTHOR  OF    THE    NEW   CEEATUEE,  AS    EECONCILED   TO    US    IN    ChEIST.       1.    He  WOUld    not 

give  this  benefit  till  justice  be  satisfied  ;  not  set  up  man  with  a  new  stock  till  there 
was  satisfaction  made  for  the  breach  of  the  old.  AU  grace  floweth  from  this,  that 
God  is  become  a  God  of  peace  to  us  (Heb.  xiii.  20  ;  1  Thes.  v.  23).  2.  God  is  never 
actually  reconciled  to  us,  nor  we  to  Him,  tiU  He  give  us  the  regenerating  Spirit ; 
that  is  receiving  the  atonement  (Rom.  v.  11).  Nothing  but  the  new  creature  will 
evidence  His  special  favour  (Rom.  v.  5).  Other  things  may  be  given  us  during  His 
anger,  but  the  regenerating  Spirit  is  never  given  in  anger.  3.  Apply  aU  this.  (1) 
Let  us  seek  after  this  reconciliation  with  God  by  Christ ;  then  we  may  comfortably 
look  to  obtain  every  good  thing  at  His  hands.  (2)  It  showeth  us  how  much  we  are 
obliged  to  Christ,  who  by  His  death  hath  satisfied  God's  justice  and  merited  all  the 
mercies  promised.  (3)  Let  no  breach  fall  out  between  God  and  you,  lest  it  stop 
grace  ;  the  continual  sanctification  and  perfection  of  man  once  regenerate  dependeth 
upon  this  reconciliation,  as  weU  as  the  first  renovation,  God's  sanctifying  power, 
and  the  abode  of  His  Spirit,  is  still  necessary  to  renew  us  more  and  more.  (T. 
Manton,  D.D.)  God  the  author  of  reconeiliatioji : — I.  What  eeconciliation  is. 
1.  It  implies  that  there  was  a  former  friendship.  There  were  once  good  terms 
between  God  and  man.  2.  It  implies  an  enmity  on  one  or  both  sides.  On  man's 
part  this  enmity  is  by  sin ;  on  the  part  of  God — (1)  From  the  righteousness  of  His 
nature  (Hab.  i.  13;  Psa.  v.  5,  6).  (2)  From  the  righteousness  of  His  law  made 
against  sin,  whereby  He  cannot  but  according  to  His  veracity  punish  it.  3.  It 
imphes  that  God  is  the  prime  Author  of  this  reconciliation,  yet  no  man  is  actually 
reconciled  to  God  tiU  he  complies  with  those  conditions  whereupon  God  offers  it. 
"  God  was  in  Christ "  when  He  was  "  reconciling  the  world  "  ;  we  must  be  in  Christ 
if  we  be  reconciled  to  God.  We  must  distinguish  between  reconciliation  designed 
by  God,  obtained  by  Christ,  offered  by  the  gospel,  received  by  the  soul.  4.  This 
reconciliation  is — (1)  Very  congruous  for  the  honour  of  God.  (a)  For  the  honour 
of  His  wisdom.  Had  not  a  mediator  been  appointed,  mankind  had  been  destroyed 
at  the  beginning,  and  God  had  lost  the  glory  of  His  present  works,  (b)  For  the 
honour  of  His  truth  and  justice.  (2)  Necessary  for  us.  II.  God  the  Fathee  must 
NEEDS  BE,  AND  IS,  THE  AUTHOR  OF  THIS  EECONCILIATION.  If  God  be  the  first  cause  in 
all  things,  He  is  the  first  cause  in  the  highest  of  His  works.  No  creature  could 
originate  this  work.  1.  All  human  nature  could  not.  Man  was  so  depraved  that 
he  knew  not  how  to  desire  it,  and  had  no  mind  to  cherish  any  thoughts  of  it  (Rom. 
i.  29,  30;  1  Cor.  i.  21).  2.  Nor  the  unblemished  wisdom  of  angels  (1  Pet.  i.  12). 
TTT.  Wherein  the  agency  of  the  Fathee  in  this  affair  doth  appeae.  "  God  was 
in  Christ  reconciling  the  world."  1.  As  choosing  and  appointing  Christ  (Isa.  xlii.  1, 
xUii.  10 ;  Heb.  iii.  2).  (1)  He  was  appointed  by  the  Father  to  this  end  (Psa.  xL 
6,  7 ;  Rom.  iii.  25).  (2)  God  appointed  Him  to  every  office  in  order  to  this  :  as  a 
priest,  to  offer  sacrifices  ;  a  prophet,  to  declare  His  mercy  ;  a  king,  to  bring  men  to 
the  terms  of  reconciliation.  (3)  God  chose  Him  to  this  woi'k  with  a  high  delight, 
as  one  fully  fit  for  the  work,  in  whom  He  could  confide.  2.  God  the  Father  solemnly 
called  Him  (John  x.  36).  3.  God  gave  Him  a  particular  command  concerning  our 
reconciliation  (John  x.  18;  Phil.  ii.  8;  Rom.  v.  19).  4.  The  Father  did  fit  Christ 
for  this  great  undertaking.  (1)  He  is  fitted  with  a  body,  (a)  This  was  necessary. 
Man,  as  constituted  of  soul  and  body,  had  violated  the  articles  of  the  first  covenant ; 
therefore  man,  as  constituted  of  soul  and  body,  must  answer  the  violations  of  it. 
It  was  also  necessary  that  He  might  be  nearly  related  to  us  in  all  things  (sin 
excepted),  and  redeem  us  by  His  passion.  Yet  He  was  to  have  a  whole  body,  free 
from  any  taint  of  moral  imperfection,  fit  for  the  service  He  was  devoted  to,  for  which 
the  least  speck  upon  His  humanity  had  rendered  Him  unfit,  (b)  Therefore  the 
Holy  Ghost  frames  the  body  of  Christ  of  this  seed  of  the  woman  (Gen.  iii.  15),  and 
makes  the  union  between  the  Divine  and  human  nature  (Luke  i.  35).  (2).  He  is 
filled  with  His  Spirit  by  the  Father,  i.e.,  with  all  the  gifts  and  graces  of  the  Bpirii 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  305 

necessary  to  this  work  (John  iii.  34).  (a)  Habitual  holiness.  This  was  necessaiy. 
It  became  Him  and  us,  as  our  High  Priest,  to  be  undefiled  (Heb.  vii.  26).  (b) 
Wisdom  and  knowledge  (Isa.  xi.  2-4).  (c)  Tenderness  to  man.  (d)  Mighty  power 
to  go  through  this  undertaking.  He  had  a  "  spirit  of  might"  (Acts  x.  '68).  5.  God 
commissioned  Christ  to  this  work  of  reconciliation.  He  gave  Him  a  fubiess  of 
authority  as  well  as  a  fulness  of  ability.  He  is  therefore  said  to  be  sealed,  as 
having  His  commission  under  the  great  seal  of  heaven  (John  vi.  27).  The 
end  of  this  commission  was  the  reconciliation  and  redemption  of  man.  (1) 
Satisfaction  for  our  sins  (Gal.  i.  4).  (2)  Testification  of  the  love  of  God  (Isa. 
xliii.  10,  11).  (3)  Final  and  perfect  salvation  (Gal.  i.  4)  (S.  Charnock,  B.D.) 
The  ministry  of  reconciliation  .-—I.  Christ's  work — the  reconciliation  of  God  to 
MAN.  Keconciliation  is  identical  with  atonement.  In  Rom.  v.  11  the  word  "  atone- 
ment" is  the  same  word  which  is  here  translated  "reconciliation."  1.  God  needed 
a  reconciliation.  (1)  The  Unitarian  view  is  that  God  is  reconciled  already,  that 
there  is  no  wrath  in  God  towards  sinners.  Nothing  can  be  more  unphilosophical 
and  unscriptural.  First  of  all,  take  Gal.  iv.  9,  which  is  decisive.  St.  Paul  declares 
that  the  being  recognised  of  God  is  more  characteristic  of  the  gospel  state  than 
recognising  God.  "  Know  God  "  :  here  is  man  reconciled  to  God.  "  Are  known  of 
Him  "  :  here  is  God  reconciled  to  man.  Next,  it  is  perilous  to  explain  away  those 
passages  which  speak  of  God  as  angry  with  sin.  We  feel  that  God  is  angry  ;  and  if 
that  be  but  figurative,  then  it  is  only  figurative  to  say  that  God  is  pleased.  Then, 
again,  Christ  was  the  representative  of  God.  Now  Christ  was  "  angry."  That, 
therefore,  which  God  feels  coiTesponds  with  that  which  in  pure  humanity  is  the 
emotion  of  anger.  If  we  explain  away  such  words,  we  lose  the  distinction  between 
right  and  wi'ong ;  and  you  will  end  in  believing  there  is  no  God  at  all,  if  you  begin 
with  explaining  away  His  feelings.  (2)  It  is  said  that  God  needs  no  reconciliation, 
because  He  is  immutable.  But  remember  that,  God  remaining  immutable,  and  the 
sinner  changing,  God's  relation  to  the  sinner  changes.  "  God  is  love,"  but  love  to 
good  is  hatred  to  evil.  If  you  are  evil,  then  God  is  your  enemy.  "  Draw  nigh  to 
God,  and  He  will  draw  nigh  to  you."  2.  The  way  in  which  the  text  speaks  of  the 
reconciliation  of  God  to  us  is,  "  Not  imputing  their  trespasses"  ;  for  the  atonement 
is  made  when  God  no  longer  reckons  the  sinner  guilty.  God  is  reconciled  to 
humanity  in  Christ ;  then  to  us  through  Him;  "God  was  in  Christ."  It  was  a 
Divine  humanity.  To  that  humanity  God  is  reconciled  :  there  could  be  no  enmity 
between  God  and  Christ :  "  I  and  My  Father  are  one."  To  all  those  in  whom 
Christ's  Spirit  is  God  imputes  the  righteousness  which  is  as  yet  only  seminal, 
germinal — a  spring,  not  a  river ;  a  righteousness  in  faith,  not  a  righteousness  in 
works.  H.  The  work  of  the  Christian  ministry — the  reconciliation  of  man  to 
God.  Distinguish  Christ's  position  from  ours.  It  was  Christ's  work  to  reconcile 
God  to  man.  That  is  done  for  ever ;  we  cannot  add  anything  to  it.  That  is  a 
priestly  power ;  and  it  is  at  our  peril  that  we  claim  such  a  power.  Ours  is  minis- 
terial. We  can  oiier  no  sacrifice.  "  By  one  offering  He  hath  perfected  for  ever 
them  that  are  sanctified."  Therefore  the  whole  work  of  the  Christian  ministry 
consists  in  declaring  God  as  reconciled  to  man,  and  in  beseeching,  with  every  variety 
of  illustration,  and  every  degree  of  earnestness,  men  to  become  reconciled  to  God. 
All  are  God's  children  by  right ;  all  are  not  God's  children  in  fact.  All  are  sons  of 
God ;  but  all  have  not  the  Spirit  of  sons,  whereby  they  cry,  "  Abba,  Father."  All 
are  redeemed,  aU  are  not  yet  sanctified.     (F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.)  God  was  in 

Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unt©  Himself. — Reconciliation : — Christianity  is 
eminently  a  remedial  dispensation  ;  it  supposes  disorder  and  confusion,  and  it  seeks 
to  introduce  order  and  harmony.  Now,  it  is  this  peculiar  feature  of  the  gospel  as 
the  religion  of  sinners  that  the  apostle  adverts  to  in  this  passage.  I.  Consider  the 
necessity  of  reconciUation.  Sin  has  broken  the  friendship  between  God  and  man. 
When  God  created  man  at  first.  He  created  him  holy  and  happy.  Adam  was  the 
friend  of  God.  Ever  since  the  Fall  man  has  vainly  endeavoured  to  hide  himself 
from  God,  and  to  widen  the  distance  between  him  and  his  Maker.  Hence  the  fear 
of  death,  the  terrors  of  an  accusing  conscience,  the  various  bloody  sacrifices  among 
heathen  nations.  And  this  breach  of  friendship  is  mutual.  On  the  one  hand,  God 
is  justly  offended  with  the  sinner ;  He  hates  all  the  workers  of  iniquity ;  His  justice, 
His  holiness,  and  His  truth,  are  directed  against  the  transgressors  of  His  law. 
"  Your  iniquities  have  separated  between  you  and  your  God,  and  your  sins  have  hid 
His  face  from  you,  that  He  will  not  hear."  And,  on  the  other  hand,  the  sinner  is 
filled  with  enmity  against  God — he  is  averse  to  the  spirituality  and  strictness  of  the 
Divine  law.    It  is  very  true  that  God  is  a  God  of  infinite  mercy,  and  that  the  sinner 

20 


306  TEE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

is  the  object  of  His  compassion ;  but  He  cannot  possibly  be  merciful  at  the  expense 
of  His  justice.  But,  behold,  there  may  be  reconciliation  ;  the  offended  Majesty  of 
heaven  is  willing  to  be  reconciled.  He  who  is  the  offended  and  injured  party  is  the 
first  to  make  the  overtures  of  reconciliation.  From  the  depths  of  His  mercy  pro- 
ceeds a  plan  by  which  His  justice  might  be  satisfied,  and  yet  the  sinner  saved.  II. 
Consider  the  natuee  of  the  reconciliation.  The  great  ground  upon  which  the  recon- 
ciliation rests  is  the  atonement  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  "  God  has  reconciled  us 
unto  Himself  by  Jesus  Christ ;  for  He  hath  made  Him  to  be  sin  for  us  who  knew 
no  sin,  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him."  Christ  is 
the  Mediator  of  reconciUation ;  He  comes  in  between  the  two  parties ;  He  is  the 
Day's-man  betwixt  us,  who  can  lay  His  hand  upon  both.  And  it  must  ever  be 
remembered  that  it  is  on  the  ground  of  His  atonement  that  the  reconciliation  rests. 
The  atonement  of  Christ  has  reconciled  these  opposing  claims  of  justice  and  mercy. 
Here,  in  the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  "  Mercy  and  truth  have  met  together :  righteous- 
ness and  peace  have  kissed  each  other."  The  death  of  Christ  has  satisfied  the 
claims  of  justice.  The  grand  effect  of  the  atonement  of  Christ  is  the  non-imputa- 
tion of  sins  to  aU  who  believe.  "  God,"  says  the  apostle,  "is  in  Christ  reconciling 
the  world  unto  Himself,  not  imputing  their  trespasses  unto  them."  This,  of  course, 
arises  directly  from  the  substitution  of  Christ ;  it  is  its  immediate  effect :  we  and 
He,  as  it  were,  change  places ;  our  sins  are  imputed  unto  Him,  and  His  righteous- 
ness is  imputed  unto  us.  Further  still,  God  hath  given  us  the  gospel  as  the  word  of 
reconciliation.  "  He  hath  committed  to  us  the  word  of  reconciliation."  HI.  Con- 
sider the  message  of  reconciliation.  "We  are  ambassadors  for  Christ."  Christ  isi 
the  chief  ambassador ;  but  we  are  the  delegated  messengers  of  this  peace — we  are  in 
Christ's  stead.  God  might  have  sent  angels  as  His  ambassadors ;  they  would  be 
more  worthy  of  so  great  a  King  and  of  so  important  a  message.  But,  in  con- 
descension to  human  weakness.  He  has  sent  us  weak  and  fallible  men.  He  would 
rather  aUure  us  with  love  than  terrify  us  by  His  greatness.  Oh !  how  high  and 
how  responsible  is  our  office !  But  what  is  the  message  ?  It  is  to  treat  with  sinners 
on  peace  and  reconciliation.  The  embassy  is  one  of  infinite  grace.  God  promises 
that  He  is  ready  to  receive  sinners  into  His  favour.  And  can  it  be  that  such  a 
gracious  message  should  be  rejected  ?  There  are  two  metives  which  we  would  pre- 
sent before  you — motives  which  the  apostle  uses  in  this  very  chapter :  the  one  of 
fear,  arising  from  a  consideration  of  Christ  on  the  throne  of  judgment ;  the  other 
of  love,  arising  from  a  consideration  of  love  on  the  Cross  of  suffering.  (P.  J.  Gloag, 
D.D.)  Reconciliation: — I.  Pkemise  thkee  things  in  genekal.  1.  That  to 
reconcile  is  to  bring  into  favour  and  friendship  after  some  breach  made  and  offence 
taken  (Luke  xxiii.  12;  Matt.  v.  23,  24).  2.  That  the  reconciliation  is  mutual;  God 
is  reconciled  to  us,  and  we  to  God.  The  alienation  was  mutual,  and  therefore  the 
reconciliation  must  be  so.  The  Scripture  speaketh  not  only  of  an  enmity  and 
hatred  on  man's  part  (Eom.  v.  10),  but  also  of  wrath  on  God's  part,  not  only  against 
sin,  but  the  sinner  (Eph.  ii.  3 ;  Psa.  vii.  11).  3.  That  reconciliation  is  sometimes 
ascribed  to  God,  to  Christ,  and  to  believers.  (1)  To  God  the  Father,  as  in  the  text 
and  ver.  18,  and  Col.  1.  20.  (2)  To  Christ  (Eph.  ii.  16;  Col.  i.  21).  (3)  To 
behevers  (2  Cor.  v.  20).  II.  Mobe  paeticxil.uily  note  three  things.  1.  The 
foregoing  breach.  (1)  God  and  man  were  once  near  friends  (Gen.  i.  26,  27.)  (2) 
Man  got  out  of  God's  favour  by  conspiring  with  God's  grand  enemy.  (3)  Man 
fallen  drew  all  his  posterity  along  with  him ;  for  God  dealt  not  with  him  as  a 
single,  but  as  a  public  person  (Eom.  v.  13 ;  1  Cor.  xv.  47).  (4)  The  condition  of 
every  man  by  nature  is  to  be  a  stranger  and  an  enemy  to  God  (Col.  i.  21 ;  Eom. 
viii.  7).  2.  The  nature  of  this  reconciliation.  (1)  As  the  enmity  is  mutual,  so  is 
the  reconciliation ;  God  is  reconciled  to  us,  and  we  to  God.  His  justice  is  satisfied 
in  Christ,  and  He  is  willing  to  forgive.  Our  wicked  disposition,  too,  is  done  away, 
and  our  hearts  are  converted  and  turned  to  the  Lord.  God  offereth  pardon,  and 
requireth  repentance.  When  we  accept  the  offer,  and  submit  to  the  conditions, 
and  give  the  hand  to  the  Lord,  to  walk  with  Him  in  obedience,  then  are  we 
reconciled.  (2)  This  reconciliation  is  as  firm  and  strong  as  our  estate  in 
innocency,  and  in  some  considerations  better  (Isa.  Ivii.  4).  A  bone  well  set 
is  strongest  where  broken.  (3)  This  active  reconciliation  draweth  many  blessings 
along  with  it.  (a)  Peace  with  God  (Eom.  v.  1).  (6)  Access  to  God  with 
boldness  and  free  trade  into  heaven  (Eom.  v.  2 ;  Eph.  ii.  18).  When  peace  is  made 
between  two  warring  nations,  trade  revives,  (c)  Acceptance  both  of  our  persons 
and  performances  (Eph.  i.  6).  (d)  All  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  [e)  The  sanctifica- 
tion  of  all  outward  blessings  (1  Cor.  iii.  23  ;  Kom.  viii.  28).      (/)    A  pledge  of 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  307 

heaven  (Eom.  v.  10).  3.  How  far  Christ  is  concerned  in  it,  and  why.  (1)  God  was 
resolved  to  lose  no  honour  by  the  fall  of  man,  but  to  keep  up  a  sense  of — (a)  His 
justice,  (b)  His  holiness,  (c)  His  truth.  (2)  Christ  was  a  fit  Mediator.  («)  Because 
of  His  mutual  interest  in  God  and  us  (Job.  ix.  33).  He  is  beloved  of  the  Father, 
and  hath  a  bi'otherly  compassion  to  ns.  (b)  He  is  able  to  satisfy.  (T.  Mnnton,  D.D.) 
The  word  of  reconciliation  : — We  owe  the  word  "  reconciliation  "  and  the 
conception  of  the  gospel  as  a  reconciliation  to  the  Apostle  Paul.  Whether 
it  was  that  the  circumstances  of  his  own  conversion  so  coloured  all  his  thought 
that  henceforth  there  was  nothing  more  wonderful  in  the  gospel  than  the 
new  relation  it  created  between  God  and  man,  and  between  man  and  God, 
we  cannot,  perhaps,  tell.  In  this  chapter,  for  example,  five  times  over  he  dwells 
on  the  word,  as  if  it  were  some  sweet  memory  from  which  he  was  loth  to 
part.  Nor  is  this  conception  of  the  gospel  confined  to  the  earlier  period  of  St. 
Paul's  ministry.  In  the  two  great  Epistles  written  when  he  had  reached  the 
fullest  revelation  of  the  glory  of  Christ,  the  Epistles  to  the  Ephesians  and  the 
Colossians,  he  still  loves  to  dwell  on  the  reconciling  work  of  Christ.  "  For  He  is 
our  peace  who  made  both  one,  and  brake  down  the  middle  wall  of  partition,  having 
abolished  in  His  flesh  the  enmity,  even  the  law  of  commandments  contained  in 
ordinances,  that  He  might  create  in  Himself  of  the  twain  one  new  man,  so  making 
peace."  I.  The  wokd  of  reconciliation.  It  has  been  maintained  by  some  theo- 
logians that  "  the  word  of  reconciliation  "  concerns  only  man  in  his  relation  to 
God,  and  has  no  meaning  for  God  in  His  relation  to  man.  The  New  Testament — 
it  is  said — never  once  speaks  of  God  as  being  reconciled  to  man,  or  as  needing 
to  be  reconciled  :  it  does  speak  of  man  being  reconciled  to  God,  and  the  reason  is 
clear.  On  the  side  of  God  there  was  no  enmity,  no  alienation :  these  were  all  on 
our  side;  we  were  "enemies  by  reason  of  wicked  works,"  and  "the  word  of 
reconciliation  "  is  therefore  a  message  to  man.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  said — and 
in  this  many  of  the  profoundest  Evangelical  theologians  are  agreed — that  this 
purely  subjective  view  of  reconciliation  unduly  narrows  the  message  we  have  to 
bear ;  that  the  sin  of  man  not  only  affected  his  relation  to  God,  but  necessarily 
altered  God's  relation  to  man ;  that  the  death  of  Christ  has  a  Divine  significance 
as  well  as  a  human  meaning ;  that  it  has  made  peace  between  God  and  man,  as 
well  as  between  man  and  God :  God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto 
Himself" — And  how?  By  that  great  objective  reconciliation  involved  in  the 
forgiveness  of  sins,  "  not  imputing  their  trespasses  unto  them."  There  are  four 
great  positions  underlying  the  message  in  "  the  word  of  reconciliation,"  on  which 
all  men  who  believe  in  the  gospel  of  Christ  will  be  agreed.  1.  It  is  a  word,  first, 
concerning  God.  In  the  address  delivered  by  Dr.  Dale,  at  the  opening  of  the 
International  Council,  he  said,  "  In  Christ  God  is  the  Father  of  all  men.  This  is 
the  glorious  discovery  of  the  Christian  gospel,  and  although  he  went  on  to  warn  us 
that  the  universal  Fatherhood  of  God  did  not  involve  the  universal  sonship  of  man, 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  say  it  was  "  the  very  foundation  of  the  order  of  the  world 
and  of  human  life."  And  to  those  words  of  Dr.  Dale  let  me  add  one  word  more,  that 
this  eternal  Fatherhood  of  God  is  not  only  the  foundation  of  the  order  of  the  world 
and  of  human  life,  but  it  is  the  foundation  of  the  gospel  of  Christ :  the  first  word 
in  the  message  of  reconciliation  we  are  sent  to  proclaim.  The  Fatherhood  of  God 
is  a  greater  thing  than  even  His  sovereignty,  for  it  contains  in  it  all  that  sove- 
reignty means.  The  Father  must  be  a  ruler,  but  the  ruler  need  not  be  a  father ; 
and  the  eternal  fatherhood  is  as  awful  in  its  justice  as  it  is  tender  in  its 
pity ;  as  infinite  in  the  wonder  of  its  holiness  as  it  is  in  the  wonder  of  its  love. 
And  yet  Love  is  its  chief  word,  its  all-embracing  word.  The  Love  of  God 
for  all  men,  even  for  the  worst,  is  the  first  word  in  the  message  we  have  to 
proclaim.  It  is  even  before  the  Cross  of  Christ ;  for  if  there  had  been  no  love  there 
would  have  been  no  Cross.  2.  It  is  a  word  about  Christ.  And  that  word  is  con- 
tained in  the  chapter  from  which  I  take  my  text,  "  He  died  for  all."  3.  The  word 
of  reconciliation  is  a  word  concerning  the  Holy  Spirit.  There  is  a  gospel  of  the 
Spirit  as  well  as  of  the  Cross.  Pentecost  had  a  meaning  for  the  world  as  well  as  for 
the  Church.  4.  It  is  a  word  concerning  man :  "  Be  ye  reconciled  to  God."  And 
this  word  is  as  sad  as  the  former  words  were  glorious.  His  alienation  from  God, 
that  alienation  that  is  at  once  the  result  of  sin  and  the  punishment  of  sin,  his 
guilty  fear  of  God,  his  inward  hostility  to  God — all  are  here,  or  men  would  not 
need  to  be  "  reconciled  to  God."  It  is  the  human  side  of  our  message,  the  word  of 
reconciliation  so  far  as  it  concerns  man ;  but  I  ask  you  to  remember  all  the  power 
of  this  appeal  to  man  depends  on  our  fii'st  uttering  the  word  concerning  God.    One 


308  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

word  about  God  has  more  power  over  the  human  heart  than  all  the  words  one  can 
speak  concerning  man.  The  tides  which  swept  around  the  shores  of  this  earth  are 
all  moved  by  attraction  far  up  in  the  heavens,  and  the  great  tides  of  emotion  which 
carry  the  soul  back  to  God  are  all  hfted  by  the  Cross  of  Christ.  "  I,  if  I  be  lifted 
up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  aU  men  unto  Me."  II.  The  greatness  or  the  teust 
coiniiTTED  TO  us.  All  work  that  is  the  service  of  man  is  honourable  work,  and  aU 
true  service  of  man  is  work  for  God.  The  artist  who  fixes  on  canvas  the  dream  of 
beauty ;  the  scientific  man  who  spells  out  letter  by  letter  the  secrets  of  nature ;  the 
philosopher  who  discovers  to  us  the  mysteries  of  our  own  minds — nay,  the  humblest 
toiler  at  the  bench  or  in  the  shop — all  of  them  just  so  far  as  they  make  the  will  of 
God  the  law  of  their  life  are  "  feUow-labourers  with  God  "  ;  and  all  may  share  the 
honours  of  a  Divine  reward.  But  this  is  not  all  the  truth.  There  are  degrees  of 
glory  even  in  Divine  work,  there  is  some  work  that  lies  nearer  the  heart  of  God, 
that  touches  Christ  more  than  any  other  work  ;  and  of  all  work  done  for  God  on 
this  earth  there  is  none  so  dear  to  God,  none  that  confers  such  unspeakable 
honour  on  the  servant  who  does  it,  none  that  will  receive  so  glorious  a  reward 
at  last  as  the  work  of  saving  men.  And  our  responsibility  is  as  great  as  the 
honour  laid  upon  us.  1.  We  must  be  faithful  to  the  word  "  committed  to  us." 
We  have  a  message  from  God  to  dehver,  not  a  science  of  religion  to  discover. 
2.  And,  finally,  it  is  not  enough  for  us  to  be  ourselves  faithful  to  the  word  of 
reconciliation ;  we  are  responsible  also  for  speaking  that  word  to  others.  (G.  S. 
Barrett,  B.A.)  The  incarnation;  God's  work  in  Christ: — God  is  a  great  worker. 
He  is  the  mainspring  of  all  activity  in  the  universe  but  that  of  sin.  There  are  at 
least  four  organs  through  which  he  works  :  material  laws,  animal  instincts,  moral 
mind,  and  Jesus  Christ.  By  the  first  He  carries  on  the  great  revolutions  of 
inanimate  nature  ;  by  the  second  He  preserves,  guides,  and  controls  all  the  sentient 
tribes  that  populate  the  earth,  the  air  and  sea ;  by  the  third,  through  the  laws  of 
reason  and  the  dictates  of  conscience.  He  governs  the  vast  empire  of  mind  ;  and  by 
the  fourth,  namely,  Christ,  He  works  out  the  redemption  of  sinners  in  our  world. 
There  is  no  more  difficulty  in  regarding  Him  in  the  one  person — Christ,  for  a 
certain  work — than  there  is  in  regarding  Him  as  being  in  material  nature,  animal 
instinct,  or  moral  mind.  The  text  leads  us  to  two  remarks  concerning  God's  work 
in  Christ : — I.  It  is  a  work  of  reconciling  humanity  to  Himself.  "  He  is 
reconciling  the  world  unto  Himself."  1.  The  work  impUes — (1)  Enmity  on  man's 
part;  and  the  existence  of  this  enmity  is  patent  to  aU.  "  The  carnal  mind,"  &c.  (2) 
A  change  of  mind  in  one  of  the  parties.  2.  Paul  speaks  of  the  human  world  as  being 
reconciled  to  God  in  contradistinction — (1)  To  fallen  angels.  Hell  hates  God,  but 
He  does  not  work  for  its  reconciliation.  (2)  To  any  particular  class  of  the  human 
family.  Some  would  limit  the  redeeming  work  to  the  few ;  but  it  is  not  so 
restricted.  "  He  is  a  propitiation,  not  for  our  sins  only,"  (fee.  U.  It  is  a  work 
involving  the  remission  of  sins.  "Not  imputing  their  trespasses  unto  them." 
Three  facts  will  throw  light  on  this.  1.  A  state  of  enmity  against  God  is  a  state 
of  sin.  There  may  be  virtue  in  disliking  some  persons,  but  it  is  evermore  a  sin  to 
dislike  God ;  He  is  infinitely  good.  2.  A  state  of  sin  is  a  state  exposed  to  punish- 
ment. 3.  In  reconciliation  the  enmity  is  removed,  and  therefore  the  punishmenti 
obviated.  What  is  pardon  ?  A  remitting  of  just  punishment — a  separating  of  man 
from  his  sins  and  their  consequences.  This  God  does  through  Christ.  HI.  From 
this  subject  four  things  mat  be  considered  in  regard  to  this  work  of  God 
IN  Christ.  1.  It  is  a  work  of  unbounded  mercy.  Who  ever  heard  of  the  offended- 
party  seeking  the  friendship  of  the  offender,  especially  if  the  offender  was  sovereign 
and  the  other  subject  ?  But  this  is  what  the  Infinite  God  is  doing  in  Christ,  andl 
doing  earnestly  every  hour.  2.  It  is  a  work  essential  to  the  well-being  of  humanity. 
It  is  impossible  that  the  creature  can  be  happy  whose  thoughts,  feelings,  and 
purposes  are  directly  opposed  to  the  being,  purposes,  and  procedure  of  the  Abso- 
lute. 3.  It  is  a  work  exclusively  of  benign  moral  influence.  No  coercion  on  the 
one  hand,  no  angry  denunciations  on  the  other,  can  produce  reconcUation ;  it  is 
the  work  of  loving  logic.  4.  It  is  a  work  which  must  be  gradual  in  its  progress. 
You  cannot  force  mind ;  it  must  have  time  to  reflect,  repent,  and  resolve.  (Ibid.) 
Not  imputing  their  trespasses  to  thera.— The  non-imputation  of  sin  :  The  pardon 
or  non-imputation  of  sin.  I.  The  nature  and  worth  of  the  PRivrLEGE — "  not 
imputhig  "  (Eom.  iv.  8).  1.  It  is  a  metaphor  taken  from  those  who  cast  up  their 
accounts  ;  and  so  it  implies — (1)  That  sin  is  a  debt  (Matt.  vi.  12).  (2)  That  God  wiU 
one  day  call  sinners  to  an  account,  and  charge  such  and  such  debts  upon  them 
(Matt.  XXV.  19).     (3)  That  in  this  day  of  accounts  God  will  not  impute  the  tres- 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  809 

passes  of  those  who  are  reconciled  to  Him  by  Christ  (Psa.  xxxii.  2).  2.  Now  this 
is — (1)  An  act  of  great  grace  and  favour  on  God's  part,  because — (a)  Every  one  is 
become  "  guilty  before  God,"  and  obnoxious  to  the  process  of  His  righteous  judg- 
ment (Bom.  iii.  19).  There  is  sin  enough  to  impute,  and  the  reason  of  this  non- 
imputation  is  not  our  innocency,  but  God's  mercy,  (b)  He  would  not  prosecute  His 
right  against  us,  calling  us  to  a  strict  account,  and  punishing  us  according  to  our 
demerits,  which  would  have  been  our  utter  undoing  (Psa.  cxxx.  3 ;  Psa.  cxliii.). 
(c)  He  found  out  the  way  how  to  recompense  the  wrong  done  by  sin  unto  His 
Majesty,  and  sent  His  Son  to  make  this  recompense  for  us  (ver.  21 ;  Psa.  liii.  4 ; 
Rom.  iv.  2).  (d)  He  did  this  out  of  His  mere  love,  which  set-a-work  all  the  causes 
which  concurred  in  the  business  of  our  redemption  (John  iii.  16).  And  this  love 
was  not  excited  by  any  love  on  our  parts  (Rom.  iii.  24).  3.  This  negative 
or  non-imputation  is  heightened  by  the  positive  imputation  of  Christ's  merits. 
(1)  A  matter  of  great  privilege  and  blessedness  to  the  creature.  This  will  appear 
if  we  consider — (a)  The  evil  we  are  freed  from  ;  guilt  is  an  obligation  to 
punishment,  and  pardon  is  the  dissolving  this  obligation,  (b)  The  good  depending 
upon  it  in  this  life  and  the  next.  II.  The  manner  how  this  privilege  is  brought 
ABOUT  AND  APPLIED  TO  US.  1.  The  fiist  stouc  in  this  building  was  laid  in  God's 
eternal  decree  and  purpose  to  reconcile  sinners  to  Himself  by  Christ,  not  imputing 
their  trespasses  to  them.  2.  The  second  step  was  when  Christ  was  actually 
exhibited  in  the  flesh,  and  paid  our  ransom  for  us  (1  John  iii.  5 ;  John  i.  29 ; 
Heb.  X.  14).  3.  The  next  step  was  when  Christ  rose  from  the  dead ;  for  then  we 
had  a  visible  evidence  of  the  sufficiency  of  the  ransom,  sacrifice,  and  satisfaction 
which  He  made  for  us  (Rom.  v.  25,  viii.  34).  4.  We  are  actually  justified,  pardoned, 
and  reconciled  when  we  repent  and  believe.  5.  We  are  sensibly  pardoned,  as  well 
as  actually,  when  the  Lord  giveth  peace  and  joy  in  believing,  "and  sheddeth  abroad 
His  love  in  our  hearts  by  the  Spirit."  6.  The  last  step  is  when  we  have  a  complete 
and  full  absolution  of  sin — that  is,  at  the  day  of  judgment  (Acts  iii.  19).     HI.  It 

IS   A   BRANCH   AND    FRUIT    OF    OUR   RECONCILIATION   WITH    GoD.       1.    BcCaUSe    when    God 

releaseth  us  from  the  punishment  of  sin,  it  is  a  sign  His  anger  is  appeased  and  now 
over.  2.  That  which  is  the  ground  of  reconciliation  is  the  ground  of  pardon  of 
sin  (Eph.  i.  7).  3.  That  which  is  the  fruit  of  reconciliation  is  obtained  and 
promoted  by  pardon  of  sin,  and  that  is  fellowship  with  God  and  delightful 
communion  with  Him  in  a  course  of  obedience  and  subjection  to  Him  (Heb.  x.  22  ; 
1  John  i.  7).     (T.  Manton,  D.D.) 

Ver.  20.  Now,  then,  we  are  ambassadors  for  Christ. — Of  the  nature  and  use  of 
the  gospel  ministry  as  an  external  mean  of  applying  Christ : — First,  Christ's  ambas- 
sadors commissionated.  "  Now,  then,  we  are  ambassadors  for  Christ."  Secondly, 
their  commission  opened ;  wherein  we  find,  first,  the  work  whereunto  the  ministers 
of  the  gospel  are  appointed,  to  reconcile  the  world  to  God.  Secondly,  their 
capacity  described  :  they  act  in  Christ's  stead,  as  His  vicegerents.  He  is  no  more 
in  this  world  to  treat  personally  with  sinners.  Thirdly,  the  manner  of  their  acting 
in  that  capacity ;  and  that  is  by  humble,  sweet,  and  condescending  entreaties. 
Doct. :  That  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  by  Christ's  ambassadors  is  the  means 
appointed  for  the  reconciling  of  sinners  to  Christ.  First,  we  will  open  what  is 
implied  in  Christ's  treaty  with  sinners  by  His  ambassadors  or  ministers.  1.  It 
necessarily  implies  the  defection  of  man  from  his  estate  of  friendship  with  God. 
If  no  war  with  heaven,  what  need  of  ambassadors  of  peace  ?  The  very  office  of  the 
ministry  is  an  argument  of  the  fall.  2.  It  implies  the  singular  grace  and  admirable 
condescension  of  God  to  sinful  man.  3.  It  implies  the  great  dignity  of  the  gospel 
ministry.  We  are  ambassadors  for  Christ.  4.  Christ's  treating  with  sinners  by  His 
ministers,  who  are  His  ambassadors,  implies  the  strict  obligation  they  are  under  to 
be  faithful  in  their  ministerial  employment  (1  Tim.  i.  12).  5.  It  implies  the  removal 
of  the  gospel  ministry  to  be  a  very  great  judgment  to  the  people.  The  remanding  of 
ambassadors  presages  an  ensuing  war.  6.  And,  lastly,  it  implies  both  the  wisdom 
and  condescension  of  God  to  sinful  men  in  carrying  on  a  treaty  of  peace  with  them 
by  such  ambassadors,  negotiating  betwixt  Him  and  them.  Secondly,  we  are 
to  consider  that  great  concernment  about  which  these  ambassadors  of  Christ  are  to 
treat  with  sinners,  and  that  is  their  reconciliation  to  God.  First,  that  God  should 
be  reconciled  after  such  a  dreadful  breach  as  the  fall  of  man  made  is  wonderful. 
No  sin,  all  things  considered,  was  ever  like  to  this  sin ;  other  sins,  like  a  single 
bullet,  kill  particular  persons,  but  this,  like  a  chain-shot,  cuts  off  multitudes  which 
no  man  can  number.     Secondly,  that  God  should  be  reconciled  to  men  and  not  to 


310  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

angels,  a  more  excellent  order  of  creatures,  is  yet  more  astonishing.  Thirdly,  that, 
God  should  be  wholly  and  thoroughly  reconciled  to  man,  so  that  no  fury  remains  in; 
Him  against  us  (Isa.  xxvii.  4)  is  stiU  matter  of  farther  wonder.  Fourthly,  that  God' 
should  be  freely  reconciled  to  sinners,  and  discharge  them  without  the  least  satis- 
faction to  His  justice  from  them,  is,  and  for  ever  will  be,  marvellous  in  their  eyes. 
For  though  Christ,  your  Surety,  hath  made  satisfaction  in  your  stead,  yet  it  was 
His  life.  His  blood,  and  not  yours,  that  went  for  it.  Fifthly,  that  God  should  be 
finally  reconciled  to  sinners,  so  that  never  new  breach  shall  happen  betwixt  Him 
and  them,  so  as  to  dissolve  the  league  of  friendship,  is  a  most  transporting  message. 
In  the  last  place,  we  are  to  inquire  what  and  whence  is  this  efficacy  of  preaching  toi 
reconcile  sinners  to  Chiist.  First,  this  efficacy  and  wonderful  power  is  not  from  the 
word  itself ;  take  it  in  an  abstract  notion,  separated  from  the  Spirit,  it  can  doi 
nothing:  it  is  called  "the  foolishness  of  preaching"  (1  Cor.  i.  21).  Secondly,  iti 
derives  not  this  efficacy  from  the  instrument  by  which  it  is  ministered,  let  then-  gifts 
be  what  they  will.  Thirdly,  but  whatever  efficacy  it  hath  to  reconcile  men  to  God 
it  derives  from  the  Sphit  of  God,  whose  co-operation  and  blessing  gives  it  all  the 
fruit  it  hath.  First,  admire  and  stand  amazed  at  this  mercy.  "  I  will  praise  Thee, 
0  Lord,"  saith  the  Church  (Isa.  xU.  1).  "  Though  Thou  wast  angry  with  me.  Thine 
anger  is  turned  away,  and  Thou  comfortest  me."  Secondly,  beware  of  new  breaches 
with  God.  God  will  speak  "  peace  to  His  people  and  to  His  saints,  but  let  them  not 
turn  again  to  folly"  (Psa.  Ixxxv.  8).  Thirdly,  labour  to  reconcile  others  to  God, 
especially  those  that  are  endeared  to  you  by  the  bonds  of  natural  relation.  Fourthly, 
Let  your  reconciliation  with  God  relieve  you  under  aU  burdens  of  affliction  you 
shall  meet  with  in  your  way  to  heaven.  (John  Flavel.)  Ambassadors  for  Christ : 
— 1.  The  dignity  of  an  ambassador  is  measured — (1)  By  the  grandeur  of  the  power 
he  represents.  Compare  a  minister  from  Paraguay  with  one  from  Prussia.  The 
former  may  have  more  personal  wealth  and  dignity  of  character  than  the  latter ; 
but  how  difficult  their  official  dignity !  The  apostle's  official  exaltation  was  the  very 
loftiest  in  the  world.  (2)  By  the  grandeur  of  the  State  to  which  he  is  sent.  An 
ambassador  to  Eussia  is  a  greater  personage  than  one  to  Liberia.  Now,  Paul  was 
sent,  not  to  one  State  or  kingdom,  but  to  the  world.  (3)  By  the  subjects  about 
which  they  are  commissioned  to  treat.  Compare  the  Treaty  of  Ghent  with  the 
settlement  of  the  "Alabama  Claims."  The  object  of  the  apostle's  mission  was  not 
to  make  peace  between  contending  nations,  not  to  adjust  spohation  claims,  but  to 
restore  a  world  of  rebels  to  their  prime  allegiance,  and  to  wrest  from  heU  its  ill- 
gotten  spoils.  2.  The  apostle  says,  "  We  are  ambassadors  for  Christ."  -3.  Behold 
here  an  evidence  that  God  delighteth  not  in  the  death  of  the  sinner.  Not  content 
to  commission  a  body  of  men  simply  to  announce.  He  condescends  to  plead  through 
them  (Ezek.  xviii.  23-32 ;  Isa.  i.  18 ;  2  Pet.  iii.  9).  I.  Let  us  analyse  this 
WONDERFUL  DiviNE  SOLICITATION.  It  assumcs — 1.  A  State  of  alienation  from  God 
on  your  part  and  offence  on  His.  2.  That  God  has  been  propitiated.  3.  That  without 
the  sinner's  own  consent  the  interposition  made  by  Christ  can  be  of  no  avail.  U. 
How  IS  man's  aversion  to  eeconciliation  to  be  accounted  fob?  1.  WhUe  con- 
scious of  sin,  they  are  really  unconscious  of  peril.  When  danger  is  reahsed  na 
man  is  indifferent.  Hence  the  necessity  for  preaching  about  law  and  hell.  2. 
Shmers  love  their  sin.  Sin  has  its  pleasures.  You  see  no  pleasure  in  holiness. 
Admit  that  the  life  of  the  sinner  reconciled  is  a  gloomy  journey,  nothing  to  compen- 
sate him  for  the  life  of  revelry  that  he  is  to  abandon.  Is  it  not  better  to  experience 
temporary  unhappiness  for  the  sake  of  immortal  bUss  ?  Now  God,  who  knows  the 
unsatisfying  nature  of  sinful  pleasures,  beseeches  you  by  us,  "  Be  reconciled  to 
God."  {J.  W.  Pratt,  D.D.)  Ambassadors  for  Christ: — I.  The  office:  in  which 
THE  ministers  OP  Cheist  APPEAR.  1.  An  ambassadoT  holds  an  office  of  dis- 
tinguished honour.  He  represents  the  king  who  sends  him.  Ambassadors  may, 
or  they  may  not,  be  talented  men.  ,  It  may  be  of  importance  to  the  sovereign  that 
they  should  be  so  ;  but  they  are  not  to  be  respected  for  their  talents,  but  for  their 
office,  and  any  disrespect  shown  them  in  a  foreign  court  is  levelled  at  the  office. 
Now  all  this  is  true  of  the  ministers  of  Christ.  Christ  accounts  every  kindness 
shown  to  them  as  shown  to  Him,  and  every  unfriendly  act  towards  them  as  done  to 
Him.  Talents  and  piety  commend  ministers ;  but  it  is  their  office  which  is  the 
ground  of  their  honour.  2.  The  ambassador's  is  an  office  of  important  trust.  They 
are  not  sent  to  make  laws,  but  simply  to  convev  instructions.  Now  the  apostle  says 
that  he  was  "  put  in  trust  with  the  gospel,"  and  God  "requh'es  in  stewards  that  a  man 
be  found  faithful."  They  have,  therefore,  simply  to  deliver  that  to  the  people  which 
they  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus.     3.  This  office  is  one  requiring  great  skill. 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  311 

diligence,  and  labour.  What  tact,  and  ingenuity,  and  application  does  it  often 
require  to  conduct  the  king's  business  at  a  foreign  court !  And  oh !  how  much 
more  to  negotiate  the  affairs  of  Christ's  kingdom  among  them  !  "  Who  is  sufiicient 
for  these  things  ?  "  "  To  the  Jews  I  became  as  a  Jew,  that  I  might  gain  the  Jews," 
&c.      II.    The  object  at  which  thet  aim — that   men  may  be  reconciled  to  God. 

III.  The    message   they   have   to   deliver.     1.    It  is  free.      2.    Full.     3.  Final. 

IV.  The  manner  in  which  theie  object  is  to  be  prosecuted.  Not  by  compul- 
sion, not  by  punishment,  but  "  we  pray  you  " — "  God  beseeches  you  by  us."  1. 
Such  a  mode  answers  to  the  character  of  God  and  His  gospel.  "  God  is  love  "  ; 
His  gospel  is  "  goodwill  toward  men."  Methinks  it  is  very  easy  to  be  reconciled  to 
love.  2.  The  method  corresponds  with  the  character  of  man.  Men  are  moi'e  easily 
drawn  than  driven.  Love  wins  the  heart,  when  terror  would  often  drive  it  away. 
{J.  Shermaii.)  God  beseeching  sinners  by  His  ministers  : — Man  became  God's 
enemy  without  the  slightest  provocation ;  but  man  did  not  make  the  first  overtures 
for  peace.  Consider — I.  The  ambassadors  of  reconciliation.  1.  They  themselves 
were  once  enemies  to  God.  God  might  have  sent  angels  to  you,  and  you  might 
have  been  awed  by  their  glory ;  but  their  sermons  must  have  been  unsympathetic 
compared  with  ours,  for  they  could  not  know  your  misery  as  we  do.  2.  They  are 
now  reconciled,  and  therefore  can  speak  not  theoretically,  but  experimentally.  They 
were  reconciled,  too,  by  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  same  way  as  other  sinners.  Again, 
Paul  tells  us — 3.  They  have  a  message  to  deliver  which  has  been  given  to  them. 
Their  mission  is  not  to  invent  a  gospel.  I  send  my  servant  with  a  message,  and  if 
she,  in  her  wisdom,  alters  my  message  to  suit  her  own  views,  I  discharge  her,  for  I 
want  some  one  who  will  bear  my  message,  and  not  make  one  of  her  own.  God 
would  have  His  ministers  be  like  transparent  glass,  not  like  painted  windows,  which 
colour  all  the  rays  after  their  own  nature.  II.  The  subject-matter  of  our  message. 
1.  That  reconciliation  is  only  to  be  obtained  towards  God  on  the  ground  of  sub- 
stitution. You  cannot  reconcile  yourself  to  God  by  lamentation  on  account  of  your 
past  sins,  hy  any  future  arduous  service,  nor  by  any  ceremony  of  man's  invention, 
or  even  of  God's  ordaining.  This  is  the  plan  : — Men  were  all  lost  and  condemned  ; 
then  Jesus  took  upon  Himself  our  manhood,  that  He  might  be  our  brother  ;  and  in 
His  death  He  bore  the  burden  of  human  sin.  2.  That  this  reconciliation  was  not 
apart  from  God,  but  that  God  was  in  Christ.  You  must  never  faU  into  the  idea 
that  God  is  revengeful,  and  that  the  death  of  His  Son  was  necessary  to  pacify  the 
Father.  God  was  love  before  Jesus  died.  The  substitution  made  on  Calvary  was 
a  substitution  provided  by  God's  love.  It  is  not  Jesus,  a  stranger,  who  hangs  there 
to  gratify  the  Father's  vengeance ;  it  is  God  who,  in  one  of  His  Divine  Persons, 
bears  the  penalty  which  justice  demanded  of  sinful  men.  3.  That  in  consequence 
of  God's  having  reconciled  the  world  to  Himself  in  Jesus  Christ,  He  is  able  now  to 
deal  with  sinners  as  if  they  had  never  sinned.  "  Not  imputing  their  trespasses 
unto  them."  "  The  Lord  hath  laid  on  Him  the  iniquity  of  us  all."  Aye,  and 
something  more.  God  treats  us  who  are  reconciled  to  Him  as  if  they  were  full  of 
good  works ;  "  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him."  4.  That 
the  atonement  of  Christ  is  for  the  "  world  "  (John  iii.  16).  5.  That  there  is  nothing 
whatever  needed  in  order  to  their  reconciliation  and  acceptance  with  God,  except 
what  Christ  has  already  wrought  out.  III.  The  manner  in  which  this  message 
IS  TO  be  delivered.  The  text  tells  us  very  plainly — 1.  By  beseeching  and  praying 
men.  We  are  not  merely  to  convince  the  intellect ;  neither  are  we  alone  to  warn  and 
threaten,  though  that  has  its  place.  2.  By  beseeching  men  as  though  God  did 
beseech  them.  Now  how  does  God  beseech  them?  Read  Isa.  i.,  Iv. ;  Ezek.  xxxiii. 
11 ;  Jer.  xliv.  4 ;  Hosea  xi.  8.  3.  By  praying  souls  in  Christ's  stead — i.e.,  we  are 
to  preach  as  if  Christ  were  preaching.  That  would  not  be  in  a  light  or  trifling 
manner,  or  in  a  cold  ofiBcial  style,  but  with  melting  eyes  and  burning  heart.  Some- 
times He  prayed — (1)  By  setting  before  them  the  evil  of  their  ways.  "  For  which 
of  these  works  do  you  stone  Me  ?  "  And  so  I  inquire,  "  For  which  of  God's  works 
are  you  His  enemy  ?  Are  you  His  enemy  because  He  keeps  you  m  hfe,  gives  you 
your  food,  or  sends  you  the  gospel  ?  "  (2)  By  showing  them  the  uselessness  of  then: 
rebellion  (Luke  xiv.  31).  Why  will  you  be  God's  enemy  when  you  cannot  win  the 
battle  ?  (3)  By  displaying  the  result  of  their  sin,  as  He  did  when  He  stood  on  the 
brow  of  the  hiU  and  looked  down  on  Jerusalem.  Remember  the  jjassages  where  He 
speaks  of  dividing  the  sheep  from  the  goats,  where  He  treats  of  the  virgins  who  had 
no  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their  lamps.  Whoever  puts  the  doctrine  of  hell  into  the 
background,  Jesus  never  did.  (4)  By  pleading  the  love  of  God — e.g.,  in  the  parable 
of  the  prodigal  son.    And,  oh,  how  He  implored  man  to  be  reconciled,  in  such  words 


312  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

as,  "  Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest"  ;  "  Him  that  cometh  to  Me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  4.  By  bringing  this 
matter  home  and  pressing  it.  We  pray  you  in  Christ's  stead,  be  ye  reconciled  to 
God.  It  comes  to  this  with  you :  God  says  to  you — 1.  Throw  down  your 
weapons ;  why  dost  thou  contend  with  thy  Maker  ?  What  has  Christ  done 
that  thou  shouldst  not  love  Him?  What  has  the  Holy  Ghost  done  that  thou 
shouldst  resist  Him  ?  What  v/ilt  thou  gain  by  it  in  time  or  in  eternity  ?  2.  Accept 
the   Lord   Jesus.      (C.   H.    Spiirgeon.)  The    Christian   amhasnador : — I.    The 

CHAKACTER   THAT    BECOMES    MINISTERS    AS    AMBASSADORS    FOR    ChRIST.        1.     Intelligence. 

No  wise  prince  would  employ  as  his  representative  at  a  foreign  court  a  man  destitute 
of  good  sense  and  of  acquired  knowledge ;  otherwise  the  interests  of  the  empire 
might  be  compromised,  and  the  lustre  of  the  sovereign's  reign  tarnished.  Surely, 
then,  the  care  of  souls,  every  one  ot  which  is  more  valuable  than  worlds,  ought  only 
to  be  entrusted  to  men  gifted  by  nature,  whose  minds  have  been  roused  by  cultiva- 
tion, and  whose  conduct  gives  evidence  that  they  have  been  taught  by  God.  2. 
Attachment  to  Christ  and  His  cause.  In  the  early  stages  of  society  ambassadors 
were  chiefly  chosen  from  among  the  personal  friends  of  the  prince,  and,  being  often 
bound  to  him  by  the  ties  of  consanguinity  or  marriage,  afforded  the  best  guarantees 
of  fidelity  and  zeal.  And  so  love  to  the  Saviour,  arising  from  the  heartfelt  power  of 
His  religion,  and  from  the  workings  of  a  devoted  gratitude,  is  the  highest  qualifica- 
tion of  a  Christian  minister.  3.  Fidelity.  When  an  envoy  is  sent  to  a  foreign 
court  he  bears  with  him  not  only  credentials,  but  written  instructions,  defining  the 
conditions  on  which  a  treaty  of  peace  may  be  ratified  ;  and  should  he  exceed  his 
instructions  the  treaty  so  negotiated  would  not  be  sanctioned  by  his  king.  And  so 
when  ministers  entreat  sinners  to  be  reconciled  unto  God,  they  should  always 
remember  that  they  are  acting  for  Christ,  and  should  only  propose  salvation  in  the 
manner  and  on  the  terms  in  which  it  is  offered  in  His  gospel.  "  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  "  should  be  distinctly  attached  to  all  their  announcements.  4.  Zeal.  The 
man  to  whom  is  committed  the  dignity  of  a  prince  and  the  interests  of  an  empire 
should  subordinate  eveiy  personal  feeling  to  the  glory  of  his  sovereign  ;  and  so  the 
ambassador  for  Christ  should  spend  and  be  spent  in  his  Master's  cause.  5.  Wisdom. 
The  ambassador  of  an  earthly  monarch  behoves  not  only  to  maintain  a  courteous 
deportment,  but  to  mark,  with  eagle  glance,  the  ever-shifting  relations  of  the  king- 
doms with  which  he  negotiates,  and  to  adapt  his  j)olicy  to  their  changing  circum- 
stances ;  and  so  the  minister  of  Christ  requires  to  display  much  wisdom,  both  in 
maintaining  an  inoffensive  conversation  and  adapting  his  lessons  to  the  existing 
state  of  society.  6.  Diligent  and  persevering  exertion.  A  superficial  observer,  who 
gazes  on  the  splendid  attire  and  retinue  of  an  envoy,  and  who  observes  his  attend- 
ance upon  the  levies  and  gala-days  of  royalty,  is  apt  to  imagine  that  his  duties  are 
light  and  his  post  nearly  a  sinecure  ;  but  a  person  who  peeps  behind  the  curtain, 
who  notices  the  thousand  channels  by  which  he  gleans  information,  his  anxious 
consultations  with  confidential  advisers,  his  sleepless  nights,  devoted  to  unravelling 
the  mysteries  of  the  passing  masquerade,  and  his  frequent  interchange  of  corre- 
spondence with  his  sovereign — the  man  who  looks  to  the  details  of  all  these  labours 
must  admit  that  his  employment  is  most  arduous  and  harassing.  In  the  same 
manner,  many  suppose  that  the  station  of  a  minister  is  one  of  indolence  ;  but  those 
who  survey  their  ministrations  in  the  sanctuary,  their  diligence  in  study,  their  hours 
devoted  to  prayer,  their  painstaking  visitations,  and  their  sympathy  with  the  sick, 
must  admit  that  the  employment  is  most  harassing,  and  need  feel  no  surprise  that 
so  many  fall  as  martyrs  who  devote  themselves  with  zeal  to  the  duties  of  this  pro- 
fession. 7.  Great  dignity.  If  the  envoy  of  an  earthly  monarch,  whenever  he  pre- 
sents his  credentials,  has  a  portion  of  the  respect  due  to  his  sovereign  awarded  to 
him,  so  the  man,  however  humble,  who  acts  for  Christ  as  the  "  legate  of  the  skies," 
derives  a  dignity  from  his  office  before  which  all  worldly  honours  sink  into  insigni- 
ficance. II.  The  motives  which  should  rouse  us  to  increased  zeal.  1.  Should 
souls  perish  through  our  negligence,  their  blood  will  be  required  at  our  hands.  2. 
The  example  of  the  apostles  should  stimulate  us  to  exertion.  3.  The  example  left 
us  by  the  Luthers,  Calvins,  and  Knoxes,  of  the  reforming  era,  and  by  the  fathers  of 
this  Church  at  a  later  period,  should  rouse  and  ashame  us.  4.  Were  the  motives 
derived  from  religion  forgotten,  patriotism  and  humanity  should  rouse  us.  6.  It 
becomes  us  to  recollect  that  our  lots  have  been  cast  in  critical  and  perilous 
times,  which  demand  from  us  extraordinary  Zealand  watchfulness.  {J.Brown,  A.M.) 
A  merciful  emhasxy  : — Tiiere  has  long  been  war  between  man  and  his  Maker. 
Our  federal  head,  Adam,  threw  down  the  gauntlet  in  the  garden  of  Eden.      From. 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  313 

that  day  until  now  there  has  been  no  truce  between  God  and  man  by  nature.  But 
though  man  will  not  make  terms  with  God,  God  shows  His  unwillingness  any  longeB 
to  be  at  war  with  man.  He  Himself  sends  His  ambassadors.  Consider — I.  The 
AMBASs.vDORS.  All  nations,  with  one  accord,  have  agreed  to  honour  ambassadors. 
Strange,  then,  that  all  nations  and  all  people  should  have  conspired  to  dishonour 
the  ambassadors  of  God !  But  the  ambassador  of  God  may  be  very  welcome  to 
some  of  you,  who  have  bitterly  felt  your  estrangement,  and  are  prepared  by  a  sense 
of  ruin  for  the  good  tidings  of  redemption.  Ambassadors  are  welcome — 1.  To  a 
people  who  are  engaged  in  a  war  which  is  beyond  their  strength,  when  their 
resources  are  exhausted  and  the  peril  of  defeat  is  imminent.  Ah,  man  !  thou  hast 
bid  defiance  to  the  King  of  heaven,  whose  power  is  irresistible.  How  canst  thou 
stand  against  Him  ;  shall  the  stubble  contend  with  the  fire  ?  Happy  for  thee 
that  terms  of  peace  are  proclaimed.  Wilt  thou  not  gladly  accept  what  God 
proposeth  to  thee  ?  2.  When  the  people  have  begun  to  feel  the  victorious  force  of 
the  King.  Certain  cities  have  been  taken  by  the  sword  and  given  up  to  be  sacked. 
Now  the  poor,  miserable  inhabitants  are  glad  enough  to  get  peace.  Doubtless  there 
are  some  here  who  have  known  the  power  of  God  in  their  conscience.  Surely  you 
will  rejoice  to  bear  that  there  is  an  embassage  of  peace  sent  to  you.  3.  To  those 
■who  are  labouring  under  a  fear  of  total  and  speedy  destruction.  4.  If  the  people 
know  that  he  brings  no  hard  terms.  When  a  certain  king  sent  to  the  inhabitants 
of  a  town  that  he  would  make  peace  with  them  provided  he  put  out  their  right 
eyes  and  cut  off  their  right  hands,  the  ambassador  who  brought  those  tidings  could 
not  expect  a  cordial  welcome.  But  there  are  no  hard  terms  in  the  gospel.  They 
are  simply,  "Believe  and  live";  not  "Do,  and  hve";  not  "Feel  this,  and 
live";  but  simply  "Believe,  and  live."  And  should  not  the  fame  of  the  King 
increase  the  zest  with  which  the  embassage  is  received  ?  No  temporary  peace  is 
proposed  that  may  presently  be  broken,  but  a  peace  that  shall  stand  for  ever  and 
ever.  This  peace  is  proclaimed  to  all  men.  "  Whosoever  believeth  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  shall  be  saved."  None  are  excluded  hence  but  those  who  do  themselves 
exclude.  II.  The  commission  of  peace  which  God  has  entrusted  us  to  pro- 
claim—" To  wit,  that  God,"  &c.  Let  us  open  the  commission.  Our  commission 
begins  with  the  announcement  that  God  is  love,  that  He  willeth  to  forgive.  Our 
commission  goes  on  to  disclose  the  manner  as  well  as  the  motive  of  mercy.  God 
has  been  pleased  to  give  His  only-begotten  Son  that  He  might  stand  in  the  room 
of  those  whom  God  has  chosen.  Thus  the  justice  of  God  should  be  satisfied,  and 
His  love  flow  over  to  the  human  race.  But  the  proclamation  needs  something  more 
to  give  us  any  satisfaction.  Ai'e  there  any  tidings  in  it  for  you  and  me  ?  Well,  our 
message  goes  on  to  announce  that  whosoever  in  the  wide  world  will  come  to  Christ 
shall  f  orth\vith  be  at  peace  with  God.  Though  only  some  will  accept  it,  the  preacher 
is  not  warranted  in  showing  any  partiahty.  When  Charles  II.  came  back  to 
England  there  was  an  amnesty,  except  for  certain  persons,  and  these  were  mentioned 
by  name — Hugh  Peters  and  others  were  proscribed  ;  but  there  is  no  exception  here. 
III.  The  duty  we  have  to  discharge — "As  though  God  did  beseech  you  by  us," 
&c.  Then  we  have  not  merely  to  read  our  commission,  but  to  beseech  you  to  accept 
it.  Why  ? — 1.  Because  You  are  men,  not  machines.  2.  Your  hearts  are  so  hard 
that  you  are  prone  to  defy  God's  power  and  resist  His  grace.  3.  You  are  unbelieving, 
and  wUl  not  credit  the  tidings.  You  say  it  is  too  good  to  be  true  that  God  will  have 
mercy  on  such  as  you  are.  4.  You  are  so  proud  and  self-satisfied  that  you  will 
sooner  follow  your  own  righteousness  and  cUng  to  your  own  works  than  accept  a 
]  eace  already  sealed  and  ratified,  and  now  freely  proffered  to  you  for  acceptance. 
-5.  You  are  careless.  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  As  though  God  did  beseech  you  by  us : 
we  pray  you  in  Christ's  stead,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God. — The  arguments  by  which 
men  should  be  persuaded  to  reconcile  unto  God : — Man  hath  an  indisposition  God- 
ward,  which  doth  expose  him  to  the  greatest  danger.  1.  That  the  motion  of 
reconciliation  begins  with  God.  2.  Though  the  motion  of  reconciliation  begins  with 
God  yet  God  expects  our  concurrence  and  consent.  Reconciliation  is  never 
pccomplished  without  us.  3.  God  in  this  motion  of  reconciliation  accommodates 
Himself  to  humane  principles,  which  are  two :  intelligence  and  freedom.  To  show 
you  wherein  this  reconciliation  doth  consist,  and  whereby  you  may  come  to  be 
reconciled  to  God.  (1)  Eectify  your  wrong  apprehension  of  God.  To  lay  aside 
false  opinion,  this  is  the  first ;  but  it  will  not  be  the  last.  We  find  in  ourselves, 
that  if  we  have  had  wi'ong  apprehension  of  a  person,  if  we  have  a  better  represen- 
tation of  him,  we  begin  to  change  in  our  minds.  Wrong  apprehensions  of  God  are 
very  mischievous ;  they  keep  us  off  from  Him,  at  the  greatest  distance.     The  first 


314  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR  [chap.  v. 

step  to  reconciliation  is  to  lay  aside  wrong  apprehension.  2.  Let  your  affections  be 
infiamed  toward  God,  for  this  is  due  order ;  let  understanding  go  before  and . 
affections  follow  after.  If  we  apprehend  God  to  be  good  and  lovely,  we  cannot 
but  adore,  love,  and  magnify  Him  ;  the  second  will  follow  upon  the  first.  3.  Bei 
reconciled  to  God  by  savouring  the  things  of  God.  Through  reconciliation  wei 
come  to  harmonise  with  the  nature,  and  mind,  and  will  of  God :  to  think  of  things 
as  He  thinks ;  to  relish  them  as  He  doth.  Friends  that  are  of  a  familiar  acquaint- 
ance, they  come  so  to  harmonise,  that  you  may  know  one  by  the  other.  4.  Be 
reconciled  to  God  by  imitating  Him  in  acts  of  goodness,  acts  of  mercy,  acts  of  love. 
5.  Let  us  direct  all  our  intentions  towards  Him.  6.  Acknowledge  His  grace 
and  goodness  in  Christ.  Now  to  apply  this — 1.  This  doth  highly  recommend 
religion  to  us,  in  that  it  is  a  reconciling  principle.  (1)  The  reconciliation 
of  man  to  God.  (2)  The  reconciling  of  man  to  man.  (B.  Whichcote,  D.D.) 
Reconciliation  with  God: — I  have  a  special  errand;  I  bring  a  message  from 
the  King.  When  the  President  of  the  United  States  sends  a  message  to  the 
national  legislature  it  takes  precedence  of  all  other  business.  When  the  ambas- 
sador of  England  or  Germany  presents  his  credentials,  he  has  behind  him  the 
authority  and  prestige  of  a  mighty  empire.  How  much  more  authoritative  the 
voice  of  him  who  is  the  ambassador  of  the  King  of  kings.  I  have  no  theory  to 
propound,  but  only  the  command  of  my  Master.  "  I  beseech  you  on  the  behalf  of 
Christ,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God."  Notice : — I.  How  positions  here  abe  reversed. 
It  is  not  the  rebel  pleading  for  pardon,  but  the  King  asking  the  rebel  to  fling  down 
his  weapons  ;  not  the  returning  prodigal  seeking  the  father,  but  the  loving  Father 
entreating  the  return  of  the  wayward  son.  A  son  once  quarrelled  with  and  stole 
from  his  father,  then  fled  to  London,  where  he  wasted  his  substance  in  sin.  A 
detective  discovered  him  in  a  haunt  of  vice — health  and  money  gone.  The  father 
was  notified,  and  hastened  to  the  wretched  abode.  He  climbed  to  the  attic,  and 
found  his  sick  son  in  a  broken,  troubled  sleep.  He  bent  over  him  and  was  recog- 
nised. "My  poor  boy,  I've  come  for  you;  wiU  you  go  home  with  me?"  "Go 
home !  yes,  if  you'll  forgive  me,  father."  He  lifted  up  the  invalid,  and  took  him 
home  repentant  and  forgiven.  So  God  says  to  you,  "Poor  son,  daughter,  come 
home,  come  home !  "  II.  The  cause  of  this  controversy.  Sin ;  it  affects  the  whole 
nature.  If  I  should  let  fall  a  single  drop  of  ink  into  this  glass  of  water  it  would 
discolour  the  whole.  There  is  also  a  penalty  to  be  met.  Christ  becomes  our 
substitute.  It  is  His  grace  that  bridges  the  gulf  between  us  and  heaven.  III.  The 
ONE  CONDITION  OF  RECONCILIATION — that  is,  submissiou  to  God's  government. 
"  Unconditional  surrender "  is  the  message.  We  remember  how  the  large-hearted 
Lincoln  pleaded,  "  be  ye  reconciled."  But  he  held  to  the  one  condition,  yield  !  So 
God  says,  "  Put  away  the  evil  of  your  doings."  You  cannot  pass  over  this  bridge 
till  you  have  left  at  the  gate  your  evil  ways  and  thoughts.  IV.  The  fruits  of  this 
RECONCILEMENT  are  sweet  and  precious.  You  may  be  lying  like  a  rosebush  beaten 
by  the  blast  and  pelting  rain.  Your  heart  is  crushed  and  bleeding,  but  as  the  sun 
comes  and  talks,  as  it  were,  with  the  flower ;  covers  its  petals  with  warm  kisses 
and  lifts  it  up  to  drink  in  the  sunshine,  and  to  be  beautiful  again,  so  wiU  He  give 
you  beauty  for  ashes  and  joy  for  heaviness  when  you  repentingly  and  lovmgly 
open  your  heart  to  Christ.  Conclusion. — You  have  heard  of  the  Highland  mother 
whose  daughter  had  long  led  a  reckless  life  in  Edinburgh,  sunk  in  sin.  Her  eyes 
were  opened.  She  returned  home  to  the  hut  by  the  hillside,  finding  her  way  in  the 
darkness.  The  daughter  entered  and  found  her  old  "mother"  crooning  over  the 
ashes  of  the  fire.  The  penitent  was  clasped  in  her  mother's  arms.  "  I  came  home 
in  the  dead  of  night  and  found  the  cabin  door  unlocked !  "  "  It's  never  been  locked 
since  you  went  away,  fori  didna  ken  when  you  might  come  back."  So  God  keeps 
the  door  of  mercy  ajar  and  waits  to  welcome  you.  Think  of  that  Saxon  word, 
well-come — that  is,  "  It  is  well  for  you  to  come."  To  stay  away  is  hell !  {T.  L. 
Cuyler,    D.D.)  Reconciliation    to    God : — I.    What    ministers,    as     Christ's 

AMBASSADORS,    ARE   TO    DO   IN    ORDER    TO    SINNERS     BEING     RECONCILED    TO    GoD. They 

are  not  to  be  silent,  but  to  speak ;  and  as  they  are  ambassadors  of  Christ,  He  should 
be  the  principal  subject  of  their  ministrations.  But  more  particularly — 1.  In  order 
to  sinners'  reconcilialion  to  God,  it  is  necessary  for  ministers  boldly  to  declare 
(1)  The  natural  enmity  of  their  hearts  against  Him.  Every  sin  is  an  act  of 
rebellion  against  God.  (2)  That  though  the  groundwork  of  our  reconciliation  was 
laid  in  the  eternal  counsels  of  God,  yet  that  it  is  actually  brought  about  in  time 
(Eph.  ii.  13).  (a).  The  law  being  fulfilled,  and  justice  satisfied  in  the  person  of 
Christ,  the  offended  Deity  now  says,  "Fury  is  not  in  Me."     This  is  reconciliation 


CHA».  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  315 

on  God's  part,  with  respect  to  which  we  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  cordially  embrace 
it.  {b)  Eeconciliation  on  our  part  is  begun  and  completed  by  the  grace  of  the 
Spirit.  He  slays  the  enmity  of  the  heart,  subdues  the  obstinacy  of  the  will,  and 
sanctifies  the  carnal  affections,  so  that  we  are  made  to  resign  ourselves  up  to  Him 
as  our  lawful  Sovereign,  and  at  the  same  time  choose  Him  as  our  supreme  good. 
2.  Christ's  servants  are  likewise  to  declare  that  there  is  need  of  a  farther  reconcilia- 
tion in  those  who  are  already  reconciled  to  God.  Be  ye  particularly  reconciled — 
(1)  To  the  absolute  sovereignty  of  God.  Deny  Him  not  that  right  which  you  your- 
selves exercise  in  disposing  your  favours  as  you  please.  (2)  To  the  providences  of 
God,  so  as  neither  to  quarrel  with  Him  for  what  He  has  done,  nor  prescribe  to  Him 
what  He  shall  do.  (3)  To  all  the  requirements  of  God.  His  laws  are  founded 
upon  the  highest  reason,  as  well  as  enforced  by  the  highest  authority.  (4)  To 
the  methods  of  Divine  grace,  and  "  the  way  of  salvation  "  by  Jesus  Christ.  Be  ye 
then  reconciled  to  the  gospel,  as  a  mystery  far  above  your  comprehension :  yet  a 
mystery  of  godliness,  the  manifest  design  of  which  is,  to  make  you  more  like  God, 
and  meet  for  heaven.  3.  Ministers  are  faithfully  to  denounce  the  terrible  judgments 
of  God  against  those  who  live  and  die  unreconciled  to  him.  They  are  to  tell  their 
hearers  that  if  reconciliation  do  not  take  place  in  this  world,  it  will  not  in  the 
next.  II.  The  manner  in  which  ministers  thus  treat  with  sinners  about 
THEIR  reconciliation  TO  GoD.  1.  With  a  perfect  unanimity.  However  various 
their  gifts  and  abilities  may  be,  yet  the  subject  of  their  ministrations  is  the  same. 

2.  With  warmth  and  affection.  We  not  only  direct  and  exhort,  but  "  we  pray 
you  "  (Acts  XX.  31).  3.  With  spiritual  power  and  authority,  "  as  though  God  did 
beseech  you  by  us."  4.  With  meekness,  gentleness,  and  all  the  means  of  persuasion, 
"We  beseech  you."  Conclusion. —  The  subject  teaches  us — 1.  The  dreadful 
corruption  and  depravity  of  human  nature.  Nothing  worse  can  be  said  of  the  devil 
than  that  he  is  an  enemy  to  God.  2.  The  necessity  of  a  Divine  change ;  not  a 
change  of  the  conduct  only,  but  of  the  inward  frame  and  temper  of  the  mind. 

3.  How  much  are  we  indebted  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  without  whom  this 
reconciliation  never  would,  nor  ever  could  have  taken  place!  {B.  Beddome,  M.A.) 
On  reconciliation  : — I.  This  earnest  entreaty  of  the  apostle  supposes  alienation 
FROM  God,  and  enmity  against  Him,  as  the  natural  character  of  mankind. 
That  they  are  naturally  averse  from  God  may  be  proved  from  the  general  tendency 
of  their  desires  and  aiiections.  The  desire  of  knowledge  is  natural.  The  philos- 
opher, the  scholar,  the  artist,  are  all  in  earnest  pursuit  of  knowledge.  But  of  what 
kind  ? — on  questions  and  speculations  which  natural  objects  suggest,  and  which  are 
aU  of  temporary  importance.  In  no  class  of  men,  indeed,  do  we  perceive  a  natural 
desire  after  the  best  of  all  knowledge,  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  of  the  gospel  of 
His  Son,  Jesus  Christ.  That  knowledge  is  the  last  and  the  least  desired.  Again, 
we  are  all  desirous  of  happiness ;  but  where  is  it  generally  sought  ?  Look  at  the 
young,  and  you  find  them  pursuing  their  happiness  among  trifles  and  amusements 
that  are  ever  shifting  with  the  hour.  Look  at  those  of  maturer  age,  in  what  do 
they  place  their  happiness  ?  In  pursuits  as  idle  as  the  play  of  children,  but  more 
dangerous.  Again,  we  take  much  pleasure  in  social  conversation.  We  are  made 
for  society,  and  the  social  principle  belongs  to  our  nature.  If  then  no  ahenation 
from  God  has  taken  place,  the  most  delightful  topics  of  conversation  would  be 
His  nature.  His  works,  our  relation  to  Him,  the  duties  we  owe  to  Him,  and 
the  blessedness  of  communion  with  Him.  Our  experience,  however,  tells  us 
that  these  are  by  no  means  the  favourite  themes  of  social  conversation.  II. 
The  possibility,  notwithstanding  man's  natural  enmity,  of  his  reconciliation 
TO  God.  Observe  what  wisdom  and  grace  appear  in  the  exact  adaptation  of 
the  gospel  to  our  actual  condition  I  If  reconciliation  be  proposed  at  all,  it  is 
not  for  the  inferior  and  offending  party  to  determine  the  way.  God  well 
knew  that  His  wisdom  alone  was  adequate  to  this.  But  in  making  known  the 
purposes  of  His  grace,  how  conspicuous  does  His  wisdom,  how  glorious  does 
His  majesty,  appear !  His  oifended  justice  requires  satisfaction,  and  His  truth 
declares  that  "  without  the  shedding  of  blood  there  is  no  remission  of  sins." 
But  further,  in  this  work,  in  this  combination  of  might,  wisdom,  and  grace, 
we  see  each  Person  of  the  Godhead  harmoniously  engaged.  III.  That  our 
text  suggests  the  leading  object  of  the  Christian  ministry — to  beseech  men  to 
be  reconciled  to  God.  1.  We  beseech  you  by  the  imminent  dangers  of  a  state  of 
enmity  against  God.  2.  We  beseech  you  by  the  mercies  of  God.  3.  We  beseech 
you  by  the  blood  of  Christ  shed  for  the  remission  of  sins.  Think  of  the  costly 
sacrifice   made    for    this   gracious    purpose.       4.    We   beseech   you    by    the   pro- 


316  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  t. 

mised  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  "  be  ye  reconciled  to  God."  We  know 
that  your  own  efforts  cannot  effect  this  object ;  but  we  call  upon  you  to  put  into 
diligent  use  the  means  with  which  Divine  grace  has  furnished  you.  5.  Finally,  we 
beseech  you,  by  the  awful  impoi'tanee  of  eternity,  and  the  value  of  your  never- 
dying  souls.  (T.  Lewis.)  Reconciliation  loith  God,  man's  truest  interest : — I.  I 
sh.'OjL  endeavour  to  peove  that  a  state  of  sin  is  a  state  of  hostility  against 
God  ;  that  the  impenitent  offender  is  at  enmity  with  God.  That  obstinate 
sinners  are  the  enemies  of  God,  we  have  His  own  unerring  word  for  our  confirma- 
tion. This  is  the  very  name  which  He  gives  them,  sper.king  by  the  prophet  Isaiah, 
"  I  will  avenge  Me,"  says  He,  "  of  Mine  enemies,  and  render  vengeance  to  Mine 
adversaries."  Nor  is  He  unjust  in  branding  them  with  this  title,  since  their 
constant  practice  proves  them  to  be  no  other,  for  they  live  in  a  direct  opposition  to 
His  v.'ill,  in  a  presumptuous  violation  of  His  laws.  But  the  greatest  instance  of 
enmity  is  when  we  enter  into  a  strict  alliance  with  avowed  adversaries.  The  first 
and  greatest  enemy  of  God  is  the  devil,  and  the  wicked  man  is  entered  into  a  close 
covenant  with  him.  A  second  enemy  of  God  is  the  world,  and  therefore  the 
apostle  positively  assures  us  that  the  friendship  of  this  world  is  enmity  with  God. 
But  how  dear  and  tender  a  union  is  there  between  this  and  the  wicked  man !  A 
third  enemy  of  God  is  the  flesh.  I  see  another  law  in  my  members,  warring 
against  the  law  of  my  mind.  Friendship  is  generally  founded  upon  a  resemblance 
of  dispositions,  and  enmity  is  often  caused  by  a  contrariety  of  humours.  But 
what  inclinations  can  be  more  opposite  than  those  of  God  and  the  sinful  man  ? 
Holiness  and  justice  are  the  delights  of  the  one  ;  uncleanness  and  iniquity  the 
darlings  of  the  other.  II.  To  inquibe  into  the  dismal  consequences  of  being 
God's  enemies,  and  having  Him  for  ours.  1.  By  considering  the  nature  and  probable 
effects  of  this  enmity.  How  is  it  possible  to  taste  any  enjoyment  of  our  lives,  our 
fortunes,  or  any  other  friendship,  whilst  we  thus  continue  out  of  favour  with  our 
God.  2.  From  the  consideration  of  our  own  weakness  and  infirmity,  and  the  vast 
power  and  ability  of  our  formidable  enemy,  we  may  learn  how  miserable  a  thing 
it  is  to  be  at  enmity  with  our  God.  We  cannot  resist  His  anger.  3.  The  great 
misery  of  this  condition  will  yet  further  appear  if  we  consider  that  he  who  has 
God  for  his  enemy  is  thereby  deprived  of  the  only  cordial  which  can  sweeten  the 
bitterness  of  this  present  life.  For  what  is  there  that  can  carry  a  man  comfortably 
through  all  the  troubles  and  disappointments  of  this  turbulent  world,  but  a 
sober  consideration  of  his  living  under  the  protection  of  Almighty  God?  III. 
The  invincible  necessity  which  lies  upon  us  of  complying  with  the  advice 
WHICH  the  apostle  HERE  GIVES  US,  "That  wc  should  be  reconciled  unto  God." 
Having  just  laid  before  you  the  miserable  consequences  of  continuing  in  a  state  of 
enmity  with  God,  one  would  think  any  other  arguments  useless.  Shall  the  traitor 
at  the  gallows  need  to  be  importuned  to  accept  of  pardon  and  be  restored  to  his 
Prince's  favour  ?  One  would  think  there  should  need  no  entreaty  in  such  a  case. 
1.  The  infinite  condescension  of  Almighty  God  in  vouchsafing  to  make  such  a 
passionate  address  to  us,  should  prevail  with  any  grateful  and  ingenious  soul  to 
lay  hold  of  the  reconciliation  which  is  offered  by  his  God.  2.  We  should  be 
prevailed  with  to  be  reconciled  to  God,  because  no  just  reason  or  pretence  can  be 
alleged  for  our  continuing  to  stand  out  in  hostility  against  Him.  The  causes 
which  are  wont  to  occasion  our  continuance  in  any  enmity  are  either  our  hopes  of 
victory,  or  our  despair  of  peace,  or  the  difficulty  of  the  terms  of  our  reconciliation, 
but  none  of  these  hindrances  can  fairly  be  pretended  as  the  obstruction  of  our 
agreement  with  Almighty  God.  3.  We  ought  heartily  to  close  with  a  reconcilia- 
tion to  our  God,  because  otherwise  we  shall  be  unable  to  resist  those  enemies 
which  we  must  expect  to  encounter  in  this  troublesome  world.  4.  Let  us  reconcile 
ourselves  to  God,  because  then  we  shall  be  sure  of  such  a  friend  as  is  able  to 
deliver  us  out  of  all  distresses,  and  to  impart  to  us  both  temporal  and  eternal 
advantages.  When  once  we  have  entered  into  a  friendship  with  Him,  we  are 
placed  beyond  the  reach  of  any  other  enemies ;  for  who  is  he  that  will  harm  you 
if  ye  be  the^f oUowers  of  that  which  is  good  ?     {N.  Brady.) 

Ver.  21.  For  He  hatli  made  Him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin. — Christ  being 
made  sin  for  us  : — In  every  age  of  the  world  mankind  seem  to  have  been  conscious 
to  themselves  of  guilt.  Now  guilt  is  universally  accompanied  with  a  sense  of 
demerit.  The  altars  have  groaned  under  the  victims  that  were  heaped  njion  them  ; 
and  the  temples  have  been  filled  with  the  most  costly  perfumes.  Men  1  av3  even 
given  the  fruit  of  their  bodies  for  the  sin  of  their  souls.     We  are  now  no  longer 


CHAP,  v.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  317 

permitted  to  wander  in  ignorance,  uncertainty,  and  error,  respecting  the  method  of 
our  acceptance  with  God.  I.  Consider  the  character  of  Christ  as  upright  and 
INNOCENT.  Not  only  was  He  free  from  original  sin ;  throughout  the  whole  course 
of  an  active  and  eventful  life,  He  kept  Himself  unspotted  from  the  world.  Imme- 
diately before  entering  upon  His  public  ministry.  His  innocence  was  put  to  a  severe 
ti-ial.  But  though  the  words  of  the  text  speak  only  of  our  Saviour's  innocence,  we 
ought  not  to  overlook  His  high  dignity  and  excellence.  He  was  the  everlasting 
God.  II.  Illustrate  the  doctrine  of  His  being  made  sin  for  us.  The  original 
word,  here  rendered  sin,  is  also  employed  to  signify  a  sin-offering;  in  which 
signification  it  is  frequently  used  in  the  Septuagint.  This  phrase  is  borrowed 
from  the  Jewish  ritual,  of  which  the  sin-oilering  formed  a  part.  The  design  of 
this  offering  was  to  take  away  the  guilt  of  the  offerer  by  the  substitution  of  a 
victim  in  his  place.  1.  That  Christ  suffered  and  died  in  our  stead,  and  consequently 
expiated  our  guilt,  appears  from  the  nature  of  His  sufferings  themselves.  Whence 
proceeded  those  groans  that  indicated  the  agony  of  His  soul  ?  It  is  impossible  to 
account  for  this  anguish  upon  the  supposition  that  His  sufferings  were  the  same  as 
those  of  any  other  man.  Many  who  were  thus  witnesses  for  the  truth  have  met 
death  in  its  most  terrible  forms  with  composure,  and  even  with  transports  of  joy. 
If  Christians,  then,  in  such  circumstances  have  triumphed,  why  did  Christ  tremble  ? 
Not  surely  because  their  courage  and  constancy  were  greater  than  His.  The  causes 
were  completely  different.  They  suffered  from  men,  who  can  kill  the  body  but 
cannot  injure  the  soul.  He  suffered  from  God,  before  whose  indignation  no  created 
being  is  able  to  stand.  2.  That  Christ  suffered  in  our  stead  appears  from  the  nature 
and  design  of  sacrifices.  That  sacrifices  were  of  a  vicarious  nature  is  plain  from  all 
the  accounts  we  have  of  them.  The  Jewish  sacrifices  were  unquestionably  of  this 
nature.  But  not  only  were  the  ancient  sacrifices  of  a  vicarious  nature — they  were 
instituted  as  types  of  Christ,  our  great  High  Priest.  They  must  have  originated 
with  God,  as  a  proper  means  of  directing  the  view  of  men  to  Him,  who  was  to 
appear  in  the  end  of  the  world  to  put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  Himself.  Viewed 
in  this  light,  sacrifices  were  worthy  of  God  to  appoint,  and  reasonable  for  man  to 
perform.  Since  these  sacrifices  were  of  a  vicarious  nature,  and  since  they  were  also 
types  of  Christ,  when  He  offered  Himself  as  a  sacrifice  upon  the  Cross,  He  must 
have  borne  the  punishment  of  our  sins,  and  thus  have  expiated  our  guilt.  3.  That 
Christ  died  in  our  room  and  stead,  appears  from  the  express  declarations  of  Scrip- 
ture. In  Isaiah  liii.  4,  Christ  is  said  to  have  "  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried  our 
sorrows  "  ;  and  in  the  12th  verse,  "  He  poured  out  His  soul  to  death,  and  bore  the 
sins  of  many."  HI.  The  improvement  of  the  subject.  1.  To  the  faithful  follower 
of  Jesus  this  subject  is  full  of  consolation.  His  guilt  is  expiated.  Not  so  the 
impenitent  sinner,  who  will  not  come  to  Christ  that  he  may  be  saved.  2.  From 
this  subject  we  may  learn  the  dreadful  nature  of  sin.  3.  From  this  subject  we  may 
learn  the  amazing  love  of  God  to  man.  {John  Ramsay,  M. A.)  The  incarnation 
from  the  human  dde — Christ  conversant  with  sin  : — 1.  These  are  bold  words  of  Paul. 
So  much  so  that  the  great  majority  of  interpreters  are  tempted  to  alter  them.  For 
"sin"  they  take  the  liberty  of  reading  "sin  offering."  I  suppose  if  Paul  had 
meant  sin  offering  he  could  very  easily  have  said  so.  The  ideas  conveyed  by  "  sin  " 
and  "  sin  offering  "  are  exceedingly  different.  No  man  carefully  expressing  himself 
would  now  use  the  one  term,  when  he  intended  to  give  the  idea  contained  in  the 
other.  We  know  no  man  without  sin.  He  who  has  had  no  experience  of  sin,  has 
not  had  a  human  experience.  If  Christ  had  been  man  in  every  other  respect,  but 
without  being  in  some  way  conversant  with  sin,  men  would  not  have  felt  the  power 
of  His  sympathetic  love  reaching  to  the  worst  extremities  of  their  case.  The 
problem  is  clear  enough ;  Christ  to  establish  His  thorough  sympathy  with  my  heart 
must  be  conversant  with  sin,  which  forms  so  very  large  a  part  of  my  experience; 
and  yet  to  deliver  me  from  sin  He  ought  to  be  above  it,  and  in  no  way  involved  in 
its  entanglements.  He  knew  no  sin,  and  He  was  made  sin.  Here  Paul  affirms  as  real 
those  very  two  things  that  I  have  felt  to  be  a  necessity.  2.  Let  us  try  and  find  our 
way  through  this  difficulty,  and  understand  some  of  the  important  conclusions  in 
which  we  may  be  landed.  The  difficulty  may  come  up  in  three  different  forms. 
(1)  As  an  intellectual  difficulty ;  arising  from  the  apparent  impossibility  of  the 
infinite  entering  into  the  experience  of  the  finite.  Christ  is  not  the  manifestation 
of  the  infinite  and  absolute,  which  in  its  infiniteness  is  incapable  of  being  manifested. 
He  is  the  manifestation  of  all  that  is  intelligible  and  conceivable  in  God, 
which  can  be  pictured  to  the  mind.  (2)  There  is  the  moral  difficulty  which  we  are 
necessitated  to  consider.     How  then  is  it  morally  possible  that  the  sinless  should 


318  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

have  the  experience  of  sin  ?  Here  careful  reflection  is  necessary.  The  experience 
of  sin,  so  common  to  men,  is  more  complete  than  may  at  first  seem.  There  are 
three  things  to  be  carefully  distinguished  in  it.  (a)  There  are  all  those  inducements 
that  lead  to  it,  and  that  may  for  a  long  time  be  operating  on  the  mind  before  its 
commission,  (b)  Then  there  is  the  deliberate,  wilful  act  of  sin,  which  for  the  most 
part  is  momentary ;  and  (c)  There  is  that  long  course  of  sorrow,  in  numerous  forms, 
which  flows  out  of  sin.  Into  how  much  of  this  can  the  sinless  enter  ?  Into  the 
deliberate  determination  and  act  of  wrong,  it  is  clear  that  Christ  the  sinless  cannot 
enter ;  nor  can  He  have  the  slightest  sympathy  with  it.  But  this  forms  the  very 
least  part  of  the  experience  of  sin ;  and  in  every  case,  as  we  may  see,  forms  the 
greatest  barrier  to  all  sympathy.  But  the  inducements  to  sin,  the  prompting 
occasions  and  influences,  as  they  are  not  in  themselves  morally  wrong,  becoming  so 
only  when  they  are  wilfully  ripened  into  action,  in  themselves  arising  from  weakness 
and  suffering,  into  all  these  the  sinless  can  enter,  without  the  least  moral  contami- 
nation. I  admit  that  Christ  could  not  Himself  feel  any  inclination  to  do  wrong ; 
therefore  neither  could  He  personally  feel  the  difficulty  of  resisting.  But  He  could 
feel  for  those  in  whom  that  inclination  and  difficulty  are  gi-eatest.  His  feelings  can 
go  with  us  up  to  the  point  of  actual  commission,  where  our  guilt  begins.  Can  we 
not  see  at  once  the  truth  of  this  ?  There  may  be  strong  temptations  to  a  child  that 
are  none  at  all  to  an  adult.  That  does  not  prevent  a  parent  from  entering  into  the 
difficulties  that  beset  his  child's  path.  In  Christ  this  sympathy  was  immensely 
strong,  so  strong  that  we  can  scarcely  realise  its  power.  So  too  was  His  experience 
of  the  general  condition  of  humanity  wonderfully  deep  and  comprehensive.  Hence 
into  all  this  experience  of  sin  He  could  enter  sinlessly,  to  an  extent  that  would 
make  the  realisation  of  temptation  in  Him  far  greater  than  in  any  one  single  human 
being.  Then  again  on  the  same  grounds  He  could  enter  as  fully  into  all  that  after 
experience  of  sin  in  bodily  sufferings  and  bitter  mental  agonies,  with  which  we  are 
all  so  well  acquainted.  He  could  enter  into  these  because  they  are  not  themselves 
morally  wrong  ;  and  though  He  could  not  know  personally  the  reproaches  of  con- 
science and  the  dreadful  remorse  of  a  soul  under  self-condemnation.  He  could  enter 
into  it  all,  and  that  most  intensely,  through  that  strong  sympathetic  love  and  that 
perfect  knowledge  of  our  human  condition  which  we  know  Him  to  have  possessed. 
Still  in  putting  this  view  before  thoughtful  men,  I  have  found  them  clinging  yet  to 
the  notion  that  Christ's  sympathy  and  temptation  could  not  be  perfect  without  His 
actually  committing  wrong,  being  a  sinner,  and  overcoming  it,  which  leads  me  to 
another  remark  or  two.  (i.)  It  might  be  so  if  sin  (actual)  were  a  misfortune  that 
we  could  not  avoid,  a  calamity  and  woe  in  which  we  were  plunged  against  our  will. 
Then  our  sympathising  Saviour  would  go  with  us  there.  And  I  think  the  difficulty 
greatly  arises  from  taking  that  view.  But  sin  is  not  that.  It  is  a  deliberate  inten- 
tional act,  which  at  every  point  we  are  perfectly  conscious  of  the  ability  to  avoid. 
Temptation  is  not  doing  wrong.  Many  men  are  most  powerfully  and  sorrowfully 
tempted  in  those  cases  in  which  they  triumph.  It  would  not  lessen  the  reality  of 
that  temptation  if  they  should  conquer  in  every  case.  Nor  does  it  in  Christ  who 
enters  perfectly  into  our  temptations  so  far  as^they  are  suffering  and  wrestling  ;  but 
who  cannot  go  with  us,  even  in  sympathy,  when  we  turn  the  temptation  into  actual 
crime,  (ii.)  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  by  no  means  true  that  we  either  get  or  expect 
most  sympathy,  as  sinners,  from  those  who  have  committed  most  crimes.  Quite 
the  opposite.  Nothing  so  destroys  sympathy  as  wrong  doing.  And  that  for  a  very 
obvious  reason.  Every  commission  of  crime  destroys  the  sensibility  of  the  soul  and 
makes  us  comparatively  indifferent  both  to  the  suffering  of  temptation  and  to  the 
after  sorrows  which  form  so  large  a  part  of  the  experience  of  sin.  All  our  instincts 
as  sinners  teach  us  that  it  is  not  in  the  guilt  of  another  that  we  shall  find  the 
ground  of  his  sympathy  with  us  ;  but  quite  apart  from  that,  in  the  moral  tenderness 
of  His  nature  (which  the  commission  of  sin  destroys),  and  in  that  general  humanity 
of  disposition  which  enables  him  to  make  another's  case  his  own.  This  is  just  what 
we  see  so  wonderfully  manifest  in  Christ.  We  may  say  then  that  it  is  His  entire 
freedom  from  sin  in  act  that  gives  that  fine  tone  to  His  sympathy,  (iii.)  I  only  add  one 
remark  on  the  practical  view  of  the  matter.  If  you  can  feel  the  force  of  what  I  have 
put  before  you  in  removing  objections,  then  you  can  unhesitatingly  fall  back  on  the 
simple  narrative  as  it  stands  in  our  Scriptures.  And  in  doing  that  I  may  confidently 
assert  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  we  do  in  our  deepest  sinfulness  feel  the  sympathy  of 
the  sinless  Jesus,  as  we  feel  no  man's  sympathy.  3.  I  have  now  only  briefly  to 
notice  the  concluding  part  of  this  verse.  The  entire  power  of  Christianity  over  us 
rests  in  the  love,  or  the  loving  sympathy  of  Christ,  towards  and  with  us  ;  just  that 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  319 

which  we  have  been  looking  at.  It  is  the  love  of  a  holy  Savioui-  to  us,  that  breaks 
our  bonds,  that  gives  us  hope  that  all  evil  may  be  conquered,  and  strengthens  us  to 
enter  upon  the  warfare.  Most  beautifully  has  Paul  put  this  fact  into  its  sublimest 
form,  when  we  thus  understand  his  words.  Christ  the  sinless,  he  teaches,  came 
down  into  the  midst  of  our  sinful  humanity,  took  it  and  us  into  his  warmest  heart 
of  love,  became  conversant  with  all  the  forms  of  sin  that  oppress  us  and  make  us 
miserable — though  without  ever  allowing  Himself  to  be  in  the  least  degree  conquered 
by  them.  Herein  He  awakens  our  hearts  to  love.  He  strikes  to  the  very  depths  of  the 
soul  with  His  loving  sympathy,  till  His  conquest  over  us  is  complete.  (S.  Edger,  B.A.) 
CJirist  made  sin  : — I.  Chkist  w.\s  absolutely  sinless.  Not  that  He  was  unacquainted 
with  sin,  for  no  man  knew  it  so  well  as  He  did.  He  knew  its  origin,  growth,  rami- 
fications, and  all  the  hells  it  ever  had  created  or  ever  would  create.  It  was  His 
knowledge  of  sin  that  caused  Him  to  fall  prostrate  in  Gethsemane.  What  then 
does  it  mean?  That  personally  He  was  free  from  sin.  It  never  stained  His 
heart.  1.  He  was  without  sin  though  He  lived  in  a  sinful  world.  Everywhere 
sin  surrounded  Him  as  a  dense,  pestiferous  atmosphere.  But  it  did  not  taint  Him. 
His  generation  failed  to  corrupt  Him.  2.  He  was  without  sin,  though  He  was 
powerfully  temi)ted.  II.  That  though  sinless.  He  was,  in  some  sense,  made 
SIN  BY  God.  1.  This  cannot  mean  that  God  made  the  Sinless  One  a  sinner.  This 
would  be  impossible.  2.  Two  facts  may  throw  light  upon  the  expression.  (1) 
That  God  sent  Christ  into  a  world  of  sinners  to  become  closely  identified  with 
them.  "  He  was  numbered  with  transgressors."  (2)  That  He  permitted  this  world 
of  sinners  to  treat  and  punish  Him  as  if  He  were  the  greatest  of  all.  III.  That 
THE  Sinless  One  was  thus  made  sin  in  order  that  men  might  participate  in 
God's  righteousness.  The  grand  end  was  the  moral  restoration  of  man  to  the 
rectitude  of  God.  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  The  sinless  made  sin,  and  the  sinful  made 
righteous  : — I.  Christ  was  personally  sinless.  The  conception  and  birth  of  Jesus, 
while  they  linked  Him  to  human  nature,  did  not  connect  Him  with  human  depravity. 
He  was  the  second  holy  man,  but  unlike  the  first  He  continued  so.  He  understood 
the  nature  of  sin,  and  knew  what  it  was  to  be  tempted  ;  yet  in  His  own  experience 
He  was  sinless — He  knew  no  sin  in  His  desires,  motives,  volitions,  or  acts.  His 
heart  never  knew  self-disapprobation.     II.  As  the  voluntary  representative  op 

SINFUL  MEN,  ChrIST  WAS  THROUGH  A  LIMITED  PERIOD  ACCOUNTED  BY  GoD  A  TRANS- 
GRESSOR. In  this  sense  God  "made  "  Christ  sin.  Christ  was  a  man  of  sorrows  and 
acquainted  with  grief.  He  did  not  come  into  this  condition  by  His  own  misconduct. 
Free  from  exposure  to  suffering  on  all  personal  grounds  He  consented  to  suffer  for  us. 
But  Christ  held  this  position  only  for  a  time — and  Christ  is  the  only  suffering  substitute 
of  a  guilty  race  for  the  purpose  of  redemption.  III.  The  object  of  God  in  treating 
Christ  as  a  sinner  was  to  place  Himself  in  a  position  whence  He  might  account 

SINFUL  MEN  RIGHTEOUS,  AND  REALLY||vV0RK  RIGHTEOUSNESS  WITHIN  THEM.      Generally  the 

"  righteousness  of  God  "  means  that  provision  which  God  has  made  in  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ  for  the  justificatioai  of  the  ungodly.  To  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  by 
Christ  is  to  have  our  guilt  removed  by  His  sacrifice,  and  our  persons  sanctified. 
Conclusion :  Behold — 1.  The  riches  of  the  goodness  of  God !  God  made  Christ  sin  to 
make  us  righteousness.  2.  The  unutterable  love  of  Christ.  He  who  knew  no  sin  made 
sin  for  us,  and  this  not  by  constraint,  but  willingly,  not  for  self  interest,  but  of  a  ready 
mind.  3.  An  absolute  human  necessity  provided  for.  But  for  this  interposition^ 
(1)  We  are  lost.  (2)  We  have  no  meeting  place  with  God.  (3)  We  have  no  offering 
wherewith  to  come  before  God.  4.  The  hopeful  circumstances  in  which  mankind 
are  placed,  and  the  security  of  such  as  participate  in  Christ's  mediation  !  5.  The 
lessons  which  by  Christ's  mediation  God  reads  to  His  intelligent  universe  (Luke  xv.). 
(.S'.  Martin.)  Christ  made  sin  for  us  : — I.  The  personal  character  of  Christ. 
'■  He  knew  no  sin."  The  virtues  of  others  are  only  comparative  :  their  excellencies 
are  counterbalanced  by  defects.  How  seldom  do  men  appear  to  the  same  advantage 
in  public  and  in  private.  There  are  virtues  which  are  in  some  degree  incompatible : 
the  circumstances  which  go  to  form  the  contemplative  character,  are  unfavourable 
to  the  active  ;  and  contrariwise.  Some  virtues  border  closely  on  defects: — courage 
degenerates  into  temerity ;  caution  becomes  timidity.  It  not  unfrequently  happens 
that  men,  after  having  established  their  claim  to  some  particular  quality,  fail  in 
those  points  in  which  their  chief  excellence  consists.  It  was  thus  with  the  faith  of 
Abraham,  the  meekness  of  Moses,  and  the  patience  of  Job.  Even  where  there  is 
no  flaw  in  the  character  which  strikes  the  eye  of  the  public,  or  which  is  noted  by 
private  friendship,  the  individual  himself  is  deeply  conse^ous  of  his  deficiencies. 
Confessions  of  this  kind  are  found  in  the  diaries  of  Luther.     In  all  the  particulars 


320  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

referred  to,  our  Lord  stood  out  in  marked  contrast  to  the  most  distinguished  servants 
of  God.  His  virtues  were  not  comparative,  but  absolute :  there  was  no  inconsistency 
— no  disproportion.  His  was  not  the  excellence  which  arose  from  the  predominance 
of  some  one  virtue,  but  from  the  union  and  harmony  of  all :  in  the  active  and  con- 
templative. He  was  alike  eminent.  In  none  of  His  virtues  was  there  any  exaggeration 
or  excess.  This  purity  did  not  arise  from  the  absence  of  temptation.  Some  who 
have  risen  superior  to  greater  trials,  have  been  overcome  in  smaller.  To  lighter 
trials  our  Lord  was  not  less  exposed  than  to  severer  ones ;  nor  was  His  conduct  in 
regard  to  the  one,  less  admirable  than  in  regard  to  the  other.  Jewish  fishermen 
would  never  have  drawn  that  character  if  they  had  not  seen  it.  H.  His  mediatoriai, 
OFFICE—"  He  was  made  sin  for  us."  To  assert,  and  to  found  the  assertion  on  the 
text,  that  Christ,  having  the  guilt  of  our  sins  imputed  to  Him,  may  be  considered 
as  the  greatest  sinner  on  earth,  is  language  utterly  indefensible.  It  is  not  to  explain 
the  language  of  Scripture,  but  to  distort  it.  Guilt  is  a  personal  quality :  it  is 
incapable  of  being  transferred.  At  the  very  time  that  Christ  was  expiating  the 
g:uilt  of  sin  upon  the  Cross  He  was  the  Holy  One  of  God — the  just  suffering  in  the 
room  of  the  unjust.  He  who  was  not  guilty  suffering  in  the  room  of  those  wha 
were.  Some  understand  the  word  "  sin"  to  mean  sin-offering.  The  word  rendered 
sin-offering,  as  the  marginal  reading  indicates,  strictly  signifies  sin.  The  terms  are 
singularly  emphatic.  God  made,  or  treated,  or  permitted  Christ  to  be  treated,  not 
merely  as  sinful,  or  a  sinner,  but  as  sin  itself.  Look  in  proof  of  this  to  the  records 
of  His  life.  Consider  the  estimate  which  His  enemies  formed  of  His  character.  They 
did  not  speak  of  Him  merely  as  a  sinner,  but  as  a  friend  or  favourer  of  sinners.  They 
did  not  impute  to  Him  merely  gluttony  and  intemperance,  but  the  indictable  offence 
of  blasphemy.  "  Away  with  Him,"  was  their  cry,  "  let  Him  be  crucified."  Had  there 
been  nothing  more  in  the  treatment  of  Christ  than  what  has  been  here  mentioned, 
the  propriety  of  the  language  in  the  text  would  have  been  sufficiently  vindicated. 
But  whence  the  agony  in  Gethsemane  ?  III.  His  benevolent  undertaking. 
"  That  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him."  This  clause  is  to  be 
explained  on  the  same  principle  with  the  former.  If  by  the  expression,  being  made  sin 
for  us,  is  to  be  understood  His  being  treated  as  a  sinner,  the  corresponding  expression, 
being  made  the  Righteousness  of  God  in  Him,  must  imply,  that  we,  on  His  account, 
are  treated  as  if  we  were  righteous.  The  sinner  on  believing  in  Christ  is  acquitted, 
and  treated  as  if  he  were  righteous.  This  view  of  the  design  of  Christ's  suft'erings, 
independently  of  the  direct  testimony  of  the  text,  follows  from  the  fact  of  His 
innocence.  If  suffering  and  death  are  the  penalty  of  sin,  as  He  could  not  have 
suffered  for  His  own  sins.  He  must  have  suffered  for  the  sins  of  others.  (R.  Brodie,  M.A.} 
Substitution  : — Note — I.  The  doctrine.  There  are  three  persons  mentioned  here. 
1.  God.  Let  every  man  know  what  God  is.  (1)  He  is  a  sovereign  God,  i.e.,  He  has 
absolute  power  to  do  as  He  pleaseth.  And  though  He  cannot  be  unjust,  or  do  any- 
thing but  good,  yet  is  His  nature  absolutely  free ;  for  goodness  is  the  freedom  of 
God's  nature.  (2)  He  is  a  God  of  infinite  justice.  This  I  infer  from  my  text ; 
seeing  that  the  way  of  salvation  is  a  great  plan  of  satisfying  justice.  (3)  He  is  a 
God  of  grace.  God  is  love  in  its  highest  degree.  2.  The  Son  of  God — essentially 
God  ;  purely  man — the  two  standing  in  a  sacred  union  together,  the  God-Man.  This- 
God  in  Christ  knew  no  sin.  3.  The  sinner.  And  where  is  he  ?  Turn  your  eyes  within. 
You  are  the  person  intended  in  the  text.  I  must  now  introduce  you  to  a  scene  of  a 
great  exchange.  The  third  person  is  the  prisoner  at  the  bar.  As  a  sinner,  God  has 
called  him  before  Him.  God  is  gracious,  and  He  desires  to  save  ;  God  is  just,  and 
He  must  punish.  "  Prisoner  at  the  bar,  canst  thou  plead  '  Not  guilty '  ?  "  He  stands 
speechless;  or,  if  he  speaks,  he  cries,  "  I  am  guilty  !  "  How  then  shall  he  escape  ? 
Oh  !  how  did  heaven  wonder,  when  for  the  first  time  God  showed  how  He  might  be 
just,  and  yet  be  gracious !  when  the  Almighty  said,  "  My  justice  says  '  smite,'  but 
My  love  stays  my  hand,  and  says,  '  spare  the  sinner ' !  My  Son  shall  stand  in  thy 
stead,  and  be  accounted  guilty,  and  thou,  the  guilty,  shalt  stand  in  My  Son's  step.d 
and  be  accounted  righteous !  "  Do  you  say  that  such  an  exchange  as  this  is  unjust? 
Let  me  remind  you  it  was  purely  voluntary  on  the  part  of  Christ,  and  that  it  was 
not  an  unlawful  thing  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  sovereign  God  made  Him  a 
substitute.  We  have  read  in  history  of  a  certain  wife  whose  attachment  to  her 
husband  was  so  great,  that  she  had  gone  into  the  prison  and  exchanged  clothes  with 
him ;  and  so  the  prisoner  has  escaped  by  a  kind  of  surreptitious  substitution.  In 
such  a  case  there  was  a  clear  breach  of  law,  and  the  prisoner  escaping  might  have 
been  pursued  and  again  imprisoned.  But  in  this  case  the  substitution  was  made  by 
the  highest  authority.    II.  The  use  of  this  doctrine.     "  Now,  then,  we  are  ambas- 


CHAP,  v.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  321 

sadors  for  God,"  &c.,  for— here  is  our  grand  argument — "  He  hath  made  Him  to  be 
sin  for  us  who  knew  no  sin."  I  might  entreat  you  to  be  reconciled,  because  it  would 
be  a  fearful  thing  to  die  with  God  for  your  enemy.  I  might  on  the  other  hand 
remind  you  that  those  who  are  reconciled  are  thereby  inheritors  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  But  I  shall  not  urge  that ;  I  shall  urge  the  reason  of  my  text.  I  beseech 
thee,  be  reconciled  to  God,  because  Christ  has  stood  in  thy  stead ;  because  in  this 
there  is  proof  that  God  is  loving  you.  Thou  thinkest  God  to  be  a  God  of  wrath. 
Would  He  have  given  then  His  own  Son  ?  God  is  love  ;  wilt  thou  be  unreconciled 
to  love?  ni.  The  sweet  enjoyment  which  this  docteine  brings  to  a  believer. 
Are  you  weeping  on  account  of  sin  ?  Why  weepest  thou  ?  Weep  because  of  thy  sin, 
but  weep  not  through  any  fear  of  punishment.  Look  to  thy  perfect  Lord,  and 
remember,  thou  art  complete  in  Him.  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  Christ  our  sin-offering  : 
— I.  What  is  the  essential  idea  of  sin  ?  Some  people  desire  to  minimise  sin ; 
some  evaporate  it  entirely  away  ;  some  sneer  at  the  idea.  As  men  grow  superficial 
and  heartless  they  lose  all  true  conception  of  sin,  as  a  real,  abiding,  universal, 
awful  fact ;  but,  with  Luther,  we  want  no  painted  sin  or  painted  Christ,  we  have  to 
do  with  realities.  If  sin  is  not  a  reality,  the  Bible  is  inexplicable.  At  the  outset  we 
say  that  sin  is  not  merely  an  individual,  personal  act.  It  involves  the  transgression 
of  the  law,  but  more.  No  man  lives  to  himself.  No  act  stops  with  the  act  or  the 
actor.  Your  gun  is  fired  in  the  air,  the  blaze  goes  from  your  chimney,  but  there  is 
grime  left  in  each.  So  the  channels  of  our  nature  grow  sooty.  The  act  of  sin  leaves 
a  stain  which  we  and  others  see.  Sin  sinks  into  us.  The  sot  is  powerless.  The 
fibres  of  his  will  are  unstranded,  unravelled.  The  impure  become  infected  through 
and  through.  Sin  is  not  a  merely  personal  act,  for  it  affects  others.  It  scalds  and 
scars  the  souls  about  us.  We  breathe  our  speech  into  the  delicate  membrane  of  the 
phonograph,  turn  the  handle,  and  hear  again  the  same.  Had  we  instruments 
delicate  enough  we  might  grind  out  again  from  yonder  post  the  sounds  it  has 
recorded  here.  No,  sin  is  not  an  individual,  isolated  act,  stopping  with  the  act. 
Sin  is  a  debt.  We  owe  something  to  the  laws  of  our  being,  those  of  the  universe. 
We  may  overdraw,  but  we  have  got  to  pay  sooner  or  later,  though  there  be  a  delay. 
Sin  is  also  spoken  of  as  a  disease.  Sin  is  transmissible  to  posterity.  Furthermore, 
we  cannot  say  that  it  is  a  natural  incident  in  the  process  of  evolution,  as  did  Emer- 
son, so  that  the  thief  or  the  man  in  the  brothel  is  on  his  way  to  perfection.  Such  a 
statement  is  an  insult  to  conscience,  an  affront  to  God.  Some  flippantly  say  that 
Adam's  fall  was  a  fall  upward,  which  is  absurd.  Dives  went  do\vn  into  the  pit  and 
Lazarus  upward,  borne  to  Abraham's  bosom.  Some  talk  of  a  lie  as  but  an  incom- 
plete form  of  truth.  Then  the  devil,  the  father  of  lies,  is  the  grandfather  of  truth  ! 
Darkness  is  partial  light !  It  is  folly  to  excuse  our  sin  by  subterfuge.  II.  The 
KEMEDY  and  CURE  IS  A  CRUCIFIED  Christ.  "  Sin  foT  US,  who  knew  no  sin."  Christ, 
once  for  aU,  has  been  made  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  He  instead  of  the  sinner  dies.  His 
death  for  sin  is  a  real  matter.  He  alone  can  deliver  and  purify  those  who  are 
polluted  by  sin.  (J.  B.  Thomas,  D.D.)  The  substitution  of  one  for  all : — Note — I. 
That  the  Saviour  was  personally  free  from  ail  sin.  "  He  knew  no  sin."  1.  And  of 
whom  can  this  be  said,  but  of  Him  ?  There  is  not  one  who  must  not  acknowledge 
with  David,  "  Behold,  I  was  shapen  in  iniquity;  and  in  sin  did  my  mother  conceive 
me."  And  if  our  Saviour  had  been  born,  like  others,  after  the  flesh,  such  would  have 
been  His  state  also.  But  He  knew  no  sin.  Though  He  assumed  our  nature  He  did 
not  partake  of  its  corruption.  Before  His  incarnation  He  was  known  as  the  Holy 
One  of  Israel ;  before  His  birth.  He  was  declared  to  be  a  holy  thing ;  and  when  He 
was  born.  He  was  born  "  without  spot  of  sin,  to  make  us  clean  from  aU  sin."  Thus 
the  Lord  created  a  new  thing  in  the  earth.  Christ  then  was  born  into  the  world 
holy,  perfectly  holy ;  did  He  continue  so  tiU  He  left  it  ?  The  disciple  who  betrayed 
Him,  confessed  that  he  had  betrayed  the  innocent  blood.  2.  And  this  was  necessary 
in  order  to  His  being  the  Saviour  of  sinners.  If  He  had  once  sinned.  His  obedience 
would  not  have  been  commensurate  with  the  demands  of  the  law  which  we  had 
broken  (Heb.  vii.  26).  II.  Th.\t  God  made  Him,  who  knew  no  sin,  to  be  sin  for  us, 
i.e.,  a  sin  offering.  Sin  is  a  great  evil,  and  required  a  great  sacrifice.  It  is  a  breach 
of  God's  law  which  is  holy,  just,  and  good  ;  and  subjects  the  unhappy  transgressor 
to  the  heavy  curse  of  that  law  (Gal.  iii.  10) ;  and  to  us  sinners  there  was  no  hope  of 
deliverance,  unless  some  one  should  be  found  who  could  make  a  sufficient  atone- 
ment. We  could  never  have  done  this.  Neither  repentance,  nor  future  obedience 
would  have  been  sufficient  to  repair  the  breach  which  sin  had  made.  No  personal 
sufferings  of  ours  could  ever  have  expiated  our  offences.  Even  the  sacrifices  under 
the  law  could  not  make  the  comers  thereunto  perfect.     Christ  redeemed  us  from  the 

21 


322  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  v. 

curse  of  the  law  by  being  made  a  curse  for  us.    He  left  no  demand  of  the  law  unful- 
filled, and  no  claim  of  Divine  justice  unsatisfied.    His  work  is  perfect.    There  needs 
no  righteousness  of  our  own  to  be  added  to  His,  nor  any  sufferings  of  our  own  to  be 
joined  to  those  which  He  endured.     HI.  The  end  which  God  had  in  view.     "  That 
we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him."     1.  God,  the  moral  Governor 
of  the  world,  requires  righteousness  from  all  the  children  of  Adam.    But  we  have  aU 
come  short  of  the  glory  of  God,  and  of  the  righteousness  He  requires.     How  then 
can  man  be  just  with  God  ?     There  is  no  answer  but  that  of  the  gospel.     There  we 
read  that  the  Son  of  God  in  human  nature — the  nature  which  had  sinned — became 
obedient  to  the  law  for  man,  obedient  unto  death,  and  thus  brought  in  perfect  and 
everlasting  righteousness.     We  read  also  that  this  righteousness  is  imputed  to  us  of 
God,  for  our  complete  justification  before   Him,  the  very  moment  we   believe   in 
Christ;  which  is  therefore  called  behoving  unto  righteousness.      There  is  thus  a 
reciprocal  imputation ;   the  behever's  guilt  is  transferred  to  the  Saviour,  and  the 
Saviour's  righteousness  made  over  to  the  beUever.     And  as  that  Saviour  is  a  Divine 
Saviour  His  righteousness  may,  with  the  strictest  propriety,  be  called  the  righteous- 
ness of  God.     2.  This  happy  and  glorious  change  of  state  is  attended  with  the  most 
blessed  and  transforming  effects  on  the  spirit  and  conduct.     He  who  frees  from  the 
guilt  and  consequences  of  sin,  delivers  also  from  its  love  and  power.     Christ  is  made 
of   God   sanctification   as  well  as  righteousness.     The  very  faith  which  justifies, 
sanctifies  also.     In  particular,  it  secures  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  by  whose  powerful  operations  we  are  renewed  in  righteousness  and  true 
holiness,  after  the  image  of  God.     Conclusion :  1.  How  glorious  does  the  character 
of  God  appear  in  all  this !     Mark— (1)  His  love.     Was  there  ever  such  love  ?     (2) 
His  wisdom  in  providing  a  Saviour  so  exactly  adapted  to  our  wants.     (3)  His  holi- 
ness and  justice.     2.  How  anxiously  should  we  inquire  whether  we  are  made  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  Christ !     3.  How  studious  should  we  be  to  grow  in  grace 
and  in  holiness,  and  thus  evince  that  our  faith  is  a  lively  and  active  principle,  work- 
ing by  love,  and  bringing  forth  much  fruit  to  the  glory  of  God  !     (D.  Rees.)         The 
heart  of  the  gospel : — 1.  The  heart  of  the  gospel  is  redemption,  and  the  essence  of 
redemption  is  the  substitutionary  sacrifice  of  Christ.     They  who  preach  not  the 
atonement,  whatever  else  they  declare,  have  missed  the  soul  and  substance  of  the 
Divine  message.     In  the  days  of  Nero  there  was  great  shortness  of  food  in  Rome, 
although  there  was  abundance  at  Alexandria.     A  certain  man  who  owned  a  vessel 
went  down  to  the  sea  coast,  and  there  he  noticed  many  hungry  people,  watching  for 
the  vessels  that  were  to  come  from  Egypt.    When  these  vessels  came  to  the  shore 
there  was  nothing  but  sand  in  them  which  the  tyrant  had  compelled  them  to  bring 
for  use  in  the  arena.     Then  the  merchant  said  to  his  shipmaster,  "  Take  thou  good' 
heed  that  thou  bring  nothing  back  with  thee  from  Alexandria  but  corn,  for  these 
people  are  dying,  and  now  we  must  keep  our  vessels  for  this  one  business  of  bring- 
ing food  for  them."     Alas !  I  have  seen  certain  mighty  galleys  of  late  loaded  with 
nothing  but  mere  sand  of  philosophy  and  speculation,  and  I  have  said,  "  Nay,  but  I 
will  bear  nothing  in  my  ship  but  the  revealed  truth  of  God,  the  bread  of  life  so 
greatly  needed  by  the  people."    2.  The  doctrine  of  substitution  is  set  forth  in  the 
text.     I  have  found,  by  long  experience,  that  nothing  touches  the  heart  like  the 
Cross  of  Christ.     The  Cross  is  life  to  the  spiritually  dead.     There  is  an  old  legend 
that  when  the  Empress  Helena  was  searching  for  the  true  Cross  they  found  the  three 
Crosses  of  Calvary  buried  in  the  soil.  Which  out  of  the  three  was  the  veritable  Crossi 
they  could  not  tell,  except  by  certain  tests.     So  they  brought  a  corpse  and  laid  it  on 
one,  but  there  was  neither  life  nor  motion,  but  when  it  touched  another  it  lived ; 
and  then  they  said,  "  This  is  the  true  Cross."    I.  Who  was  made  sin  for  us  ?     "  He 
who  knew  no  sin."     1.  He  had  no  personal  knowledge  of  sin.      Throughout  the 
whole  of  His  life  He  never  committed  an  offence  against  the  great  law  of  truth 
and  right.     "  Which  of  you  convinceth  Me  of  sin  ?  "     Even  His  vacillating  judge 
enquired,  "  Why,  what  evil  hath  He  done  ?  "    2.  As  there  was  no  sin  of  commission, 
so  was  there  about  our  Lord  no  fault  of  omission.     He  was  complete  in  heart,  in 
purpose,  in   thought,  in  word,  in   deed,  in  spirit.     3.  Yea,  more,  there  were  no 
tendencies  about  our  Substitute  towards  evil  in  any  form.     4.  It  was  absolutely 
necessary  that  any  one  who  should  be  able  to  suffer  in  our  stead  ^ould  Himself  be 
spotless.     II.  What  was  done  with  Him  who  knew  no  sin  ?     He  was  "  made  sin." 
The  Lord  laid  upon  Jesus,  who  voluntarily  undertook  it,  all  the  weight  of  human 
sin.     Instead  of  its  resting  on  the  sinner  it  was  made  to  rest  upon  Christ.     Christ 
was  not  guilty,  and  could  not  be  made  guilty  ;  but  He  was  treated  as  if  He  were, 
because  He  willed  to  st;.,nd  in  the  place  of  the  guilty.     Yea,  He  was  not  only  treated 


CHAP.  VI.]  11.  COEINTHIANS.  323 

as  a  sinner,  but  He  was  treated  as  if  He  had  been  sin  itself  in  the  abstract.  Sin 
pressed  our  great  Substitute  very  sorely.  He  felt  the  weight  of  it  in  the  Garden  of 
Gethsemane,  and  the  full  pressure  of  it  came  upon  Him  when  He  was  nailed  to  the 
accursed  tree.  The  Greek  liturgy  fitly  speaks  of  "  Thine  unknown  sufferings  "  : 
probably  to  us  they  are  unknowable  sufferings.  The  Lord  made  the  perfectly  inno- 
cent one  to  be  sin  for  us :  that  means  more  of  humiUation,  darkness,  agony,  and 
death  than  you  can  conceive.  I  will  not  say  that  He  endured  either  the  exact 
punishment  for  sin,  or  an  equivalent  for  it ;  but  I  do  say  that  what  He  endured 
rendered  to  the  justice  of  God  a  vindication  of  His  law  more  clear  and  more  effectual 
than  would  have  been  rendered  to  it  by  the  damnation  of  the  sinners  for  whom  He 
died.  The  Cross  is  under  many  aspects  a  more  full  revelation  of  the  wrath  of  God 
against  human  sin  than  even  Tophet.  HI.  Who  did  it  ?  "  He,"  i.e.,  God  Himself. 
The  wise  ones  tell  us  that  this  substitution  cannot  be  just.  Who  made  them  judges 
of  what  is  just?  Do  they  say  that  He  died  as  an  example  ?  Then  is  it  just  for 
God  to  allow  a  sinless  being  to  die  as  an  example  ?  In  the  appointment  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  to  be  made  sin  for  us,  there  was  a  display  of — 1.  The  Divine  Sovereignty. 
God  here  did  what  none  but  He  could  have  done.  He  is  the  fountain  of  rectitude, 
and  the  exercise  of  His  Divine  prerogative  is  always  unquestionable  righteousness. 
2.  The  Divine  justice.  3.  The  great  grace  of  God.  God  Himself  provided  the 
atonement  by  freely  and  fully  giving  up  Himself  in  the  person  of  His  Son  to  suffer 
in  consequence  of  human  sin.  If  God  did  it,  it  is  well  done.  If  God  HimseK  pro- 
vided the  sacrifice,  be  you  sure  that  He  has  accepted  it.  IV.  What  happens  to  us 
IN  CONSEQUENCE  ?  "  That  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him." 
Every  man  that  beUeves  in  Jesus  is  through  Christ  having  taken  his  sin  made  to  be 
righteous  before  God.  More  than  this,  we  are  made  not  only  to  have  the  character 
of  "  righteous,"  but  to  become  the  substance  called  "  righteousness."  What  is  more 
vre  are  made  "the  righteousness  of  God."  Herein  is  a  great  mystery.  The 
righteousness  which  Adam  had  in  the  garden  was  perfect,  but  it  was  the  righteous- 
ness of  man :  ours  is  the  righteousness  of  God.  Human  righteousness  failed  ;  but 
the  believer  has  a  Divine  righteousness  which  can  never  faU.  How  acceptable  with 
God  must  those  be  who  are  made  by  God  Himself  to  be  "  the  righteousness  of  God 
in  Him  "  1    I  cannot  conceive  of  any  thing  more  complete.    (C  H.  Spwrgeon.) 


CHAPTER  VL 

Veb.  1.  We  then,  as  workers  together  with  Him,  heseech  you  also  that  ye 
receive  not  the  grace  of  God  in  vain. — Workers  together : — Once  when  a  number 
of  employes  were  invited  down  to  Mr.  George  Moore's  country  house,  Mrs.  Moore, 
going  out  one  morning,  met  a  venerable  man  standing  and  staring  about  him  with 
astonishment  at  the  gardens  and  buildings.  "Are  you  looking  for  somebody  ?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Moore.  "  No,"  said  he,  "  I  am  just  looking  roimd  about,  and  thinking 
what  a  fine  place  it  is,  and  how  we  helped  to  make  it ;  I  have  really  a  great  pride 
in  it."  Then,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  he  told  how  he  was  the  first  porter  for  the 
firm  forty  years  ago,  and  how  they  had  all  worked  hard  together.  {H.  0.  Maekey.) 
The  preaching  and  reception  of  the  Gospel: — Consider — I.  The  admonishees.  1. 
Not  loiterers,  but  labourers ;  therefore  they  are  often  compared  to  husbandmen, 
builders,  soldiers,  and  fishermen.  They  who  imagine  that  the  ministry  of  the 
gospel  is  an  easy  work  are  greatly  mistaken.  2.  "  Workers  together."  (1)  With 
God.  They  are  engaged  in  the  same  cause  with  Him  who  "  would  have  all  men 
to  be  saved,  and  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth."  Without  Him  they  can 
do  nothing.  Melancthon  began  with  too  much  confidence  in  himself,  and  after 
many  fruitless  exertions,  said,  "  Old  Adam  is  too  strong  for  young  Melancthon." 
But  old  Adam  is  not  too  strong  for  the  God  of  all  grace,  who  hath  said  to  His 
ministers,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world."  (2)  But 
the  words  "  with  Him  "  are  in  italics,  and  may  be  omitted.  As  if  He  had  said,  we 
differ  in  our  abilities,  modes  of  preaching,  &c.,  and  there  are  some  who  take 
advantage  of  this  to  form  divisions,  and  say,  "  I  am  of  Paul,  and  I  of  Apollos,  and 
I  of  Cephas"  ;  whereas  we  are  fellow-workers.  II.  The  subject  of  theik  address. 
1.  What  are  we  to  understand  by  "the  grace  of  God"?  (1)  The  source  of  the 
gospel.     Was  it  not  "free"  in  every  sense  of  the  word!     (2)  Its  subject.     The 


324  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vi. 

gospel  is  an  offer  of  free,  full,  and  everlasting  salvation  to  sinners.  2.  The  gospel 
is  received  in  vain  wiien  it  is  received — (1)  Partially.  If  you  regard  it  as  a  system 
of  doctrine  only,  or  as  a  system  of  duty  only,  you  only  receive  one-half  of  it,  and 
the  one  cannot  live  without  the  other.  (2)  Speculatively.  I  mean  in  distinction 
from  experience  and  practice  ;  for  such  a  reception  does  not  accord  with  the  nature 
and  design  of  it.  (3)  Unperseveringly.  "  He  only  that  endureth  unto  the  end 
shall  be  saved."  III.  The  eeasons  of  their  anxiety  and  earnestness.  They 
"  beseech  you."  1.  They  apprehend  the  event  which  very  commonly  follows.  In 
all  ages  God's  servants  have  been  compelled  to  complain,  "  Who  hath  beheved  our 
report?"  Four  soils  received  the  very  same  seed.  Only  one  of  the  four  yields 
anything  to  the  purpose.  2.  They  dread  the  event  as  deplorable.  They  are 
affected  by  the  thought  of  it— (1)  On  God's  account.  They  know  how  He  is  dis- 
honoured ;  Christ  is  made  to  have  died  in  vain.  (2)  On  your  own  account :  they 
knew  that  hence  will  arise  your  chief  sin  and  condemnation.  (3)  On  their  own 
account.  It  is  painful  in  the  extreme  to  plant  and  not  to  gather,  to  sow  and  not  to 
reap.  (W.  Jay.)  Receive  not  the  grace  of  God  in  vain : — I.  What  this  grace  of 
God  is.  In  the  language  of  the  schools  it  is  auxilium  speciale,  "  that  special  and 
immediate  furtherance"  by  which  God  moves  us  to  will  and  to  do.  And  this  is 
that  which  St.  Paul  mentioneth  (1  Cor.  xv.  10-11).  But  this  is  not  the  grace 
meant  in  the  text,  which  is  "  the  grace  of  "  reconciliation  by  Christ,  the  doctrine 
of  "the  gospel,"  which  Christ  commanded  to  be  "preached  to  all  nations."  11. 
And  what  is  a  gift,  if  it  be  not  received  ?  Like  a  meal  on  a  dead  man's  grave, 
like  light  to  the  blind,  like  music  to  the  deaf.  What  is  the  grace  of  God  without 
faith  ?  The  receiving  of  it  is  that  which  makes  it  a  grace  indeed — gospel.  We 
usually  compare  faith  to  a  hand,  which  is  reached  forth  to  receive  this  gift.  With- 
out a  hand  a  jewel  is  a  trifle,  and  the  treasure  of  both  the  Indies  is  nothing;  and 
without  faith  the  gospel  is  nothing.  Without  this  receipt  all  other  receipts  are  not 
worth  the  casting  up.  Our  understanding  receives  light,  to  mislead  her ;  our  will, 
power,  to  overthrow  her;  our  affections,  which  are  "incorporeal  hands,"  receive 
nothing  but  vanity.  Our  moral  goodness  makes  us  not  good  :  our  philosophy  is 
deceit.  Our  habits  lift  us  no  further  than  the  place  where  they  grow.  But  with 
this  gift  we  receive  all  things  :  we  receive  the  favour  of  our  Creator,  who  in  Christ 
is  well  pleased.  III.  This  grace  may  be  received  in  vain.  The  philosopher  will 
tell  us:  "All  is  not  in  the  gift;  the  greatest  matter  is  in  the  manner  of  receiving 
it."  The  gospel  is  grace  indeed ;  but  it  will  not  save  a  devil,  nor  an  obstinate 
offender.  Seneca  tells  us  :  "A  foul  stomach  corrupts  all  that  it  receives,  and  turns 
that  meat,  which  should  nourish  the  body,  into  a  disease " ;  and  a  corrupt  heart 
poisons  the  very  water  of  hfe.  The  grand  mistake  of  the  world  is  in  the  manner 
of  receiving  Christ.  "  To  one  it  is  the  savour  of  life  unto  life  ;  and  to  others  the 
savour  of  death  unto  death  "  (chap.  ii.  16).  Great  care  then  must  be  taken  that 
we  may  not  receive  it  in  vain.  We  must  receive  it  to  that  end  it  was  given.  We 
must  receive  it  as  law  as  well  as  physic.  God  gives  us  this  gift,  that  we  may  give 
Him  our  obedience ;  and  He  hath  done  this  for  us,  that  we  may  do  something, 
even  "  work  out  our  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling."  This  grace,  then,  we 
must  receive  both  to  save  us  and  instruct  us ;  as  a  royal  pardon,  and  as  a  "  royal 
law  "  (James  ii.  8).  To  interline  the  pardon,  and  despise  the  law,  makes  a  nullity : 
and  this  is  "  to  receive  in  vain."  1.  A  pardon  we  must  not  interline.  For  to  blend 
it  with  the  law  of  works,  or  our  own  merits,  is  to  make  it  void  (Gal.  ii.  21 ;  Eph.  ii. 
8,  9).  Works,  though  they  be  a  condition  required  of  a  justified  person,  yet  caimot 
be  brought  in  as  a  part  or  helping  cause  of  our  justification.  2.  It  is  equally  vain 
when  we  receive  the  grace  of  God  only  as  a  pardon,  and  not  as  a  law.  It  is  our 
happiness  by  grace  to  be  freed  from  the  covenant  and  curse  of  the  law ;  but  it  is  our 
duty,  and  a  great  part  of  our  Christianity,  to  square  our  Uves  by  the  rule  of  the 
law.  Therefore  religion  was  called  in  her  purer  times  "  The  Christian  law." 
{A.  Farindon,  B.D.)  Receiving  the  grace  of  God  in  vain: — I.  This  takes  place 
WHEN  IT  IS  not  used  AT  AIL — wheu  the  great  salvation  is  neglected  (ver.  2).  In 
vain  is  it  here,  within  the  sphere  of  our  knowledge  and  the  grasp  of  our  faith,  if  it 
be  simply  ignored.  Here  is  gold  in  a  casket  or  bag,  and  I  am  poor,  and  yet  I  will 
not  unloose  the  strings  or  open  the  casket.  Of  what  avail  to  me  is  that  locked-up 
wealth  ?  Here  is  seed-corn,  and  I  have  fields  where  it  might  be  sown,  yet  I  will 
not  sow  it.  Of  what  avail  to  me  is  the  seed,  or  the  soil,  the  sun,  or  the  shower  ? 
I  am  going  on  a  journey  through  an  unknown  country,  and  here  is  a  guide-book, 
yet  I  never  open  it,  but  go  wandering  on.  That  guide-book  is  as  utterly  "  in  vain  " 
to  me  as  if  it  were  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean.     "  Ah  yes,"  you  say,  "  but  the  grace 


CHAP.  VI.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  325 

of  God  is  not  so  definite,  so  available,  as  the  money,"  &c.    Yes  it  is.    It  shines  out 
in  the  light  of  every  Sabbath  day  ;  it  is  the  keynote  of  every  true  sermon  ;  it  is  in 
every  providence,  whether  dark  or  bright ;  it  is  everywhere,  and  always  abundant, 
sufficient,  and  free.     It  is  sad  that  many  will  not  be  persuaded  of  this.    When  the 
sleeping  mind  begins  to  awake ;  when  the  dull  heart  begins  to  feel,  and  the  glad 
discovery  breaks  on  the  soul  that  all  this  is  a  present  and  sure  gift  of  eternal  love, 
then  begins  the  actual  reception  of  the  manifold  blessings  of  the  gospel ;  but  until 
then  "  the  grace  of  God,"  with  all  its  riches  which  we  proclaim  and  set  forth  as 
common  property,  and  free  alike  to  all,  is  "  in  vain."    11.  A  thing  is  keceived  in 
VAIN  IF  IT  is  perverted  AND  TURNED  TO  SOME  ALIEN  USE.     1.  It  may  be  made  a 
cloak  for  sin.     The  danger  is  that  we  magnify  God's  grace  and  slur  over  the  evils 
of  our  own  hearts.     2.  It  may  be  made  a  tent  for  indolence.     Somehow  we  get  the 
comfortable  conviction  that  what  has  to  be  done  in  and  by  us  wiU  be  done  soon  or 
late,  and  that  we  shall  have  full  entrance  at  length  into  perfect  purity  and  eternal 
life.    3.  It  may  be  made  the  signal  for  perpetual  controversy.    We  are  glad  of 
controversy,  in  proper  spirit  and  measure — it  braces  the  soul;  it  clears  the  air;  it 
defends  and  instrumentally  perpetuates  the  truth  among  men.    But  there  is  hardly 
anything  which  runs  more  easily  to  excess,  and  becomes  a  perversion,  and  no 
longer  a  defence  of  the  grace  of  God.     The  grace  of  God  is  gracious ;  and  in  its 
prevaihng  influence  ought  to  lead  us  into  gracious  ways,  and  words,  and  dispositions. 
III.  It  IS  received  almost  in  vain  if  it  is  used  very  little  and  vert  imperfectly. 
This  is  the  case  with  many  Christian  people.    The  plough  is  taken  to  the  field,  but 
does  not  plough  the  whole  day  ;  or  it  ploughs  one  little  field,  and  leaves  all  the  rest 
fallow.     The  seed-corn  is  cast  in  only  in  patches,  and  some  of  these  but  thinly 
sown.    Here  is  a  great  world  of  grace  brought  down  to  us,  waiting  for  us,  and  we 
may  have  as  much  or  as  little  as  we  will.     {A.  Raleigh,  D.D.)        The  grace  of  God 
received  in  vain : — This  is  to  be  understood  as — I.  The   gospel  of  His  grace 
(Tit.  ii.  11),  or  "the  word  of  His  grace"  (Acts  xx.  32;  xiv.  3),  termed  the  grace  of 
God,  because  it  proceeds  from  that  grace  (Luke  i.  78,  79),  displays  it,  and  is  the 
instrument  whereby  we  receive  it  and  its  fruits.    II.  Bedeeming  grace.    IH.  En- 
lightening GRACE.    IV.  Justifying  grace.    V.  Regenerating  and  renewing  grace. 
VI.  Strengthening  and  qualifying  grace  (2  Tim.  ii.  1).     VII.  Comforting  grace, 
which  is  given  that  we  may  be  supported  amidst  all  our  trials ;  but  in  vain,  if 
we    are    still    cast  down  and    decline  from    God :    and    that  we    may  comfort 
others   (chap.   i.   3-6),  but  in  vain,  if   this   end   be   not   answered.     (J.  Benson.) 
Grace  received  in  vain: — Note— I.  How  the  grace  of  god  has  been  manifested 
IN  revealing  unto  man  the  whole  course  of  this  method  of  salvation.     This  is 
seen — 1.  In  the  fact  that  the  great  God  Himself  speaks  to  men.     It  is  grace  that 
He  should  have  anything  to  do  with  us.     Why  did  He  not,  since  we  put  out  the 
light,  leave  man  to  grope  his  way  in  the  dark  ?     What  a  wonder  that  God  should 
speak  in  this  way  to  sinners.     2.  In  the  suitability  of  the  gospel  to  those  to  whom 
it  is  sent.     Here  we  are  vile ;  there  is  mercy  for  the  vilest.     How  beautifully  this 
suits  the  case  of  men !     3.  In  the  way  God  has  revealed  His  holy  truth.     (1)  By 
degrees.     The  great  truths  that  are  now  taught  you  the  world  was  not  always  ripe 
for.     You  don't  get  daylight  coming  in  all  its  bright  glory  at  once.     The  Lord  gave 
the  first  glance  of  the  light  of  the  morning  in  that  sweet  promise  about  the  seed  of 
the  woman.     (2)  At  first  by  types  and  symbols.     When  you  teach  children  you 
don't  often  make  use  of  abstractions,  but  you   get  pictures.     Now  the  Book  of 
Leviticus  is  God's  object  lesson  of  the  gospel.     Every  lamb  was  a  picture  of  that 
true  Lamb,  and  every  priest  of  that   true   Priest.     That   whole   Temple   service 
pointed  to  Calvary.     (3)  By   adapting    it    to    different  types  of   mind.     4.    The 
revelation  which  God  makes  of  Himself.     Suppose  you  are  standing  over  against 
some  palace,  and  it  is  near  midnight,  and  the  gates  are  opened.     Forth  from  that 
palace  gates  there  comes  a  procession.     The  prince  has  come  forth  attended  by 
many  of  his  train.     He  has  not  gone  far,  however,  before  you  hear  that  the  prince 
has  dropped  a  beautiful  gem.     He  is  anxious  about  that  gem,  not  simply  for  its 
intrinsic  value,  but  it  was  the  gift  of  one  he  loved,  and  he  calls  for  lights.     Now, 
the  light  which  falls  on  the  road  where  that  gem  is  lying  goes  up  also  into  the  face 
of  the  prince,  and  while  he  finds  his  gem  you  see  him  as  you  never  would  have 
seen  him  but  for  that  loss.     Now,  it  is  like  that  with  the  revelation  of  God.     When 
God  came  forth  from  the  shrouding  darkness  that  had  been  about  Him  in  His 
own  eternity,  to  the  salvation  of  men,  there  was  light  which,  while  it  was  thrown 
on  the  poor,  lost  sinner  that  he  might  be  found,  was  thrown  upon  the  face  of  God, 
who  came  to  seek  him  and  to  save  him.     II.  WniiN  may  we  be  said  to  receive 


326  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vi. 

THE  GRACE  OF  GoD  IN  VAIN?  When  men — 1.  Do  not  believe  it.  Suppose  that 
during  the  time  of  that  Indian  revolt  I  had  been  sent  by  Her  Majesty  with  a 
commission — say  to  the  Nana  Sahib,  and  I  had  been  told  to  proclaim  to  him  that  if 
the  rebels  would  come  and  yield  themselves  up  entirely  to  her  mercy,  she  would 
entirely  forgive  them.  But  suppose  that  that  fierce  ringleader  had  said  to  me, 
"  Ah,  H  they  can  only  just  get  hold  of  me,  I  know  what  mercy  they  will  give  me  ; 
I  know  it  is  too  far  gone  for  that."  Welljnow,  he  has  to  surrender  in  three  months, 
or  the  law  is  to  take  its  course.  The  time  passes,  and  the  man  is  captured,  and  he  is 
brought  to  the  gallows.  Now,  whose  fault  is  that?  You  see  he  received  the 
Queen's  grace  in  vain.  Now,  it  is  like  that  when  I  come  and  tell  you  of  God's 
readiness  to  pardon,  and  you  won't  beUeve  it.  You  might  as  well  expect  a  man  to 
be  fed  by  bread  that  he  will  not  eat  as  expect  a  man  to  be  saved  by  a  gospel  that  he 
will  not  beUeve.  2.  Despise  it.  Yonder  there  are  a  number  of  suffering  poor, 
and  of  course  some  are  of  a  very  independent  spirit.  Now  suppose  I  go  to 
some  pale,  haggard  man,  and  say  to  him,  "  Here  is  a  ticket  for  you  ;  if  you  will 
apply  at  yonder  office  you  will  get  the  relief  you  need,"  and  the  man  says,  "  Sir, 
what  right  have  you  to  talk  to  me  as  if  I  were  a  pauper?  what  right  have 
you  to  suppose  I  want  any  man's  charity?"  That  poor  man  is  too  proud  to  take 
help,  and  to-morrow  he  is  dead  on  his  cottage  floor  for  want  of  food.  Now,  whose 
fault  is  that  ?  He  despises  the  grace  that  was  offered !  That  is  just  how  it  is  with 
many  sinners.  They  will  not  have  God's  salvation  because  they  cannot  buy  it. 
If  they  could  take  their  Uttle  petty,  paltry  doings,  and  buy  it  with  their  deeds,  they 
would  have  it.  If  they  could  go  and  purchase  it,  they  would  have  it ;  but  because 
they  must  have  it  as  a  gift  they  despise  it.  3.  Neglect  it.  Now  suppose  that  there 
had  been  during  the  time  of  the  great  fire  at  Moscow  some  miserly  wretch  up  at  the 
top  storey  of  some  tall  house.  There  is  great  trouble  in  the  town,  but  all  he  cares 
about  is  his  gold  bags.  The  alarm  bells  are  ringing  in  all  directions,  and  everybody 
is  trying  to  escape  ;  but  that  old  man  never  listens  to  the  alarm  bells,  and  while  he 
is  counting  his  cash  the  fire  is  creeping  up  the  stairs  from  chamber  to  chamber  till 
at  last  it  is  burning  the  very  joists  of  the  floor  on  which  he  stands.  You  see  he 
neglected  the  alarm.  That  is  very  like  the  worldling.  We  go  and  tell  him  of 
danger  and  salvation.  You  know  if  you  go  and  stand  by  a  blacksmith's  smithy  and 
you  talk  to  him,  he  is  so  busy  with  the  sound  of  his  hammers  that  he  can't  hear 
what  you  say,  and  he  keeps  on  hammering  in  spite  of  all  your  remarks,  and  does 
not  hear  a  word.  So  it  is  with  the  busy  worldling.  Busy  with  the  din  of  their 
worldliness,  they  never  seem  to  hear  the  message.  They  neglect  the  great  salvation. 
They  do  not  deny  it,  but  they  just  leave  it  alone.  Now  if  you  neglect  this  great 
salvation  you  wUl  perish.  {S.  Coley.)  Grace  received  in  vain  : — I.  The  meaning 
OF  the  apostle's  caution.  1.  What  is  meant  here  by  grace?  Sometimes  it 
denotes  the  free  and  unmerited  love  of  God  in  redemption  (Titus  ii.  11).  Sometimes 
the  gospel  generally  (John  i.  17).  Sometimes  all  the  gracious  influences  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  (chap.  xii.  9).  But  in  tne  text  the  word  includes  not  only  all  the  overtures 
of  grace  which  God  has  made,  but  all  those  ministries  by  which  those  overtures  may 
be  most  easily  accepted.  2.  Now  such  is  the  perverseness  of  man's  will  that  all 
these  means  and  ministries  may  be  offered  to  him  to  no  purpose.  The  injured 
Father  of  our  spirits  may  stretch  out  His  hand,  and  find  there  is  none  to  regard  it. 
(1)  Take  the  instrumentahty  of  the  Word.  Grace  is  received  in  vain,  (a)  When 
the  Word  is  not  received  in  the  love  of  it.  Now  no  place  is  left  for  any  possible 
deficiency  in  the  Word  itself ;  in  its  evidence,  that  it  is  not  strong  enough ;  in  its 
statements,  that  they  are  not  clear  enough ;  in  its  motives,  that  they  are  not 
encouraging  enough.  It  is  of  no  use  saying,  "  I  cannot  see  these  things  in  the 
same  light  as  others  do,"  for  we  answer,  "You  do  not  see  them  because  you  have 
never  honestly  tried  to  see  them,  never  put  up  the  prayer  in  earnest,  '  Lord  open 
Thou  mine  eyes  that  I  may  see  the  wondrous  things  of  Thy  law.'  "  (b)  When  we 
neglect  to  apply  the  gospel  message  to  our  own  heart  and  conscience.  To  have 
received  the  incorruptible  seed  in  barrenness  is  to  have  received  the  grace  of  God  in 
vain.  (2)  And  so  of  those  communications  of  divine  grace  which  come  to  us  apart 
from  the  agency  of  the  Word.  The  Holy  Spirit  speaks  to  the  ear  of  the  inner  man 
by  the  lessons  of  Providence,  by  the  ministries  of  friendship,  and  the  incidents  of 
common  life,  &c.  And  to  check  these  inner  convictions,  as  Agrippa  did,  or  to 
dismiss  them,  as  Felix  did,  is  to  receive  the  grace  of  God  in  vain.  II.  It  is  a  real 
option  with  us  whether  this  grace  of  God  be  received  in  vain  or  not.  It  is 
practically  competent  to  every  one  to  use  such  means  as  shall  facilitate  the  effectual 
influence  of  grace  upon  our  minds.     The  best  answer  to  the  man  who  should 


CHAP.  VI.]  II.  COniNTHIANS.  327 

object  that  he  could  do  nothing  towards  his  own  salvation  because  he  is  not  the 
subject  of  divine  grace,  is  that  he  does  not  believe  in  his  own  objection,  would  not 
act  upon  it  if  accident  or  sudden  sickness  should  threaten  him  with  the  probability 
that  he  might  die  to-morrow.  And  herein  it  is  that  the  sinner  will  be  condemned 
out  of  his  own  mouth.  Never  mind  how  much  or  how  little  he  could  do  towards 
the  making  of  his  peace  with  God,  has  he  done  all  he  could  ?  He  could  not  cause 
the  glorious  light  of  the  gospel  to  shine  into  his  heart,  but  was  he  compelled  to 
close  the  door  against  the  entrance  of  that  light  ?  Though  the  ordinances  and 
instrumentalities  of  grace  have  the  most  perfect  adaptation  to  our  state  and 
character,  they  yet  demand  all  the  concurrence  of  our  own  moral  effort,  to  work 
within  us  a  saving  result.  (D.  Moore,  31. A.)  The  dignity  of  life  (cf.  1  Cor.  iii.  9) : — 
We  are  fellow-workers  with  God.  The  one  thing  which  increased  learning  proves 
to  us  is  the  absence  of  caprice  in  the  government  of  the  world.  The  one  thing 
forced  upon  us  is  the  inevitable  sequence  of  cause  and  effect.  If,  on  the  one  hand, 
we  seem  to  sink  into  the  inconsiderable  atoms  of  a  whole  too  vast  for  the  mind  to 
grasp,  on  the  other  we  rise  to  the  majestic  conception  that  we  are  fellow-workers 
with  God.  Where  can  we  find  a  thought  more  fit  than  this  to  stir  the  heart  and 
rouse  the  courage  within  us  ?  The  false  and  frivolous  view  of  life  that  lies  at  the 
root  of  all  our  evils,  shrivels  up  the  worth  of  our  manhood.  It  is  not  our  own  little 
interests  alone,  it  is  the  weal  and  the  woe,  the  growth  and  perfection  of  the  whole 
human  family  around  us,  which  rests  upon  us.  It  is  nothing  short  of  world-wide 
interests  which  hang  upon  our  doing,  with  truth  and  honesty,  and  hearty  energy, 
that  little  morsel  of  God's  work  we  find  placed  before  us.  Our  own  little  fragment 
of  it  is  no  longer  the  sordid  shred  of  a  chance  struggle  for  existence,  but  the 
distinct  though  humble  portion  of  God's  great  redeeming  work.  Let  us  see  how 
this  consciousness  of  the  solemnity  and  reality  of  life  touches  all  our  commonest 
actions  and  employments.  Our  natural  business  here  is  intellectual  work.  To  some 
it  becomes  merely  an  interesting  amusement  for  the  mind.  To  many  it  is  a  half  dis- 
tasteful necessity  which  is  undergone  in  obedience  to  the  dictates  of  society,  to  fit  us  to 
occupy  our  proper  place  in  life.  To  stiU  more,  perhaps,  it  represents  the  preparation, 
for  the  future  struggle  of  the  world.  Eegard  it  in  its  true  light,  and  all  these  views 
seem  trivial.  It  is  the  search  for  truth.  It  is  the  development  of  ourselves,  because 
it  is  fitting  to  improve  to  its  uttermost  the  gifts  we  have  received.  It  is  something 
holy ;  it  is  the  work  of  God.  What  is  not  given  here  to  intellectual  training  is 
chiefly  given  to  social  intercourse.  Now  what  is  that  to  most  of  us  ?  A  mere  seeking 
of  pleasure  for  pleasure's  sake,  or  perhaps  an  exaggerated  recreation-time  far 
beyond  our  requirements.  Such  things  in  the  light  of  the  reality  and  seriousness 
of  life  it  cannot  be.  For  our  social  intercourse  is  then  the  chosen  ground  in  which 
our  wits  clash  with  those  of  our  fellows,  that  part  of  our  lives  where  intercourse 
with  them  gives  us  our  only  chance  of  drawing  from  them  good  for  ourselves  or  of 
implanting  good  in  them.  It  is  a  time  when  we  may  in  the  most  natural  way  be 
helping  forward  the  great  work  of  God.  Yet  certainly  some  of  you  will  say, 
"  according  to  this,  the  very  fact  which  makes  our  calling  so  high  deprives  it  of  all 
virtue.  The  very  argument  on  which  the  glory  of  our  position  as  fellow-workers 
with  God  with  all  the  coercive  force  it  might  exert,  is  rested,  is  upon  necessity.  We 
are  workers  with  Him  because  everything,  for  good  and  evil  alike,  is  like  a  piece  of 
mechanism  of  which  He  keeps  the  key.  Necessity  excludes  responsibility :  we,  like 
the  rest,  must  do  as  He  bids  us  do."  To  such  an  answer  neither  I  nor  any  other 
man  can  give  a  full  reply.  We  cannot  but  know  that  with  each  of  us  there  lies  the 
momentous  choice  whether  we  will  consciously  give  our  work  to  further  God's 
work,  or  put  ourselves  as  hindrances  to  check  its  way.  Hitherto  we  have  found  the 
dignity  which  hangs  about  us  as  the  fellow-workers  with  God  in  the  fact  of  His 
universal  presence.  It  is  the  all-pervading  character  of  His  work  —  and  the 
consequent  serious  and  holy  character  of  hfe  —  which  has  supplied  us  with  the 
belief  of  the  grandeur  of  our  calling.  Can  we  not  find  something  which  shall  raise 
us  with  respect  to  our  inner  selves  to  the  same  height  which  we  have  to  reach  with 
respect  to  our  outward  energy  ?  Now  the  imagery  of  my  second  text  seems  to  give 
us  such  a  thought.  For  it  leads  us  to  recollect  that  we  are  at  once  the  workers  and 
the  work,  at  once  the  labourers  and  the  husbandry,  the  builders  and  the  house  built. 
If  we  grasp  the  idea  of  the  unity  of  the  world,  and  of  the  presence  of  God  in  it  all, 
it  is  plain  that  while  we  are  acting  as  God's  fellow- workers  upon  others,  those  others 
will  act  upon  us — that  while  we  are  helping  the  world  onwards  we  shall  ourselves  be 
helped.  In  the  general  unity  it  is  impossible  but  that  we  shall  play  both  parts. 
While  we  ourselves  are  building  we  must  become  a  portion  of   the  edifice  built. 


328  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vi. 

And  that  building  is  nothing  less  than  the  home  and  temple  of  Christ.  {J.  F.  Bright, 
D.D.)  Grace  received  iii  vain  : — I.  In  what  sense  is  a  minister  "  a  fellow- 
■woBKER  WITH  GoD  "  ?  1.  In  the  same  way  that  the  husbandman,  in  the  fields,  works 
■with  the  elements.  Can  he  do  anything  without  them?  And  yet,  has  not  God 
covenanted  to  send  them,  to  give  effect  to  his  labour  ?  2.  In  the  same  way  as  the 
mariner  works  with  the  wind.  "  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,"  but  as  he  sits 
at  the  helm  and  holds  the  canvas  in  his  little  boat,  he  is  conscious,  "  I  am  working 
with  the  wind."  3.  As  ambassadors.  The  ambassador  has  no  pretension  to  be  the 
king,  he  is  only  a  favoured  subject.  Nevertheless,  so  long  as  he  is  an  ambassador, 
he  carries  the  king's  credentials,  dignity,  and  power.    II.  This  great  thought  of 

THE  fellowship  WHICH  HE  HAD  IN  HIS  WORK  WITH  GoD,  St.  PaUL  USED  TO  ENFORCE 
THE   EXHORTATION    NOT   TO   RECEIVE    THE    GRACE    OF    GoD   IN    VAIN.      It    WaS  aS   thoUgh 

he  said,  in  reference  to  his  Master,  what  his  Master  said  in  reference  to  His  Father, 

"  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you  are  not  mine,  but  His  that  sent  me."    When  he 

added  "also,"  it  was  because  he  himself  had  "not  frustrated  the  grace  of  God," 

for,  as  he  said  to  these  Corinthians,  "  His  grace  which  was  bestowed  upon  me  was 

not  in  vain,"  so  that  he  was  the  better  prepared  to  urge  upon  others  not  to  receive 

it  in  vain.     III.  What  is  it  to  receive  grace  in  vain.     1.  We  must  look  at  this 

discriminatingly.     No  word  of   God,  under  any  circumstances,  is  ever  "  vain " 

(Isa.  Iv.  10).     But  every  word  does  not  comfort,  convince,  save.     What,  then,  does 

it  do  ?     It  cannot  do  nothing.     Does  not  it  harden,  condemn  ?     Is  the  light  not 

light,  when  it  blinds  the  eye  that  is  not  fitted  to  receive  it?     Or  is  warmth  not 

warmth  when  it  hardens,  but  does  not  melt?    No;  God's  word  "cannot  return 

void  " — it  must  glorify  God  either  in  His  mercy  or  in  His  justice.     Therefore  the 

■words  must  be  taken  only  in  relation  to  man,  for  that  which  has  not  produced 

hohness  and  peace  to  us  has  evidently  been  "  in  vain."     2.  There  are  several  ways 

by  which  this  sin  may  be  committed.     (1)  Many  "  receive  the  grace  of  God  in 

vain,"  in  the  same  sense  in  which  that  word  is  used  in  the  third  commandment — 

in  the  trifling,  irreverent,  inconsiderate  manner  in  which  they   deal  with   God's 

truth.     Men  go  to  church  almost  as  if  they  went  to  any  other  assembly.    The 

mind  is  not  set  to  the  sacred  tone  of  the  services  in  which  they  are  mingling.     The 

message  of  mercy  is  to  them  just  as  a  pleasant  tale,  or  a  mere  matter  of  criticism 

and  of  conversation.     (2)  But  there  are  serious  people  who  see  the  dignity  and 

gravity  of  religion.     But  "  grace  "  has  only  reached  their  understanding ;  it  has 

not  gone  down  into  their  hearts.     They  can  define  faith,  but  they  cannot  use  faith. 

(3)  There  are  those  who  have  felt  the  power  of  Christ's  grace  in  their  hearts ;  but 

they  have  lost  it.     The  force  of  early  convictions  has  passed  away.     Many  an 

influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  now  being  quenched  in  them.     Consider  what  it  will 

be  to  have  once  carried  such  a  treasure,  and  then  to  have  dropped  it ! — to  have  kno'wn 

and  loved  such  a  Saviour,  and  then  to  have  denied  Him !     (4)  There  are  those  of 

you  who  have  "received  the  grace  of  God,"  but  you  have  never  yet  known  what  it 

is  to  rest,  with  a  quiet  assurance  that  you  are  forgiven.    Now,  when  God's  "  grace  " 

came  to  you  it  had  this  express  purpose.    If,  then,  you  do  not  quietly  accept  His 

love,  and  settle  do'wn  in  a  happy  sense  of  your  pardon,  then  "grace"  is  of  no 

effect  to   you!     What  use  is  it,  then,   to   talk  of  your  faith;  if  you  have  no 

confidence?     (J.  Vaughan,  M.A.)         Grace  received  in  vain: — I.  What  is  meant 

BY  the  grace  of  God?     The  doctrine  of  the  gospel  (Eph.  iii.  2;  Col.  i.  6;  Acts 

XX.  32  ;  Titus  ii.  11).    And  it  is  so-called  because — 1.  It  is  graciously,  and  out  of 

the  free  favour  of   God,   bestowed.     2.  Its  subject-matter  is  grace.     Whatever 

saving  benefit  is  contained  in  the  gospel,  is  all  from  grace.     (1)  Forgiveness  of 

sin  (Eph.  i.  7).     (2)  Eternal  life  (Rom  vi.23).     (3)  Calling  (2  Tim.  i.  9).     (4)  Faith 

(Phil.  i.  29).     (5)  Eepentance  (2  Tim.  ii.  25).     3.  It  is  the  instrument,  under  the 

Spirit  of  God,  of  bestowing  the  benefits  of  free  grace  upon  us.     It  is  an  invitation 

to  the  benefits  of  free  grace,  and  it  is  our  warrant  of  receiving  those  benefits,  and 

of  applying  them.     II.  The  receiving  thereof  in  vain.     The  word   signifies   to 

receive  it  "  emptily,  unf ruitfully,  unprofitably."     The  gospel  cannot  save  us  unless 

it  be  received  ;  and  therefore  you  read  of  receiving  it  (Matt.  xiii.  23  ;  Acts  ii.  41 ; 

xi.  1;  xvii.  11;  1  Thess.  i.  6).     But  the  gospel  may  be  received  ineffectually.     1. 

In  regard  of    the  manner  of  receiving.     When  we  receive  it — (1)  Not  with  an 

empty  hand.    When  it  is  not  so  received  as  to  be  empty  of  the  opinion  of  our  own 

works  and  righteousness  (Luke  i.  53).  (2)  Not  with  the  highest  estimation.  When  it 

is  not  looked  upon  to  be  "  worthy  of  all  acceptation"  (1  Tim.  i.  15) ;  when  it  is  not 

received  as  a  pearl  of  greatest  price.     If  all  be  not  sold  for  it,  soon  will  it  be  left  for 

any  thing.     (3)  Not  with  the  greatest  ardency  of  desire.     (4)  Not  with  a  particular 


CHAP.  VI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  329 

fiducial  application  of  Christ,  but  only  by  a  general  assent — i.e.,  when  we  receive  it 
into  our  heads  by  light,  but  do  not  receive  it  into  our  hearts  by  faith.  When  we 
receive  it  only  into  our  ears,  lips,  and  professions ;  but  do  not  receive  it  in  the  soul. 

2.  In  regard  of  the  issue.  (1)  When  it  is  not  received  so  as  to  purify  the  heart ; 
when  men  will  have  an  angelical  gospel,  but  will  Hve  diabolical  lives.  (2)  When  it 
doth  not  quicken  us  to  new  obedience.  When  there  is  a  receiving  without 
returning  ;  when  there  is  no  "  delight  in  the  law  of  God  ;  "  "  when  faith  is  not  made 
incarnate,"  as  Luther  speaks,  "  by  maintaining  good  works  "  (Titus  iii.  8).  (3) 
When  we  so  receive  grace  as  that  it  doth  not  sustain  us  in  our  troubles,  nor  bear  us 
up  in  our  sufferings.  When  it  is  not  a  "  word  of  patience  "  (Rev.  iii.  10).  (4) 
When  we  so  receive  grace  as  not  to  impart  it,  and  communicate  it  unto  others.  If 
we  be  living  we  shall  be  lively  Christians  ;  if  we  have  the  life  of  grace  in  us,  we 
shall  warm  others.  K  we  do  no  good,  it  is  a  sign  we  have  got  no  good.  (5)  When 
it  is  so  received  as  that  thereby  we  do  not  obtain  salvation.  "  The  gospel  of 
salvation,"  received  into  your  houses,  heads,  or  mouths,  brings  not  any  to  heaven 
(Matt.  vii.  23).  (W.  Jenkin,  A.M.)  Divine  grace  received  to  profit  (Text  and 
ver.  2)  : — We  have  here  the  privileges  of  the  Christian  dispensation.  1.  Connected 
with  the  heart  of  God.     2.  Associated  with  the  services  of  the  ministers  of  Christ. 

3.  Looked  at  as  in  the  hands  of  confessed  Christians.  4.  Regarded  as  the  blessing 
of  the  present  time.  We  can,  however,  only  deal  with  two  of  these  topics.  I. 
What  is  meant  by  "that  te  receive  not  the  grace  of  God  in  vain  "  ?  1.  Merely 
to  hear,  is  to  be  like  a  sick  man  who  is  told  of  a  physician,  but  who  does  not  apply 
to  him ;  or  a  poor  man  who  is  told  of  a  treasure  and  does  not  seek  it.  They  receive 
the  communications  "  in  vain."  2.  Only  to  comprehend  intellectually  the  word  of 
God's  grace  is  to  receive  it  "  in  vain."  It  is  to  be  like  a  man  who  devotes  himself 
ito  the  study  of  the  chemistry  of  food,  but  who  neglects  to  eat.  Of  what  advantage 
is  his  knowledge  ?  3.  Only  to  be  pleased  with  the  Christian  manifestations  of  the 
grace  of  God,  is  to  receive  it  "  in  vain."  This  is  like  a  man  who,  delighting  in  good 
advice,  follows  his  own  counsel.  4.  To  believe  what  is  said  of  the  grace  of  God 
without  a  personal  application  of  those  words,  is  to  receive  it  "  in  vain."  It  is  to 
bp  like  a  man  in  a  house  on  fire,  who  sees  a  way  of  escape,  but  does  not  flee.     He 

'will  be  burned.  5.  Anything  short  of  a  complete  use  and  enjoyment  of  the  grace 
of  God,  is  in  measure,  to  receive  it  "  in  vain."  If  present  pardon,  e.g.,  be  not 
enjoyed  as  well  as  possessed,  then,  in  a  certain  limited  sense,  it  is  received  '  '  i 
vain."    II.  If  "  the  grace  of  God"  come  to  us  in  a  time  accepted,  and  in  a  i 

SALVATION,  it     CANNOT     BE    RECEIVED    PREMATURELY,     AND   THEREFORE    WE    ASK    V...        O 

RECEIVE  IT.  Open  your  mouth  wide,  open  your  hands  and  stretch  out  your  arms 
and  "  receive."  1.  This  is  God's  giving  time.  2.  This  is  God's  redeeming  time. 
He  is  working  out  your  personal  salvation  on  the  basis  of  the  sin  offering,  which 
His  own  Son  has  made.  8.  This  is  your  needy  time.  You  will  never  be  more 
needy  than  you  are  now.  God  seeks  to  drive  that  need  away,  and  to  fill  you  with 
blessings.  It  is  true  that  you  are  guilty  and  most  unworthy,  but  you  may 
receive.  Receive,  then,  to  the  highest  purpose.  Receive  to  the  largest 
extent.  Some  professing  Christians  are  like  cups  turned  upside  down.  They 
will  have  to  be  converted  before  they  can  be  filled.  Your  capacity  to  receive 
will  have  to  be  directed  heavenward.  Let  a  cup  or  any  vessel  be  placed  on 
the  angle,  and  can  you  fill  it?  Just  so  with  your  religion.  It  must  be  true 
to  God,  to  the  Saviour,  to  the  Spirit,  or  you  cannot  be  filled  with  the  fulness 
of  God.  (S.  Martin.)  The  needful  caution: — I.  The  exhortation  explained. 
The  subject  is  "  the  grace  of  God."  The  great  plan  of  reconciliation  is  "  the 
grace  of  God  "in  question.  1.  This  is  called  "  the  grace  of  God"  by  way  of 
eminence,  because — (1)  The  gift  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  highest  display  of  the 
goodness  of  God  to  man  (1  John  iv.  10 ;  iii.  1 ;  Rom.  viii.  32).  (2)  It  is  that 
which  procures  for  us  all  other  blessings.  2.  Now  this  grace  is  to  be  "  received" — 
(1)  The  mind  must  have  a  clear  perception  of  it.  Many  call  this  head-knowledge ; 
but  is  not  our  religion  to  be  "  in  all  knowledge  and  spiritual  understanding  "  ?  If 
we  knew  more,  we  should  love  more.  (2)  The  heart  must  receive  the  Saviour. 
*'  With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness."  (3)  There  must  be  a  practical 
reception  of  this  grace — an  adorning  of  it  in  the  conduct ;  not  talking,  but  working. 
Thus  the  judgment,  the  affections,  the  life,  all  receive  the  grace  of  God.  3.  Now 
this  grace  must  not  be  received  "  in  vain."  Many  have  so  received  it.  (1)  The 
light  within  has  become  darkness,  and  "  how  gi'eat  is  that  darkness."  (2)  The  love 
they  once  had,  where  is  it  ?  Their  hearts  are  a  moral  icehouse.  (3)  Their  ways 
now  have  no  tendency  to  glorify  God.    11.  The  exhortation  enforced.    1.  From 


330  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vi. 

a  consideration  of  the  value  of  the  benefit^God's  greatest  gift !— the  astonishment 
of  heaven  1  We  value  a  thing  occasionally — (1)  By  the  amount  it  cost  us.  But, 
ah !  we  know  not  what  was  the  value  of  this,  for,  though  it  was  bestowed  freely,  it 
cost  heaven  all !  (2)  From  what  it  purchased  for  us.  It  redeems  from  death  and 
purchases   heaven.     "  How  shall   we   escape   if  we  neglect  so  great  salvation  ? " 

2.  From  the  fact  that  if  this  be  received  in  vain,  every  other  benefit  is  in  vain. 
All  the  sermons  you  have  heard,  all  the  prayers,  all  your  afflictions,  convictions, 
all  the  strivings  of  God's  Spirit,  &c.  In  vain  pious  parents,  a  religious  education, 
early  impressions,  good  resolutions,  &c.  3.  From  the  punishment  awaiting  such  a 
one.  4.  Because  this  is  the  only  day  in  which  you  can  receive  the  grace  of  God. 
When  time  ends  with  thee,  then  eternity.  Time  is  the  term  for  thy  salvation.  {J. 
Summerjield,  A.M.)  Grace  given  in  vain: — In  the  Eastern  country,  as  I  dare 
say  you  have  heard,  there  are  great  deserts  of  sand.  For  many  miles  in  every 
direction,  you  can  see  nothing  but  bare  and  barren  sand.  You  might  dig  down  and 
down,  and  you  would  still  find  nothing  but  sand  until  you  came  to  the  hard  rock. 
Nothing  grows  in  these  deserts,  as  you  may  imagine;  nothing  can  grow  there. 
When  the  rain  which  brings  greenness  and  fertility,  grass  and  corn  and  palm  trees, 
everywhere  else,  falls  on  this  barren,  sandy  tract,  it  does  no  good  at  aU.  It  just 
sinks  in  for  a  time  until  the  surface  is  baked  again  by  the  hot  sun,  and  then  it  rises 
up  again  in  vapour.  Anywhere  else  it  would  clothe  the  soil  with  greenness  ;  but 
here  it  is  useless — it  does  no  good.  Now  what  a  picture  this  is  of  the  heart  that 
receives  and  does  not  obey  God's  grace !  As  the  rain  would  render  the  soil  fertile 
with  grass  and  corn,  so  God's  grace  would  inspire  the  heart  of  man  with  good 
thoughts  and  good  actions.  As  the  raindrops,  when  they  fall  upon  the  sand,  are 
wasted  and  made  useless,  so  the  divine  grace,  the  pleadings  of  the  Blessed  Spirit, 
falling  upon  a  heart  that  obstinately  neglects  them,  or  refuses  them,  or  resists 
them,  not  only  bring  forth  no  fruit,  but  lay  up  for  the  impenitent  sinner  a  heavy 
load  of  guilt  and  of  punishment.     {The  Literary  Churchman.) 

Ver.  2.  For  He  saith,  I  have  heard  thee  in  a  time  accepted  .  .  .  behold  now  is 
the  accepted  time  .  .  .  the  day  of  salvation. — Now  : — God  never  says  "  Behold," 
without  telling  something  worth  listening  to.  I.  Salvation  the  thing  to  be  sought. 
1.  Greatly  needed.  2.  Graciously  provided.  3.  Gratuitously  proffered.  11.  Now  is 
THE  TIME  TO  SEEK  IT.  Double  "  Now."  1.  Commanded  by  revelation.  2.  Com- 
mended by  reason.  Conscience,  reason,  gratitude,  seK-interest,  say  "  Now."  Why 
delay?  (1)  Unnecessary.  "All  now  ready."  (2)  Unreasonable  and  wicked. 
Eebellion.  3.  Unnatural.  (1)  Dangerous.  May  be  last  offer.  (2)  Destructive, 
Euinous  to  conscience,  character.  {Honi.  Monthly.)  The  imperative  "  Now  "  : — 
I.  You  CAN  GAIN  NOTHING  BY  DELAY.  1.  As  to  God's  tcrms.  2.  As  to  youT  own 
circumstances.  Your  difficulties  may  change  but  will  never  cease.  8.  As  to 
pleasures  of  sin.  11.  You  will  lose  much  by  delay.  1.  Fervour  and  freshness  of 
feeling.     2.  Opportunity  for  usefulness.     Delay  daily  narrows  in  this  possibility. 

3.  Fulness  of  reward  in  heaven.  III.  You  may  fobfeit  your  salvation  by  delay. 
(Ibid.)  The  day  of  salvation  : — I.  There  is  a  salvation  so  important  that  it 
GIVES  ITS  NAME  TO  A  WHOLE  PERIOD  CALLED  A  DAY,  but  signifying  all  the  era  through 
which  that  salvation  is  made  accessible  to  us.  It  is  called,  by  way  of  eminence  and 
distinction,  "  the  day  of  salvation."  1.  The  salvation  which  marks  this  day  is  the 
salvation  of  the  soul.  Not  the  salvation  of  a  captive,  a  criminal  under  a  human 
law — not  of  a  hopeless  patient  from  a  bodily  disease — not  of  an  empire — but  the 
salvation  of  the  immortal  soul.  Men  do  not  beheve  that  their  souls  are  in  this 
danger ;  they  make  a  mock  of  sin.  2.  Consider  that  this  salvation  is  effected 
expressly  and  exclusively  by  the  power  and  grace  of  God.  To  Him  belongs  the 
entire  glory  of  it,  and  it  is  His  grace  that  makes  any  period  of  our  lives  a  day  of 
salvation.  He  is  therefore  the  author  of  eternal  salvation.  All  the  resources 
necessary  for  carrying  it  into  effect  were  of  God,  and  not  of  us.  3.  But  we  ought 
more  particularly  to  notice  Him  on  whom  devolved  the  work  of  salv.ation — who  is 
described  by  the  name  of  our  Saviour,  and  to  whom  the  honour  of  it  will  be  for  ever 
rendered.  4.  It  is  necessary  to  observe  that  all  the  effects  of  this  salvation  are 
eternal,  all  the  blessings  it  confers  are  for  ever,  the  felicity  to  which  it  brings  us  is 
immortal.  The  effects  of  it  will  not  only  extend  to,  and  penetrate  through  eternity, 
but  they  will  give  a  character  to  that  eternity.     II.  That  this  divine  blessing  has 

GIVEN    A    CHARACTER   AND   A   NAME    TO   A    PERIOD    OF  OUR  TIME,  HERE  CALLED  THE  DAY  OF 

SALVATION.  1.  It  signifies  the  day  or  time  when  salvation  is  attainable  by  us — when 
it  is  revealed  and  published,  or  urgently  set  before  us.     In  this  sense  it  seems  to  be 


CHAP.  VI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  331 


used  by  the  prophet  Isaiah  (chap.  xlix.  8;  lii.  7 ;  Ixii.  1),  as  quoted  by  the  apostle 
Paul.  2.  The  gospel  age  may  indeed  be  more  emphatically  designated  the  day  of 
salvation,  since  the  doctrine  of  salvation  by  a  crucified  surety  and  Saviour  has  been 
more  fully  illustrated  and  proclaimed,  and  since  there  has  been  no  lack  of  those 
means  which  might  encourage  and  help  us  all  towards  the  attainment  of  the  happy 
consummation.  It  is  light  that  makes  the  day  as  distinguished  from  the  night. 
The  night  of  Judaism  is  past,  it  has  been  succeeded  by  a  clear  shining  of  the  light 
of  life,  which  makes  ours  indeed  a  day  of  salvation.  3.  Times  of  special  privilege 
when  salvation  is  brought  near  to  us.  4.  We  may  especially  denominate  the  Sabbath 
the  day  of  salvation.  It  rises  up  most  resplendent  with  this  heavenly  light.  III. 
Consider,  if  God  has  giaten  us  this  day  of  salvation,  and  we  now  enjot  it,  there  is 
SOMETHING  FOR  US  ALL  TO  DO.  We  must  cxecute  the  work  of  salvation  in  the  day  of 
salvation.  1.  The  day  of  salvation  requires  faith  in  the  blessings  then  brought 
nigh.  "  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that  ye  believe  in  Him  whom  He  hath  sent."  2. 
The  day  of  salvation  requires  of  you  diligence,  haste,  serious  application  without 
delay  to  this  work  which  you  have  to  do.  IV.  Observe,  the  day  of  salvation  we  all 
ENJOY  now  must  HAVE  AN  END.  (The  Evangelist.)  The  day  of  salvation : — The 
Lord  has  had  His  days  of  vengeance.  How  terrible  was  the  hour  when  He 
opened  the  sluices  of  the  firmament  that  the  rain  might  descend  in  torrents,  and 
bade  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  rise  to  meet  the  descending  floods.  I.  The 
GR.VND  REASON  FOR  THIS  DAY — "  Now  is  the  day  of  salvation."  Eead  the  context  in 
order  to  understand  why  there  is  a  present  day  of  salvation.  This  is  the  day  of 
salvation  because  "  He  hath  made  Him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin  ;  that  we 
might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him."  There  could  have  been  no  day 
of  salvation  if  a  Saviour  had  not  appeared.  1.  Notice  that  according  to  the  context 
this  is  the  day  of  salvation,  because  we  may  now  be  reconciled  to  God.  "  We  pray 
you  in  Christ's  stead,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God."  2.  The  plain  statement  of  the 
twenty-first  verse  explains  it  all :  "  He  hath  made  Him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew 
no  sin."  Here  is  the  grand  doctrine  of  substitution.  3.  To  help  us  to  understand 
mercy's  great  expedient  still  better,  the  Holy  Spirit  teUs  us  that  the  Divine  design 
in  Christ  Jesus  is  to  make  us  the  "  righteousness  of  God "  in  Christ.  11.  The 
GLORIOUS  DAY  ITSELF — for  the  day  of  salvation  is  rich  with  blessing.  1.  I  would 
commend  that  day  because  of  its  fourfold  excellence.  Eead  again  the  verse  in 
which  our  text  stands.  Although  the  words  must  be  regarded  as  spoken,  in  the  first 
place,  to  our  Lord,  the  best  expositors  say  that  they  are  also  addressed  to  His  Church 
in  Him.  (1)  So  then,  in  this  day  of  salvation  our  prayer  will  be  heard,  "  I  have 
heard  thee  in  a  time  accepted."  (2)  We  are  further  told  that  this  day  help  wiU  be 
given.  What  does  it  say  ?  "In  the  day  of  salvation  have  I  succoured  thee."  (3) 
And  then  it  is  added,  "  Behold,  now  is  the  accepted  time,"  so  that  the  third  blessing 
is  that  coming  sinners  wiU  be  accepted.  If  you  will  come  to  God  He  will  not  reject 
you,  whoever  you  may  be.  (4)  And  then  the  fourth  excellence  is  that  it  is  a  time  of 
salvation.  You  need  saving  ;  be  glad  then  that  it  is  salvation's  own  day.  2.  Now, 
let  me  notice  that  this  ought  to  be  peculiarly  pleasant  news  to  those  who  are  heavily 
laden  with  guilt.  3.  The  truth  of  our  text  should  also  be  very  encouraging  to  those 
who  are  fighting  against  inward  sin.  4.  While  this  is  very  encouraging  to  penitents 
and  to  those  who  are  fighting  with  sin  it  should  be  equally  cheering  to  tried  believers. 
5.  And  do  you  not  think  this  truth  should  encourage  all  who  are  at  work  to  win  souls 
for  Jesus  ?  III.  Something  about  a  dark  cloud  which  may  darken  the  close  of  this 
DAY  OF  salvation.  (C.  H.  Spurgeou.)  The  accepted  time  : — 1.  It  is  the  wish  of 
most  men  to  obtain  salvation  ;  and  therefore  it  is  their  resolution  at  some  time  or 
other  to  repent.  Now  they  are  engaged  in  some  important  business  ;  they  have  met 
with  some  worldly  disaster ;  they  are  in  pursuit  of  some  pleasure ;  they  feel  an 
indolence  of  temper  which  indisposes  them  for  exertion ;  but  they  are  determined 
not  to  let  life  pass  away  without  securing  salvation.  Some  favourable  opportunity 
will  occur.  2.  Thus  lulled  into  security  many  go  on  to  disregard  the  secret  remon- 
strances of  conscience,  and  to  despise  the  warnings  and  invitations  of  the  Word  of 
God,  till  at  last  they  die  as  they  had  lived.  3.  Now  to  be  convinced  of  the  foUy, 
guilt,  and  danger  of  this  conduct,  consider — I.  The  nature  of  repentance  and  the 
COMMANDMENT  OF  GoD  CONCERNING  IT.  1.  Repentance  is  turning  from  sin  to  holiness. 
With  what  propriety,  then,  can  we  put  it  off?  Can  it  be  reasonable  to  delay?  2, 
Consider  the  commandment  of  God  concerning  repentance.  If  we  admit  God's 
authority  to  be  supreme,  and  that  He  has  enjoined  the  duty  of  repentance,  we  cannot 
discharge  it  too  soon.  II.  The  longer  repentance  is  delayed,  the  more  painful 
AND  difficult  WILL  IT  BECOME.     1,  Remember  the  power  of  habit.     Thoughts  and 


332  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vi. 

practices  which  we  have  long  indulged  acquire  such  a  seat  in  the  heart  and  charac- 
ter as  to  become  a  part  of  our  system.  And  hence  habit  is  spoken  of  as  a  second 
nature.  Now  if  habit,  simply  considered,  is  powerful,  its  power  must  be  increased 
in  proportion  to  the  length  of  time  during  which  it  prevails.  The  person,  there- 
fore, who  resolves  to  repent  hereafter,  is  not  only  careless  of  the  obstacles  which 
habit  lays  in  the  way  of  his  repentance,  but  waits  till  these  obstacles  are  augmented. 
What  folly !  thus  to  allow  habit  to  acquire  additional  force.  2.  But  the  extreme  folly 
of  delay  appears  farther,  when  we  consider  the  nature  of  the  habits.  These  are  not 
those  to  which  they  are  naturally  averse.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  highly  agree- 
able to  them ;  cherished  by  the  natural  corruption  of  the  heart,  operate  with  a 
reciprocal  influence,  and  give  to  that  corruption  a  greater  efficacy.  The  roots  of 
natural  depravity  and  those  of  evil  habit  are  thus  interwoven,  and  therefore  to 
eradicate  evil  habits  is  like  tearing  the  heart  in  pieces.  3.  It  is  true  that  Divine 
grace  can,  and  alone  can,  subdue  aU  opposition  ;but  it  is  also  true  that  Divine  grace 
has  not  promised  to  work  miracles  in  your  behalf — that  God  will  not  deal  with  you 
as  mere  passive  machines  in  whom  there  is  no  will,  no  affections,  no  habits  to  be 
conquered  by  ordinary  means.  III.  Circumstances  may  occdb  to  render  repent- 
ance IMPRACTICABLE,  and  Consequently  to  secure  your  ruin.  1.  Every  sin  renders 
you  guilty ;  but  when  warned  of  your  guilt,  and  danger,  you  go  on  to  aggravate  the 
one  and  to  despise  the  other,  you  provoke  God  to  give  you  over  to  a  reprobate  mind, 
and  to  harden  your  heart.  And  will  you  risk  this  for  all  that  the  universe  can 
give  ?  2.  But  supposing  that  God  does  not  shut  up  His  mercy,  may  you  not  be 
placed  where  there  shall  be  nothing  to  secure  your  return  to  Him  ?  3.  Again,  the 
power  of  disease  may  lay  you  low  on  the  bed  of  languishing  and  pain.  That, 
indeed,  you  may  flatter  yourselves,  will  be  a  fit  occasion  for  attending  to  your 
spiritual  interests.  Alas  !  you  know  little  of  the  nature  of  repentance  if  you  think 
that  the  time  of  bodily  distress  is  the  time  for  repentance.  "  Sufficient  unto  that 
day  is  the  evil  thereof."  4.  And  is  there  not  soundness  of  mind,  which  is  still  more 
necessary  than  health  of  body  for  attending  to  the  concerns  of  the  soul ;  but  of 
which  you  may  be  deprived  when  you  are  least  expecting  it  ?  5.  But  though  none 
of  these  things  should  take  place,  we  know  that  we  must  die,  and  we  know  not  when. 
We  may  be  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  health,  and  youth,  and  gaiety.  {A.  Thomson,  D.D.) 
The  tremendous  importance  of  "  now "  ; — This  language  implies  a  need  and  aa 
opportunity  of  being  saved  on  the  part  of  those  addressed.  And,  if  we  understand 
the  Scriptures,  to  be  saved  is  the  supreme  good  for  men.  1.  One  feature  is 
suggested  by  the  text — namely,  a  limited  period  of  grace.  But  why  should  there 
be  any  limit  to  the  period  of  probation  ?  Why  should  the  door  of  recovery  from  sin 
ever  be  closed  ?  Plainly,  because  it  would  be  useless  to  keep  it  open  for  ever ; 
because  choice  has  a  tendency  to  become  irrevocable,  and  character  to  become 
permanent.  God's  methods  are  never  arbitrary.  The  amazing  longevity  of  the 
antediluvians  appears  to  have  resulted  in  equally  amazing  wickedness.  2.  Another 
feature  in  the  economy  of  grace  is  seen  in  God's  withholding  from  the  sinner  a 
knowledge  of  the  duration  of  his  earthly  life.  As  a  rule  no  man  knows  the  hour  of 
his  own  death.  3.  Another  feature  in  the  economy  of  grace  is  the  influence  of  an 
animal  body  upon  a  sinful  soul.  An  animal  body  is  weak,  perishable,  exacting,  and 
in  certain  respects  heterogeneous  to  the  soul.  It  renders  a  little  service  and  requires 
much.  With  a  large  part  of  mankind  the  business  of  life  is  to  provide  for  the 
body.  How,  then,  can  he  give  much  attention  to  the  wants  of  his  spirit?  But  this 
is  less  than  half  the  truth.  The  influence  of  a  frail  and  exacting  body  may  be 
favourable  to  the  recovery  of  man  from  the  terrible  fascination  of  selfishness.  For 
a  body  whose  preservation  must  be  purchased  by  so  much  toil  and  care  reminds 
them  by  its  frailty  of  the  one  coming  event  which  can  be  postponed,  but  not  averted. 
Again,  it  must  be  considered  that  care  for  physical  life  or  health  is  a  duty,  though 
not  the  highest ;  it  is  right  in  itself,  though  not  religious.  We  may  exercise  it, 
therefore,  with  a  clear  conscience.  Moreover,  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  the  moral 
natures  of  men  who  are  engaged  in  doing  what  is  felt  to  be  right  will  not  deteriorate 
so  rapidly  as  they  would  have  done  if  the  same  men  had  been  either  idle  or  doing 
what  was  seen  to  be  in  itself  wrong.  Susceptibility  to  high  infiuences  will  not  be  sa 
quickly  destroyed.  And,  therefore,  the  day  of  grace  can  be  made  longer  than  would 
otherwise  have  been  safe  or  useful.  "  But  look  once  more,"  you  may  perhaps 
reply,  "  to  the  other  side  of  the  picture.  Does  not  the  body  drag  the  soul  down- 
wards? Is  it  not  a  source  of  strong  temptations  rather  than  a  spur  to  honest  toil  ?  '* 
They  are  not,  however,  so  numerous  as  the  calls  to  useful  service  which  are 
presented  by  the  body,  nor  are  they  so  powerful  as  to  silence  these  calls.     "  But  is- 


CHAP.  VI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  333 

not  the  mind  clogged  in  its  search  after  the  highest  truth  by  the  body  which  it 
inhabits  ?  And  is  not  the  possibility  of  its  return  to  God  dependent  on  its  clear 
apprehension  of  that  highest  truth  ?  Must  not  this  weak  and  exacting  body,  then, 
be  a  serious  impediment  at  the  very  outset  to  religious  life  ?  "  I  freely  admit  that 
our  present  bodies  are  not  perfect  organs  of  the  spirit.  But  let  it  not  be  forgotten 
that  the  search  for  truth  which  is  rendered  toilsome  by  a  body  whose  senses  are 
dull  and  whose  energies  are  limited,  leaves  only  a  modicum  of  power  to  be  worse 
than  wasted  in  self-indulgence.  Nor  let  it  be  forgotten  that  a  little  truth  may  have 
infinite  value  to  the  soul  which  receives  it  as  a  friend,  or  that  effort  to  obtain  truth 
because  it  is  loved  is  a  part  of  the  blessed  life  itself.  The  great  diflficulty  experi- 
enced by  men  in  obtaining  knowledge,  because  their  bodies  are  now  adapted  to 
animal  life  more  exactly  than  to  spiritual  life,  is  therefore  a  circumstance  favourable 
to  their  prospect  of  recovery  from  sin  and  death.  4.  Another  feature  of  human 
probation  on  earth  is  the  influence  of  domestic  life  upon  sinful  beings.  This 
influence  is  very  pervading  and  beneficent.  The  domestic  affections,  whether  con- 
jugal, parental,  filial,  or  fraternal,  must  be  contemplated  with  a  reverence  second 
ordy  to  that  which  we  owe  to  Chi'istian  love.  They  are  not  indeed  identical  with 
love  to  God,  nor  do  they  imply  or  produce  that  love.  They  do  not  regenerate  man, 
but  they  keep  aUve  his  power  to  enjoy  fellowship,  and  to  believe  in  the  possibility  of 
love.  For  of  all  natural  avenues  to  unrenewed  souls  these  affections  are  probably, 
next  to  conscience,  the  surest  and  the  best.  While  they  continue  open,  the  way  of 
salvation  is  rarely  closed.  They  tend  to  prevent  a  final  and  utter  hardening  of  the 
spirit  against  "  sweetness  and  light."  Thus  all  the  features  of  human  life,  in  so 
far  as  they  are  ordered  by  our  Heavenly  Father,  reveal  His  wisdom  and  goodness. 
In  every  instance  they  appear  to  have  been  chosen  with  a  view  to  human  salvation. 
{A.  Hovey,  D.D.)  The  day  of  salvation : — Here  you  find — 1.  A  note  of  attention — 
Behold  !  2.  An  object  to  which  the  attention  is  called.  3.  The  period  in  which  to 
act — now,  not  yesterday,  that  is  past ;  not  to-morrow,  that  is  to  come.  I.  The  gospel 
PERIOD  IS  HEEE  CALLED  A  DAY.  The  gospcl  period  is  called  a  day,  because — 1.  It 
discovers  that  which  would  have  been  otherwise  concealed  in  darkness.  In  this 
day  we  discover  the  perfections  of  the  Deity,  the  nature  of  sin,  the  worth  of  a 
Saviour,  the  only  way  by  which  sinners  can  be  delivered  from  hell,  and  brought  to 
heaven.  The  world  has  had  many  sorts  of  days,  but  never  one  like  this  before.  2. 
It  is  affected  by  some  bright  luminary.  What  makes  a  day — the  stars,  the  moon  ? 
No ;  the  sun.  And  what  makes  the  spiritual  day — ministers,  the  church  ?  No ; 
the  Sun  of  righteousness.  The  man  that  is  without  Christ  is  in  a  state  of  darkness 
and  death,  and,  if  he  dies,  must  perish.  3.  It  is  time  for  people  to  work.  "  Go, 
my  son,  work  in  my  vineyard."  4.  It  is  a  limited  time.  "  Oh,  Jerusalem,  if  thou 
hadst  known,  at  least  in  this  thy  day,"  &c.,  &c.  There  is  an  end  to  days.  11.  The 
PROPERTY  OF  THIS  DAY.  God  has  had  many  sorts  of  days  ;  He  had  a  day  to  create, 
a  day  to  preserve,  a  day  to  afflict,  a  day  to  redeem,  a  day  to  judge  ;  but  the  day  in 
my  text  is  a  day  of  salvation.  It  would  not  have  been  a  surprising  thing  if  it  had 
been  a  day  of  destruction,  of  affliction ;  but  it  is  a  day  of  salvation.  And  this 
implies  the  existence  of  sin ;  there  would  have  been  no  need  for  such  a  day  if  sin 
had  not  caused  it.  This  day  includes  the  gi-acious  provision  of  the  Father's  love— 
the  Son's  merit,  and  the  Spirit's  grace.  Make  much  of  this  day.  1.  It  is  a 
necessary  salvation.  It  is  not  necessary  for  a  man  to  be  rich,  to  have  health,  to  be 
surrounded  with  friends,  but  it  is  necessary  to  have  this  salvation,  or  he  is  lost  for 
ever.  2.  It  is  a  spiritual  salvation.  Not  such  as  the  Jews  had  in  the  Red  Sea — 
not  such  an  one  as  Daniel  in  the  lions'  den.  This  saves  the  soul  from  sin,  and 
raises  man  to  the  enjoyment  of  God.  3.  This  salvation  is  a  suitable  one.  It  is 
just  what  we  stand  in  need  of.  It  required  infinite  wisdom  to  contrive  it,  infinite 
merit  to  procure  it,  and  infinite  grace  applies  it  to  the  soul.  4.  This  salvation  is  a 
free  one.  Christ  is  free,  and  the  grace  of  the  Spirit  is  free.  5.  This  salvation  is  a 
great  one.  It  is  as  great  as  the  requirements  of  Divine  justice ;  as  great  as  the 
misery  of  man.  It  is  adequate  to  all  its  objects.  It  was  the  great  God  contrived  it, 
it  had  a  great  Saviour  to  accomplish  it,  a  great  Spirit  applies  it,  and  a  great  multi- 
tude will  be  saved  by  it.  6.  It  is  a  glorious  salvation.  God  saves  without  a  spot 
on  His  throne ;  without  a  speck  on  His  character ;  here  is  God  glorified  in  justifying 
the  man.  7.  This  salvation  is  a  perfect  one  ;  there  is  no  deficiency  in  it.  It  does 
not  save  from  some  sin,  but  from  all  sin.  There  is  nothing  wanting  for  God,  for 
man,  for  life,  for  death,  and  an  eternal  world.  8.  This  salvation  is  an  everlasting 
salvation,  grace,  and  glory.  Conclusion  :  From  our  subject  we  see — 1.  The  good- 
ness of  God  in  providing  such  a  salvation.     2.  The  misery  of  man,  that  required  or 


334  TEE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vi. 

rendered  it  necessary.  3.  The  awful  state  of  the  man  that  despises  or  neglects  this 
salvation.  (Theo.  Jones.)  The  accepted  time  : — "  Behold  "  is  as  a  lanim  beU  of 
attention,  "  now  "  is  as  a  finger  of  indication  or  application  to  a  season.  1.  To 
awake  our  faith  (Isa.  vii.  14).  2.  To  awake  our  hope  (Apoc.  xxii.  12).  3.  To 
awake  our  love  (1  John  iii.  1).  4.  To  awake  our  fear  (Apoc.  i.  7).  5.  To  wake  our 
joy  (Luke  ii.  10,  11).  6.  To  awake  our  thankfulness  (Psalm  cxxxiv.  1).  7.  To 
awake  our  compassion  (Lam.  i.  12).  8.  To  awake  our  diligence.  "The  accepted 
time."  The  season  is  that  in  time  which  light  is  in  the  air,  lustre  in  metals,  the 
flower  in  plants,  cream  in  mUk,  quintessence  in  herbs,  the  prime  and  best  of  it. 
Now  there  being  a  threefold  season — 1.  Natural,  which  husbandmen  observe  in 
sowing,  gardeners  in  planting  and  grassing,  mariners  in  putting  to  sea.  2.  Civil, 
which  aU  humble  suppliants  observe  in  preferring  petitions  to  princes  and  great 
personages.-  3.  Spiritual,  which  all  that  have  a  care  of  their  salvation  must  observe 
in  seeking  the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found.     (D.  Featly,  D.D.) 

Vers.  3-5.  Giving  no  offence.  .  .  .  that  the  ministry  be  not  blamed. — Ministers 
cautioned  against  giving  offence : — To  preach  and  to  act  so  that  none  shall  be 
offended  would  indeed  be  an  impossible  task ;  and  that  can  never  be  our  duty, 
which  is  wholly  out  of  our  power.  The  tastes  of  our  hearers  are  so  opposite  and  so 
changeable.  The  captious  vrill  censure  our  not  doing  what  was  either  impossible 
or  unfit  to  be  done.  Even  truth  and  holiness  give  offence.  But  if  men  take  um- 
brage at  us  for  doing  our  duty,  it  becomes  us  to  offend  man  rather  than  God.  It  is 
evident,  therefore,  the  duty  of  giving  no  offence  only  means  the  giving  no  just 
cause  of  offence.  I.  Oub  ute  and  conversation  should  be  tNOFFENsrvE.  Many 
eyes  are  upon  us ;  and  the  same  allowances  will  not  be  made  for  our  miscarriages 
as  for  those  of  others.  When  our  practice  is  manifestly  inconsistent  with  our 
doctrines,  the  finest  accomplishments  will  not  screen  us  from  deserved  reproach. 
We  move  in  a  more  exalted  sphere  than  others ;  and,  if  we  would  shine  as  Ughts  of 
the  world,  we  had  need  to  avoid  every  appearance  of  evil.  The  world  expects  that 
we  should  do  honour  to  our  profession.  Many  things,  abstractly  considered,  may 
be  lawful,  which  yet  are  not  expedient.     II.  We  should   give   no  offence  bx 

CHOOSING  injudiciously  THE  SUBJECTS  OF  OUB  SEBMONS.  IH.  We  GIVE  OFFENCE  IF 
WB  DO  NOT  INSIST   ON   SUBJECTS   SUITED   TO   THE   SPIBITUAL   STATE    OF   OUB   FLOCKS,    AND 

TO  THE  DISPENSATIONS  OF  PROVIDENCE  TOWABDS  THEM.  A  Well-timed  dlscourse  bids 
fairest  to  strike  and  edify.  In  many  cases  we  will  instruct  and  admonish  in  vain, 
if  we  stay  not  till  men's  minds  are  in  proper  temper  to  give  us  a  fair  hearing.    IV. 

We   may   GIVE    OFFENCE   BY   A   NEGLECT  OR  UNDUE   PEEFORMANCE  OF   THE    OTHER   PUBLIC 

OFFICES  OF  OUB  STATION.  In  leading  the  devotions  of  the  Church,  we  give  offence 
when  either  the  matter,  expression,  or  manner,  is  unsuitable.  As  to  the  discipline 
of  the  Church,  we  give  offence  if  we  exercise  it  with  respect  of  persons ;  and, 
through  a  mistaken  tenderness  for  any,  or  a  fear  of  incurring  their  displeasure, 
allow  them  to  live  without  due  censure,  who  live  inconsistently.     V.  We  give 

OFFENCE  BY  THE  NEGLECT  OR  UNDUE  PERFORMANCE  OF  THE  MORE  PRIVATE  DUTIES  OP 

OUR  CALLING.  (J.  ErsMne,  D.D.)  In  all  things  approving  ourselves  as  the 
ministers  of  God,  in  much  patience,  in  afllictions. — Ministerial  duties  (Ordination 
charge) : — I.  The  nature  of  our  office.  We  are  "  the  ministers  of  God."  This 
implies — 1.  That  we  are  sent  by  God.  2.  That  you  are  to  labour  for  God.  If  for 
God,  then  not  surely  for  yourself.  Some  serve  themselves  by  entering  upon  it 
merely  with  a  view  to  temporal  support ;  others,  by  entering  it  chiefly  with  a  view 
to  literary  leisure  and  scientific  pursuits.  Draw  by  aU  means  the  waters  of  the 
Castalian  fountain,  cull  the  flowers  of  Parnassus,  explore  the  world  of  mind  with 
Locke,  and  the  laws  of  matter  with  Newton  ;  but  not  as  the  end  of  your  entering 
the  ministry.  Not  a  few  make  the  ministerial  office  tributary  to  the  acquisition  of 
mere  popular  applause.  They  ascend  the  pulpit  with  the  same  object  which 
conducts  the  actor  to  the  stage.  3.  That  you  are  responsible  to  God.  II.  In  what 
way  the  duties  of  our  office  should  be  discharged.  Approve  yourself  the 
minister  of  God — 1.  By  faithfully  preaching  His  Word.  The  pulpit  is  the  chair 
neither  of  philosophy  nor  of  literature,  and  therefore  never  act  there  the  pedant. 
Itor  is  it  merely  the  seat  of  the  moralist,  but  it  is  the  oracle  of  heaven.  (1)  As  to 
the  matter  of  your  preaching,  take  care  that  it  is  truly  and  faithfully  the  word  of 
God.  Beware  of  substituting  the  inventions  of  ignorance  for  the  doctrines  of 
insphation.  Pray  to  be  led  into  all  truth.  Preach  the  whole  counsel  of  God. 
Elucidate  its  histories ;  explain  its  prophecies,  &c.  As  a  steward  of  the  mysteries 
of  the  kingdom  you  have  access  to  exhaustless  stores.     Still,  as  a  minister  of  the 


CHAP.  VI.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  335 

New  Testament,  remember  that  Christ's  Cross  is  the  centre  of  the  whole  system, 
around  which  all  the  doctrines  and  the  duties  of  revelation  revolve ;  from  which  the 
former  borrow  their  light,  and  the  latter  their  energy.  (2)  Now  as  to  the  manner  of' 
your  preaching.  It  should  be  characterised  by — (a)  Deep  seriousness,  (b)  A  holy 
and  moral  tendency.  The  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  is  "  according  to  godliness."  (c)  In- 
structiveness.  The  preaching  of  some  men  reminds  us  of  the  breaking  open  of  the  cave 
of  jEoIus,  and  letting  loose  the  winds.  To  a  thinking  mind,  nothing  is  more  ridiculous 
than  to  see  a  man  blustering  about  in  a  perfect  vacuity  of  ideas,  (d)  Plainness. 
*'  Use  great  plainness  of  speech."  2.  By  the  manner  in  which  you  preside  over  the 
Church.  3.  By  the  character  of  your  visits  to  the  houses  of  your  flock.  As  an 
under  shepherd  of  Jesus  labour  to  say,  "  I  know  my  sheep,  and  am  known  of  mine." 
Let  all  your  visits  be — (1)  Appropriate.  Go  as  the  minister  of  God,  and  go  to 
approve  yourself  such.  (2)  Brief.  Avoid  the  character  of  a  lounger  and  a  gossip. 
You  are  to  teach  the  value  of  time,  and  will  do  this  best,  practically.  (3)  Impartial. 
Especially  remember  the  sick  and  the  poor.  (4)  Seasonable ;  and  certainly  not  late 
in  the  evening.  4.  By  your  general  conduct,  spirit,  and  habits.  (1)  By  the  un- 
sullied purity  of  your  outward  conduct.  (2)  13y  the  prosperous  state  of  your 
personal  piety.  Seek  to  have  all  your  intellectual  attainments  consecrated  by  a 
proportionate  growth  in  grace.  (3)  By  exemplary  diligence.  (4)  By  prudence.  (5) 
By  a  kind,  affectionate  disposition.  (6)  By  a  habit  of  importunate  prayer.  [J. 
Angell  James.) 

Vers.  6-9.  By  pureness. — Pureness  : — The  Greek  word — like  the  cognate  form, 
•'  holiness " — seems  to  come  from  a  root  denoting  reverence.  It  suggests  the 
thought  of  the  awe  with  which  nature  herself  regards  the  presence  of  purity.  All 
kinds  of  purity  carry  an  awe  with  them.  Whether  it  be  the  purity  of  aim  and 
motive  in  all  things — the  singleness,  disinterestedness,  unselfishness,  which  we  see 
rarely  but  certainly  manifested  in  social,  political,  ecclesiastical  life — that  high 
and  noble  principle  which  carries  a  man  straight  to  the  mark  of  truth  and  duty, 
without  one  side-look  to  the  convenient,  the  remunerative,  or  the  popular ;  or 
whether  it  be — and  probably  this  is  the  thing  more  directly  in  view — that  chastity 
of  the  heart  and  of  the  soul,  which  alone  can  see  God,  and  alone  move  unscathed 
and  unscathing  on  an  earth  rife  with  temptation — in  either  case  we  have  here  the 
primary  condition  of  a  blameless  ministry,  lay  or  clerical ;  in  either  case  we  have 
here  the  quality  which  wins  reverence — which  makes  men  feel,  and  the  moi'e 
closely  they  approach  it,  that  here  is  a  Divine  presence — that  here,  in  this  man 
of  like  passions  as  they  are,  there  is,  moving  and  working,  a  Spirit  not  of  man  but 
of  God — a  Spirit  which  has  a  further  message  for  them,  whether  they  will  hear  it 
or  whether  they  will  forbear.  (Deem  Vaughan.)  By  knowledge. — By  knowledge : — 
A  remarkable,  yet  most  just,  transition.  St.  Paul  anticipates  here  a  coming  abuse 
and  distortion.  Pureness  cannot  be  over-estimated.  But  there  is  a  pursuit  of 
pureness  which  is  not  according  to  knowledge.  Witness  the  monastery  and  the 
confessional ;  witness  the  narrow,  the  enthralling,  the  degrading  processes  by 
which  "ministers  of  God"  have  "given  offence"  in  this  matter — making  purity 
the  whole  of  grace,  and  debasing  purity  itself — as  St.  Paul  saw  some  would  debase 
charity — into  a  negative  and  a  seK-neutralising  virtue.  I  read  here  the  Divine 
warrant  for  the  expansion  of  the  human  intellect ;  the  assurance  that  the  gospel  is 
the  friend  and  the  nurse  of  enlightenment ;  that  the  true  gospel  never  runs  into 
corners,  or  hides  its  head  in  the  sand,  by  reason  of  a  fear  of  knowledge.  I  read 
i  here  the  benediction  of  God  upon  education — upon  all  that  braces  and  adorns  the 
^intellect ;  upon  aU  that  enables  a  young  man  to  judge  of  truth  by  truth,  to  exercise 
a  sound  mind  upon  doctrine  presented  to  him,  to  try  the  very  "spirits  of  the 
[prophets,"  whether  they  are  of  God,  by  ascertaining  the  vigour,  and  the  consistency, 
and  the  satisfactoriness  to  conscience,  of  the  language  they  speak.  Above  all,  I 
read  here  the  solemn,  the  awful  duty  of  each  minister  and  of  each  Christian  to  gain 
a  clear  and  a  piercing  insight  into  the  gospel  as  a  whole,  into  the  Bible  as  the  Book 
lOf  Books.  The  knowledge  of  which  St.  Paul  wrote  was  pre-eminently  a  gospel 
'knowledge.  He  lived  in  days  when  that  title,  so  honourable,  so  easily  assumed, 
I  was  beginning  to  be  fraught  with  mischief  and  ruin  to  the  Church  of  God.  He 
himself  said  elsewhere,  "  Knowledge  puffeth  up  ;  it  is  love  which  edifieth."  And 
therefore  we  may  be  quite  sure  that  the  "  knowledge  "  by  which  he  "  approved 
himself,"  was  distinctly  a  knowledge  of  revelation — yet  a  knowledge  no  less  checked 
and  tempered  by  other  knowledge,  than  prompted  and  inspired  by  a  Spirit  not  of 
the  world.     In  these  days  the  importance  of  knowledge,  side  by  side  with  pureness. 


336  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vi. 

is  asserting  itself  as  perhaps  never  before.  The  necessity  of  Christian  people  being 
also  an  educated  people.  That  they  should  be  able  to  hold  their  own  against  all 
comers.  That  they  should  be  able  to  refute — and  not  to  be  frightened  at — the  gain- 
sayers.  The  timidity  of  conscious  ignorance  is  the  cause  of  half  our  compromises 
and  our  cowardices.  We  Christians  flee  where  no  man  pursueth,  because  we  have 
not  taken  the  measure  of  the  possible  capacities  of  the  imagined  pursuer.  But  not 
less  is  it  necessary  that  Christian  men  should  "know"  their  own  gospel.  We 
snatch  up,  here  and  there,  a  text  or  a  word,  a  phrase  or  a  clause,  detach  it  from  its 
context,  never  define,  never  balance,  and  then,  following  some  party  leader,  fight 
for  the  name  and  never  "  know  "  the  thing.  And  so  it  may  happen  that,  under  the 
banner  of  the  name,  we  may  even  be  fighting  against  the  thing.  We  may  have  a 
zeal  for  God  Himself — and  "  not  according  to  knowledge."  I  speak  fearlessly  the 
praises  of  knowledge.  Only  let  us  take  heed,  first,  that  we  be  not  bringing  a 
"science  falsely  so  called  "into  antagonism  with  Him  who  is  "  the  truth";  and 
secondly,  that  we  be  quite  sure  that  our  Divine  truth  is  the  whole  of  truth — in 
other  words,  is  Christ  Himself — in  His  Deity,  and  in  His  Humanity — in  His  holi- 
ness, and  His  wisdom,  and  His  love !  (Ibid.)  By  kindness. — Kindness  : — If 
there  be  one  virtue  which  most  commends  Christians,  it  is  that  of  kindness :  it  is 
to  love  the  people  of  God,  to  love  the  Church,  to  love  poor  sinners,  to  love  all. 
But  how  many  have  we  in  our  churches  of  crab-tree  Christians,  who  have  mixed 
such  a  vast  amount  of  vinegar,  and  such  a  tremendous  quantity  of  gall  in  their 
constitutions,  that  they  can  scarcely  speak  one  good  word  to  you.  They  imagine 
it  impossible  to  defend  religion  except  by  passionate  ebullitions ;  they  cannot 
speak  for  their  dishonoured  Master  without  being  angry  with  their  opponent ;  and 
if  anything  is  awry,  whether  it  be  in  the  house,  the  church,  or  anywhere  else,  they 
conceive  it  to  be  their  duty  to  set  their  faces  like  flint,  and  to  defy  everybody. 
They  are  like  isolated  icebergs,  no  one  cares  to  go  near  them.  Imitate  Christ  in 
your  loving  spirits ;  speak  kindly,  act  kindly,  and  think  kindly,  that  men  may  say 
of  you,  "  He  has  been  with  Jesus."  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  By  the  Holy  Ghost. — 
Power  : — This  clause  might  be  so  interpreted  as  to  include  the  rest.  Pureness, 
knowledge,  and  love,  are  all  gifts  of  the  One  Spirit.  This  reflection  shows  that 
when  St.  Paul  wrote,  "  By  the  Holy  Ghost,"  amongst  a  number  of  particulars,  he 
must  have  meant  something  more  precise  and  less  comprehensive.  A  man  might 
have  pureness  and  knowledge,  and  yet  lack  two  things.  We  have  known  men  of 
clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart,  of  extensive  knowledge  and  well-defined  doctrine, 
who  were  singularly  deficient  in  power.  That  elevating,  transforming,  re-creating 
influence,  which  brings  a  glow,  and  a  force,  and  a  rush  into  the  whole  being,  and 
turns  the  commonplace  into  the  original,  and  the  natural  into  the  spiritual,  and  the 
earthly  into  the  heavenly,  has  not  yet  passed  over  them.  They  are  clean  and 
sound,  but  they  are  not  illuminated  and  transfigured.  Their  life  is  not  a  motive 
life.  It  does  not  kindle,  because  it  is  not  alight.  No  one  catches  fire  at  sleeping 
embers.  These  men  are  like  a  fire  laid,  to  which  the  match  has  not  yet  brought 
the  life-gij?ing  spark.  Something  of  this  kind  is  often  made  the  special  ofiice  of  the 
Holy  Ghos*.  The  cleansing  water  is  one  of  His  emblems ;  but  the  rushing  wind  is- 
another,  and  the  enkindling  fire  is  a  third.  And  though  the  miraculous  gifts  are 
gone — gone  because  their  work  is  done,  and  they  would  but  impede  the  gospel  pro- 
gress in  this  nineteenth  century — still  power  remains,  as  one  of  the  proofs,  and  not 
one  of  the  meanest  or  least  convincing  proofs,  of  the  Divine  origin  of  the  gospel. 
Only  let  your  mind  receive  into  it,  in  answer  to  prayer,  the  real  presence  of  God 
Himself  in  the  Holy  Spirit — and  you  are  a  man  of  power  at  once.  The  energy 
communicated  to  your  soul  must  act  and  influence.  The  grace  of  pureness,  the 
grace  of  knowledge,  pass  on  into  the  grace  of  power.  Multitudes,  even  of  sincere 
Christians,  stop  short  of  this ;  and,  though  safety  may  be  theirs,  it  is  a  half-selfish 
safety — they  go  for  next  to  nothing  in  the  real  battle-fleld  of  the  gospel.  Let  us 
be  Christians  through  and  through.  {Dean  Vaughan.)  By  love  unfeigned. — ■ 
Love  unfeigned  : — Pureness,  and  knowledge,  and  power — not  even  in  this  combina- 
tion is  the  Christian  character  perfected.  There  might  be  a  hardness,  coldness, 
seK-complacency,  censoriousness,  still — showing  some  lamentable  deficiency  in  the 
presentation  of  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ.  Love,  as  the  Greek  says,  unhypo- 
critical,  is  an  indispensable  part  of  the  "approving,"  of  the  "not  offending,"  of 
the  minister,  of  the  Christian.  What  is  purity  without  love  ?  Cold,  stern,  how 
unlike  the  holiness  of  Jesus !  What  is  knowledge  without  love  ?  Self-engrossing, 
contemptuous — how  opposite  to  that  Divine  insight  of  which  St.  Paul  says,  "  If 
any  man  love,  the  same  knoweth,"  or  "  is  known  "  1     What  is  power  without  love  ?> 


CHAP.  VI.]  IT.  CORINTHIANS.  337 

Imperious,  exacting,  perhaps  cruel — how,  how  incongruous  with  the  position  of  a 
creature,  of  a  sinner  1  Nature  herself  is  witness  that  there  is  yet  a  more  excellent 
way.  Love — love  unfeigned.  Yes,  that  love  which  at  the  altar  of  God's  own  love 
has  kindled  alike  the  love  of  God  and  the  love  of  man.  That  love  which  is  the 
handing  on  of  love  ;  the  transmission,  the  transfusion — as  of  course,  as  that  which 
must  be,  which  could  not  be  coerced  or  cabined — of  a  forgiveness,  of  a  peace,  of  a 
joy,  felt  first,  and  felt  as  a  gift,  within.  That  love  which  has  no  stint  and  no 
limit,  because  it  is  the  reflection  of  a  love  infinite,  inexhaustible.  Who  does  not 
know,  who  does  not  feel  as  he  but  listens,  that  the  man  who  has  this  love  in  him  is 
indeed  "  approved  as  God's  minister  "  ?  And  without  this  love  unhypocritical, 
what  are  gifts  of  intellect,  of  eloquence,  of  insight  into  truth,  of  scrupulosity  in 
duty?  Where  is  the  attestation,  in  all  these,  of  the  ministry,  or  of  the  gospel? 
"  He  that  dwelleth  in  love  dwelleth  in  God  " — men  feel  that  God  is  m  him,  as  a 
light,  as  a  strength,  as  a  love,  as  a  consolation.     (Ibid.) 

Vers.  9,  10.  As  unknown,  and  yet  well  known. — A  catalogue  of  contradictions  : — 
In  these  and  preceding  verses  we  have  the  grand  characteristics  of  apostolic  life. — 
1.  Their  difficulties  and  dangers.  2.  The  methods  of  their  ministry.  3.  The 
seeming  contradictions  that  made  up  their  life.  Examining  these  in  order, 
notice — I.  Conspicuousness  in  obscurity.  1.  God's  people  are  "  hidden  ones." 
"  The  world  knoweth  us  not,  because  it  knew  Him  not."  What  comes  within  the 
range  of  the  senses  the  world  can  understand  ;  but  what  is  only  spiritually  discerned 
the  world  cannot  know.  2.  But  these  hidden  ones  occupy  a  most  prominent 
position  before  God,  and  all  spiritual  intelligences.  "  The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are 
over  the  righteous."  The  entirety  of  their  inner  and  outer  life  is  well  known  in 
heaven.  Their  names  are  registered  in  the  Book  of  Life.  II.  Life  in  death.  1. 
The  life  of  the  old  man  dies  by  the  painful,  lingering  process  of  crucifixion.  2.  A 
new  Divine  life  is  planted  in  the  soul  which  develops  in  proportion  as  the  old  man 
is  crucified.  III.  Safety  in  afflictive  providences.  1.  The  primal  spring  of 
the  chastisement  of  a  child  of  God  is  parental  love  (Heb.  xiii.).  Without  it,  we 
should  be  condemned  with  the  world  ;  the  dross  of  our  many  sins  and  corruptions 
would  remain,  and  should  not  be  wrought  for  us.  We  should  fail  to  be  conformed 
to  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  was  made  perfect  through  sufferings.  2.  But  observe  the 
safety  guaranteed.  "  Not  killed."  That  is  impossible,  for  omnipotence  upholds 
them  (Rom.  viii.  35-39).  IV.  Joy  in  sorrow.  1.  The  sources  of  a  believer's 
sorrows.  (1)  In  his  heart  and  life  there  is  much  to  cause  depression,  much  that 
grieves  the  Holy  Spirit.  (2)  In  his  circumstances.  2.  But  he  can  look  beyond  all 
these  to  the  counterbalancing  joy.  "  The  joy  of  the  Lord  is  his  strength."  V. 
Munificence  in  poverty.  1.  God's  people  are  often  poor  as  to  this  world.  "  God 
hath  chosen  the  poor  rich  in  faith."  Christ  Himself  was  a  poor  man.  But  apart 
altogether  from  external  circumstances,  God's  people  are,  and  feel  themselves  to  be, 
spiritually  poor.  In  the  fall  man  lost  everything.  2.  But  a  rich  connection  has 
been  formed  on  the  part  of  God's  chosen  ones  with  the  Lord  of  all,  who  has 
"  unsearchable  riches."  Hence  it  follows  that  he  who  is  poor  can  "  make  many 
rich."  A  true  saint,  who  has  nothing  in  himself,  but  all  things  in  Christ,  is  the 
greatest  benefactor  of  his  race.  VI.  Boundless  possessions  in  UTtER  destitution. 
(P.  Morrison.)  Opposite  views  of  a  good  man's  life  : — I.  To  the  secular  eye  he 
was  UNKNOWN ;  to  the  spiritual,  well  known,  1.  The  world  has  never  yet  rightly 
understood  the  real  life  of  a  Christian.  To  the  world,  Paul  appeared  a  fanatic. 
John  says,  the  "  world  knoweth  us  not."  The  world  does  not  understand  self- 
sacrificing  love.  It  understands  ambition,  greed,  revenge,  but  not  this.  2.  This 
explains  martyrdom,  ay,  and  the  crucifixion  of  Christ.  But  though  thus  unknown 
to  men,  they  are  well-known — (1)  To  Christ.  Christ  knows  all  about  His  disciples  ; 
their  inner  life  and  outward  circumstances.  (2)  To  heavenly  spirits.  They  are 
famous  in  heaven.  At  their  conversion  heaven  rejoiced,  and  over  every  step  of 
their  subsequent  history  heaven  watches  with  a  loving  care.  "  He  giveth  His 
angels  charge  over  thee."  II.  To  the  one  dying  ;  to  the  other  living.  1.  To 
worldly  men  Paul  appeared  as  mortal  as  other  men;  with  a  frame  scourged, 
wasted,  he  was  nothing  but  a  dying  man.  2.  But,  spiritually,  he  was  living.  The 
soul  within  that  dying  body  was  living  a  wonderful  life — a  life  of  Christly  inspira- 
tions and  aims.  III.  To  the  one,  much  tried  ;  to  the  other,  not  destroyed.  The 
word  chastened  here  refers  to  his  scourgings.  For  a  catalogue  of  his  sufferings,  see 
chap.  xi.  23-27.  To  worldly  spectatcfrs  he,  with  all  his  wounds,  would  appear 
a  dead  man ;  but  his  spiritual  purposes,  enjoyments,  and  hopes  were  not  killed. 

22 


338  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  yi. 

rV,  To  the  one,  veet  soerowtul  ;  to  the  other,  alwats  rejoicing.  V.  To  the  one, 
vebipoor;  to  the  other,  wealth-giving.  1.  Paul  and  his  colleagues  had  suffered 
the  loss  of  all  things.  OfteTi  breadless,  homeless,  and  clad  in  rags.  2.  Yet  spiritually 
they  were  not  only  rich,  but  made  others  rich.  (1)  The  highest  work  of  man  is  to 
impart  spiritual  riches  to  his  brother  man.  The  most  dignified  and  delectable 
work  is  this.  (2)  Worldly  poverty  does  not  disqualify  a  man  for  the  discharge  of 
this  sublime  mission.  The  gospel  is  to  be  diffused  not  by  man  as  a  scholar,  philo- 
sopher, but  by  man  as  man.  VI.  To  the  one,  destitute  ;  to  the  other,  enormously 
rich.  "All  things  are  yours."  Christhness  gives  us  an  interest  in  all  things. 
They  are  given  to  man  to  enjoy.  Conclusion  :  Do  not  estimate  life  by  appearances. 
(D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  Literary  altruism : — In  the  Scriptures  we  continually  come 

upon  double  statements  of  this  kind : — unknown,  yet  well  known ;  possible,  yet  impos- 
sible ;  absent,  yet  present ;  on  earth,  yet  in  heaven ;  knowing  nothing,  yet  judging  all 
things.  So  we  are  at  liberty  to  apply  the  words,  which  in  their  first  meaning  were 
restricted  to  personal  experience,  to  the  illustration  of  profounder  truths  and  wider 
doctrines.  Suppose  we  suggest  future  time.  That  is  unknown,  yet  well  known. 
Futurity  is  the  mystery  of  life.  We  Uve  for  the  future,  even  whilst  we  may  deny  its 
broader  aspects.  What  is  this  magnet  that  draws  us  on  ?  Its'  name  is  To-morrow. 
No  man  hath  seen  To-morrow  at  any  time,  any  more  than  any  man  hath  seen  God 
at  any  time.  Yet  we  cannot  deny  it,  though  we  have  never  seen  it,  we  have  nevei 
lived  it,  we  have  no  experience  of  it ;  we  have  a  symbol  by  which  we  represent  it,  we 
acknowledge  its  inspiration,  its  mysterious,  elevating,  animating  influence;  but 
what  it  is,  whence  it  comes,  what  it  wlU  bring,  in  what  shape  it  will  accost  us,  in 
what  tone  of  voice,  how  grim  its  sUence,  how  eloquent  its  salutation,  none  can  tell. 
So  we  say  the  future  is  unknown,  yet  well  known.  Thus,  in  detail,  for  one 
moment.  The  farmer  speaks  of  next  harvest :  will  there  be  a  harvest  time  ?  No  man 
doubts  it.  What  will  it  be  in  yield  and  in  value  ?  None  can  teU.  It  is  known,  yet 
unknown — known  as  a  broad  fact,  unknown  in  all  the  minuteness  of  its  detail,  and 
the  palpitation  of  its  immediate  results.  Take  the  grim  certainty  of  death.  We 
now  call  it  a  commonplace  when  we  say  "  all  men  are  mortal."  That  is  undoubted. 
By  what  gate  wUl  you  go  out  of  this  little  land  into  the  unknown  territory  ?  Will 
you  begin  to  die  in  the  feet  or  at  the  head  ?  Will  your  heart  suddenly  stop  like  a 
hindered  pendulum  ?  So  we  have  the  known  and  the  unknown.  Is  there  anything 
else  that  combines  these  marvellous  features  of  being  at  once  unknown,  yet  well 
known?  Take  life.  Who  knows  it?  No  man.  It  is  as  mysterious  as  God. 
The  man  who  can  accept  life  ought  to  have  no  difficulty  in  accepting  the 
Triune  God.  What  is  life  ?  No  man  has  ever  told.  Where  is  it  ?  No  man  has 
seen  its  sanctuary.  Is  there  any  other  illustration  open  to  the  general  mind  which 
confirms  this  altruism,  which  the  apostle  so  graphically  represented  ?  Take 
character.  What  is  character  ?  How  is  it  made  up  ?  Can  you  handle  it  and  say, 
Behold,  such  is  its  figure  ?  Can  you  weigh  it  in  pounds  troy,  and  assign  its  weight,  to 
the  utmost  ounce  or  carat  ?  Can  you  walk  around  it  ?  Have  you  ever  seen  it  ? 
Only  in  incarnation,  just  as  you  have  seen  God.  What  do  you  know  about  "  a 
beautiful  character  "  ?  You  say  how  mild,  how  modest,  how  genial,  how  courteous. 
How  do  you  know  ?  We  know  nothing  about  character.  Call  no  man  good  until 
he  is  dead,  and  even  after  death  there  may  come  revelations  which  wiH  "  fright  the 
isle  from  its  propriety."  So  we  come  to  the  great  mystery  of  all — God.  He  is 
unknown.  We  acknowledge  it.  The  Bible  says  so.  Yet  God  is  well  kno\vn.  We 
cannot  tell  how  we  know  Him,  but  we  do  know  Him ;  imagination  knows  Him,  the 
heart  knows  Him,  reason  feels  Him  near,  conscience  hushes  the  whole  being  into 
sUence,  because  of  a  mysterious  presence.  We  know  some  realities  by  the  power  of 
love,  not  by  the  power  of  genius.  So  we  enlarge  the  whole  sphere  of  altruistic 
vision,  and  come  upon  such  words  as  "possible,  yet  impossible."  "  With  God  aU 
things  are  possible,"  says  Jesus  Christ,  and  one  of  His  apostles  wrote  in  an  epistle, 
"  it  is  impossible  for  God."  Both  statements  are  true,  and  both  are  needed  to 
complete  a  statement  of  the  truth.  We  refer  to  this  now,  because  it  helps  us  to  a 
most  practical  point.  It  is  possible  for  you  to  pull  down  your  house,  brick  by  brick, 
stone  by  stone,  and  to  begin  immediately  to  unroof  the  family  dwelling ;  you  have 
strength,  you  cannot  procure  instruments,  all  needful  aids  are  at  your  service ;  you 
could  in  one  short  day  dismantle  and  destroy  your  dwelling ;  yet  you  could  not, 
you  could  do  nothing  of  the  kind.  What  hinders  you  V  An  invisible  power. 
What  is  its  name  ?  Reason,  common-sense,  a  correct  apprehension  of  justice  and 
righteousness.  Then  we  are  under  spiritual  control,  notwithstanding  our  h-re- 
ligiousness?     (J.  Parker,  D.D.)        As  sorrowful,  yet  alway  rejoicing — Sorrowing, 


CHAP.  VI.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  SSg- 

yet  alway  rejoici7ig : — I.  We  ail  want  to  find  a  way  of  so  mingling  sorrow  and  joy 

TOGETHER,     THAT    NEITHER     SHALL     CONTRADICT     OR     WEAKEN     THE     OTHER.       YoU     See 

people  hugging  a  sorrow,  feeding  upon  it.  The  wild  cry  of  Constance,  "  Grief  fills 
the  room  up  of  my  absent  child,"  has  been  the  cry  of  many  a  mother.  You 
perceive  that  such  indulgence  is  morbid  and  dangerous ;  but  you  take,  in  general, 
very  unsatisfactory  methods  of  curing  it.  You  try  to  dissipate  the  patient's  mind, 
to  present  other  objects  which  may  cause  the  object  on  which  it  dwells  to  be 
forgotten.  Often  you  succeed.  But  something  is  destroyed  which  should  have 
been  preserved.  The  waters  of  Lethe  are  not  those  which  purge  the  spirit.  They 
take  away  much  that  is  best  and  strongest  in  it ;  they  leave  weeds  and  mud  behind. 
Depend  upon  it,  sorrow  has  that  in  it  which  we  need  and  cannot  afford  to  part  with. 
He  is  a  thief  and  an  enemy  who  would  take  it  from  us.  This  is  so,  whatever  be  the 
occasion  of  the  sorrow.  Do  not  say,  "  This  is  a  poor,  mean  occasion  for  a  man 
to  grieve  about."  The  loss  is  a  calamity.  The  grief  for  it  is  a  gift  which  you  may 
turn  into  a  curse  or  into  a  blessing.  An  illustrious  historian  said  that  he  could 
discover  in  eminent  men,  of  various  periods,  an  impoverishment  and  decay  of  heart 
and  intellect,  dating  from  a  crisis  of  their  lives,  when  they  had  wilfuUy  thrown  off 
some  great  sorrow  which  might  have  given  them  consistency  and  depth.  The 
question  is,  whether  we  shall  merely  nurse  sorrow  as  if  it  were  a  warrant  for 
misanthropy,  or  accept  it  as  a  message  from  above  to  teach  us  more  of  our  relations 
to  other  men  and  of  our  relation  to  God.  In  this  sense  Paul  was  always  sorrowing. 
There  is  not  a  trace  in  any  of  his  Epistles  of  morbidness.  He  is  always  in  action. 
He  is  thinking,  feeling  for  others.  In  one  sense  he  "  forgets  the  things  that  are 
behind."  He  determines  that  they  shall  not  impede  him.  But  in  another  sense, 
nothing  is  forgotten.  All  is  coloured  and  shaped  by  his  own  previous  experiences. 
What  he  has  suffered  enables  him  to  look  with  straight  eyes  upon  the  suffering  of 
the  world.  He  regards  it  as  a  sign  of  derangement  in  that  which  is  divinely  good ; 
therefore  it  makes  him  mourn.  He  regards  it  as  one  of  the  instriiments  for 
removing  that  which  is  deranged ;  therefore  it  carmot  make  him  despair.  St.  Paul 
learnt  to  sorrow  when  he  learnt  to  hope.  He  knew  the  anguish  of  conscience  before ; 
but  he  did  not  know  son-ow  till  he  had  a  revelation  of  One  who  cared  for  him, 
mourned  for  him,  died  for  him.  There  then  arose  upon  him  the  vision  of  a  Man 
of  Sorrows  ;  and  now  he  could  desire  nothing  better  than  to  enter  into  the  mind  of 

Chl'ist.       n.    A   MAN   WHO    IS   ALWAYS    SORROWING   IN    THIS   WAY,    MUST   BE   ALSO    ALWAYS 

REJOICING.  Such  a  weight  of  sorrow  could  only  have  been  sustained  by  a  joy  that 
was  commensurate  with  it.  1.  We  all  confess  this  truth  in  one  way  or  another. 
The  most  frivolous  person  says,  "  I  have  had  much  trial  of  late ;  I  must  have 
more  than  ordinary  pleasure  that  I  may  endure  it."  We  often  denounce  such 
language,  but  there  is  a  meaning  in  it,  though  an  inverted  one.  The  joy  which  we 
seek  for  to  quench  sorrow,  is  on  the  whole  a  poor  flimsy  joy ;  not  the  joy  which 
penetrates  far  below  the  surface.  That  joy  which  hes  at  the  very  root  of  our  being, 
which  is  as  necessary  for  human  life  as  moisture  is  for  vegetable  life — that  joy 
which,  amid  the  frosts  of  the  world,  would  perish  utterly  if  Heaven  did  not  watch 
over  it — that  joy  does  not  seek  to  escape  from  sorrow,  but  encounters  it  and  finds 
its  own  strength  in  enduring  it.  2.  As  Paul  found  in  the  Son  of  Man  the  climax 
of  all  human  sorrow,  so  he  owned  in  that  same  Son  of  Man  and  Son  of  God  the 
source  and  climax  of  all  human  joy.  As  he  recollected  what  the  work  of  the 
Sorrower  on  earth  had  been — how  every  act  He  had  done  was  to  take  away  some 
disease,  some  death-anguish,  it  was  not  possible  but  that  he  should  believe  that 
there  was  another  cup  besides  that  which  His  Father  had  given  Him,  and  which 
He  drained  to  the  dregs.  Every  hour  that  Jesus  was  walking  among  men  He  was 
giving  them  some  foretaste  of  this  joy,  some  token  that  He  came  to  make  them 
inheritors  of  it.  But  there  was  a  special  hour  in  which  we  are  told  He  rejoiced  in 
His  own  Spkit  (Matt.  xi.  25-27).  I  think  I  read  here  the  secret  of  St.  Paul's 
continual  joy  in  the  midst  of  his  continual  sorrow.     {F.  D.  Maurice,  M.A.)  The 

sorrows  and  pleasures  attendant  on  true  piety  : — I.  The  causes  of  the  believer's 
BORROW.  1.  The  painful  sense  he  entertains  of  his  remaining  imperfections,  sinful- 
ness, and  weakness.  2.  The  difficulty  of  maintaining  a  steadfast  belief  in  the  great 
and  essential  truths  of  the  gospel  of  our  salvation.  3.  The  prevalent  impiety,  the 
wide-spreading  moral  wretchedness,  with  which  he  sees  himself  continually  sur- 
rounded. 4.  The  natural  evil,  the  physical  suffering,  which  prevails  to  so  wide  an 
extent  in  the  world  around  him.  II.  The  sources  of  his  joy.  1.  The  blessed 
hope  that  when  he  shall  have  accomphshed  his  day,  he  shall  find  admittance  into 
that  blissful  region  where  "  all  tears  shall  be  wiped  from  all  eyes,  and  sorrow  and 


340  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  vi- 

sighing  shall  flee  away  for  ever."  2.  The  privilege  of  drawing  near  to  God  in  acts 
of  public  and  private  devotion.  3.  Christian  fellowship  with  persons  of  a  kindred 
spirit  with  his  own.  4.  Grateful  and  sincere  obedience  to  his  heavenly  Father's 
will — more  especially  in  kindness  to  those  whom  our  Kedeemer  calls  His  brethren. 
(C.  Townsend,  M.A.)  Rejoicing  in  sorrow  : — Joy  lives  in  the  midst  of  the  sorrow  ; 
the  sorrow  springs  from  the  same  root  as  the  gladness.  The  two  do  not  clash 
against  each  other,  or  reduce  the  emotion  to  a  neutral  indifference,  but  they 
blend  into  one  another ;  just  as,  in  the  Arctic  regions,  deep  down  beneath 
the  cold  snow,  with  its  white  desolation  and  its  barren  death,  you  shall  find 
the  budding  of  the  early  spring  flowers  and  the  fresh  green  grass  ;  just  as 
some  kinds  of  fire  bum  below  the  water ;  just  as,  in  the  midst  of  the  barren 
and  undrinkable  sea,  there  may  be  welling  up  some  little  fountain  of  fresh 
water  that  comes  from  a  deeper  depth  than  the  great  ocean  around  it,  and  pours 
its  sweet  streams  along  the  surface  of  the  salt  waste.  (A.  Maclaren,  D.D.) 
As  poor,  yet  making  many  rich. — Poor,  yet  rich,  and  enriching  others : — I. 
Wealth  without  the  biches  of  the  wobld.  "  Having  nothing,  yet  possessing 
all  things."  1.  This  may  be  true  of  men  as  men.  (1)  Knowledge  is  wealth.  A 
child  weU  educated  is  better  endowed,  though  his  parents  do  not  give  him  a  single 
penny,  than  the  child  who  is  uneducated,  and  who  is  heir  to  a  large  fortune. 

(2)  Wisdom  is  wealth.  The  prudence  and  sagacity  which  enable  a  man  to  see 
what  is  best  is  the  most  valuable  capital  with  which  a  man  can  conduct  business. 

(3)  Contentment  is  wealth.  To  make  the  best  of  things  as  things  are.  (4)  Hope  is 
wealth.  Because  a  man  has  but  brass  to-day,  and  is  looking  forward  to  gold  to- 
morrow. (5)  Cheerfulness  is  wealth.  (6)  Love  awakened  by  aU  that  is  true, 
beautiful,  and  good,  is  wealth.  2.  But  look  specially  at  the  wealth  of  a  true 
Christian.  He  possesses — (1)  The  Spirit  of  God,  and  in  Him  light  and  life  and 
love.  (2)  In  the  Son  of  God  a  Eedeemer  who  is  devoted  to  him,  to  save  him  from 
his  sins.  (3)  In  the  God  to  whom  he  is  reconciled,  a  Father.  He  is  "  an  heir  of 
God,  and  a  joint  heir  with  Christ."  (4)  In  salvation  the  greatest  good  which  God 
can  bestow  and  a  title  to  "an  inheritance  incorruptible  and  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth 
not  away."  (5)  As  a  saved  and  sanctified  man,  knowledge,  wisdom,  contentment, 
cheerfulness,  hope,  love.  (6)  All  the  most  useful  things— " living  bread,"  "living 
water,"  raiment  that  waxeth  not  old — "  robes  of  righteousness  and  garments  of 
salvation."  (7)  All  the  most  enduring  things — "  an  inheritance  that  is  incorruptible 
and  undefiled  and  that  fadeth  not  away."  (8)  All  the  most  precious  things,  "for 
aU  things  are  yours."  "  My  God  shall  supply  all  your  need  from  His  glorious 
riches  by  Christ  Jesus."  "  He  that  overcometh  shaU  inherit  aU  things."  II.  The 
powEB  OF  ENEicHiNG  OTHEBS  co-ExiSTiNa  WITH  povEBTY.  The  "  making  many 
rich  "  is  not  dependent  on  material  wealth.  1.  WeU  doing  is  required  of  all,  irre- 
spective of  poverty  or  of  riches.  Multitudes  have  done  good  without  material  wealth. 
The  chief  benevolent  and  religious  works  are  done  by  those  who  live  by  their  daily 
labour.  Look  through  our  Sunday  and  Bagged  Schools,  &c.,  and  the  evidence  is 
complete.  Some  of  you  who  "  possess  all  things,"  in  another  sense,  are  keeping 
back  from  "  making  many  rich."  2.  True  riches  cannot  be  purchased  with  money, 
and  the  rich  are  not  God's  elect  to  make  others  rich.  "  God  hath  chosen  the  poor  of 
this  world,  rich  in  faith,"  (fee.  Conclusion:  1.  Eich  Christians  who  have  been 
brought  low  may  learn  a  cheerful  lesson.  I  want  such  to  see  that  they  "  possess  all 
things  " — a  Saviour  enthroned,  a  Father  in  heaven,  the  Holy  Ghost  the  Comforter. 

2.  The  poor,  who  are  kept  poor,  may  learn  a  lesson  of  contentment.  It  is  God's 
arrangement.  God  is  using  this  as  a  means  of  discipline ;  He  is  teaching  you 
certain  things  by  poverty  that  you  could  not  so  well  learn  from  any  other  tutor. 

3.  Let  Christians  learn — (1)  Their  responsibility.  Now  there  are  some  who  are  ever 
ready  to  sing,  "  How  vast  the  treasure  we  possess !  "  But  it  would  puzzle  some  of  you 
to  find  anybody  enriched  by  you — by  your  instruction  or  consolation.  (2)  Their 
privilege.  To  "  possess  all  things  "  is  a  privilege,  but  it  is  a  far  greater  privilege  to 
make  others  "  rich."  Oh  !  to  make  one  poor  neglected  brother  rich.  But  to  make 
"  many  rich,"  this  is  to  share  the  joy  of  heaven — this  is  to  taste  that  satisfaction  of 
the  Saviour  which  rewarded  Him  for  the  travail  of  His  soul.  Let  this  stimulate 
you.  If  God  put  money  into  your  hand,  He  does  so  prudently  and  properly  to 
scatter,  not  to  hoard.  You  may  do  as  much  good  in  circulating  your  money  in 
employing  labour  as  by  bestowing  it  in  what  is  called  charity.  There  is  like  danger 
of  covetousness  with  regard  to  our  spiritual  privileges.  If  we  do  "  possess  all  things," 
we  should  certainly  be  moved  by  such  a  possession  to  strive  to  make  others  "  rich." 
(S.  Idartin.)        The  affluent  poor  : — Note — 1.  That  the  gospel  is  a  system  to  enrich 


CHAP.  VI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  341 

man.  Some  religious  systems  impoverish  both  mind  and  body.  The  enrichment  of 
the  gospel  gives  man  a  property  in  "  all  things."  This  spiritual  wealth  is  inalien- 
able, whereas  the  wealthiest  carry  not  a  fraction  of  all  their  possessions  to  the  grave. 
Moral  goodness  is  worth,  everywhere  and  for  ever.  2.  The  gospel  enriches  man 
through  the  agency  of  poor  men.  The  poor  can  receive  the  gospel,  and  do  indeed 
receive  it  to  a  greater  extent  than  any  other  class.  Heaven  has  placed  no  obstacle 
in  the  way  of  any  class.  But  if  the  poor  can  receive  it  they  can  also  propagate  it. 
It  came  into  the  world  through  a  poor  man.  "  Ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,"  &c.  He  elected  to  carry  on  His  work  by  poor  fishermen.  These  He  sent 
forth  without  "  purse  or  scrip."  The  same  order  has  been  more  or  less  observed  up 
to  the  present  day.  Our  great  reformers,  theologians,  missionaries,  and  ministers 
have,  with  but  few  exceptions,  sprung  from  the  ranks  of  the  poor.  I  infer  from  all 
this — I.  The  kind  of  instrumentality  on  which  the  diffusion  of  God's  gospel 
NECESSARILY  DEPENDS.  If  the  pooT  cau  propagate  this  system,  then  legislative 
enactments,  worldly  influence,  high  intellectual  culture,  may  be  dispensed  with. 
But  what  of  worldly  wealth  ?  All  that  money  can  do  is  to  furnish  machinery — 
temples.  Bibles,  and  preachers ;  and  these  we  have  in  abundance  now.  The  neces- 
sary instrumentaUty  is  Christ-like  thought,  spirit,  and  life.     11.  That  no  Christian 

MAN   IS    FREED   FROM    THE    OBLIGATION    TO    DIFFUSE    THE    GOSPEL    OF    GoD.       If    the    pOOr 

can  promote  the  gospel,  how  much  greater  is  the  obUgation  of  every  higher  grade  in 
society  !  1.  The  wealthy.  Though  wealth  is  not  an  indispensable  qualification,  it 
is  undoubtedly  a  talent  suited  to  augment  man's  power  for  this  glorious  mission. 
2.  Men  of  leisure.  The  poor  are  doomed  to  toil  for  the  mere  means  of  subsistence, 
and  can  scarcely  snatch  an  hour  for  spiritual  usefulness.  How  will  those  amongst 
us  who  "kill  time"  by  idle  amusements  stand  in  the  Last  Judgment?  3.  The 
educated.  IH.  That  there  is  no  ground  for  self-gratulation  in  the  success 
OF  OUR  evangelical  EFFORTS.  Had  angels  been  employed  we  might  have  referred 
its  triumphs  to  their  brilliant  talents.  But  finding  that  the  poorest  can  achieve  the 
grandest  spiritual  results,  there  is  no  alternative  but  to  trace  success  in  all  gases  to 
God.  IV.  That  the  highest  honour  is  within  the  reach  of  all.  This  is  not 
to  have  lordly  inheritance  or  a  famous  name,  but  to  be  the  regenerator  of  souls. 
V.  That  there  is  good  reason  to  hope  for  the  universal  diffusion  of  the 
GOSPEL.  The  poor  can  spread  it,  and  therefore  the  gospel  is  not  dependent  upon  any 
class.  And  then,  moreover,  the  poor  have  the  largest  amount  of  power ;  they  have 
always  been  and  still  are  the  millions— the  muscles  of  the  world.  My  poor  brother ! 
repine  not  because  of  thy  worldly  lot.  Luther  was  the  son  of  a  miner  ;  Bunyan  was 
a  tinker,  Carey  a  cobbler,  Morison  a  last-maker ;  and  Knibb,  who  smote  slavery  in 
Jamaica  ;  Williams,  who  bore  the  gospel  to  the  Coral  Islands ;  Moffatt,  the  apostle 
of  Africa,  were  the  children  of  the  sons  of  toil.  Who  was  John  Pounds,  the 
originator  of  Eagged  Schools  ?  He  earned  his  miserable  pittance  as  one  of  the 
humblest  cobblers  in  Portsmouth.  {D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  Rich  poverty  : — I.  "  As 
having  nothing."  Learn — 1.  That  the  truly  great  are  not  essentially  the  visibly 
rich.  We  live  in  an  age  so  material  that  this  needs  to  be  proclaimed  with  trumpet 
blast.  2.  That  it  becomes  us  to  make  greater  self-denials.  How  seldom  do  our 
poverties  arise  from  self-sacrifices  !  3.  That  God  does  not  reward  His  servants  with 
material  pay.  If  any  man  had  a  claim  for  such  reward,  it  was  Paul.  But  why  is 
this  ?  (1)  God  does  not  attach  the  false  impoitance  to  material  possessions  that  we 
do.  (2)  He  will  let  us  do  and  dare  for  Him  without  a  bribe.  4.  That  God's  poor 
are  the  best  off.  For  see  the  heritage  to  which  they  know  that  they  are  begotten  ! 
II.  "And  YET  POSSESSING  ALL  things."  A  good  man  owus  all  things.  1.  By  holding 
a  true  relation  to  things — (1)  He  is  instructed  by  them.  Because  a  man  has  a  lot 
of  works  of  art  in  his  gallery,  and  books  in  his  library,  it  does  not  follow  that  he  is 
their  truest  owner.  (2)  He  gets  enjoyment  from  them.  And  what  more  can  any 
owner  do  ?  There  are  men  that  sit  in  their  lordly  mansions  that  might  as  well  be 
immured  in  a  dungeon  for  aught  of  joy  they  get.  (3)  He  gets  growth  in  the  midst 
of  them.  If  a  man's  nature  is  ripened,  enriched  by  things,  what  can  make  him  in 
such  a  great  sense  their  owner  ?  2.  By  holding  a  true  relation  to  Christ  he  becomes 
possessor  of  all  things  (Kom.  viii.  17  ;  Bev.  iii.  21).     (H.  Martyn.) 

Vers.  11-13.  0  ye  CorintMaiis,  our  mouth  is  open  unto  you,  our  heart  is 
enlarged. — A  Christian  minister's  am^eal : — I.  The  appeal  of  a  revived  minister. 
1.  It  consists  of  a  full  exhibition  to  you  of  all  the  truths  which  the  gospel  teaches 
for  your  salvation.  2.  It  comprises  an  affectionate  desire  for  your  enjoyment  of  all 
the  blessings  which  the  gospel  offers.     This  enjoyment — (1)  Comes  from  God.     (2) 


342  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vi. 

Is  maintained  by  devout  meditation  and  prayer.  (3)  Is  encouraged  by  examples. 
(4)  Expresses  itself  by  earnestness  of  spirit  in  self-denying  labours.  11.  The 
EESPONSE  OF  A  EEvivED  Church.  1.  Take  a  firm  and  steady  hold  of  the  simple 
gospel,  as  divinely  suited  to  the  ends  for  which  it  has  been  given.  2.  Meet  the 
ministers  of  the  gospel  in  the  spirit  in  which  they  come  to  you.  3.  Extend  your 
own  views,  plans,  and  hopes  in  connection  with  the  enlargement  of  the  Church. 
(1)  What  can  you  do  ?  (2)  What  is  the  wisest  way  of  doing  it  ?  (3)  What  are 
your  encouragements  and  hopes  ?  Address — 1.  Those  who  have  no  disposition  to 
respond  to  this  appeal — why  not  ?  2.  Such  as  have.  3.  Those  confirmed  by  the 
meetings.      4.  Those  who  are  awakened.     (W.  H.  Stowell,  D.D.)  The  apostle's 

love  and  its  desired  recompense : — I.  The  apostle's  atfection  overflows  in  an 
exuberant  apostrophe  (ver.  11).  His  love  was  deep,  and  this  flow  of  eloquence  arose 
out  of  the  expansion  of  his  heart.  1.  "  Our  heart  is  enlarged."  This  remark  is 
wonderful  considering  the  provocations  Paul  had  received.  The  Corinthians  had 
denied  the  truthfulness  of  his  ministry,  charged  him  with  interested  motives, 
sneered  at  his  manner,  &c.  In  the  face  of  this  his  heart  expands  ! — partly  with 
compassion.  Their  insults  only  impressed  him  with  a  sense  of  their  need.  How 
worthy  a  successor  of  his  Master's  spirit !  And  this  is  the  true  test  of  gracious 
charity.  Does  the  heart  expand  or  narrow  as  life  goes  on?  If  it  narrows,  if  mis- 
conception or  opposition  wither  love,  be  sure  that  that  love  had  no  root.  "  If  ye 
love  them  that  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye  ?  "  And  this  love  is  given  to  all, 
partly  from  looking  on  all  as  immortal  souls  in  Christ.  The  everlasting  principle 
witMn  makes  all  the  difference.  Hold  fast  to  love.  If  men  wound  your  heart,  let 
them  not  sour  or  embitter  it ;  let  them  not  shut  up  or  narrow  it ;  let  them  only 
expand  it  more  and  more,  and  be  always  able  to  say  with  Paul,  "  My  heart  is 
enlarged."  2.  "  Our  mouth  is  open  unto  you."  He  might  have  shut  his  lips,  and 
in  dignifled  pride  refused  to  plead  his  own  cause.  But  instead  he  speaks  his 
thoughts  aloud,  and,  like  Luther,  lays  his  whole  heart  open  to  view.  Paul  had 
no  afterthought,  no  reservation — he  was  a  genuine  man.  H.  The  eecompense 
desieed.  1.  The  enlargement  of  their  heart  towards  him.  2.  To  be  shown  in  their 
separation  from  the  world  and  from  all  uncleanness.  It  was  not  simply  aiiection 
towards  himself  that  he  desired,  but  devotion  to  God.  3.  This  is  the  only  true 
recompense  of  ministerial  work.     {F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.)        Heart  expansion : — 

1.  The  katuke  of  heart  expansion.  1.  It  is  not  mere  mental  expansion.  History 
suppUes  too  many  examples  of  intellectual  greatness  associated  with  moral  degra- 
dation. 2.  It  is  not  mere  liberality  of  sentiment.  3.  It  consists  in  enlarged  views 
of  men  as  the  subject  of  moral  government,  and  enlarged  desires  for  promoting 
their  well-being.  It  is  Christianity  only  that  inspires  those  views  and  those 
feelings.  It  gives  to  man  enlarged  expectations,  and  teaches  him  the  way  to 
realise  them.  II.  The  means  of  heaet  expansion.  1.  Examine  the  present  state 
of  the  heart.  2.  Meditate  upon  the  great  evangelical  facts.  "  God  so  loved  the 
world,"  &c.  3.  Commune  with  men  of  enlarged  souls.  He  that  walketh  with  wise 
men  shall  be  wise,  he  that  walketh  with  good  souls  may  participate  in  their  good- 
ness. 4.  Hold  fellowship  with  the  Son  of  God.  Be  much  with  Him,  drink  in  His 
sentiments,  imbibe  His  spirit.  HI.  The  need  of  heaet  expansion.  Why  should  we 
seek  it  ?     1.  The  heart  is  capable  of  it.    How  the  gospel  makes  little  souls  great ! 

2.  We  are  representatives  of  Christ.  How  great  in  soul  should  Christians  be  who 
have  to  stand  between  the  loving  Son  of  God  and  the  fallen  world  I  3.  Enlargement 
of  heart  is  essential  to  our  usefulness.  It  is  only  the  heart  expanding  with  love  that 
can  turn  time,  talent,  property,  acquirements,  to  spiritual  use.  4.  We  are  responsible 
for  the  condition  of  the  heart  whether  contracted  or  enlarged.  (Caleb  Morris.) 
Tendency  of  the  gospel  to  enlarge  the  heart : — The  gospel  had  enlarged  the  heart 
of  the  apostle,  and  he  supposed  it  had  a  tendency  to  enlarge  the  hearts  of  the 
Corinthians.  His  views  and  feelings  were  once  confined  to  himself,  and  to  objects 
connected  with  his  personal  interests.  But  after  he  had  understood  and  loved  the 
gospel  his  heart  expanded,  and  he  felt  interested  in  everything  comprised  in  the 
great  and  benevolent  scheme  of  man's  redemption.  I.  What  we  are  to  under- 
stand BY  THE  heart's  BEING  ENLARGED.  1.  The  heart  is  something  different  from 
the  faculties  of  the  mind,  and  consists  in  free  voluntary  exercises,  emotions,  or 
affections.  2.  Every  moral  agent  has  some  supreme  object  in  view.  Self  is  the 
object  in  the  unsanctified  heart,  but  the  renewed  heart  has  a  regard  to  the  interest 
of  others.  3.  The  heart  is  large  or  small  in  proportion  to  the  largeness  or  small- 
ness  of  the  objects  upon  which  it  terminates.  4.  Men's  hearts  enlarge  as  their 
capacities,  relations,  connections,  and  spheres  of  action  increase.     When  David  waS" 


CHAP.  VI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  343 

a  shepherd  his  mind  and  heart  were  as  small  as  his  flock  ;  when  he  became  a 
general  they  were  as  large  as  his  army  ;  when  he  ascended  the  throne  they  were 
enlarged  in  proportion  to  the  interests  of  the  nation.  5.  It  is  true,  indeed,  the 
heart  does  not  always  keep  pace  with  the  progress  of  capacity  and  knowledge.  If 
a  man's  supreme  object  be  mean  or  unimportant  it  will  contract  his  mind  and 
feelings.  The  man  who  makes  property  his  supreme  object  sees  nothing  m  the 
universe  superior  to  property,  and  esteems  nothing  important  but  what  tends  to 
property.  So  with  amusements,  &c.  As  a  man's  heart  is  always  where  his 
treasure  is,  so  his  heart  is  as  large  and  no  larger  than  his  supposed  ti'easure.  II. 
The  gospel  has  a  direct  tendency  to  enlarge  the  hearts  of  those  who  em- 
brace IT.  The  gospel  comprises  the  highest  good  of  the  universe,  and  those  who 
embrace  it  cordially  approve  of  this  design.  They  love  the  good  that  God  loves, 
and  desire  to  have  it  promoted  in  the  way  proposed  in  the  gospel.  As  soon,  there- 
fore, as  any  become  cordially  united  to  Christ,  the  discovery  of  this  great  good 
immediately  expands  their  hearts.  The  gospel  tends  to  enlarge  men's  hearts — 1. 
Towards  God.  It  gives  the  fullest  and  brightest  display  of  His  glory.  2.  Towards 
Christ.  The  great  and  glorious  Saviour  is  nowhere  revealed  but  here.  Nature 
discovers  none  such.  As  men's  knowledge  of  the  gospel  therefore  increases,  their 
love,  gratitude,  and  whole  hearts  are  enlarged  towards  Christ.  3.  Towards  the 
Church  of  Christ.  4.  Towards  all  mankind.  5.  Towards  all  created  beings, 
whether  holy  or  unholy,  and  towards  every  Uving  creature,  from  the  highest  angel 
to  the  smallest  insect.  These  all  belong  to  God,  and  are  a  part  of  His  interest. 
6.  To  take  an  interest  in  all  events.  They  all  stand  inseparably  connected  with 
the  extensive  design  of  the  gospel,  which  assures  believers  that  all  things  are 
theirs,  whether  past,  present,  or  to  come,  and  shall  eventually  work  together  for 
their  good.  If  the  gospel  tends  to  enlarge  the  views  and  hearts  of  those  who 
embrace  it,  then — 1.  Unbelievers  have  no  just  ground  to  object  to  it  as  enfeebling 
the  minds  and  contracting  the  hearts  of  men.  2.  We  see  why  the  Scripture  repre- 
sents believers  as  far  more  amiable  and  excellent  than  unbelievers.  3.  They  sin- 
cerely desire  that  the  gospel  may  be  universally  known  and  embraced.  4.  They 
know  by  experience  that  they  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon.  5.  They  ardently 
desire  to  know  more  and  more  about  it.  6.  It  enables  them  to  perform  all  the 
duties  which  it  requires  with  great  pleasure  and  delight.  "  I  will  run  the  way  of 
Thy  commandments  when  Thou  shalt  enlarge  my  heart."  (N.  Emmons,  D.D.) 
Be  ye  also  enlarged. — Spiritual  enlargement : — Consider  the  text — I.  As  it  mat  be 
applied  to  the  sinner.  Be  enlarged — 1.  In  understanding  and  wisdom.  2.  In 
the  affections  of  the  heart.  3.  In  the  blessedness  of  the  future.  "  Oh  taste  and 
see  that  the  Lord  is  good."  11.  As  rr  applies  to  believers.  1.  Be  ye  also  en- 
larged in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  Christ.  2.  In  prayer  and  holy  effort.  III.  As 
IT  reminds  of  heaven.  Heaven  will  be  an  eternal  enlargement,  for — 1.  There  will 
be  perfect  comprehension.  Nothing  to  perplex,  nothing  to  obscure.  2.  The  soul 
will  be  released  from  its  earthly  prison-house.  3.  The  bliss  of  the  redeemed  will 
be  ever  increasing.  (Congregational  Pulpit.)  The  enlargement  of  Christian 
benevolence  : — I.  In  what  the  enlargement  of  the  text  consists.  1.  Negatively. 
(1)  Not  in  expansion  of  intellect,  for  there  are  many  in  whose  character  moral 
deficiencies  form  a  striking  contrast  to  brilliancy  of  intellect.  (2)  Others  flatter 
themselves  that  they  possess  superior  enlargement  because  they  entertain  an  equal 
indifference  to  all  the  varieties  of  human  opinion  in  religious  subjects,  and  feel  no 
regard  for  any  sect  or  creed.  This  would,  no  doubt,  be  a  very  cheap  and  easy 
doctrine  to  embrace ;  by  those  who  are  indifferent  concessions  are  easily  made  to 
almost  any  extent,  and  there  can  be  no  great  liberality  in  sacrificing  truth  where 
no  real  attachment  to  truth  is  felt.  2.  Positively  it  consists  in  a  real  benevolence 
to  the  whole  Church  of  Christ,  as  opposed  to  any  selfish  views  of  our  own  salva- 
tion, or  of  our  own  Church,  as  exclusively  concerned.  There  are  some  who  live 
solely  to  themselves,  others  limit  their  benevolence  to  the  circle  of  their  own  family 
or  of  their  acquaintance,  and  others  extend  their  benevolent  interest  to  every  case 
of  distress  that  falls  within  their  view.  And  this  is  the  utmost  extent  of  human 
benevolence,  apart  from  the  religion  of  Christ.  The  proud  Koman  confined  all  his 
benevolence  to  Eome.  That  all  nations  were  of  one  blood  never  entered  into  the 
views  of  the  most  enlightened  men  in  the  pagan  world.  But  suppose  us  enabled 
to  open  our  eyes  to  a  comprehensive  view  of  mankind  as  one  vast  family ;  suppose 
God  to  have  clearly  discovered  Himself  as  the  universal  Father,  from  whom  all 
have  alike  departed  by  sin  ;  suppose  Him  to  have  shown  us  that  one  great  method 
of  recovery  has  been  provided  for  all,  what  should  be  the  effect  of  such  a  revelation 


344  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vr. 

but  first  to  attach  us  to  God  as  our  common  centre,  and  then  to  the  whole  family 
of  man  as  called  to  form  the  Church  of  God  ?  II.  Its  motives  and  reasons.  1. 
It  is  perfectly  reasonable  and  in  harmony  with  nature.  We  are  so  circumstanced 
that  we  are  perpetually  and  inevitably  led  out  of  ourselves.  There  are  natural 
emotions  that  are  purely  benevolent;  pity,  e.g.,  identifies  us  with  others.  In  all 
our  social  affections,  supposing  them  genuine,  we  act  on  the  ground  of  a  dis- 
interested benevolence;  it  is  their  happiness,  not  our  own,  that  we  primarily  seek. 
2.  It  agrees  with  the  genius  of  Christianity,  the  grand  display  of  the  Divine 
benevolence,  "  Herein  is  love,"  &c.  Hence  the  apostle  declares,  "  The  love  of 
Christ  constrains  us."  Such  an  example  of  compassionate  benevolence — of  enlarge- 
ment of  heart — once  perceived  and  felt  absorbs  the  soul.  3.  It  is  conducive  to  our 
own  happiness.  The  more  we  identify  ourselves  with  the  interest  of  others  the 
more  we  consult  our  own  happiness.  In  the  pursuit  of  any  merely  solitary 
schemes  we  shall  reap  only  disappointment.  When  the  barriers  of  selfishness  are 
broken  down,  and  the  current  of  benevolence  is  suffered  to  flow  generously  abroad, 
and  circulate  far  and  near  around,  then  we  are  in  a  capacity  of  the  greatest  and 
best  enjoyment.  4.  It  tends  to  promote  all  public  good.  III.  The  modes  of 
ATTAINING  IT.  1.  Acquaintance  with  God.  First  draw  near  to  the  Father  in  that 
new  and  living  way,  for  "  whoso  loveth  Him  that  begot  will  also  love  all  those  that 
are  begotten."  Once  taste  for  yourself  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  and  then  you  will 
find  that  you  "  cannot  but  speak  of  what  you  have  seen  and  heard."  2.  Prayer  for 
the  Holy  Spirit's  influence  ;  by  this  alone  can  our  hearts  be  truly  enlarged  in  love 
to  man.  3.  Connection  with  great  objects  of  beneficence.  The  mind  takes  a  tinc- 
ture from  the  objects  it  pursues.  If  you  engage  your  attention  in  the  concerns  of 
Christian  philanthropy  your  mind  will  be  dilated  in  proportion  to  your  ardour. 
{R.  Hall,  M.A.)  The  influence  of  religion  to  enlarge  the  mind  : — Of  this  en- 

largedness  of  mind  the  apostle  was  an  eminent  example.  All  his  worldly  prospects 
he  cheerfully  relinquished  for  the  service  of  Christ.  I.  Its  nature  and  operations. 
The  enlarged  Christian — 1.  Entertains  comprehensive  and  connected  ideas  of  the 
religion  of  the  gospel,  and  regards  the  several  parts  of  it  according  to  their  com- 
parative usefulness  and  importance.  (1)  There  are  some  who  confine  their  zeal  to 
certaia  favourite  sentiments  and  usages,  and  these  not  the  most  important,  like 
those  primitive  believers  whose  attachment  to  the  rites  and  ceremonies  ahnost 
excluded  charity  to  their  more  liberal  brethren.  (2)  The  enlarged  Christian 
imbibes  his  religious  sentiments  fresh  and  pure  from  the  deep  fountain  of  Divine 
truth,  not  from  the  shallow,  variable  stream  of  human  opinion.  Contemplating 
the  perfect  character  of  God,  he  concludes  that  all  religion  must  consist  in  rectitude 
of  heart  and  holiness  of  life ;  that  love  to  Him  and  benevolence  to  men  must  be  its 
leading  principles.  2.  Judges  freely  and  independently  in  matters  of  reUgion. 
He  will  not  receive  doctrines  as  the  commandments  of  men,  nor,  on  the  other 
hand,  wUl  he  cavil  and  object  against  them  to  show  his  superiority  to  the  opinions 
of  men.  3.  Yields  an  unreserved  submission  to  the  Divine  government.  To  a 
contracted  mind  the  ways  of  God  are  subjects  of  daily  complaint,  but  the  man  of 
an  enlarged  heart  contemplates  the  ways  of  God  on  a  more  extensive  scale.  He 
therefore  acquiesces  in  all  the  allotments  of  providence,  and  rejoices  that  his 
interests  are  in  better  hands  than  his  own.  4.  Is  of  a  humble  mind.  The  man  of 
a  narrow  heart  thinks  highly  of  his  own  worth,  is  tenacious  of  his  own  opinions, 
and  devoted  to  his  own  interest ;  but  the  man  of  liberal  sentiments  thinks  soberly, 
speaks  modestly,  and  walks  humbly.  Influenced  by  this  spirit,  the  Christian 
reveres  the  word  of  revelation,  and  receives  its  instructions  with  submission.  5. 
Has  a  benevolent  heart.  He  whose  feelings  are  contracted  within  himself  views 
with  indifference  the  misfortunes  of  a  neighbour,  or  takes  advantage  from  them. 
But  the  enlarged  Christian  considers  all  men  as  his  brethren.  He  can  sacrifice  his 
own  interest  to  the  superior  happiness  of  his  fellow-men,  like  Paul,  who  sought  not 
his  own  profit,  but  the  profit  of  many,  that  they  might  be  saved.  II.  The  pbopeb 
means  of  OBTAINING  AND  IMPROVING  IT.  1.  An  intimate  acquaintance  with  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  It  is  not  any  and  every  kind  of  knowledge  that  will  enlarge  the 
mind,  but  only  that  which  is  great  in  its  object  and  useful  in  its  tendency.  2.  Sub- 
mission to  the  power  of  the  gospel.  Knowledge  is  highly  useful,  but  this  alone  will 
rather  swell  than  enlarge  the  mind.  It  is  charity  which  edifies.  3.  Social  inter- 
course, especially  social  worship.     4.  Prayer.     (J.  Lathrop,  D.D.) 

Vers.  14-16.  Be  ye  not  unequally  yoked  together  with  unbelievers. — Unequally 
yoked : — This  peculiar  word  has  a  cognate  form  in  the  law  which  forbids  the  breed- 


CHAP.  VI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  345 

ing  of  hybrid  animals  (Lev.  xix.  19).  God  has  established  a  good  physical  order 
in  the  world,  and  it  is  not  to  be  confounded  and  disfigured  by  the  mixing  of  the 
species.  It  is  that  law,  or  perhaps  another  form  of  it,  which  forbids  the  yoking 
together  of  an  ox  and  an  ass  (Deut.  xxii.  10),  that  is  applied  in  an  ethical  sense  in 
this  passage.  There  is  a  wholesome  moral  order  in  the  world  also,  and  it  is  not  to 
be  confused  by  the  association  of  its  different  kinds.  The  common  application  of 
this  text  to  the  marriage  of  Christians  with  non-Christians  is  legitimate  but  too 
narrow.  The  text  prohibits  every  kind  of  union  in  which  the  separate  character 
and  interest  of  the  Christian  lose  anything  of  their  distinctiveness  and  integrity. 
This  is  brought  out  more  strongly  in  the  free  quotation  from  Isa.  hi.  11  in  ver.  17. 
These  words  were  originally  addressed  to  the  priests,  who,  on  the  redemption  of 
Israel  from  Babylon,  were  to  carry  the  sacred  temple  vessels  back  to  Jerusalem. 
But  we  must  remember  that  though  they  are  Old  Testament  words  they  are  quoted 
by  a  New  Testament  writer,  who  inevitably  puts  his  own  meaning  into  them.  "  The 
unclean  thing  "  which  no  Christian  is  to  touch  covers,  and  doubtless  was  intended 
to  cover,  all  that  it  suggests  to  the  simple  Christian  mind  now.  We  are  to  have  no 
compromising  connection  with  anything  in  the  world  which  is  alien  to  God.  Let 
us  be  as  loving  and  conciliatory  as  we  please,  but  as  long  as  the  world  is  what  it  is 
the  Christian  life  can  only  maintain  itself  in  it  in  an  attitude  of  unbroken  protest. 
There  always  will  be  things  and  people  to  whom  the  Christian  has  to  say  No  !  But 
the  moral  demand  is  put  in  a  more  positive  form  in  chap.  vii.  1.  (/.  Denney,  B.D.) 
Unequally  yoked  : — I.  There  is  an  essential  spikituai  diffeeence  between 
THOSE  WHO  ABE  CONVERTED  AND  THOSE  WHO  ARE  NOT.  The  line  of  demarcation  is 
broad  and  conspicuous.  It  is  between — 1.  "  Righteousness  and  unrighteousness." 
2.  "  Light  and  darkness."  3.  Christ  and  Satan.  4.  Faith  and  infidelity.  5.  The 
"temple  of  God"  and  the  "temple  of  idols."  11.  Notwithstanding  this  differ- 
ence   THE    converted   ARE    IN    DANGER    OF   BEING   ASSOCIATED   WITH   THE  UNCONVERTED. 

Alas,  we  find  such  association  in  almost  every  department  of  life.     III.  From  such 

AN   ASSOCIATION    IT    IS    THE   DUTY    OF    THE    CONVERTED     TO     EXTRICATE    THEMSELVES.       1. 

The  nature  of  the  separation.  "  Come  out  from  among  them."  It  must  be — (1) 
Voluntary.  Not  to  be  driven  out,  but  you  must  break  away  from  all  ties  that  bind 
you.  (2)  Entire.  "  Touch  not  the  unclean  thing."  Sin  is  an  unclean  thing,  unclean 
in  its  essence,  its  phases  and  its  influences.  2.  The  encouragement  to  the  separation. 
"  I  will  receive  you,"  &c.  As  a  Father,  what  does  God  do  for  His  children  ?  (1) 
He  loves  them.  (2)  He  educates  them.  He  educates  the  whole  soul,  not  for  tem- 
poral purposes,  but  for  ends  spiritual  and  everlasting.  (3)  He  guards  them.  (4)  He  pro- 
vides for  them.  "He  is  able  to  do  exceedingly  abundantly,"  &c.  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.) 
Amusements  and  companies  of  the  world  : — I.  There  seem  to  be  two  capital  reasons 
WHY  Christians  should  not  by  choice  associate  with  those  op  a  worldly  or 
IDOLATROUS  SPIRIT.  1.  There  is  really  no  congeniality  between  the  two  spirits.  As 
there  is  the  want  of  a  common  taste,  so  there  is  the  want  of  common  topics.  For 
a  man  to  delight  in  the  conversation  of  an  irreligious  party,  bears  on  it  the  evidence 
of  his  own  irreligion.  And,  if  it  be  the  symptom  of  having  passed  from  death  unto 
life  that  we  love  the  brethren  and  their  society,  then  may  the  love  of  another 
society,  at  utter  antipodes,  administer  the  suspicion  of  a  still  unregenerated  heart, 
of  a  still  unsubdued  worldliness.  2.  So  to  consort  with  the  ungodly  not  only 
proves  the  existence  of  a  kindred  leaven  in  our  spirit,  but  tends  to  ferment  it — not 
only  argues  the  ungodliness  which  yet  is  in  the  constitution,  but  tends  to  strengthen 
it  the  more.  And  who  can  doubt  of  the  blight  and  the  barrenness  that  are  brought 
upon  the  spirit  by  its  converse  with  the  world  ?  II.  Both  these  considerations  are 
DIRECTLY  APPLICABLE  TOUCHSTONES  BY  WHICH  TO  TRY,  we  wiU  not  Say  the  lawfulness, 
but  at  least  the  expediency,  of — 1.  The  theatre  and  all  public  entertainments. 
Think  of  the  degree  of  congeniality  which  there  is  between  the  temperament  of 
sacredness  and  the  temperament  of  any  of  these  assemblages.  The  matter  next  to 
be  determined  is,  will  the  dance,  the  music,  the  merriment,  the  representation,  and 
the  whole  tumult  of  that  vanity  attune  the  consent  of  the  spirit  to  the  feelings  and 
exercises  of  sacredness  ?  If  there  be  risk  of  being  exposed  to  the  language  of  pro- 
faneness  or  impurity,  this  were  reason  enough  why  a  Christian  should  maintain 
himself  at  the  most  determined  distance  from  them  both.  There  may  be  a  diffi- 
culty in  replying  to  the  interrogation — What  is  the  crime  of  music  ?  yet  would  you 
feel  yourself  entitled  to  rebuke  the  scholar  whose  love  for  music  dissipated  his  mind 
away  from  all  the  preparations  indispensable  to  his  professional  excellence.  2. 
And,  as  it  is  with  this  world's  amusements,  so  may  it  be  with  this  world's  com- 
panies.    There  may  be  none  of  the  excesses  of  intemperance,  of  the  execrations  of 


346  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vi. 

profanity,  of  the  sneers  of  infidelity.  All  may  have  been  pure  and  dignified  and 
intellectual,  affectionate  and  kind.  And  then  the  question  is  put — where  is  the 
mighty  and  mysterious  harm  of  all  this  ?  The  answer  is  that,  with  all  the  attrac- 
tive qualities  which  each  member  of  the  company  referred  to  may  personally 
reaUse,  it  is  quite  a  possible  thing  that  there  be  not  one  trait  of  godliness  on  the 
character  of  any  one  of  them.  They  may  all  be  hving  without  God  in  the  world, 
and  by  a  tacit  but  faithful  compact  during  the  whole  process  of  this  conviviality, 
all  thought  and  talk  of  the  ever-present  Deity  may  for  the  season  be  abandoned. 
And  thus  is  it  a  very  possible  thing  that,  in  simply  prosecuting  your  round  of  invi- 
tations among  this  world's  amiable  friends  and  hospitable  families,  you  may  be 
cradling  the  soul  into  utter  insensibility  against  the  portentous  reaUties  of  another 
wotld — a  spiritual  lethargy  may  grow  and  gather  every  year  till  it  settles  down  into 
the  irrevocable  sleep  of  death.  (T.  Chalmers,  D.D.)  Unequally  yoked  : — When 
travelUng  in  America,  as  we  neared  Montreal  the  Ottawa  river  joined  that  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  upon  which  we  were  sailing.  The  former  is  remarkable  for  its  muddi- 
ness,  the  latter  for  its  cleanness.  For  a  while  they  flowed  side  by  side,  so  that  they 
could  easily  be  distinguished  the  one  from  the  other.  Eventually,  however,  they 
coalesced,  and  the  one  stream  was  dirty,  not  clean.  So  is  it  too  often,  alas !  I 
thought,  with  those  who  wed  unbelievers.  For  a  time  they  run  together  smoothly, 
but  at  last  one  is  changed  by  the  other,  and  it  is  generally  the  unbeliever  that  gains 
the  day.  Not  without  abundant  cause  was  the  apostolic  injunction  given,  "  Be  not 
unequally  yoked."  What  fellowship  hath  righteousness  with  unrighteous- 
ness ? — Religious  separation  : — I.  Its  gkounds.  1.  Immorality.  "  What  fellowship 
hath  righteousness  with  unrighteousness  ?  "  Let  a  man  amass  enormous  wealth, 
and  he  will  find  at  his  board  the  noblest  in  the  land.  It  matters  not  that  he  became 
rich  in  some  questionable  way — no  one  asks  about  that.  Again,  talent  breaks  down 
the  rigid  line  of  demarcation.  The  accomphshed  man  or  woman  who,  though 
notoriously  profligate,  is  tolerated — nay,  courted — even  in  the  Christian  drawing- 
room.  Now  I  do  not  say  that  the  breaking  down  of  conventional  barriers  is  unde- 
sirable. If  goodness  did  it — if  a  man,  low  in  birth,  were  admired  for  his  virtues — 
it  would  be  well  for  this  land  of  ours !  But  where  wealth  and  talent,  irrespective  of 
goodness,  alone  possess  the  key  to  unlock  our  English  exclusiveness,  there  plainly 
the  apostolic  injunction  holds,  because  the  reason  of  it  holds :  "  What  fellowship 
hath  righteousness  with  unrighteousness?"  2.  Irrehgion.  "What  part  hath  he 
that  believeth  with  an  infidel  ?  "  There  is  much  danger,  however,  in  applying  this 
law.  It  is  perilous  work  when  men  begin  to  decide  who  are  beUevers  and  who  are 
not,  if  they  decide  by  party  badges.  Nevertheless,  there  is  an  irreligion  which  "  he 
who  runs  may  read."  For  the  atheist  is  not  merely  he  who  professes  unbelief,  but, 
strictly  speaking,  every  one  who  lives  without  God  in  the  world.  And  the  heretic 
is  not  merely  he  who  has  mistaken  some  Christian  doctrine,  but  rather  he  who 
causes  divisions  among  the  brethren.  And  the  idolater  is  not  merely  he  who  wor- 
ships images,  but  he  who  gives  his  heart  to  something  which  is  less  than  God.  Now 
there  are  innumerable  doubtful  cases  where  charity  is  bound  to  hope  the  best ;  but 
there  is  also  an  abundance  of  plain  cases :  for  where  a  man's  god  is  money,  or  posi- 
tion in  society,  or  rank,  there  the  rule  holds,  "  Come  ye  apart."  11.  The  mode  of 
THIS  separation.  It  is  not  to  be  attained  by  the  affectation  of  outward  separate- 
ness.  Beneath  the  Quaker's  sober,  unworldly  garb,  there  may  be  the  canker  of  the 
love  of  gain ;  and  beneath  the  guise  of  peace  there  may  be  the  combative  spirit, 
which  is  worse  than  war.  Nor  can  you  get  rid  of  worldliness  by  placing  a  ban  on 
particular  places  of  entertainment  and  particular  societies.  The  world  is  a  spirit 
rather  than  a  form ;  and  just  as  it  is  true  that  wherever  two  or  three  are  met 
together  in  His  name,  God  is  in  the  midst  of  them,  so,  if  your  heart  be  at  one  with 
His  Spirit,  you  may,  in  the  midst  of  worldly  amusements — yet  not  without  great 
danger,  for  you  will  have  multiplied  temptations — keep  yourseK  unspotted  from  the 
world.  (F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.)  What  part  hath  he  that  believeth  with  an 
infidel? — The  nature,  sources,  and  results  of  infidelity  : — I.  Its  natdee.  An  infidel 
is  one  who  does  not  believe,  and  who  avowedly  rejects  the  testimony  of  Divine  reve- 
lation. 1.  Infidelity  has  existed  in  all  ages.  It  was  displayed  when  our  first 
parents  listened  to  the  tempter  in  paradise.  It  appeared  in  the  unhallowed  building 
of  Babel.  It  rancoured  in  the  heart  of  the  Jew  who  rejected  and  crucified  the 
Messiah.  It  directed  the  judgment  of  the  Greek  who  pronounced  the  gospel  foolish- 
ness, and  laughed  at  the  resurrection  from  the  dead.  2.  In  more  modern  times, 
how  numerous  and  varied  have  been  its  different  systems  !  We  may,  however, 
arrange  them  in  two  classes.     (1)  The  Deists  who  believe  in  the  Divine  existence 


CHAP.  VI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  347 

and  a  future  state  of  being,  but  who  refuse  the  authority  of  the  Bible.  (2)  The 
atheists,  who  deny  the  Divine  existence ;  who  proclaim  that  the  world  was  formed 
by  chance,  or  that  it  is  eternal ;  who  assign  to  man  nothing  but  a  refined  material 
organisation,  and  who  pronounce  that  death  is  the  end  of  all  being.  II.  Its  soukces. 
The  great  source  is  the  depravity  of  the  human  heart.  No  doubt  some  have  em- 
braced infidel  opinions  after  inquiry  into  the  evidences  of  the  Christian  revelation  ; 
but  have  they  carried  an  unbiassed  judgment  to  such  inquiries?  I  hold  that  the 
evidences  of  the  Christian  rehgion  are  so  full,  so  plain,  and  so  powerful,  that  they 
cannot  be  weighed  with  a  proper  judgment  without  at  once  receiving  the  homage  of 
the  heart.  There  are  two  dispositions,  however,  in  the  heart  of  man,  to  which  infi- 
delity may  be  more  particularly  assigned.  1.  Pride.  This  is  the  principle  which 
prominently  prevailed  in  the  first  act  of  infidelity.  And  so  it  was  when  the  lawgiver 
was  denied  and  the  Eedeemer  was  rejected.  "  The  wicked,  through  the  pride  of  his 
countenance,  will  not  seek  after  God  :  God  is  not  in  all  his  thoughts."  If  you  will 
examine  the  doctrines  and  principles  of  Christianity,  you  will  see  much  that  is 
humiliating.  2.  Sensuality.  The  whole  system  of  the  gospel  is  intended  to  put 
down  the  sensuality  of  depraved  human  nature.  On  the  other  hand,  infidelity  never 
yet  promulgated  one  principle  which  could  present  a  barrier  against  the  gratification 
of  lust.  If  it  spoke  of  moral  principle,  of  what  force  could  that  moral  principle  be 
when  it  suggested  no  motive  for  promoting  it,  no  sanction  for  its  exercise  ?  Did  not 
the  Epicureans  recognise  that  the  chief  good  was  pleasure  ?  Did  not  Herbert  teach 
that  the  indulgence  of  lust  and  anger  were  as  innocent  as  the  gratification  of  hunger 
and  thirst  ?  Did  not  Bolingbroke  teach  that  lust  was  lawful  if  it  could  be  indulged 
with  safety  ?  Did  not  Hume  teach  that  adultery  was  only  a  crime  when  it  was 
known  ?  Did  not  Voltaire  admit  that  the  sensual  appetites  were  to  have  a  full  and 
unrestrained  gratification  ?  When  you  consider  the  sentiments  of  its  chief  advo- 
cates, do  you  not  perceive  that  it  opens  wide  the  flood-gates  of  licentiousness  that  it 
may  rush  upon  the  world  ?  HI.  Its  results.  1.  On  the  life  that  now  is.  (1)  As 
they  affect  individuals.  The  true  dignity  of  man  is  destroyed  by  the  dogmas  which 
infidelity  embraces.  And  where  is  comfort  to  be  found  in  connection  with  infidelity  ? 
The  infidel  has  gone  away  from  his  Father's  house,  and  what  can  he  expect  but  to 
be  fed  on  the  husks  which  the  swine  do  eat  ?  He  is  gone  away  from  the  haven  of 
peace,  and  what  can  he  expect  but  to  be  tossed  by  the  storm  ?  He  may  join  in  the 
festive  dance,  but  it  is  the  emblem  of  raving  madness  ;  when  he  sinks  in  sickness, 
he  is  oppressed  with  the  weight  of  sorrow  ;  and  when  he  falls  in  death,  he  is  pre- 
cipitated to  the  regions  of  despair.  (2)  As  they  affect  communities.  Infidel 
opinions  are  hostile  to  that  which  constitutes  a  nation's  prosperity  and  grandeur. 
The  withering  effects  of  infidelity  have  been  exemplified  in  France.  Her  efforts  for 
freedom  might  have  been  brilliant  and  successful ;  she  might  have  led  the  way  of 
the  empires  of  the  earth  in  the  march  of  true  emancipation ;  but  her  impious 
dethronement  of  God  and  her  nameless  abominations  have  taught  the  lesson  that  if 
infidelity  dwell  in  the  bosom  of  the  empire,  it  can  only  be  as  the  most  malignant 
destroyer.  2.  On  the  life  that  is  to  come.  While  men  continue  in  the  avowed 
rejection  of  Christianity,  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  be  saved.  {J.  Parsons.) 
Wliat  communion  hath  light  with  darkness  ? — Communion  with  God  : — We  need 
not  refer  to  the  special  cases  which  may  have  been  contemplated  by  St.  Paul  when 
giving  utterance  to  these  emphatic  questions.  They  may  be  taken  in  the  most 
general  sense,  as  indicating  the  impossibility  of  there  being  any  agi'eement  or  fellow- 
ship between  God  and  man  unless  a  great  moral  change  pass  over  the  latter.  We 
need  not  tell  you,  that  in  regard  of  the  associations  of  life,  there  must  be  something 
of  a  similarity  of  disposition  and  desire.  Unless  there  be  congeniality  of  character, 
there  may  indeed  be  outward  alliance ;  but  there  cannot  be  that  intimate  communion 
that  the  alliance  itself  is  supposed  to  imply.  And  further  than  this — a  sameness  of 
tendency  or  pursuit  appears  evidently  to  form  an  immediate  link  between  parties  who 
would  otherwise  have  very  little  in  common.  You  observe,  for  instance,  how  men 
of  science  seem  attracted  to  each  other,  though  strangers  by  birth,  and  even  by 
country.  But  this  is  not  communion  or  fellowship  in  the  sense  or  to  the  extent 
intended  by  St.  Paul.  This  is  only  agreement  on  one  particular  ground.  Take  the 
parties  away  from  that  ground,  and  they  will  probably  be  inclined  to  move  in  quite 
opposite  directions.  We  shall  first  glance  at  what  is  mentioned — fellowship  or 
communion  with  God  ;  and  we  shall  then  be  in  a  position  to  press  home  the  ener- 
getic questions  of  the  apostle — "  What  fellowship  hath  righteousness  with  un- 
righteousness ?  and  what  communion  hath  light  with  darkness?"  Now,  you  can 
require  no  proof  that  God  and  the  wicked  man  cannot  be  said  to  have  fellowship  or 


348  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vi. 

communion,  though  God  be  about  that  wicked  man's  path,  and  about  his  bed,  and 
spieth  out  all  his  ways.  There  is  no  proposing  of  the  same  object  or  end,  for  God 
proposes  His  own  glory,  whereas  the  wicked  man  proposes  the  gratification  of  his 
own  sinful  propensities.  You  see  at  once  the  contradiction  between  the  assertions 
that  a  man  is  in  fellowship  with  God  and  yet  loves  the  present  world.  In  short,  it 
must  be  clear  to  you  that  the  phraseology  of  our  text  implies  a  state  of  concord,  or 
friendship — a  state,  in  fact,  on  man's  part,  of  what  we  commonly  understand  by 
religion — the  human  will  having  become  harmonious  with  the  Divine,  and  the  creature 
proposing  the  same  object  as  the  Creator.  And  therefore  we  conclude  that  the  ques- 
tions before  us  imply  that  there  can  be  nothing  of  religious  communication  between 
man  and  his  Maker  unless  there  have  been  some  process  of  reconciliation.  You  are 
to  remember  that  man  is  by  nature  in  a  state  of  enmity  to  God,  born  in  sin,  shapen  in 
corrujDtion,  and  far  gone  from  original  righteousness.  Take  away  the  work  of  the 
Mediator  Christ,  that  work  through  which  alone  the  alienation  of  our  nature,  its 
unrighteousness,  its  darkness,  can  be  corrected,  and  the  Creator  and  the  creature  can 
never  meet  in  friendship.  Now  you  will  readily  understand  that  up  to  this  point  we 
have  confined  ourselves  to  the  urging  the  necessity  for  a  great  change  on  man's  part 
from  unrighteousness  to  righteousness,  from  darkness  to  light,  in  order  to  his  having 
fellowship  with  God.  We  would  examine  how  God  and  man  may  be  at  peace,  now 
that  reconciliation  has  been  made.  You  are  to  remember  that  whatever  the  pro- 
visions made  by  Christ  for  our  pardon  and  acceptance,  we  retain  whilst  yet  sojourn- 
ing on  earth  a  depraved  nature,  fleshly  lusts,  which  war  against  the  soul,  sinful 
propensities  which  may  indeed  be  arrested  but  not  eradicated.  And  can  a  being 
such  as  this  have  communion  with  that  God  who  is  a  consuming  fire  against  every 
form  and  degree  of  iniquity  ?  Is  this  fellowship  possible  even  though  certain  causes 
of  separation  have  been  removed — because  the  debt  has  been  paid,  or  because 
punishment  has  been  vicariously  endured  ?  You  are  to  take  heed  that  you  do  not 
narrow  the  results  of  Christ's  work  of  mediation.  There  was  a  vast  deal  more 
effected  by  this  work  than  the  mere  removal  of  certain  impediments  to  the  outgoing 
of  the  Divine  love  towards  man.  The  process  of  agreement,  as  undertaken  and 
completed  by  Christ,  had  a  respect  to  continuance  as  well  as  to  commencement. 
God  and  man  are  brought  into  fellowship  if  man  accept  Christ  as  his  Surety,  for 
then  the  death  and  obedience  of  Christ  are  placed  to  his  account,  and  accordingly 
he  appears  as  one  on  whom  justice  has  no  claim,  and  on  whom  love  may  therefore 
smile.  But  how  are  they  to  continue  in  fellowship,  seeing  that  man  as  a  fallen 
creature  is  sure  to  do  much  that  will  be  offensive  to  God,  and  that  God  in  virtue  of 
His  holiness  is  pledged  to  hostility  with  evil  ?  Indeed  the  communion  could  not 
last  if  it  were  not  that  the  Mediator  ever  lives  as  an  Intercessor.  It  could  not  last 
if  it  were  not  that  the  work  of  the  Son  procured  for  us  the  influence  of  the  Spirit. 
But  combine  these  two  facts  and  you  may  see  that  Christ  made  not  only  provision 
for  uniting  God  and  man,  but  for  keeping  them  united.  The  question  as  to  what 
fellowship,  what  communion  there  can  be  between  things  m  their  own  nature 
directly  opposed,  is  of  course  to  be  considered  as  only  a  forcible  mode  of  expressing 
an  impossibility.  There  cannot  be  fellowship  between  righteousness  and  un- 
righteousness, there  cannot  be  communion  between  darkness  and  light.  Now  we 
■wish  you  to  consider  this  impossibility  with  reference  to  a  future  state  :  we  cannot 
conceal  from  ourselves  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of  vague  hope  of  heaven  which 
takes  little  or  no  account  of  what  must  necessarily  be  the  character  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  heaven.  But  the  great  thing  to  be  here  impressed  upon  men,  who  in  spite 
of  their  musings  on  heaven  give  evident  tokens  of  being  still  worldly-minded — it  is, 
that  they  are  altogether  mistaken  as  to  the  worth,  the  attractiveness  of  heaven. 
They  are  not  indeed  mistaken  as  to  heaven  being  a  scene  of  overwhelming  splendour 
and  unimagined  blessedness,  but  they  are  utterly  mistaken  in  supposing  that  it  would 
be  so  to  themselves.  They  forget  that  in  order  to  anything  of  happiness  there  must 
be  a  correspondence  between  the  dispositions  of  the  inhabitants  of  a  world  and  the 
enjoyments  of  that  world  ;  otherwise  in  vain  will  the  Creator  have  hung  a  scene 
with  majesty  and  scattered  over  its  surface  the  indications  of  His  goodness.  It  is 
nothing,  then,  that  we  have  a  relish  for  descriptions  of  heaven.  The  question  is 
whether  we  have  any  conformity  to  the  inhabitants  of  heaven.  Eternally  to  be  in 
communion  with  God,  eternally  to  have  fellowship  with  God — why  this  suggests  the 
most  terrible  of  thoughts — thoughts  of  being  for  ever  out  of  my  element,  unless  God 
and  myself  are  to  be  of  one  mind — if  I  am  to  remain  unrighteous  while  He  is 
righteous,  if  I  am  to  be  darkness  while  He  is  light.  We  have  no  right  to  think  that 
this  friendship  between  God  and  man  is  effected  unless  at  least  commenced  on  this 


CHAP.  VI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  349: 

side  of  the  grave.  Go  not  away  with  the  thought  that  you  may  indeed  have  nothing^ 
here  of  the  character  which  is  necessary  to  the  happiness  of  heaven,  but  that  such 
character  will  be  imparted  to  you  hereafter.     {H.  Melvill,  B.D.) 

Ver.  16.  Ye  are  the  temple  of  the  living  God. — The  so7(l  temple  : — From  this 
analogy  between  the  Christian's  soul  and  the  old  Jewish  temple  we  learn  concerning 
Christians  that — I.  They  are  the   objects  of   sPECi.Ui   Divine   eegabd.      At  the 
beginning  of  the  promises  which  God  made  concerning  the  old  temple,  He  said, 
"  Mine  eyes  and  Mine  heart  shall  be  there  perpetually,"  I  will  gild  its  glories  with 
My  smile,  scathe  its  defilers  with  My  frown,  "  Mine  heart "  too,  shall  be  there,  as  a 
proprietor  with  his  most  treasured  possession,  a  king  with  his  most  valued  province, 
a  father  with  the  home  of  his  family.     So  with  good  men.     "  With  that  man  will 
I  dweU,"  &c.      "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,"  &c.     II.  They  abe  the  scene  of 
special  Divine  MA>firESTATioN.     It  was  not  the  magnificence  of  the  building,  nor 
the  fragrance  of  the  incense,  nor  the  solemn  order  of  the  services,  that  revealed 
God's  presence.     It  was  the  Shekinah.     And  so  with  men.     It  is  not  the  gold  or 
intellect  that  tells  us  God  is  with  men,  but  it  is  Christ's  Spirit  in  the  heart.     III. 
They  ake  the  subjects  of  entire  Divine  consecration.     Solomon's  prayer  shows 
to  what  perfect  devotedness  to  God  the  temple  was  dedicated,  and  Christ's  expulsion 
of  the  traders  from  its  sacred  precincts,  at  the  beginning  and  at  the  close  of  His 
ministry,  proves  how  thoroughly  He  recognised  that  consecration,  and  suggests, 
moreover,  how  it  was  the  grand  purpose  of  His  incarnation  to  purify  and  hallow 
the  living  temple  of  men's  souls,  of  which  that  temple  was  but  a  type.     In  our 
hearts,  then — 1.  There  must  be  no  worldly  merchandise,  lest  we  make  it  "  a  den  of 
thieves  "  instead  of  a  "  house  of  prayer."      2.  There  must  be  no  idol ;  it  is  the 
temple  of  the  living  God.     3.  There  must  be  an  altar.     And  yet,  how  many  of 
us  are  there  in  whose  hearts  an  altar  for  self-sacrifice  is  a  strange  thing !     Con- 
clusion :  Let  us  beware  lest  the  doom  of  the  old  temple  should  be  ours.     Our  souls 
through  sin  must  incur  a  still  more  terrible  ruin.     ( U.  R.  Thomas.)         Temples  of 
God : — 1.  If  we  be  the  temples  of   God,  let  us  be  holy :   for  "  holiness,  O  Lord, 
becometh  Thy  house  for  ever."     2.  The  temple  is  the  house  of  prayer.     Wouldst 
thou  pray  in  God's  temple  ?     Pray  in  thyself.     3.  The  sound  of  the  high  praises 
of  God  must  be  heard  in  these  temples.     Even  in  the  midst  of  ourselves,  in  our 
own  hearts,  let  us  think  upon  His  mercies,  there  echo  forth  His  praises.     4.  The 
inhabitant  disposeth  all  the  rooms  of  his  house  :  if  God  dwell  in  us,  let  Him  rule 
us.     Submit  thy  will  to  His  Word,  thy  affections  to  His  Spirit.     It  is  fit  that  every 
man  should  bear  rule  in  his  own  house.     5.  Let  us  be  glad  when  He  is  in  us,  and 
give  Him  no  disturbance.     Let  not  the  foulness  of  any  room  make  Him  dislike  His 
habitation.     Cleanse  all  the  corners  of  sin,  and  perfume  the  whole  house.     6.  If 
we  be  the  Lord's  houses,  then  nobody's  else.     The  material  temples  are  not  to  be 
diverted  to  common  offices  ;  much  more  should  the  spiritual  be  used  only  for  God's 
service.    Let  us  not  alienate  His  rights  :  thus  He  will  say,  "  This  is  My  house,  here 
will  I  dwell,  for  I  have  a  delight  therein."    Oh,  may  we  so  adorn  these  temples  with 
graces,  that  God  may  take  delight  to  dwell  in  us !     (T.  Adams.)        I  will  be  their 
God,  and  they  shall  be  My  people. — The  covenant  relationship  between  God  and  His 
people : — I.  Let  us  consider  the  relation  alluded  to  in  our  text,  in  so  far  as 
MAN  is  concerned.     "  They  shall  be  My  people."     That  to  man,  the  inferior  party, 
such  a  connection  is  honourable,  is  self-evident.    Is  it  a  good  ground  of  honest  pride 
to  be  connected  with  the  illustrious  ?   How  honourable,  then,  must  it  be  to  stand  in  any 
relation  to  Him,  whose  fingers  formed  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  who  in  wisdom 
made  them  all  ?     Is  it  a  ground  of  honest  pride  to  be  connected  with  the  mighty, 
who,  while  they  are  reverenced  for  their  power,  are  admired  for  their  goodness  ? 
But  if  we  would  have  any  adequate  idea  of   the  extent  to  which  the  believer  is 
honoured  in  his  relation  to  God,  we  must  penetrate  more  deeply  into  the  nature 
of  the  connection,  and  consider  its  mysterious  intimacy.     Between  the  Head  of  the 
universe  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  many  relationships  subsist,  and  not  a 
few  of  these  extend  to  all  created  intelligences.    All  are  related  to  Him  as  the  great 
Creator,  as  a  preserving  God.     AU  are  indebted  to  Him  as  a  general  benefactor. 
All  are  related  to  Him  as  a  resistless  Governor.     In  a  word,  all,  without  exception, 
are  related  to  Him  as  a  Judge.     But  mark  the  honourable  relation  in  which  the 
Christian  stands  to  a  Being  so  great,  so  powerful,  so  glorious.    In  the  best,  the  most 
extensive  sense  of  the  appropriation,  he  can  humbly  add,  "  God  is  my  friend.     His 
consolations  are  mine  in  the  hour  of  sickness — His  approval  is  mine  as  I  sojourn 
toward  heaven — His  guidance  is  mine  in  every  perplexity — His  blessing  shall  be 


350  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vi. 

mine  for  ever."  They  know  that  however  much  their  God  may  afflict  them,  He  is 
their  God,  and  afflicts  them  for  their  good.  But  while  the  relation  referred  to  in 
our  text  is  thus  honourable  to  the  inferior  party,  it  is  just  as  evident  that  it  is  highly 
advantageous.  When  we  consider  what  God  can  do  for  those  in  whom  He  is 
interested,  when  we  consider  how  much  He  has  already  done  for  them,  the 
advantage  of  the  favoured  man  in  whom  He  is  thus  interested  admits  of  no 
controversy.  H.  That  it  is  also  gloeious  to  God.  And  here  we  cannot  fail 
to  remark  that  it  throws  a  halo,  exquisitely  brilliant,  on  the  beauty  of  the  Divine 
gi'ace  and  condescension.  We  have  only  to  contemplate  the  majesty  of  the  Most 
High  and  the  meanness  of  the  human  family,  in  order  to  adore  the  condescension 
of  our  covenanted  God.  Does  the  master  condescend  who  admits  his  servant  to 
his  confidence,  his  friendship  and  esteem  ?  Had  Adam  and  all  his  sons  continued 
to  reflect  the  heavenly  image,  it  would  have  been  less  an  object  of  wonder  that  God 
should  have  said  to  the  holy  men,  I  am  your  God,  and  ye  a»e  My  people.  Had 
rebelhon  never  entered  into  this  province  of  the  universe,  a  fatherly  relation  to  us 
had  been  less  magnificently  manifested.  But  here,  perhaps,  it  may  be  urged  that 
although  the  relation  with  Himself  into  which  the  Deity  introduces  His  people, 
may  be  glorious  to  His  condescension,  it  cannot  be  equally  so  to  all  the  rest  of  His 
perfections.  How,  it  may  be  asked,  can  it  consist  with  the  holiness  of  Him  who  is 
immaculate,  that  He  should  give  to  the  polluted  the  adoption  of  sons  ?  The  gospel 
affords  us  a  luminous  reply  to  these  disputing  questions.  It  tells  us  that  the  Most 
High  in  becoming  His  people's  God,  and  in  constituting  them  His  children,  fulfi.ls 
a  purpose,  as  glorious  to  His  justice  as  it  is  to  His  compassion,  as  illustrative  of 
His  majesty  as  it  is  of  His  condescension,  as  honourable  to  His  holiness  as  it  is  to 
His  love.     HI.  That  it  is  maintained  and  endeared  by  much  mutual  fellowship 

BETWEEN    THE    PARTIES   IN   THIS    WORLD,    WHILE    IT   IS   DESTINED    TO    ISSUE    IN    CLOSE 

AND  UNINTERRUPTED  COMMUNION  IN  THE  NEXT.  The  belicver  enjoys  it  and  he 
rejoices  in  it,  while  engaged  in  humble  prayer.  But  more  particularly,  we 
remark  that  the  Word  of  God  is  one  of  the  means  by  which  the  intimacies  of 
relationship  are  maintained  between  Him  and  His  people  in  this  world.  We 
might  refer  you  to  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  and  the  dealings  of  God  with 
man  at  large,  for  a  fuller  illustration  of  the  topic  now  under  review.  But  we 
have  said  that  while  the  relationship  that  subsists  between  God  and  His  people 
is  closened  by  much  endearing  fellowship  on  earth,  it  is  moreover  destined 
eventually  to  issue  in  uninterrupted  communion  in  heaven;  and  so  assuredly 
shaU  it  be.      {W.  Craig.) 

Vers.  17, 18.  Wherefore  come  ye  out  from  among:  them,  and  he  ye  separate. — 

Separation  from  the  world: — When  a  person  conversant  with  the  vegetable  produc- 
tions of  the  earth,  observes  in  the  forest  a  plant  whose  properties  he  is  desirous  of 
improving,  he  removes  it  from  its  native  wild  into  his  garden.  There,  rooted 
in  luxuriant  soil,  sheltered  from  inclement  blasts,  secured  against  immoderate 
humidity,  duly  watered  in  seasons  of  drought,  defended  from  the  encroachment 
of  worthless  herbs  which  even  in  that  cultivated  spot  are  continually  springing 
on  every  side;  it  testifies  by  a  conspicuous  transformation  the  fostering  care  of 
its  protector.  Its  growth  enlarges ;  its  juices  are  meliorated ;  its  tints  are 
heightened ;  its  fragrance  is  exalted ;  its  fruits  are  multiplied.  It  is  no  longer 
a  barren  weed;  but  the  delight  of  him  who  has  appropriated  it  to  himself.  In 
correspondence  with  the  general  outlines  of  this  similitude,  the  God  of  mercy 
purifies  unto  Himself  a  peculiar  people.  Between  the  objects  of  favour,  however, 
in  the  two  cases,  there  exists  a  very  important  difference.  The  plant  is  unconscious, 
senseless,  passive.  Choice  has  no  concern  in  its  improvement.  Not  so  the  human 
being  addressed  by  the  gospel.  Him  God  has  created  a  moral  agent.  From  him 
God  requires  active  concurrence  ;  co-operation  of  the  will  m.anifested  by  exertions 
of  obedience.  He  does  not  hurry  the  man  by  arbitrary  force  from  amidst  the  thorns 
and  thistles  of  iniquity.  Come  out  from  among  them.  He  cries,  and  be  separate. 
Bestowing  on  the  helpless  individual  adequate  powers  by  the  influence  of  His  Spirit, 
He  commands  him  to  exert  them  and  come  forth.  (J.  Gishorne,  M.A.)  Separation 
from  the  world,  Christian  service  : — I.  Is  a  distinct  act.  1.  It  is  a  change  of 
masters.  2.  It  is  a  change  of  companion.  Worldly  men  are  not  suitable, 
healthy,  or  possible  companions  for  Christians.  3.  It  is  a  change  of  views,  and 
habits,  and  ways.  II.  Is  a  distinct  existence.  It  involves  a  separateness.  The 
Church  is  separate.  1.  As  an  institution.  2.  As  a  community.  3.  As  a  moral 
influence.     III.  Is  a  holy  condition.     "  Touch  not  the  unclean  thing."     Although 


CHAP.  VI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  351 

this  at  the  first  applied  only  to  idolatry,  we  may  take  it  as  applying  to  every 
unclean  thing.  1.  Evil  is  offensive  to  God.  2.  Evil  hinders  all  good  in  the 
soul.  It  is  as  the  thorns  which  destroy  and  choke  the  wheat.  3.  Evil  is 
incompatible  with  good.  Fire  and  water  cannot  coexist.  IV.  Brings  the  accept- 
ance AND  EEWAED  OF  GoD.  Acceptance  involves — 1.  Keconciliation.  2.  Restoration 
to  privileges.  3.  Complete  forgiveness,  peace,  and  happiness.  (J.  J.  S.  Bird,  M.A.) 
Eenouncing  the  world  : — I.  We  must  renounce  its  corrupt  maxims  and  doctrines. 

II.  We  must  forsake  the  unhallowed  pleasures  and  amusements  of  the  world. 

III.  We  must  be  separated  from  the  world  in  its  gener.al  spirit  and  character. 
(J.  Richards.)  Separation  and  adoption : — I.  The  precept.  In  order  to  a  Christian 
position  there  must  be  a  special  act  which  determines  on  which  side  of  one  fixed  line 
the  rest  of  our  actions  shall  stand.  1.  This  act  is  the  same  deep  necessity  now  that 
it  was  in  Corinth.  The  human  heart  is  the  same,  and  the  same  temptations,  with  only 
slight  variations  in  their  form,  still  beset  men.  Every  age  brings  its  new  brood  of 
vices  and  adds  to  the  funded  stock,  but  very  few  that  have  once  got  a  foothold  die 
out.  History  hardly  tells  of  one  extinct  species  in  the  flora  of  guilt.  If  civilisa- 
tion multiplies  the  refinements  of  culture,  so  does  it  the  refinements  of  iniquity. 
Nay,  men  are  just  as  eager  to  climb  up  some  other  way,  instead  of  entering  by  the 
lowly  door  of  repentance  and  faith.  And  therefore  the  responsibility  of  choice  is 
just  as  pressing.  It  is  impossible  to  evade  it  and  slip  into  any  third  way.  On 
one  side  we  must  be— Christ's  or  Belial's.  We  do  assort  with  the  unbelievei's,  or 
come  out  from  among  them  and  be  separate,  and  the  Judge  knows  which  we  do. 
2.  The  Church  has  sometimes  made  a  mistaken  use  of  this  truth.  It  has  done  so 
whenever  it  has  stood,  a  Pharisee,  aloof  from  the  throng  of  humanity,  saying 
scornfully,  "  I  am  hoUer  than  thou."  It  has  done  so  whenever  it  has  made  dress, 
badge,  ritual,  feeling,  professions  the  line  of  distinction  rather  than  a  principle 
ruling  the  life.  The  right  way  for  the  Church  to  distinguish  itself  from  the  world 
is  as  its  Head  distinguished  Himself — by  a  purer  holiness  and  a  warmer  zeal  to 
help  and  save  the  world.  Christian  men  should  be  known  by  every  nobler  disposi- 
tion, lovelier  trait,  and  holier  deed.  3.  Nevertheless,  it  will  be  true  that  there  is  a 
distinction  or  a  "  coming  out,"  that  mankind  are  of  two  armies  under  two  leaders, 
that  outward  decency  cannot  be  taken  for  inward  renewal,  self-cultivation  for  the 
upward-looking  faith  which  works  by  love  and  through  Christ  receives  the  Spirit. 
4.  Till  each  individual  soul  has  chosen  to  clear  itself  of  all  entangling  alliances 
with  the  one  of  these  two  opposing  forces  and  pledged  itself  to  the  other,  how  can 
it  imagine  it  is  safe  ?  5.  A  beginning  and  a  continuing,  a  revolution  and  a  habit, 
a  new  principle  and  a  new  life  is  this  great  decisive  act.  A  "coming  out"  from 
irreligious  associations  is  one  part.  It  implies  energy  of  purpose  kindled  by  faith. 
Being  "  separate  "  implies  the  maintenance  of  the  ground  thus  taken  against  all 
opponents,  whether  they  frown  or  laugh,  sneer  or  slight,  reason  or  threaten. 
"Touch  not"  the  renounced  pollution,  is  an  adjuration  to  the  sanctified  conscience. 
And  these  are  the  three  daily  heroisms  in  the  discipline  of  the  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ.     II.    To   the  sternness  of  the  law  is  added  the  tenderness  of  grace. 

I.  If  man  will  do  his  part,  God  does  His.  God  "  worketh  within  us  to  will  and  to 
do,"  prompting  holy  desires  and  stirring  the  stagnant  fountain.  "  No  man  can 
come  to  Me  except  the  Father  who  hath  sent  Me  draw  him."  When  that  dinner 
of  husks  is  fairly  ended  and  the  prodigal's  penitence  has  directed  his  feet  towards 
home,  the  first  form  his  lifted  eyes  see  is  his  father's,  meeting  him  "  while  yet  a 
great  way  oS."  An  infinite  benediction  falls  on  the  returning  child  ;  you  feel  the 
power  of  the  promise,  "  I  will  receive  you,"  &o.  Sons  and  daughters  !  Not 
"  children"  merely,  losing  individual  consolation  in  the  generality  of  the  family! 
God  uses  names  that  come  nearer  to  personal  affection  and  meet  a  personal  want. 
He  calleth  His  own  by  name.  And  whereas  it  was  the  Lord  that  said,  "  Come,"  it 
is  the  Lord  "  Almighty,"  with  His  omnipotence  the  guarantee  of  His  promise,  that 
says,  "Ye  shall  be  My  sons  and  My  daughters."  2.  The  practical  results  upon 
character.  (1)  Confirming,  and  chiefly  by  fostering  in  the  heart  a  keener  abhorrence 
of  sin.  Under  the  witnessing  of  that  Divine  Guest  impurity,  selfishness,  uncharitable- 
ness  grow  insupportably  hateful.  (2)  Supporting  :  by  supplying  heavenly  arms 
under  the  agitations  of  sorrow.  (3)  Quickening:  by  fresh  spiritual  communica- 
tions out  of  His  own  fulness,  giving  to  your  growing  holiness  an  increasing  power  of 
life.  (Bp.  Huntington.)  Soul  salvation  consists  in: — I.  World  renunciation. 
"  Come  out  from  among  them."  The  renunciation  must  be — 1.  Voluntary.  2. 
Entire.     "Touch  not  the  unclean  thing" — i.e.,  sin,  in  all  its  forms  and  phases. 

II.  Divine  adoption.     "  I  will  receive  you,"  i&c.     As  a  father,  what  does  He  do 


352  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vi. 

for  His   children  ?     1.   He  loves  them.     2.   He   educates  them.     3.   He   guards 
them.     4.  He  provides  for  them.     (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)         The  greatest  revolution : — 
The  text  demands  a  change  in  human  life,  of  all  changes  the  most  urgent  and 
glorious — the  change  without  which  all  other  changes  are  not  only  worthless,  but 
disastrous.     It   involves — I.   An    ukgent    sepakation.      "  Come   out  from   among 
them."     "  Them  " — the  carnal,  idolatrous,  corrupt  men  of  the  world.     1.  How  ? 
Not   by  personally  withdrawing   from   all  communication   with  them.     This,  if 
possible,  would  neither  be  right,  generous,  nor  useful.     It  means  "  come  out  from 
them  "  in  spirit.     Let  your  intercourse  with  them  be  like  that  of  angels,  who  had 
no  sooner  discharged  their  errand  than  they  flew  back  with  rapid  wing  to  the  pure 
heavens  again.     2.  The  Divine  command  implies — (1)  Urgency.     So  long  as  you 
mingle  in  sympathy  with  the  ungodly  you  are  degrading  your  nature,  imperilling 
your  interests,  incurring  the  displeasure  of  your  God.    (2)  Strenuous  effort.    Heaven 
will  not  drag  you  out  against  your  will ;  you  must  marshal  your  own  energies  and 
struggle  away  from  the  magic  dominion  of  evil.     He  who  would  be  free,  himself 
must  strike  the  blow.     "  Come  out  "  from  this  moral  Egypt ;  flee  from  this  Sodom; 
forsake  this  Babylon !    II.  A  glorious  lOENTrFiCATioN.     "I  will  receive  you,"  &c. 
Here  is — 1.  A  Divine  reception.    Here  is  a  compensation  for  all  the  sacrifices  you 
may  be  required  to  make.     What  matters  it  that  you  leave  old  fellowships,  even 
father,  mother,  children?    2.  Divine  affiliation.    {Homilist.)       And  will  be  a  Father 
unto  you. — The  Fatherhood  of  God : — I.  The  promise.     1.  "I  will  be  a  Father 
unto  you."     Some  may  inquire,  "  How  is  it  that  God  here  promises  to  be  what  He 
is  ?  "     The  text  is  an  assurance  that  God  will  act  the  part  of  a  Father.     There  is, 
alas !  many  a  parent  who  does  not  act  the  part  of  a  father  to  his  children.     "  But 
can  God,  the  Father  of   spirits,  act  in  an  unpaternal  way  toward  any  of  His 
children?"     (1)  No.     He  treats  none  with  unkindness  or  injustice.     His  offers  of 
mercy  are  to  all ;  for  all  Christ  died.     (2)  Yes.     In  so  far  as  His  children  refuse 
to  allow  Him  to  act  a  parental  part.     Consider  the  Prodigal  Son.     The  father  is 
still  the  father,  but  he  does  not  act  the  part  of  a  father,  just  because  that  child  has 
chosen  to  betake  himself  to  the  far  country.     So  soon  as  he  penitently  returns,  the 
parent  in  loving  welcome  shows  himself  to  be  what  he  really  is — a  father.    So  God 
remains  under  all  circumstances  the  Father  of  our  spirits ;  and  the  question  is, 
whether  we  will  permit  Him  to  be  a  father  to  us.     It  is  one  thing  to  have  the  con- 
viction that  God  made  us,  and  another  to  be  assured  that  He  loves  us  with  as  much 
individual  tenderness  as  if  no  other  created  being  existed.     Do  any  ask,  "How  can 
this  be  ?  "     How  can  it  not  be  ?     If  a  man  has  seven  children,  does  he  love  each 
only  one-seventh  as  much  as  he  would  do  if  he  had  but  one  ?     Nay,  if  there  be 
any  difference,  he  will  love  each  the  more,  because  of  the  expansive  influence  on 
his  heart  of  the  love  of  the  many.     The  infinite  God  does  not  love  me  less  because 
I  am  one  of  millions.     Let  me  place  myself  where  I  may  rejoice  in  its  manifesta- 
tion.    2.  "  And  ye  shaU  be  My  sons,"  &c.     Is  not  this  a  needless  tautology  ?     No, 
God  may  be  a  father  to  us ;  but  except  we  act  as  His  children  we  cannot  be  happy. 
The  love  that  a  mother  lavishes  upon  her  wayward  children  avails  not  for  his  joy, 
but  rather  acts  as  a  painful  rebuke  so  long  as  he  returns  it  not  and  leads  an  unfilial 
life.     So  with  regard  to  God  and  man.     How  gracious,  then,  this  twofold  promise ! 
He  will  not  only  show  us  parental  affection,  but  give  us  a  filial  heart.     II.  Its  con- 
dition.    Some  ignore  this,  and  then  complain  that  in  their  experience  the  promise 
is  not  fulfilled.    1.  Separation  unto  God  is  demanded  (ver.  17).    This  does  not  imply 
a  monkish  seclusion.     If  the  Church  be  so  withdrawn  from  the  world,  how  shall  it 
leaven  it  with  a  holy  influence ?     "Touch  not  the  unclean  thing."     Contagion  is 
the  idea  conveyed.     In  time  of  plague  it  were  cruel  indeed  if  all  were  to  flee,  but  it 
would  be  equally  their  duty  to  avoid,  if  possible,  contracting  the  malady,  for  then 
their  ability  to  help  would  be  gone.     The  physician  should  attend  the  sufferers, 
but  it  would  not  be  well  for  him  to  sleep  in  the  infected  apartment.     "But  exactly 
from  what  amusements,  societies,  and  occupations  are  we  to  separate  ourselves  ?  " 
Each  must  be  guided  by  conscience  and  Scripture.     From  all  that  is  condemned 
by  God's  Word,  that  is  injurious  to  our  spiritual  welfare,  that  which,  though  not 
unlawful,  is  not  needful  for  us,  and  may  set  a  bad  example,  and  that  about  the 
lawfulness  of  which  we  are  in  doubt  we  must  withdraw  ourselves.     If  the  mother 
is  uncertain  as  to  whether  some  berry  for  which  her  child  cries  is  poisonous  or 
not,  she  will  assuredly  withhold  it ;  and  if  we  are  undecided  as  to  whether  some 
occupation  or  amusement  for  which  inclination  clamours  will  prove  harmful  to  our 
soul,  let  us  give  God,  not  our  hearts,  the  benefit  of  the  doubt.     2.  "  Wherefore," 
thus   referring   to   what   he   has   already   said — (1)    "  For  what   fellowship   hath 


CHAP.  VI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  853 

righteousness  with  unrighteousness?"  None,  and  the  believer  removing  not 
therefrom  is  involved  in  contention  which  belies  his  Christianity.  (2)  "  What 
communion  hath  light  with  darkness  ?  "  None.  If  there  be,  it  is  to  the  detriment 
of  the  light.  How  has  the  brightness  of  many  a  Christian  life  been  dimmed  by 
intimacy  with  the  ungodly !  (3)  "  And  what  concord  hath  Christ  with  Belial  ?  " 
None.  So  is  there  none  betwixt  those  who  are  Christ's  disciples  and  Satan's 
servants.  The  withdrawal  is  not  to  be  comprised  in  a  single  act,  but  must  be  the 
habit  of  the  life.  Pliable  found  it  easy  to  run  from  the  City  of  Destruction,  hard 
to  continue  his  journey.  (Homilist.)  Sons  of  God  : — 1.  We  have  here  one  of 
the  many  instances  in  which  the  apostle  quotes  from  the  0.  T.  and  applies  it  to 
Gentile  Christians.  "  Now  having  these  promises  " — we,  you,  "  having  "  them  ! 
The  apostle  identified  the  Jewish  and  Christian  churches,  and  considered  the 
Scriptures  of  the  first,  the  inheritance  of  the  second,  and  that  promises  addressed 
to  the  Jews,  and  having  relation  to  local  and  temporary  circumstances,  have  yet 
an  eternal  principle  in  them  which  makes  them  applicable  to  the  church  in  all 
time.  2.  Every  thoughtful  person  is  conscious,  immediately  the  idea  is  suggested 
of  men  being  the  children  of  God,  of  the  feeling  that  this  relationship  is  common 
to  all  men.  Paul  himself  adopts  the  saying  of  the  Greek  poet,  "  And  we  His  off- 
spring are."  Simply  considered  in  their  human  character  men  are  the  children  of 
God,  but  some  men  are  the  sons  of  God  in  a  sense  different  from  others.  I.  The 
ORIGIN  AND  souKCE  OF  THIS  PECULIAR  RELATIONSHIP.  Christianity  is  a  supernatural 
intervention  of  God,  and  it  teaches  that  men  become  the  sons  of  God  in  a  sense 
which  cannot  be  predicated  of  them  in  their  previous  natural  condition  (John  i.  12, 
13).  They  are  not  born  "of  blood,"  of  one  particular  race;  it  is  not  because  of 
being  either  Jew  or  Gentile,  of  the  family  of  Seth  or  of  Shem,  which  makes  men  sons 
of  God.  "  Nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh."  This  privilege  is  not  an  inherent  element  in 
humanity  which  only  requires  development.  "  Nor  by  the  will  of  man  " — i.e.,  in 
respect  to  external  acts,  rites,  or  sacraments,  which  a  man  has  power  to  dispense 
or  to  keep  back ;  neither  of  caste,  induction,  or  ritualism,  but  of  God — you  are  born 
of  Him.  There  is  through  Christ,  and  in  connection  with  the  truth  of  Christ,  a 
direct  influence  and  operation  of  the  Spirit  of  God  upon  the  soul  of  a  believing 
man,  infusing  a  new  spiritual  life  into  the  conscience,  and  that  spiritual  living 
man  is  a  son  of  God,  and  shelters  himself  under  the  Divine  Fatherhood  in  a  sense 
altogether  unique.  II.  Its  privileges.  1.  Honour,  nobility.  "  Behold  what 
manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the 
sons  of  God  !  "  2.  The  conscious  utterance  of  sentiments  and  feelings  appropriate 
to  this  relationship.  "  Because  ye  are  sons  God  hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  His 
Son  into  your  hearts,  crying,  Abba,  Father."  3.  The  indwelling  of  the  Spirit — the 
Spirit  which  regenerates  and  sanctifies,  not  only  enters,  but  makes  the  heart  His 
home,  filling  it  with  light  and  peace.  4.  A  life  of  filial  confidence  ;  the  belief  that 
they  shall  have  from  their  Father  what  is  necessary,  both  for  temporal  and  spiritual 
life.  Why  take  you  thought  for  raiment,  &c.  ?  5.  Heirship.  "If  children,  then  heirs, 
heirs  of  God  and  joint-heirs  with  Jesus  Christ."  III.  Its  duties.  1.  A  perpetual, 
calm,  grateful  joy.  I  think  it  a  great  thing  to  be  born  into  this  world — to  be  a 
man.  To  be  possessed  of  these  senses  and  faculties,  to  have  God's  universe  spread 
before  us  with  all  the  intellectual  and  moral  force  that  we  have  within  us,  even  life, 
with  its  warfare,  its  work,  and  its  vicissitudes — about  all  these  things  there  is 
joy.  Aye,  but  to  be  born  again,  to  have  the  spiritual  eye  opened  to  those  things 
which  are  only  realised  by  faith,  to  be  born  into  this  new  and  spiritual  world,  to 
awake  up  to  a  consciousness  that  through  Christ  we  are  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
God — how  we  ought  to  rejoice  in  that !  2.  A  ready  acknowledgment  of  the  relation- 
ship. Men  are  not  ashamed  to  own  a  relationship  with  illustrious  ancestors.  And 
there  is  something  wrong  when  Christians  are  ashamed  of  their  relationship  to  God, 
of  that  highest  nobility  that  God  can  confer.  3.  Obedience.  (1)  The  obedience  of 
children.  A  little  child  does  not  ask  reasons,  or  if  it  does  it  is  told  to  wait. 
Christians  should  apply  this  to  themselves,  and  remember  that  part  of  the  duty  of 
sons  to  their  Divine  and  loving  Father  is  prompt  obedience.  (2)  But  added  to  that 
there  must  be  the  obedience  of  men — I  mean  that  with  enlightened  reason,  and 
with  high  and  glowing  purpose,  you  shall  determine  that,  God  helping  you,  you 
■will  live  and  act  worthy  of  your  parentage.  4.  Contentedness  with  our  lot,  and  a 
using  of  our  spiritual  privileges — delight  in  the  intercourse  with  our  Father, 
acquiescence  in  chastisement,  and  an  exercise  of  filial  faith  in  what  is  to  be  the 
end  proposed  by  Him.  5.  A  gradual  preparation  for  that  great  day  when  the  Son 
shall  appear  in  the  presence  of  the  Father,  and  when  there  shall  be  a  blessed 

23 


354  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  vu.j 

realisation  of  the  hope  which  has  sustained  the  child  from  the  beginning.     IV.  Its  \ 
ULTIMATE  CONSUMMATION.     1.   The  glorification  of  your  entire  nature.    You  look 
for  your  Saviour  to  sanctify  your  souls,  and  you  look  for  Him  to  change  your  body, 
that  it  may  be  fashioned  like  unto  His  glorious  body.     This  is  to  be  the  beginning 
of  the  consummation,  and  will  lead  to  the  period  when  there  will  be  the  whole  i 
family  in  heaven.     2.  Positive  and  conscious  association  with  the  elder  sons  of  | 
creation,  who  "  kept  their  first  estate,"  and  who  "  rejoice  over  one  sinner  that 
repenteth."     Their  joy  will  be  full  when  the  two  races — the  fallen  and  the  unfallec  ' 
— shall  be  brought  together  in  visible  companionship  before  the  throne  of  God. 
(T.  Binney.) 


CHAPTEB    Vn. 


Yeb.  1.  Having  these  promises  ...  let  us  cleanse  ourselves  .  .  .  perfecting 
holiness. — Having  the  "promises  of  God : — Under  what  notion  have  we  the  promises 
of  God  ?  1.  We  have  them  as  manifest  tokens  of  God's  favour  towards  us.  2. 
We  have  them  as  fruits  of  Christ's  purchase.  3.  They  are  plain  and  ample 
declarations  of  the  good-will  of  God  towards  men,  and  therefore  as  God's  part 
of  the  covenant  of  grace.  4.  They  are  a  foundation  of  our  faith,  and  we  have 
them  as  such  ;  and  also  of  our  hope,  on  these  we  are  to  build  all  our  expectations 
from  God ;  and  in  all  temptations  and  trials  we  have  them  to  rest  our  souls  upon. 

5.  We  have  them  as  the  directions  and  encouragements  of  our  desires  in  prayer. 

6.  We  have  them  as  the  means  by  which  the  grace  of  God  works  for  our  holiness 
and  comfort,  for  by  these  we  are  made  partakers  of  a  Divine  nature ;  and  faith, 
applying  these  promises,  is  said  to  work  by  love.  7.  We  have  the  promises  as 
the  earnest  and  assurance  of  future  blessedness.  (Matthew  Henry.)  Personal 
purification : — I.  The  ground  of  the  apostle's  bequest — "  Having  these  promises  " 
(chap.  vi.  16-18).  Observe  the  gospel  principle  of  action:  it  is  not,  Separate 
yourself  from  all  uncleanness  in  order  that  you  may  get  a  right  of  sonship ;  but, 
Because  ye  are  sons  of  God,  therefore  be  pure.  It  is  not.  Work  in  order  to  be 
saved ;  but.  Because  you  are  saved,  therefore  work  out  your  salvation.  "  Ye  are 
the  temple  of  God  "  :  therefore  cleanse  yourself.  The  law  says :  "  This  do,  and 
thou  shalt  live."  The  gospel  says  :  "  This  do,  because  thou  art  redeemed."  We 
all  know  the  force  of  this  kind  of  appeal.  You  know  there  are  some  things  a 
soldier  will  not  do,  because  he  is  a  soldier:  he  is  in  uniform,  and  he  cannot 
disgrace  his  corps.  There  are  some  things  of  which  a  man  of  high  birth  is  incapable : 
he  has  a  character  to  sustain.  Precisely  on  this  ground  is  the  gospel  appeal  made 
to  us.  II.  The  bequest  itself.  St.  Paul  demanded  their  holiness.  In  Jewish 
literalness  this  meant  separation  from  external  defilement,  but  the  thing  implied 
was  inward  holiness.  We  must  keep  ourselves  apart,  then,  not  only  from  sensual 
but  also  from  spiritual  defilement.  The  Jewish  law  required  only  the  purification 
of  the  flesh ;  the  gospel  demands  the  purification  of  the  spirit  (Heb.  ix.  13).  There 
is  a  contamination  which  passes  through  the  avenue  of  the  senses,  and  sinks  into 
the  spirit.  Who  shall  dislodge  it  thence  ?  "  Not  that  which  goeth  into  the  mouth 
defileth  a  man ;  but  that  which  cometh  out  of  the  mouth,  this  defileth  a  man." 
"For  out  of  the  heart  proceed  evil  thoughts."  The  heart — there  is  the  evil! 
And  now  what  is  the  remedy  for  this?  1.  The  fear  of  God.  An  awful  thought! 
a  living  God,  infinitely  pure,  is  conscious  of  your  contaminated  thoughts  1  So 
the  only  true  courage  sometimes  comes  from  fear.  We  cannot  do  without  awe : 
there  is  no  depth  of  character  without  it.  Tender  motives  are  not  enough  to 
restrain  from  sin ;  yet  neither  is  awe  enough.  2.  The  promises  of  God.  Think 
of  what  you  are — a  child  of  God,  an  heir  of  heaven.  Realise  the  grandeur  of 
saintliness,  and  you  will  shrink  from  degrading  your  soul  and  debasing  your 
spirit.  To  come  down,  however,  from  these  sublime  motives  to  simple  rules — (1) 
Cultivate  all  generous  and  high  feelings.  A  base  appetite  may  be  expelled  by  a 
nobler  passion ;  the  invasion  of  a  country  has  sometimes  waked  men  from  low 
sensuality,  has  roused  them  to  deeds  of  self-sacrifice,  and  left  no  access  for  the 
baser  passions.  An  honourable  affection  can  quench  low  and  indiscriminate  vice. 
(2)  Seek  exercise  and  occupation.     If  a  man  finds  himself  haunted  by  evil  desires 


CHAP.  VII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  355 

and  unholy  images,  let  him  commit  to  memory  passages  of  Scripture,  or  passages 
from  the  best  writers  in  verse  or  prose.  Let  him  store  his  mind  with  these,  as 
safeguards.  Let  these  be  to  him  the  sword,  turning  everywhere  to  keep  the  way  of 
the  Garden  of  Life  from  the  intrusion  of  profaner  footsteps.  III.  The  entieeness 
OF  THIS  SEVERANCE  FROM  EVIL—"  perfecting  holiness."  Perfection  means  entireness, 
in  opposition  to  one-sidedness.  This  expression  seems  to  be  suggested  by  the 
terms  "  flesh  and  spirit " ;  for  the  purification  of  the  flesh  alone  would  not  be 
perfect,  but  superficial  holiness.  Christian  sanctification,  therefore,  is  an  entire 
and  whole  thing ;  it  is  nothing  less  than  presenting  the  whole  man  a  sacrifice  to 
Christ.  "  I  pray  God  your  whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body  be  preserved  blameless." 
(F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.)  The  Christian  in  various  aspects  : — I.  As  possessed  of 
MOST  GLORIOUS  PRIVILEGES — "  Having  these  promises."  Not  promises  in  reversion 
merely,  but  in  actual  possession.  1.  The  promises  referred  to  are — (1)  Divine 
indwelling.  (2)  Divine  manifestation.  (3)  Divine  covenanting.  (4)  Divine  accept- 
ance. (5)  Divine  adoption.  2.  These  promises  are  already  fulfilled  in  our 
experience.  11.  As  labouring  to  be  bid  of  obnoxious  evils.  1.  The  matter  has 
in  it — (1)  Personality :  "  Let  us  cleanse  ourselves."  (2)  Activity  ;  we  must  continue 
vigorously  to  cleanse  both  body  and  mind.  (3)  Universality:  "From  all  filthiness." 
(4)  Thoroughness  :  "  Of  the  flesh  and  spirit."  2.  If  God  dwells  in  us,  let  us  make 
the  house  clean  for  so  pure  a  God.  3.  Has  the  Lord  entered  into  covenant  with  us 
that  we  should  be  His  people?  Does  not  this  involve  a  call  upon  us  to  live  as 
becometh  godliness  ?  4.  Are  we  His  children  ?  Let  us  not  grieve  our  Father,  but 
imitate  Him  as  dear  children.  III.  As  aiming  at  a  most  exalted  position — "  Per- 
fecting holiness."  1.  We  must  set  before  us  perfect  holiness  as  a  thing  to  be 
reached.  2.  We  must  blame  ourselves  if  we  fall  short  of  it.  3.  We  must  continue 
in  any  degree  of  holiness  which  we  have  reached.  4.  We  must  agonise  after  the 
perfecting  of  our  character.  PV.  As  prompted  by  the  most  sacred  of  motives — 
"  In  the  fear  of  God."  The  fear  of  God^l.  Casts  out  the  fear  of  man,  and  thus 
saves  us  from  one  prolific  cause  of  sin.  2.  Casts  out  the  love  of  sin,  and  with  the 
root  the  fruit  is  sure  to  go.  3.  Works  in  and  through  love,  and  this  is  a  great 
factor  of  holiness.  4.  Is  the  root  of  faith,  worship,  obedience,  and  so  it  produces 
all  manner  of  holy  service.  Conclusion :  See  how — 1.  Promises  supply  arguments 
for  precepts.  2.  Precepts  naturally  grow  out  of  promises.  (C.  H.  Spiirgeon.) 
Holiness  inculcated  on  gospel  principles  : — 1.  The  tender  compellation  by  which 
these  Corinthians  are  here  addressed — "  dearly  beloved."  However  deficient  some 
of  them  were  in  affection  for  this  apostle  (1  Cor.  iv.  14, 15),  and  with  all  their  faults, 
he  retained  a  paternal  affection  for  them.  How  careful  should  both  ministers  and 
people  be  to  guard  against  everything  that  tends  to  impair  their  mutual  affection. 
2.  The  duty  to  which  the  Corinthians  are  here  exhorted,  and  we  together  with 
them.  3.  The  manner  in  which  the  apostle  urges  the  exhortation.  He  speaks  not 
in  the  second  person,  but  in  the  first,  "  let  us  cleanse."  The  same  exhortation  that 
he  gives  to  them  he  also  takes  to  himself.  We  must  recommend  by  our  example 
the  duties  which  we  doctrinally  inculcate.  4.  The  manner  in  which  the  exhortation 
is  to  be  complied  with,  and  the  duty  performed:  "  in  the  fear  of  God."  Not  slavish 
fear.  5.  The  motive  by  which  this  exhortation  is  enforced:  "Having  these 
promises,"  &c.  It  is  the  duty  of  public  teachers  in  the  Church  to  make  known  to 
their  hearers  both  the  precepts  and  threatenings  of  the  law,  as  well  as  the  promises 
of  the  gospel.  I.  The  first  thing  to  be  spoken  of  is  the  duty  here  enjoined.  This, 
in  general,  is  self-sanctification.  1.  Because  the  law  of  God  necessarily  requires  it. 
That  law,  even  before  sin  entered  into  the  world,  prohibited  every  species  of  moral 
pollution,  and  required  the  utmost  perfection  of  holiness  in  heart  and  life,  in 
nature  and  practice.  Through  the  entrance  of  sin  God  neither  lost  His  authority 
to  command,  nor  did  the  law  of  God  lose  its  binding  obligation.  2.  Because,  when 
the  Holy  Ghost  comes  to  accomplish  this  work,  He  always  does  it  in  a  way  of 
stirring  up  the  person  to  diligence  in  the  duty  which  is  incumbent  upon  him  in  this 
respect.  Thus  we  are  made  a  kind  of  instruments  in  promoting  His  gracious  design 
in  ourselves.  In  justification  we  are  wholly  passive;  because,  this  being  a  judicial 
deed,  none  can  be  active  in  it  but  He  whose  prerogative  it  is  to  forgive  sins.  In 
regeneration  also,  which,  indeed,  is  the  beginning  of  sanctification,  we  must  be 
passive ;  because  we  can  perf onn  none  of  the  functions  of  spiritual  life  while  we 
continue  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  But  the  moment  that  the  principle  of  life  is 
implanted  the  soul  begins  to  be  active ;  and  it  continues  to  be  a  co-worker  with 
God  in  every  part  of  its  own  sanctification.  Now,  sanctification  consists  of  two 
parts,  usually  called  mortification  and  vivication  ;  and  we  must  be  active  in  both. 


356  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vn. 

(1)  To  the  duty  of  mortification,  which  is  here  expressed  by  our  cleansing  ourselves 
from  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit.  By  aU  sin  we  contract  filthiness  as  well 
as  guilt.  The  guilt  of  sin  exposes  us  to  condemnation  and  punishment ;  and  the 
filth  of  it  renders  us  hateful  in  the  sight  of  God.  This  filthiness  has  infected  every 
part  of  human  nature.  Both  body  and  soul  are  polluted.  With  regard  to  the  body, 
being  a  piece  of  matter,  it  may  be  thought  incapable  of  spiritual  or  moral 
pollution.  And  doubtless  so  it  would  if  it  subsisted  by  itself.  But,  being  united 
to  a  rational  soul,  it  is  a  part  of  a  human  person,  who  is  a  subject  of  moral  govern- 
ment ;  and  every  part  of  the  rational  person  is  defiled.  A  great  part  of  the  filthiness 
of  our  corrupt  nature  consists  in  a  disposition  to  gratify  our  appetites  in  a  manner 
prohibited  by  the  law  of  God,  and  ruinous  to  the  dearest  interests  of  the  immortal 
soul.  With  regard  to  the  soul  or  rational  spirit,  that  also  is  become  altogether 
filthy.  Its  whole  constitution  is  depraved,  its  extensive  desires  are  all  perverted, 
l)eing  set  upon  sinful  and  vain  objects.  All  its  faculties  are  depraved.  Though 
the  cleansing  of  the  whole  man  from  this  spiritual  filthiness  must  be  a  work  beyond 
the  power  of  any  mere  creature,  yet  there  are  various  things  incumbent  upon  us 
by  which  we  may  actively  contribute  to  the  gaining  of  this  desirable  end.  To  this 
purpose  let  us  betake  ourselves,  by  renewed  actings  of  faith,  to  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ,  in  its  sanctifying  as  well  as  in  its  justifying  efiicacy.  Let  us  carefully 
abstain  from  aU  those  outward  acts  of  sin  by  which  our  corruptions  might  be 
gratified.  Let  us  earnestly  pray  to  God  for  His  sanctifying  Spirit.  Let  us  con- 
fidently trust  in  God,  that,  according  to  His  promise,  He  will  cleanse  us  from  all 
our  filthiness.  And  if  we  are  favoured  with  the  motions  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  this 
effect,  let  us  cherish  them  with  the  utmost  care.  (2)  We  are  exhorted  to  the  duty 
of  vivication,  or  living  unto  righteousness,  here  expressed  by  "  perfecting  holiness." 
Concerning  this  we  may  observe  the  following  things.  Holiness  is  that  perfection 
which  is  opposed  to  moral  impurity.  In  Scripture  it  is  represented  as  the  glory 
of  the  Divine  nature  (Exod.  xv.  11).  Among  creatures  it  is  that  which  renders  a 
rational  being  agreeable  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  fit  to  be  employed  in  His  service. 
It  consists  not  barely  in  freedom  from  spiritual  filthiness,  but  is  opposed  to  it,  as 
light  is  opposed  to  darkness.  Every  corruption  has  an  opposite  grace.  And  grace 
does  not  barely  consist  in  freedom  from  corruption,  but  includes  something  positive 
in  opposition  to  it.  Thus  holiness  is  not  only  something  required  of  us  by  the  law 
of  God,  it  is  something  highly  ornamental  to  our  nature.  Hence  we  read  of  the 
beauty  of  holiness  (Psa.  xxix.  2).  This  holiness  is  not  only  a  thing  absolutely 
necessary  to  the  happiness  of  a  rational  being,  but  is  itself  a  principal  branch  of 
happiness.  That  it  is  necessary  to  happiness  is  clear  from  various  considerations. 
There  is  no  happiness  adequate  to  the  desires  of  a  rational  soul  without  the  enjoy- 
ment of  God ;  and  this  can  never  be  attained  without  holiness.  As  happiness  can 
never  be  perfect  without  the  gratification  of  all  the  person's  desires,  it  is  manifest 
that  an  unholy  person  never  can  be  happy.  While  he  continues  possessed  of  a 
rational  soul  his  desires  must  be  infinite ;  nor  can  anything  satisfy  them  but  an 
infinite  object.  Impure  desires  can  never  find  an  infinite  object  to  fix  upon ;  for 
nothing  unholy  can  be  infinite.  The  original  standard  of  all  holiness  is  in  the 
nature  of  God.  What  is  conformable  to  that  infinite  nature  is  holy  ;  and  what  is 
contrary  to  it  must  be  impure  and  unholy.  But  as  the  nature  of  God  is  not 
perfectly  understood  by  any  creature,  nor  is  capable  of  being  so,  it  is  impossible 
for  us  to  judge  of  our  holiness  immediately  by  that  standard.  For  this  reason 
God  has  given  us  in  His  holy  law  a  transcript  of  His  nature  adapted  to  our 
capacities ;  and  this  is  the  rule  of  all  holiness  to  mankind.  As  broad  as  that  law 
is,  so  extensive  is  holiness.  It  must  reach  to  the  inward  as  well  as  the  outward 
man.  To  perfect  holiness  every  genuine  Christian  will  aspire.  In  the  text  we  are 
expressly  required  to  "perfect  holiness."  "But  why  require  of  us  an  impossibility? 
For  us  to  perfect  holiness  is  not  only  impossible  by  any  strength  of  our  own,  but 
it  is  impossible  by  the  help  of  any  grace  that  we  can  expect  in  this  world."  Every 
argument  that  enforces  holiness  at  all  pleads  equally  for  the  perfection  of  it.  The 
broad  law  of  God  requires  it ;  and  without  it  we  never  can  be  conformable  to  that 
unerring  rule.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  to  perfect  happiness  ;  and  as  no  man  can 
satisfy  himself  with  an  imperfect  happiness,  no  man  can  act  as  becomes  a  rational 
creature  without  aiming  at  perfect  holiness.  As  much  as  our  holiness  is  imperfect, 
so  much  pollution  must  remain  about  us,  and  it  must  be  so  far  unfit  for  the  fuU 
enjoyment  of  Q^d.  As  our  cleansing  from  filthiness,  so,  more  especially,  the 
perfecting  of  holiness  in  us  must  be  the  work  of  God.  There  are  various  things 
which  you  ought  to  do  in  order  to  your  making  progress  in  holiness.    Make  coa- 


CHAP,  vn.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  357 

tinual  application  by  faith  and  prayer  to  that  infinite  fulness  of  grace  and  strength, 
that  God  has  made  to  dwell  in  Christ,  for  all  those  supplies  that  are  necessary  to 
enable  you  to  be  holy.  Strive  to  live  in  the  constant  exercise  of  all  those  graces 
which  constitute  that  inward  holiness  of  heart  in  which  you  wish  to  grow.  The 
weapon  that  is  seldom  used  gathers  rust.  Continue  in  the  exercise  of  that  love  to 
God  which  is  the  principle  of  all  practical  holiness,  and  is  therefore  called  the 
fulfiUing  of  the  holy  law  of  God.  Attend  carefully  and  regularly  upon  all  the 
ordinances  of  God's  worship  in  their  appointed  seasons.  Frequent  the  society  of 
holy  persons,  and  maintain  communion  with  them  in  holy  duties.  Think  much  of 
the  obligations  that  you  lie  under  to  be  holy.  Of  all  the  dilferent  species  of  spiritual 
filthiness  none  is  more  hateful  to  God  than  the  filth  of  legality.  Bear  it  always  in 
mind  that  no  holiness  of  yours  can  ever  be  a  righteousness  to  answer  the  demands 
that  the  law  of  works  has  upon  you.  II.  The  manner  in  which  this  duty  is  to  be 
PERFORMED — "  In  the  fear  of  the  Lord."  1.  There  is  a  slavish  fear  of  God,  such  as 
a  slave  entertains  of  the  whip  in  the  hand  of  a  rigorous  master.  Though  this  is 
not  the  fear  mentioned  in  the  text,  it  is  in  danger  of  being  mistaken  for  it ;  and 
therefore  it  is  proper  that  Christians  should  know  something  of  the  nature  of  it. 
It  may  be  distinguished  by  the  following  marks.  It  is  always  the  fruit  of  a  legal 
principle,  i.e.,  a  disposition  to  seek  righteousness  as  it  were  by  the  works  of  the  law. 
It  is  always  accompanied  with  a  servile  hope.  In  proportion  as  his  fear  prevails 
when  he  is  under  the  conviction  of  sin,  his  hope  preponderates  when  he  can 
persuade  himself  that  his  services  are  regular.  In  proportion  as  he  fears  the 
punishment  of  his  sin,  he  vainly  hopes  for  happiness  as  a  reward  for  his 
obedience.  Where  it  reigns  the  person  is  neither  affected  with  God's  displeasure 
nor  the  dishonour  done  to  him  by  sin.  He  fears  for  himself  only.  In  a  word, 
it  is  always  accompanied  with  torment;  and  the  degree  of  torment  is  always 
in  proportion  to  the  measure  of  fear.  2.  There  is  a  holy  filial  fear  that  God 
puts  into  the  hearts  of  His  people  when  He  implants  every  other  gracious  habit 
in  the  day  of  regeneration.  It  includes  a  holy  reverence  of  God  and  a  profound 
awe  of  His  omniscient  eye.  There  may  be  reverence  where  there  is  no  fear ;  but 
this  fear  cannot  subsist  without  reverence.  Neither  can  there  be  due  reverence  to 
God  in  any  person  who  has  sin  about  him  without  a  mixture  of  fear.  It  includes 
a  holy  caution  and  circumspection  in  the  person's  walk.  Knowing  how  ready  he 
is  to  turn  aside,  he  examines  every  step  of  his  way  before  he  takes  it,  and  reflects 
upon  it  after  he  has  taken  it,  comparing  it  with  the  Word  of  God.  If  it  is  asked, 
What  influence  this  fear  of  God  may  be  expected  to  have  in  exciting  us  to  sanctify 
and  purge  ourselves  ?  we  answer,  much  every  way.  Where  no  fear  of  God  is  all 
manner  of  wickedness  is  indulged  in  the  heart,  and  all  kinds  of  immorality  abound 
in  the  person's  life.  The  fear  of  God  impresses  our  minds  with  a  sense  of  God's 
presence,  which  is  always  with  us,  and  of  His  omniscient  eye  upon  us  in  all  that  we 
do.  III.  The  argument  by  which  this  exhortation  is  enforced — "  Having 
therefore  these  promises."  And  here  two  things  are  to  be  inquired:  1.  What 
promises  are  they  to  which  the  Spirit  of  God  here  refers  ?  All  the  promises  of  the 
gospel  are  left  to  all  that  hear  it.  And  there  is  no  promise  belonging  to  the 
covenant  of  grace  that  may  not  have  influence  to  excite  us  to  the  duty  here 
enjoined.  And  particularly — (1)  We  have  a  promise  of  God's  gracious  presence 
in  the  Church  and  in  the  hearts  of  beUevers — I  will  dwell  in  them,  and  walk  in 
them,  or  among  them,  as  some  read  it.  In  the  literal  temple  there  was  but  one 
particular  apartment  where  God  was  peculiarly  said  to  dwell,  viz.,  the  most  holy 
place  within  the  veil.  But  He  dwells  in  every  part  of  this  spiritual  temple,  and  is 
as  really  present  in  the  heart  of  every  Christian  as  He  was  upon  the  mercy-seat 
between  the  cherubim.  His  presence  in  the  Church  is  neither  inactive  on  His 
part  nor  unprofitable  to  her  or  to  her  members.  He  not  only  dwells,  but  walks  in 
her,  and  among  them.  If  a  man  sits  still  in  any  place  and  does  nothing,  His 
presence  can  be  of  little  use.  But  if  he  walks  up  and  down  he  sees  everything  as 
he  passes.  (2)  We  have  a  promise  that  He  will  be  our  God,  and  we  shall  be  His 
people.  This  imports  that  God  will  graciously  bring  us  within  the  bond  of  that 
covenant  by  which  alone  He  can  be  so  related  to  any  of  mankind,  bringing  us 
into  a  state  of  union  to  Christ,  and  of  favour  with  God  through  Him.  That  He  will 
do  all  that  for  us,  which  any  people  expects  their  God  to  do  for  them ;  subduing 
our  enemies,  delivering  us  from  spiritual  bondage,  guiding  us  through  the  wilderness 
of  this  world,  and  bringing  us  at  last  to  possess  a  city  that  hath  foundations,  whose 
builder  and  maker  is  God.  By  the  same  promise  we  have  security  that  His  pro- 
priety in  us,  as  Hid  people,  shall  be  acknowledged  both  on  His  part  and  on  ours ; 


358  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vii. 

on  our  part  by  a  solemn  dedication  of  ourselves  to  Him,  and  on  His  part  by  a 
gracious  acceptance  of  that  dedication  ;  for,  as  He  will  have  none  to  be  His  people 
but  such  as  are  made  willing  in  the  day  of  His  power,  so  neither  could  our  consent 
make  us  His  peculiar  property  without  His  acceptance.  (3)  We  have  a  promise 
that  God  wiU  graciously  receive  us.  By  nature  we  are  all  unclean  and  hateful  in 
the  sight  of  God.  This  promise  is  conditionally  expressed,  though  the  others  run 
in  an  absolute  form.  It  is  upon  our  coming  out  from  among  a  wicked  world,  and 
abstaining  from  the  practice  of  sin,  here  called  touching  the  unclean  thing,  that  we 
may  hope  to  be  graciously  accepted  of  God.  If  any  man,  therefore,  thinks  that  he 
is  accepted  of  God,  and  yet  indulges  himself  in  the  practice  of  sin,  or  in  keeping 
society  with  sinners,  or  hopes  to  be  accepted,  while  that  continues  to  be  the  case 
he  deceives  himself,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  him.  (4)  We  have  a  promise  of  being 
received  into  God's  family  and  made  His  sons  and  daughters.  To  be  the  people  of 
God  is  much,  but  to  be  the  children  of  God  is  more.  Yet  this  honour  have  all  His 
saints.  Adam  was  the  son  of  God,  in  his  original  estate  as  being  created  by  Him, 
after  His  own  image  and  likeness.  But  Christians,  after  having  been  the  children 
of  the  devil  in  their  natural  estate,  are  created  anew  in  Christ  Jesus  after  the  image 
of  Him  that  made  them.  2.  What  influence  these  promises,  and  others  connected 
with  them,  should  have  in  exciting  us  to  comply  with  the  exhortation  in  the  text. 
Our  having  such  promises  left  us  is  itself  a  benefit  calling  for  such  a  return.  The 
promises  of  men,  especially  of  great  men,  are  often  made  without  any  resolution  to 
perform  them.  And  often  where  there  was  such  a  resolution  it  is  changed  or 
forgotten.  Hence  the  making  of  such  promises,  instead  of  being  a  benefit,  proves 
a  very  great  injury  to  those  who  trust  in  them.  But  none  of  these  things  can  take 
place  with  God.  Never  did  He  make  a  promise  without  an  unfeigned  intention  to 
perform  it  to  all  who  trusted  in  it.  Never  did  any  change  of  circumstances  produce 
a  change  of  mind  in  Him.  And  surely  our  warmest  gratitude  is  due  to  Him  who 
has  given  us  this  security.  We  ought  to  be  grateful  for  what  we  hope  to  enjoy,  as 
well  as  for  what  we  already  possess.  And  there  is  no  way  in  which  we  can  express 
our  gratitude  to  God  acceptably,  without  endeavouring  to  cleanse  ourselves  and  be 
holy ;  for  there  is  nothing  else  in  which  He  has  so  much  pleasure.  Besides,  by  the 
promises  of  God  we  are  furnished  with  security  that,  if  we  are  sincerely  employed 
in  what  is  here  recommended,  our  endeavours  shall  be  crowned  with  success. 
God  has  graciously  promised  to  make  you  both  willing  and  able  to  do  what  He 
requires  of  you  in  every  other  respect.  He  is  ready  to  accomplish  His  promise. 
In  a  word,  every  particular  promise  contained  in  the  gospel  of  Christ  furnishes  a 
corresponding  argument  for  the  study  of  holiness  in  both  its  branches.  If  we  have 
a  promise  of  God's  dwelling  in  us  and  walking  among  us,  shall  we  not  endeavour 
to  prepare  Him  a  habitation  ?  Being  infinitely  holy  Himself,  He  cannot  dwell 
with  pollution.  The  promise  that  He  will  be  our  God,  and  that  we  shall  be  His 
people  includes  an  engagement  that  we  shall  serve  Him,  and  live  to  Him  as  our 
God,  and  shall  walk  as  becomes  His  people.  This  we  cannot  do  without  being 
holy.  We  are  now  to  conclude  with  some  application  of  the  subject.  The  subject 
affords  us  much  useful  information.  It  sets  before  us  the  polluted  state  in  which 
all  mankind  are  by  nature.  We  could  have  no  need  of  cleansing  if  we  were  not 
defiled.  From  this  subject  it  appears  that  the  doctrine  of  salvation  by  Divine  grace 
through  faith  is  so  far  from  being  inimical  to  holiness,  that  it  sets  the  necessity 
of  it  in  the  clearest  light,  and  affords  the  most  powerful  motives  to  it.  (J.  Young.) 
Perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God. — The  difference  beticeen  fearing  God  and 
being  afraid  of  Him: — "I  was  afraid  .  .  .  and  hid  thy  talent"  (Matt.  xxv.  25)  ; 
"  Perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God  "  (2  Cor.  vii.  8).  "  I  was  afraid."  Why? 
"  Because  I  knew  thee  that  thou  art  a  hard  man."  Then  our  thought  of  God 
determines  the  character  of  our  emotion,  and  shapes  and  regulates  our  lives.  "  Thou 
art  a  hard  man  ...  I  am  afraid."  The  emotion  follows  upon  the  conception  ;  the 
terror  waits  upon  the  severity ;  the  life  takes  shape  from  the  thought.  What  think 
ye  of  God  ?  The  thought  you  make  of  God  is  the  thought  which  makes  you.  That 
is  not  a  matter  of  chance  and  caprice ;  it  is  a  fixed  law.  Your  thinking  colours 
your  living.  If  you  think  God  hard,  you  will  live  a  life  of  terror  and  gloom.  If 
you  think  God  effeminate,  your  life  wiU  be  characterised  by  moral  laxity.  Mark, 
then,  how  deeply  vital  is  the  occasion  when  we  give  ideas  of  God  to  little  children. 
We  are  putting  ijto  their  lives  germs  of  tremendous  power.  I  have  met  with  old 
men  who  in  their  later  years  have  not  been  able  to  shake  themselves  free  from  the 
bondage  of  a  false  idea  received  in  the  days  of  their  youth.  In  the  days  of  Isaiah 
social  life  was  putrid  and  corrupt.     Men  and  women  were  passionate  and  licentious. 


CHAP.  VII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  359 

Drunken  carousals  and  luxurious  indolence  were  the  daily  delight  of  ruler  and 
ruled.  Yet,  even  when  hfe  was  most  debased,  religious  worship  was  most  observed. 
Their  idea  of  God  permitted  and  encouraged  immorality  in  life.  Such  is  the  blast- 
ing potency  of  a  false  idea.  But  now  what  is  the  idea  of  God  which  begets  this 
paralysing  terror  recorded  in  our  text  ?  The  Scriptures  tell  us  the  servant  had 
thought  of  God  as  a  "  hard  man."  Was  the  idea  a  true  one  ?  No ;  it  was  a  false 
idea.  Why  ?  Because  it  was  only  partially  true,  and  partial  truth  is  falsehood. 
Is  God  severe  ?  No.  Is  severity  an  element  in  His  character  ?  Yes.  Is  a  ray  of 
light  of  violet  colour  ?  No.  Is  violet  colour  an  element  in  the  composition  of  a 
ray  of  light?  Yes.  "  God  is  Hght."  You  must  not  pick  out  the  violet  element, 
the  darker  element,  the  severity,  the  justice,  and  say,  "  This  is  God."  He  is  these 
in  combination  with  others,  and  only  of  the  resultant  combination  can  you  say, 
"  This  is  God."  And  yet  that  is  how  many  people  profess  to  know  their  God.  They 
know  an  isolated  feature,  but  not  their  God ;  and  features,  when  torn  from  their 
relationship,  may  become  repellent.  Take  a  most  beautiful  face,  a  face  in  which 
each  feature  contributes  to  the  loveliness  of  the  whole.  All  the  features  combine  to 
form  a  countenance  most  winning.  Now  lay  the  face  on  the  surgeon's  table. 
Dissect  it ;  separate  its  various  features.  Immediately  each  feature  loses  its  beauty 
and  becomes  almost  repulsive.  It  is  not  otherwise  with  spiritual  dissection.  Yet 
how  many  men  base  their  religion  upon  a  feature,  and  not  upon  a  face  !  One  of 
the  most  religious  men  I  have  ever  known  is  also  one  of  the  gloomiest.  His  mind 
is  fixed  upon  God's  severity  and  justice,  and  all  things  are  regarded  from  their 
sombre  and  terrible  side.  The  Bible  is  to  him  a  book  of  terrible  judgments.  When 
I  turn  away  from  separate  features  and  gaze  upon  God's  countenance  as  portrayed 
in  this  book,  I  see  it  wears,  not  a  threat,  but  a  promise ;  not  a  scowl,  but  a  smile ; 
not  a  look  of  hardness,  but  the  attractive  look  of  love.  But  when  a  man  has 
isolated  a  feature  of  God's  countenance,  and  by  isolation  made  it  dark  and  for- 
bidding, and  then  regards  it  as  his  idea  of  God,  see  what  happens.  It  makes  him 
afraid  of  God.  It  fills  his  life  with  terror  and  gloom.  It  paralyses  his  spiritual 
grovrth.  All  the  most  luscious  "  fruits  of  the  Spirit "  find  no  place  in  his  life. 
God's  severity  is  an  element  to  be  mixed  with  the  soil,  to  help  us  in  resisting  the 
vermin  of  sin,  but  is  never  intended  to  constitute  the  bed  in  which  we  are  to  rear 
our  flowers.  If  your  leading,  uppermost  thought  of  God  is  His  hardness,  you  will 
grow  no  flowers ;  they  will  every  one  be  scorched ;  you  will  bring  nothing  to 
fruition.  Your  talents  wUl  never  blossom  into  flower  or  ripen  into  fruit.  To  be 
afraid  of  God  means  a  flowerless  garden,  an  empty  orchard,  a  barren  heart.  Now 
turn  away  from  this  hard  conception  of  God,  with  its  accompanying  terror,  to  con- 
sider a  life  which  is  full  of  spiritual  activity  and  growth.  Here  is  a  man,  the  aged 
Paul,  at  work  "  perfecting  holiness  " ;  that  is  to  say,  he  is  busy  consecrating  every- 
thing to  his  Lord.  He  wants  every  little  patch  in  his  life's  soil  to  be  used  and 
adorned  by  some  flower  growing  for  his  Lord.  He  wants  no  waste  corners.  Let  us 
read  the  whole  clause :  "  Perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God."  Then  is  Paul 
afraid  of  God  ?  The  man  of  the  parable  was  afraid  of  God,  and  so  brought  nothing 
to  perfection.  Paul  is  seeking  to  bring  everything  to  perfection.  Can  these  two 
attitudes  be  the  same  ?  Is  it  the  same  thing  to  be  afraid  of  God  and  to  fear  Him  ? 
One  was  afraid  of  God  because  he  thought  Him  "  a  hard  man."  What  was  Paul's 
idea  of  God  ?  He  uses  an  exquisitely  tender  word  in  telling  us  his  conception  of 
God,  "the  Father  of  Jesus"  !  Listen  to  his  jubilant  saying:  "He  loved  me,  and 
gave  Himself  for  me."  Was  he  afraid  of  Him?  "  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  to  hate 
evil."  Why,  then,  to  fear  the  Lord  is  not  to  be  afraid  of  the  Lord,  but  to  be  afraid 
of  sin.  The  fear  of  God  is  the  God-begotten  fear  of  sin.  Beware  of  any  conception 
of  God  which  does  not  create  in  you  a  fear  and  hatred  of  sin.  That  is  the  only 
fear  which  God  wishes  our  hearts  to  keep.  Any  other  fear  is  powerless  to  accom- 
plish His  wUl.  Men  may  be  afraid  of  God,  and  yet  may  love  their  sins  ;  and  that 
is  not  living  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  !  Now,  how  can  we  obtain  this  sensitiveness 
which  wUl  recoil  with  acute  fear  from  all  sin  ?  You  remember  when  Peter's  eyes 
were  opened  to  behold  the  foulness  of  sin,  how  he  cried,  "  Depart  from  me ;  for  I 
am  a  sinful  man,  0  Lord."  He  had  seen  the  King  in  His  beauty,  and  he  felt  the 
awfulness  and  the  fearfulness  of  sin.     (J.  H.  Jowett,  M.A.)  Perfecting  holiness  : 

— I.  Our  business  on  eakth  is  to  act  with  oxm  Lord  in  heaven  in  attaining 
COMPLETE  DELIVERANCE  FROM  SIN.  Ouc  great  rcasou  why  many  Christians  come  so 
far  short  of  what  God  requires  is,  because  they  do  not  aim  at,  or  care  for,  any 
eminent  degree  of  sanctification.  They  are  satisfied  with  a  decent  mediocrity  in 
the  service  of  God,  and  aspire  to  nothing  more  than  abstinence  from  grosser  incon- 


360  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vii. 

sistencies.  How  unlike  is  their  spirit  to  that  of  St.  Paul,  who,  after  years  of  earnest 
endeavour,  is  still  found  exclaiming,  "  I  count  not  myself  to  have  apprehended," 
&c.  If  you  ask  an  unfailing  test  of  a  true  believer,  it  is  that  he  is  always  aiming 
after  higher  attainments  in  the  Divine  life.  Now  what  destruction  is  it  to  all  such 
attainments  to  have  in  our  minds  the  conclusion  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  aspire 
after  any  very  extraordinary  sanctity.  If  one  aims  not  high  he  cannot  shoot  high. 
Your  attainments  in  holiness  are  proportionate  to  the  standard  you  have  adopted. 
The  soul  that  pants  not  to  be  like  God  can  be  none  of  His.  II.  The  means  of 
ATTAINING  IT  is — 1.  Mutual  exhortatiou.  The  Word  of  God  speaks  frequently  of 
"  exhorting  one  another."  When  I  am  in  the  country,  I  find  that  my  watch  is  apt 
to  get  very  much  out  of  the  way  ;  but  when  I  am  in  the  city,  where  there  is  a  dial- 
plate  on  every  church,  all  regulated  by  a  good  standard,  I  am  reminded  of  the 
incorrectness  of  my  time  if  it  varies,  and  set  it  right  by  that  of  others.  So  Chris- 
tians, where  they  are  faithful  in  their  intercourse,  regulate  themselves  by  the  common 
standard  of  God's  Word,  and  help  to  regulate  each  other.  2.  Faithfulness  in  private 
prayer.  This  is  the  thermometer  of  your  souls,  suspended  in  your  closet  of  devo- 
tion, and  as  it  stands  so  is  it  with  you  in  the  sight  of  God.  Look  at  it  by  day,  and 
see  how  it  is  between  you  and  your  God.  3.  Gladness  in  service.  We  must  not 
set  about  our  religious  duties  as  a  sick  man  does  about  his  worldly  employments, 
without  life,  rehsh,  or  vigour.  God  loathes  a  lukewarm  service.  Do  not  let  your 
devotions  be  like  the  turning  of  a  chariot- wheel  that  needs  oiling,  betraying  its  every 
motion  by  a  painful  creaking  and  laboured  progress ;  but  as  that  which  revolves  on 
the  moistened  and  well-polished  axle,  silent,  swift,  and  with  scarce  an  effort.  Love 
makes  all  labours  light.  4.  Watchfulness  against  everything  which  is  opposed  to 
the  smallest  whisper  of  conscience.  The  finer  and  more  perfect  the  instrument, 
the  more  carefully  must  it  be  kept  for  the  work  to  be  done  with  it.  The  heavy 
cleaver  may  be  knocked  about  against  wood  and  stone,  but  the  surgeon's  implements 
must  be  nicely  locked,  where  nothing  shall  dim  their  polish  or  blunt  their  edge. 
Conscience  must  not  be  blunted  if  we  would  have  its  office  faithfully  performed. 
Sensual  appetites,  engrossing  worldliness,  and  especially  evil  tempers,  indulged,  will 
ever  prevent  any  high  attainments  in  holiness.  All  the  prayer  in  the  world  would 
never  make  one  eminent  in  holiness  who  habitually  gives  way  afterwards  to  evil 
tempers.  To' kindle  devotion  in  the  closet,  and  expose  it  to  the  gusts  of  unhallowed 
tempers,  would  be  like  lighting  a  candle  in  the  house  and  carrying  it  out  into  the 
wind  of  the  open  air.  We  must  shield  the  flame  with  watchfulness  which  we  kindle 
by  prayer.     (IV.  H.  Lewis,  D.D.) 

Vers.  2-7.  Receive  us ;  we  have  wronged  no  man. — The  apostle's  request : — I. 
The  ground  on  which  he  urged  it — viz.,  that  he  deserved  it.  1.  It  was  a  simple 
matter  of  justice.  "  We  have  wronged  no  man,"  &c.  The  apostle  meets  the 
charges  against  him  by  an  assertion  of  his  innocence,  which  appealed  to  their  own 
witness.  No  one  who  read  those  words  could  doubt  whether  he  was  guilty,  for  there 
is  a  certain  tone  in  innocence  not  easily  mistaken.  There  are  some  voices  that  ring 
true.  This  reminds  us  of  Samuel's  purgation  of  himself  when  laying  down  his 
judgeship.  2.  There  is,  however,  a  touch  of  graceful  delicacy  in  the  way  he  made 
this  assertion  of  his  innocence.  A  coarser  man  would  have  cared  for  nothing  but 
the  proof  of  his  own  integrity.  Now  St.  Paul  perceived  that  the  broad  assertion  of 
this  might  give  pain.  It  might  seem  to  them  as  if  this  were  spoken  at  them,  and 
might  wound  those  who  had  not  suspected  him.  Therefore  he  adds,  "I  speak  not 
this  to  condemn  you" — i.e.,  "I  am  not  defending  myself  against  you,  but  to  you, 
and  only  to  assure  you  of  my  undiminished  love."  There  was  one  thing  in  the 
character  of  St.  Paul  which  often  escapes  observation.  Besides  his  integrity,  there 
was  a  refined  courtesy  which  was  for  ever  taking  off  the  edge  of  his  sharpest 
rebukes.  Kemember  the  courtesy  with  which  his  request  to  Philemon  is  put ;  the 
delicate  exception  in  his  answer  to  Agrippa — "  except  these  bonds  "  ;  and  how  he 
pours  love  over  one  of  his  strongest  condemnations  in  Phil.  iii.  18.  It  is  only 
love  which  can  give  this  tender  tact.  It  was  not  high  breeding,  but  good  breeding. 
High  breeding  gracefully  insists  on  its  own  rights ;  good  breeding  gracefully  remem- 
bers the  right  of  others.  It  is  not  "  gentility,"  but  gentleness.  It  is  the  wisdom 
from  above,  which  is  first  pure,  then  gentle.  There  is  a  rough  way  and  a  gentle 
way  of  being  true.  Do  not  think  that  Christian  polish  weakens  character,  as  polish 
thins  the  diamond.  The  polish  of  the  world  not  only  saps  strength  of  character, 
but  makes  it  even  unnatural.  II.  The  grounds  on  which  he  hoped  it.  He 
rested  it  on  his  candour :    "  Great  is   my  boldness  " — i.e.,  freedom — "  of    speech 


CHAP,  vn.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  361 

toward  you."  A  scandalous  crime  had  been  committed.  Now  consider  Paul's 
difficulty.  If  he  rebuked  the  Corinthians,  he  would  probably  destroy  his  own 
mterest,  and  irreparably  offend  them.  If  he  left  the  crime  unnoticed,  he  might 
seem  to  gloss  it  over.  Besides  this,  the  subject  was  a  delicate  one.  Might  it  not  be 
wise  to  leave  the  wound  unprobed  ?  Moreover,  we  all  know  how  hard  it  is  to  deal 
harshly  with  the  sins  of  those  we  love.  Any  of  these  considerations  might  have 
made  a  less  straightforward  man  silent.  But  St.  Paul  did  not  hesitate  ;  he  wrote, 
calling  wrong,  wrong,  and  laying  upon  those  who  permitted  it  their  full  share  of 
blame.  Scarcely,  however,  had  the  apostle  written  the  Epistle  than  misgivings 
began  to  cross  his  mind,  as  we  see  in  ver.  8,  where  he  says,  "  I  did  repent."  To 
some  persons  this  would  be  perplexing.  If  he  regretted  an  act  done  under  God's 
guidance,  just  as  any  common  man  might  regret  a  foolish  act,  how  could  the 
apostle  be  inspired  ?  But  inspiration  does  not  make  a  man  a  passive  machine,  as 
a  musician  might  use  a  flute.  When  God  inspires.  His  Spirit  mixes  with  the  spirit 
of  man.  These  misgivings  lasted  a  considerable  time  (chap.  ii.  12,  vii.  5).  Here 
I  make  a  remark  by  the  way :  It  is  by  passages  such  as  these  alone  that  we  can 
appreciate  the  real  trials  of  apostles  and  missionaries.  It  is  a  low  estimate  of  the 
depth  of  apostolic  trial  to  say  that  physical  suffering  was  its  chief  element ;  and 
how  much  more  degrading  is  it  so  to  treat  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  of  whom  the 
prophet  said,  "  He  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul,  and  be  satisfied."  It  was  not 
the  nails  that  pierced  His  hands  which  wrung  from  Him  the  exceeding  bitter  cry, 
but  the  iron  that  had  entered  into  His  soul.  To  return.  In  Macedonia  St.  Paul 
met  Titus,  bearing  a  letter  from  the  Corinthians,  by  which  it  appeared  that  his 
rebuke  had  done  its  work.  Instead  of  alienating,  it  had  roused  them  to  earnest- 
ness ;  they  had  purged  themselves  of  complicity  in  the  guilt  by  the  punishment 
and  excommunication  of  the  offender.  This  was  the  apostle's  comfort ;  and  on 
this  gi'ound  he  built  his  sanguine  hope  that  the  Corinthians  would  receive  him 
{ver.  7).  Conclusion  :  Learn — 1.  The  value  of  explanations.  Had  St.  Paul  left  the 
matter  unsettled,  or  only  half  settled,  there  never  could  have  been  a  hearty  under- 
standing between  him  and  Corinth.  Whenever,  then,  there  is  a  misunderstanding 
the  true  remedy  is  a  direct  and  open  request  for  explanation.  In  the  world's  idea 
this  means  satisfaction  in  the  sense  of  revenge  ;  in  the  Christian  sense  it  means 
examination  in  order  to  do  mutual  justice.  The  rule  for  this  is  laid  down  by 
Christ :  "  Moreover,  if  thy  brother  shall  trespass  against  thee,"  &c.  It  is  the 
neglect  of  this  rule  of  frankness  that  perpetuates  misunderstandings.  Words  are 
misconstrued,  and  two  upright  men,  between  whom  one  frank,  open  conversation 
would  set  all  right,  are  separated  for  ever.  2.  The  blessing  of  entire  truthfulness. 
The  affectionate  relations  between  St.  Paul  and  the  Corinthians,  though  inter- 
rupted, were  restored  again,  because  he  had  been  true.  Learn,  then,  never  to 
smooth  away,  through  fear  of  results,  the  difficulties  of  love  or  friendship  by  con- 
cealment, or  a  subtle  suppression  of  facts  or  feelings.  The  deadUest  poison  you 
can  instil  into  the  wine  of  life  is  a  fearful  reserve  which  creates  suspicion,  or  a  lie 
which  will  canker  and  kill  your  own  love,  and  through  that  your  friend's.  (F.  W. 
Robertson,  M.A.)  Without  were  fightings,  within  were  fears. — Fightings  and 
fears  : — ^The  apostle's  course  was  remarkably  varied.  Note — I.  The  troubles 
WHICH  ASSAIL  THE  CHRISTIAN  WORKER  FROM  WITHOUT.  1.  Opposition  to  his  doctrine. 
2.  Persecution.  II.  The  troubles  which  assail  him  from  within.  We  can  only 
conjecture  the  apostle's  "  fears."  Fear  lest — 1.  There  had  been  a  want  of  wisdom 
or  devotion  in  Christian  service.  2.  The  work  of  God  should  have  suffered  through 
any  insufficiency  on  the  part  of  the  worker.  3.  At  last  the  labourer  should  fail  of 
approval.  III.  The  support  and  consolation  provided.  1.  The  testimony  of  a 
good  conscience  that,  however  imperfect  the  service,  it  had  been  rendered  in 
sincerity.  2.  The  assurance  that  an  over-ruling  Providence  has  permitted  all  that 
has  taken  place,  even  to  the  temporary  discouragement  of  the  toiler  for  Christ.  3. 
The  conviction  that  in  each  trouble  the  servant  has  had  fellowship  with  his  Lord. 
4.  The  hope  and  expectation  that  light  affliction  wUl  work  out  an  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory.     {Prof.  J.  R.  Thomson.) 

Vers.  6,  7. — Nevertheless,  God  that  comforteth  those  that  are  cast  down,  com- 
forted us  by  the  coming  of  Titus;  and  not  by  his  coming  only. — Comfort  for  the 
careworn : — 1.  This  barometrical  subjection  to  the  depressions  and  upliftings  in 
life  is  the  token  of  a  noble  nature  and  a  big  human  heart.  A  cold,  selfish  man,  of 
narrow  views  and  no  sympathies,  goes  on  the  calm  and  even  tenor  of  his  way. 
There  is  a  miserable  monotony  about  him.     But  wherever  there  is  a  generous  and 


362  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  rn. 

manly  soul,  there  is  a  proportionate  capacity  for  grief  and  for  joy.  2.  There  is 
never  a  rose  without  a  thorn,  never  a  sky  without  a  cloud,  so  there  is  never  a  glad- 
ness without  a  "  but,"  and  never  a  record  of  enjoyment  without  a  "  nevertheless." 
Oh,  those  "buts,"  they  are  flies  in  our  most  fragrant  pot  of  ointment,  skeletons  at 
our  rarest  banquets,  cloud-spots  in  our  brightest  sky.  But  that  is  a  matter  we  can 
turn  round.  Suppose  we  read  it  thus — There  is  no  thorn  without  flower  or  fruit, 
nor  sky  without  star  or  rift  of  blue ;  so  there  is  never  a  sadness  without  an 
ameliorating  "but,"  and  no  sorrow  without  a  compensating  "nevertheless."  This 
latter  is  quite  as  true  as  the  former,  and  whatever  thing  we  have  to  carry  that  has 
two  handles,  let  us  take  hold  of  the  easiest  and  the  handiest,  for  our  neighbours' 
sake  as  well  as  for  our  own.  I.  Theke  were  many  things  that  conspired  to  cast 
Paul  down.  He  had  temporal  trials  of  no  ordinary  magnitude  and  strength.  His 
own  people  hated  him,  the  heathen  persecuted  him  ;  and,  worst  of  all,  there  were 
those  in  the  Churches  whose  conduct  caused  him  sharp  and  constant  pain.  Then, 
too,  he  had  a  grievous  disappointment.  Titus  did  not  turn  up  until  long  after  he 
was  expected,  and  in  those  perilous  times  Paul  was  anxious  about  the  young  man's 
safety  and  about  the  news  he  had  to  bring.  He  was  a  good  man  and  true,  yet  he 
was  "  cast  down."  You  don't  think  that  his  Lord  loved  him  any  less,  or  had  with- 
drawn from  him.  The  sun  shines,  whatever  be  the  density  of  the  November  fog. 
Nature's  vital  machinery  is  moving,  though  nature  be  bare ;  and  so,  despite 
appearances,  all  through  your  course,  0  Christian,  be  sure  that  God  ruleth  all 
things  well.  He  has  but  poor  confidence  in  the  captain  who  thinks  he  isn't  on  the 
ship  because  he  can't  see  him  on  the  bridge.  II.  Note  the  distinctive  title  the 
APOSTLE  gives  TO  GoD :  "  God  that  comforteth,"  &c.  1.  I  cannot  find  any  god 
that  mortals  worship  who  is  at  all  given  that  way.  The  worshippers  of  Baal  were 
cast  down  low  enough,  but  it  was  cold  comfort  they  got  from  him.  The  gods  of 
money,  of  honour,  of  show,  of  pleasure,  may  delude  their  worshippers  with  fancied 
joys  while  their  devotees  are  up  and  about ;  but  I  have  never  heard  that  any  of 
them  are  of  much  use  when  their  worshippers  are  cast  down.  Oh  no,  it's  down  you 
go,  and  down  you  stay.  2.  Neither  does  the  character  which  Paul  gives  his  God 
belong  to  the  world.  Men  as  a  rule  do  not  trouble  themselves  with  people  who  are 
cast  down.  "All  men  will  speak  well  of  thee  when  thou  doest  well  by  thyself"  ; 
that  is  when  thou  art  lifted  up.  Nothing  succeeds,  they  say,  like  success.  But  let 
a  man  be  "  cast  down,"  he's  likely  to  lie  there.  Besides,  if  the  world  had  the  best 
intentions  it  cannot  minister  to  a  mind  diseased,  cannot  comfort  the  souls  that  are 
cast  down.  3.  There  is  but  one  hand  that  can  lift  up  those  that  are  cast  down — 
God  can,  will,  does.  He  will  not  break  a  bruised  reed.  HI.  Those  that  abb 
"CAST  down  "  IS  A  VERY  INCLUSIVE  DESCRIPTION.  He  docs  Hot  ask  who  or  what  we 
are ;  nor  how  far  we  are  down,  nor  what  has  cast  us  down,  nor  how  often  we  have 
been  down  and  lifted  up  before  ;  nor  how  far  we  deserve  to  lie  just  where  we  have 
fallen,  nor  whether  we  are  likely  to  be  cast  down  again.  No,  our  prostration  is  our 
certificate,  and  if  we  will  but  present  that  before  Him  He  will  lift  us  up  and  com- 
fort us.  IV.  While  the  comforts  of  God  come  to  us  direct,  they  also  come 
THROUGH  many  A  MEDIUM.  At  timcs  the  angels  have  been  made  the  messengers  of 
His  mercy,  the  almoners  of  His  bounty,  the  comforters  of  His  saints.  On  errands 
of  comfort  ravens  were  sent  to  Elijah,  a  little  flower  to  Mungo  Park  in  an  African 
desert,  a  little  singing-bird  to  Martin  Luther,  and  the  sweet  tones  of  David's  harp 
to  the  sad  and  moody  Saul,  But  God  specially  comforts  man  by  man.  So  Jethro 
cheered  the  heart  of  Moses ;  so  old  Eli  gave  comfort  to  sad-hearted  Hannah ;  so 
the  dejected  David's  soul  was  strengthened  by  Jonathan;  and  here  Paul  was 
"comforted  by  the  coming  of  Titus."  {J.  J.  Wray.)  God  cheering  the  dejected  : 
— What  dissimilar  things  God  executes  !  He  telleth  the  number  of  the  stars  and 
healeth  the  broken  in  heart ;  He  has  created  and  controls  every  living  thing ;  He 
"comforteth  those  that  are  cast  down."  We  wonder  not  that  a  good  man  should  be 
known  as  "  the  son  of  consolation,"  but  God  Almighty  desires  to  be  known  as  the 
Consoler  of  men.  Our  notions  of  God  are  too  stiff  and  earthly-grand.  Note — I. 
This  ailment.  1.  Not  being  cast  down  as  when  a  building  is  rased  or  a  tree  is 
felled,  or  as  when  one  is  slain — "  cast  down,  but  not  destroyed" ;  only  cast  down 
as  withered  grass,  which  may  be  revived  by  rain,  or  as  a  man  who  is  sick,  but  has 
every  prospect  of  recovery.  2.  In  this  state  of  depression — (1)  The  soul  has  lost  all 
its  elasticity.  Time  was  when  it  was  like  spring,  or  like  a  palm-tree  whose  growth 
pressure  is  said  to  promote ;  but  now  it  is  like  a  broken  spring,  or  like  a  palm  whose 
power  is  sinking  away.  (2)  The  soul  has  also  lost  its  buoyancy.  The  day  was 
when  it  was  like  the  light  sea-bird  floating  upon  the  stormy  waters ;  but  now  upon 


CHAP.  VII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  363 

those  very  waters  it  floats  half  submerged.  All  that  makes  the  heart  light  has 
gone,  and  all  that  renders  it  heavy  dominates.  Where  is  hope  ?  Fear  has  mastered 
it.  Where  is  joy  ?  Sorrow  has  quenched  it.  3.  This  is  a  common  state  of  soul. 
Many  more  suffer  from  it  than  appear.  Those  who  are  cast  down  will  try  to 
appear  joyous,  in  order  to  quiet  the  suspicions  or  evade  the  inquiries  of  their 
companions.  Even  great  and  strong  men  are  liable  to  be  cast  down.  The  hero  of 
a  hundred  battles,  the  statesman  who  presents  himself  to  the  criticism  of  Parlia- 
ment with  the  appearance  of  a  statue,  and  the  monarch  whose  face  in  public 
appears  full  of  satisfaction — even  these  are  often  cast  down.  The  musician  cannot 
drive  depression  hence  by  music  ;  the  wit  cannot  dispel  it  by  the  laughter  he 
evokes.  Even  believers  in  Christ  are  subject  to  it.  4.  Yet  it  is  not  a  desii-able 
state — it  is  not  a  state  that  you  must  cherish  or  even  allow.  You  must  deal  with 
it  as  with  a  disease,  as  something  to  be  got  rid  of.  It  is  not  the  normal  state  of 
human  nature  nor  of  redeemed  man,  but  a  low  estate  to  which  our  sinfulness  has 
brought  us,  and  in  which  our  infirmities  and  unbelief  often  keep  us.  II.  Its 
CAUSES.  Men  are  cast  down — 1.  By  grievous  circumstances,  sickness,  bereavement, 
poverty,  and  approaching  death.  2.  By  fears — useless,  groundless,  foolish,  sinful 
fears.  8.  The  same  causes  do  not,  however,  operate  upon  all  persons  alike.  One 
man  smiles  at  a  storm  of  outward  sorrow  or  of  inward  distress,  which  is  more  than 
enough  to  cast  another  down  into  the  lowest  depths.  III.  The  patient.  Paul,  a 
constitutionally  strong,  fearless,  sanguine,  enterprising  man ;  a  man  full  of  life, 
not  a  languid  man,  whose  blood  circulates  like  molten  lead,  an  educated  man,  not 
an  ignorant  man  full  of  silly  superstitions ;  a  disciple  of  Christ  at  peace  with  God ; 
a  wondrously  successful  preacher  of  Christ's  gospel ;  an  apostle,  perhaps  the 
greatest  that  God  ever  commissioned  ;  a  man  who  had  been  the  comforter  of  men 
— and  yet  cast  down.  Can  you  wonder  at  your  being  sometimes  cast  down  ?  you, 
with  your  feeble  constitution  and  imperfect  training,  at  the  distance  you  stand  from 
your  Divine  Master,  with  the  little  spiritual  exercise  that  you  take,  who  scarcely 
know  what  it  is  for  the  air  of  heaven  to  play  upon  your  spirits  ?  If  depression 
attack  the  strong,  are  the  weak  likely  to  escape  ?  IV.  The  physician — God.  1. 
What  a  wonderful  word  is  this  of  three  letters !  To  some  it  is  only  a  name  to  take 
in  vain  ;  to  others  it  represents  a  foolish  belief ;  to  others  it  is  the  centre  merely  of 
a  creed ;  to  others  it  is  a  terror.  God,  saith  Paul,  is  a  comforter.  The  Eternal 
God,  who  never  has  been  cast  down— the  all-knowing  One,  who  is  acquainted  with 
all  who  are  cast  down — the  Almighty,  who  is  able,  the  merciful  and  gracious  One, 
who  is  ever  ready  to  lift  them  up.  He  is  the  Physician  of  the  depressed.  There 
are  men,  you  know,  who  assume  to  be  great  and  strong  who  would  not  stoop  to 
this  ;  but  what  man  is  too  proud  to  do  God  delights  to  do.  2.  Note  the  means  by 
which  God  comforts.  (1)  By  things  temporal  as  well  as  things  eternal — by  a 
gleam  of  sunshine,  a  shower  of  rain,  a  sunny  morning,  the  advent  of  spring,  the 
blooming  of  a  flower,  the  singing  of  the  birds,  the  success  of  an  enterprise,  the 
service  of  a  benefactor,  the  visit  of  a  friend,  a  smile  of  approbation,  a  tear  of 
sympathy,  good  news  in  a  letter,  &e.  (2)  By  the  Bible — the  Psalms,  with  their 
complainings,  their  rejoicings  and  triumphings  ;  the  Gospels,  with  their  exhibition 
of  our  loving  Eedeemer  ;  and  the  Epistles  with  their  doctrines  and  promises !  (3) 
By  the  Sabbath,  with  its  holy  calm,  sweet  rest,  and  sacred  assemblings  1  (4)  By 
prayer,  when  desire  is  relieved  by  supplication,  and  oppressive  care  is  cast  upon 
God.  (5)  By  the  Church,  with  her  ordinances  of  instruction,  devotion,  and 
communion  I  (6)  By  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Comforter  !  (7)  By  the  medium  of  all 
comfort^the  Son  of  God— Jesus— our  Saviour.  V.  The  eejiedt.  Comfort. 
Now  if  you  would  be  comforted  you  must  allow  God  to  comfort  you.  David  was 
cast  down,  and  God  set  him  inquiring  about  it.  "  Why  art  thou  cast  down?" 
And  He  comforted  the  man  by  bidding  him  look  into  the  causes  of  his  depression. 
When  a  man  of  God  begins  to  look  into  the  causes  of  his  depression,  he  sees  that 
there  is  far  more  to  lift  him  up  than  to  cast  him  down.  Why  art  thou  cast  down  ? 
1.  Is  it  the  burden  of  guilt?  "If  we  confess  our  sins  He  is  faithful,"  &c.  2.  Is  it 
sorrow  following  sorrow  ?  "  Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous,  but  the 
Lord  delivereth  him  out  of  them  all."  3.  You  have  said,  "  All  things  are  against 
me."  Listen !  "  All  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God."  4.  Is 
it  fear  of  death  ?  "Death!  where  is  thy  sting?  Grave!  where  is  thy  victory?" 
5.  Is  it  some  blighted  hope — some  disappointment?  "Hope  thou  in  God,  for  I 
shall  yet  praise  Him."  Your  hopes  have  fallen;  and  why?  Because  they  were 
built  on  sand.  Now  build  on  rock,  and  you  shall  never  be  disappointed.  6.  Are 
you  weary?    Weary  of  pleasure,  of  everybody   and  everything,  weary  of  life? 


364  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLVSTRATOR.  [chap.  vii. 

"  There  remaineth  a  rest  for  the  people  of  God,"  and  every  weary  step  leads  you  to 
it.  Conclusion:  1.  Yield  to  comfort  and  not  to  depression.  Some,  when  they 
find  themselves  sinking  in  the  slough  of  despond,  allow  themselves  to  sink.  Do 
you  rather  lay  hold  of  any  of  those  good  things  which  will  hold  you  up.  Lay  hold 
of  the  Almighty  arm.  It  is  always  within  reach.  Put  off  your  sackcloth  when  He 
offers  you  beautiful  garments.  2.  Lift  up  each  other.  Wear  a  cheerful  countenance 
— do  not  look  gloomy.  And  you  who  are  seldom  dejected  give  special  attention  to 
those  who  are  cast  down.  Depression  will  be  contagious  if  you  go  to  the  dejected 
unaccompanied  by  Christ.  It  is  no  small  thing  to  make  a  heart  now  shivering 
with  fear  glow  with  hope.  (S.  Martin.)  The  depression  of  good  vien : — I.  Gooi> 
MEN  AEE  OFTEN  GREATLY  CAST  DOWN  IN  SOUL.  Paul  had  been  disappointed  at  not 
meeting  with  Titus  at  Troas.  1.  Why  was  he  so  anxious  ?  Paul  had  met  with 
perils  by  sea  and  by  land,  &c.  These  things  tried  him  greatly,  but  it  was  suspense 
of  mind  concerning  the  state  of  the  Corinthian  Church  that  cast  him  down.  It  is 
not  temporal  trials,  toils,  or  perils  that  break  down  the  spirit  of  a  man,  so  much  as 
cankering  cares  and  anxiety.  2.  There  are  many  things  that  "  cast  down  "  the 
spirits  of  good  men.  (1)  The  prosperity  of  the  wicked.  (2)  The  triumphs  of 
wrong — fraud  in  trade,  corruption  in  politics,  errors  in  science,  moral  filth  in 
popular  literature.  (3)  The  non-success  of  C'^"''-+ly  labour.  II.  God  sometimes 
COMFORTS  A  GOOD  MAN  BY  THE  VISITS  OF  A  I'Hiend.  "  Nevertheless  God,  that  com- 
forteth  those  that  are  cast  down,  comforted  us  by  the  coming  of  Titus."  1.  God 
does  comfort  His  depressed  servants.  2.  Cod  sometimes  comforts  by  the  instru- 
mentality of  good  men.  David,  dejected  in  the  wood,  had  his  heart  strengthened 
by  Jonathan  (1  Sam.  xxiii.  16).  Conclusion  :  1.  Christliness  cToes  not  remove  the 
constitutional  infirmities  of  human  nature.  2.  That  the  vicarious  sufferings  of 
love  are  amongst  the  most  depressing.  3.  A  genuine  Giiristian  carries  comfort 
into  the  house  of  his  distressed  friend — Titus  to  Taul.     (D.  Thomas,  D.D.) 

Vers.  8-11. — For  though  I  made  you  sorry  with  a  letter  I  do  not  repent,  though 

I  did  repent. — The  spirit  of  apostolical  rebuke  : — It  was  marked  by — I.  Unflinching 
SEVERITY.  St.  Paul  rejoiced  in  the  pain  he  had  inflicted,  because  the  pain  was 
transitory,  while  the  good  was  permanent ;  because  the  suffering  was  in  this  world, 
but  the  salvation  for  eternity  :  for  the  sinner  had  been  delivered  to  "  Satan  for  the 
destruction  of  the  flesh,  that  the  spirit  might  be  saved  in  the  day  of  the  Lord 
Jesus."  Learn  the  misfortune  of  non-detection.  They  who  have  done  wrong 
congratulate  themselves  upon  not  being  found  out.  Boys  are  disobedient ;  men 
commit  crimes  against  society,  and  their  natural  impulse  is  to  hush  all  up  ;  and  if 
they  can  do  so  they  consider  it  a  happy  escape.  It  is  not  so.  If  this  scandal  at 
Corinth  had  been  hushed  up,  then  the  offender  would  have  thought  it  a  fortunate 
escape,  and  sinned  again.  Somehow,  like  a  bullet-wound,  the  internal  evil  must 
come  out  in  the  face  of  day,  be  found  out,  or  else  be  acknowledged  by  confession. 
Let  me  ask  then,  who  here  is  congratulating  himself.  My  sin  is  not  known,  I  shall 
not  be  disgraced  nor  punished  ?  Think  you  that  you  will  escape  ?  Your  sin  is 
rankling  in  your  heart :  your  wound  is  not  probed,  but  only  healed  over  falsely  ; 
and  it  will  break  out  in  the  future,  more  corrupted  and  more  painful  than  before. 
II.  By  the  desire  of  doing  good.  It  is  no  rare  thing  for  men  to  be  severe  in  rebuke. 
They  tell  you  of  your  faults,  not  for  your  reformation,  but  their  own  vainglory. 
Now  St.  Paul  was  not  thinking  of  himself,  but  of  the  Corinthians  (vers.  9,  11,  16). 
He  was  trying  to  save  their  souls.  It  is  often  a  duty  to  express  disapprobation 
strongly  and  severely,  but  then  we  do  it  not  in  St.  Paul's  spirit,  unless  it  is  done 
for  the  sake  of  amelioration.  III.  By  Justice  (ver.  12).  His  inference  was  no 
taking  of  a  side,  no  espousing  the  cause  of  the  injured,  nor  mere  bitterness  against 
the  criminal,  but  a  godly  zeal,  full  of  indignation,  but  not  of  vindictiveness.  Now 
this  is  exactly  what  some  of  us  find  most  difficult — those  especially  who  possess 
quick,  sensitive,  right,  and  generous  feelings.  We  can  be  charitable,  we  can  be 
indignant,  we  can  forgive;  but  we  are  not  just.  Again,  this  justice  is  most 
difficult  when  religious  interests  are  involved :  as,  for  example,  in  the  quarrel 
between   the  Roman  Catholic   and   the   Protestant,  who   judges  fairly?     IV.  By 

JOYFUL    SYMPATHY    IN    THE     RESTORATION    OF     THE    ERRING.       Very     beautiful     IS     the 

union  of  the  hearts  of  Paul  and  Titus  in  joy  over  the  recovered — joy  as  of 
the  angels  in  heaven  over  "one  sinner  that  repeateth."  {F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.) 
Now  I  rejoice,  not  that  ye  were  made  sorry,  taut  that  3''e  sorrowed  to  repentance. — 
Godly  sorrow  : — I.  The  mental  state  here  exhibited.  This  sorrow  was  not  of 
^n  ordinary  kmd.     He  afterwards  defines  it  as  sorrow  "  after  a  godly  manner," 


CHAP.  VII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  365 

or  "  according  to  God."  The  emotion  was  connected  with  certain  local  circum- 
stances and  events  ;  but  it  must  be  regarded  as  forming  an  integral  part  in  those 
arrangements  of  Divine  mercy  which  are  associated  with  the  transformation  and 
the  final  well-being  of  the  human  soul.  1.  It  arises  from  the  truth  brought  home 
to  the  mind  with  regard  to  the  extent  and  spirituality  of  the  Divine  law.  When  we 
compare  the  character  of  the  Divine  law  with  our  own  characters  and  habits,  we 
must  perceive  how  infinitely  we  fall  short  of  our  obligations,  and  what  a  vast 
amount  of  transgression  we  have  committed.  WeU  will  it  be  if  such  a  contrast 
humbles  you  in  the  dust,  and  leads  you  in  brokenness  of  heart  to  confess,  "  Against 
Thee,  Thee  only  have  I  sinned  "  ;  and  to  supplicate,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a 
sinner."  2.  It  is  also  produced  by  the  truth  displayed  and  admitted  to  the  mind 
respecting  the  awfulness  of  future  punishment.  What  language  will  you  find 
sufficient  to  depict  the  abomination  which  deprives  man  of  his  immortality  of 
bliss?  3.  It  is  also  produced  through  the  display  and  admission  to  the  mind 
of  the  truth  regarding  the  sufferings  of  Christ  as  aU  endured  for  sin,  "  He 
was  wounded  for  our  transgression,"  &c.  Some  among  you  may  recollect 
the  history  of  the  first  mission  of  the  United  Brethren.  They  taught  the 
duties  of  morality,  and  spoke  of  the  sanction  of  a  future  world,  without  pro- 
ducing aught  like  conviction  or  repentance ;  but  no  sooner  did  they  begin 
to  lift  up  the  Cross  than  the  stony  hearts  were  melted,  and  men  began  to 
inquire,  "  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ?  "    II.  The  connection  existing  between 

THIS   MENT.Ui   STATE    AND  THE  PERMANENT  CONSTITUTION  OF  THE    CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER. 

In  the  original  there  are  two  different  words  translated  by  repentance,  the  former 
signifying  mere  regret.  This  is  sometimes  applied  to  God  :  "  The  gifts  and  calling 
of  God  are  without  repentance,"  or  regret.  "  The  Lord  hath  sworn,  and  will  not 
repent."  It  is  sometimes  applied  to  man,  in  order  to  denote  those  imperfect 
notions  in  religion  which  have  no  connection  with  the  salvation  of  the  soul,  and 
is  the  term  used  in  regard  to  the  repentance  of  Judas  (Matt,  xxvii.  3).  The  latter 
term,  which  signifies  an  enduring  change  which  is  always  for  the  better,  is  that 
which  we  usually  denote  by  the  term  evangelical  repentance.  "  Repent,  and 
believe  the  gospel."  "  Repent,  and  be  converted."  It  is  the  one  which  is  employed 
in  the  text.  "  Though  I  made  you  sorry  with  a  letter,  I  do  not  regret,  though  I 
did  regret ;  I  rejoice,  not  that  you  were  made  sorry,  but  that  you  sorrowed  to 
repentance  " — your  sorrow  produced  an  enduring  change  for  the  better.  1.  This 
verse  is  a  graphic  record  of  the  practical  nature  of  repentance,  which  is  a  change 
of  mind  from  unbelief  and  alienation  against  God  and  His  law,  to  faith  and  love 
towards  both ;  and  a  change  of  habit  and  of  life  from  the  pursuit  and  practice  of 
sin,  to  the  pursuit  and  practice  of  holiness.  2.  Its  blessings.  "  Godly  sorrowworketh 
repentance  to  salvation."  Elsewhere  it  is  mentioned  as  being  "repentance  unto 
life,"  because  connected  with  everlasting  happiness  (2  Pet.  iii).  III.  The  ministerial 
EMOTIONS  WITH  WHICH  THIS  MENTAL  STATE  IS  VIEWED.  The  rcasons  why  a  minister 
may  rejoice  in  the  repentance  of  his  hearers  are — 1.  Because  of  its  bearing  upon 
the  holiness  of  men.  2.  Upon  the  glory  of  God.  The  glory  of  God  must  rightly 
constitute  an  object  of  ministerial  desire  ;  and  the  glory  of  God,  through  our 
instrumentality,  can  alone  be  secured  by  the  conversion  of  souls.  3.  Upon  the 
happiness  of  ininisters  themselves  (chap.  i.  12-14 ;  1  Thess.  ii.  19,  20).  Conclusion : 
Observe — 1.  How  much  of  encouragement  there  is  for  those  who  have  been 
brought  into  this  state.  2.  How  much  of  solemnity  gathers  round  the  state  of 
those  who  have  not  been  susceptible  of  this  state  at  all.  {J.  Parsons.)  The  power 
of  sorrow  : — Distinguish  between  sorrow  and  repentance.  To  grieve  over  sin  is  one 
thing,  to  repent  of  it  is  another.  Sorrow  is  in  itself  a  thing  neither  good  nor  bad ; 
its  value  depends  on  the  spirit  of  the  person  on  whom  it  falls.  Fire  will  inflame 
straw,  soften  u'on,  or  harden  clay.  I.  The  fatal  power  of  the  sorrow  of  the 
WORLD.  It  works  death — 1.  In  the  effect  of  mere  regret  for  worldly  loss.  We  come 
into  the  world  with  health,  friends,  and  sometimes  property.  So  long  as  these  are 
continued  we  are  happy,  and  therefore  fancy  ourselves  very  grateful  to  God ;  but 
this  is  not  religion ;  it  has  as  little  moral  character  in  it,  in  the  happy  human  being, 
as  in  the  happy  bird.  Nay  more,  it  is  a  suspicious  thing ;  having  been  warmed  by 
joy,  it  wUl  become  cold  when  joy  is  over ;  and  then  when  these  blessings  are 
removed  we  count  ourselves  hardly  treated,  as  if  we  had  been  defrauded  of  a  right ; 
rebellious  hard  feelings  come  ;  people  become  bitter,  spiteful,  discontented.  This  is 
the  death  of  heart ;  the  sorrow  of  the  world  has  worked  death.  2.  When  sin  is 
grieved  for  in  a  worldly  spirit.  There  are  two  views  of  sin :  as  wrong,  or  as  pro- 
ducing loss,  e.g.,  of  character.    In  such  cases,  if  character  could  be  preserved  before 


366  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vn. 

the  world,  grief  would  not  come.  In  the  midst  of  Saul's  apparent  grief  the  thing 
uppermost  was  that  he  had  forfeited  his  kingly  character ;  almost  the  only 
longing  was  that  Samuel  should  honour  him  before  his  people.  And  hence  it 
comes  to  pass  that  often  remorse  and  anguish  only  begin  with  exposure.  A  corpse 
has  been  preserved  for  centuries  in  the  iceberg,  or  in  antiseptic  peat,  and  when  air 
was  introduced  it  crumbled  into  dust.  Exposure  worked  dissolution,  but  it  only 
manifested  the  death  which  was  already  there  ;  so  with  sorrow.  3.  When  the  hot 
tears  come  from  pride.  No  two  tones  of  feeling,  apparently  similar,  are  more  unlike 
than  that  in  which  Saul  exclaimed,  "  I  have  played  the  fool  exceedingly,"  and  the 
publican,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  Now  this  sorrow  of  Saul's,  too,  works 
death ;  when  once  a  man  has  found  himself  out,  he  cannot  be  deceived  again. 
What  on  this  earth  remains,  but  endless  sorrow,  for  him  who  has  ceased  to  respect 
himself,  and  has  no  God  to  turn  to  ?  II.  The  Divine  power  of  sobrow.  1.  It 
works  repentance,  change  of  life,  alteration  of  habits,  renewal  of  heart.  The 
consequences  of  sin  are  meant  to  wean  from  sin.  The  penalty  annexed  to  it  is,  in 
the  first  instance,  corrective,  not  penal.  Fire  burns  the  child,  to  teach  it  one  of  the 
truths  of  this  universe — the  property  of  fire  to  burn.  The  first  time  it  cuts  its  hand 
with  a  sharp  knife  it  has  gained  a  lesson  which  it  never  will  forget.  Sorrow  avails 
only  when  the  past  is  converted  into  experience,  and  from  failure  lessons  are  learned 
which  never  are  to  be  forgotten.  2.  Permanence  of  alteration.  A  steady  reforma- 
tion is  a  more  decisive  test  of  the  value  of  mourning  than  depth  of  grief.  The 
characteristic  of  the  Divine  sorrow  is  that  it  is  a  repentance  "  not  repented  of."  And 
in  proportion  as  the  repentance  increases  the  grief  diminishes.  "I  rejoice  that  I 
made  you  sorry,  though  it  were  but  for  a  time."  Grief  for  a  time,  repentance  for 
ever.  And  few  things  more  signally  prove  the  wisdom  of  this  apostle  than  his  way 
of  dealing  with  this  grief.  He  tried  no  artificial  means  of  intensifying  it.  So 
soon  as  grief  had  done  its  work  the  apostle  was  anxious  to  dry  useless  tears — he 
even  feared  lest  haply  such  an  one  should  be  swallowed  up  with  overmuch  sorrow. 
3.  It  is  sorrow  according  to  God.  God  sees  sin  in  itself :  a  thing  infinitely  evil, 
even  if  the  consequence  were  happiness  instead  of  misery.  So  sorrow,  according  to 
God,  is  to  see  sin  as  God  sees  it.  The  grief  of  Peter  was  as  bitter  as  that  of  Judas. 
But  in  Peter's  grief  there  was  an  element  of  hope,  because  he  saw  God  in  it  all. 
Despair  of  self  did  not  lead  to  despair  of  God.  This  is  the  pecuUar  feature  of  this 
sorrow  ;  God  is  there,  accordingly  self  is  less  prominent.  It  is  not  a  microscopic 
self-examination,  nor  a  mourning  in  which  self  is  ever  uppermost ;  my  character 
gone ;  the  greatness  of  my  sin ;  the  forfeiture  of  my  salvation.  The  thought  of 
God  absorbs  all  that.  {F.  W.  Robertson,  31. A.)  Sorrow  and  sorrow  : — Time  was 
when  inner  experience  was  considered  to  be  everything,  and  experimental  preaching 
was  the  order  of  the  day.  Now  it  is  apt  to  be  too  much  slighted.  Introspection 
was  formerly  pushed  to  the  extreme  of  morbid  self-searching ;  yet  it  ought  not  now 
to  be  utterly  abandoned.  A  correct  diagnosis  of  disease  is  not  everything,  but  yet 
it  is  valuable.  A  sense  of  poverty  cannot  by  itself  enrich,  but  it  may  stimulate. 
Now  it  is  "  only  believe."  And  rightly  so :  but  we  must  discriminate.  There 
must  be  sorrow  for  sin  working  repentance.     Upon  this  point  we  must — I.  Eemove 

CERTAIN  ERRONEOUS  IDEAS  WITH  REGARD  TO  REPENTANCE  AND  SORROW  FOR  SIN. 

Among  popular  delusions  we  must  mention  the  suppositions — 1.  That  mere  sorrow 
of  mind  in  reference  to  sin  is  repentance.  2.  That  there  can  be  repentance  with- 
out sorrow  for  sin.  3.  That  we  must  reach  a  certain  point  of  wretchedness  and 
horror,  or  else  we  are  not  truly  penitent.  4.  That  repentance  happens  to  us  once, 
and  is  then  over.  5.  That  repentance  is  a  most  unhappy  feeling.  6.  That 
repentance  must  be  mixed  with  unbelief,  and  embittered  by  the  fear  that  mercy 
will  be  unable  to  meet  our  wretched  case.  II.  Distinguish  between  the  two 
SORROWS  MENTIONED  IN  THE  TEXT.  1.  The  godly  sorrow  which  worketh  repentance 
to  salvation  is  sorrow  for  sin — (1)  As  committed  against  God.  (2)  Arising  out  of 
an  entire  change  of  mind.  (3)  Which  joyfully  accepts  salvation  by  grace.  (4) 
Leading  to  future  obedience.  (5)  Which  leads  to  perpetual  perseverance  in  the 
ways  of  God.  The  ways  of  sin  are  forsaken  because  abhorred.  This  kind  of 
repentance  is  never  repented  of.  2.  The  sorrow  of  the  world  is— (1)  Caused  by 
shame  at  being  found  out.  (2)  Attended  by  hard  thoughts  of  God.  (3)  Leads  to 
vexation  and  suUenness.  (4)  Incites  to  hardening  of  heart.  (5)  Lands  the  soul 
in  despair.  (6)  Works  death  of  the  worst  kind.  This  needs  to  be  repented  of,  for 
it  is  in  itself  sinful  and  terribly  prolific  of  more  sin.  III.  Indulge  ourselves  in 
GODLY  sorrow  FOR  SIN.  Come,  let  us  be  filled  with  a  wholesome  grief  that  we 
have — 1.  Broken  a  law,  pure   and   perfect.     2.  Disobeyed   a  gospel.  Divine  and 


CHAP,  vn.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  367 

gracious.  3.  Grieved  a  God,  good  and  glorious.  4.  Slighted  Jesus,  whose  love  is 
tender  and  boundless.  5.  Been  ungrateful,  though  loved,  elected,  redeemed,  for- 
given, justified,  and  soon  to  be  glorified.  6.  Been  so  foolish  as  to  lose  the  joyous 
fellowship  of  the  Spirit,  the  raptures  of  communion  with  Jesus.  Let  us  confess  all 
this,  lie  low  at  Jesus'  feet,  wash  His  feet  with  tears,  and  love,  yea,  love  ourselves 
away.  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  A  twofold  soul  sorroio  : — 1.  The  honest  administration 
of  gospel  truth  often  inflicts  sorrow  on  its  subjects.  The  apostle  made  the 
Corinthians  "  sorry  with  a  letter."  The  gospel  is  a  sword  to  cut,  an  arrow  to 
pierce,  a  fire  to  burn.  2.  The  sorrow  is  of  twofold  distinct  types.  Let  us  contrast 
these  sorrows.  I.  The  one  is  concerned  with  the  principle  of  wrong  ;  the 
OTHER  WITH  THE  RESULTS.  1.  Somc  groan  under  a  sense  of  their  sins  because  of 
the  injuries  which  they  have  already  inflicted  and  their  ultimate  doom.  It  is  a 
selfish  regret,  an  unvirtuous  emotion.  2.  But  others  mourn  over  the  moral  wrong- 
ness  of  the  act ;  not  because  of  the  curse  that  has  or  will  come  upon  them.  The 
sorrow  of  Judas  represents  the  one,  the  sorrow  of  Peter  the  other.     II.  The  one  is 

CONCERNED   FOR   OTHERS,    THE    OTHER   FOR    SELF.       "  Godly    SOrrOW  "    SCemS    tO     Cngulf 

all  personal  considerations.  The  claims  of  God,  the  interests  of  society,  the  good 
of  the  universe,  these  are  the  subjects  that  unseal  its  fountains.     III.  The  one 

IMPROVES   THE    CHARACTER,    THE   OTHER   DETERIORATES    IT.        "  Godly    SOrrOW    WOrketh 

repentance  to  salvation,"  from  all  that  is  corrupt  in  thought  and  feeling,  from  all 
evil  tendencies  and  habits.  Moral  sorrows,  like  waters,  at  once  cleanse,  refresh,  and 
fertilise.  But  selfish  sorrow  contracts  and  hardens  the  soul.  The  man  who 
selfishly  broods  over  his  own  ill  doings  sinks  into  a  miserable  misanthrope.  IV. 
The  one  issues  in  blessedness,  the  other  in  misery.  "Godly  sorrow"  need 
not  be  "  repented  of,"  for  it  brings  a  consciousness  of  forgiveness,  a  sense  of  the 
Divine  favour,  and  a  direction  of  the  whole  soul  to  all  that  is  useful  and  Divine. 
"  But  the  sorrow  of  the  world  worketh  death."  It  leads  only  to  remorse,  despair, 
and  utter  ruin.  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  Godly  sorroio  : — 1.  The  text  carries  us  into 
the  heart  of  a  story  eighteen  hundred  years  old.  The  actors  in  it  have  long  fallen 
on  sleep  ;  but  forasmuch  as  the  story  has  a  place  in  the  Bible,  it  can  never  die.  It 
is  "written  for  our  admonition."  St.  Paul  has  heard  of  a  terrible  scandal  at 
Corinth.  He  hears  that  the  Church  is  scarcely  shocked  by  it.  All  the  feeling  is 
left  to  him.  A  man  who  has  been  caught  up  into  the  third  heaven  knows  what  a 
Bin  looks  like  in  the  vestibule  of  the  Great  King ;  and  he  has  to  communicate  that 
aspect  of  it  to  the  Church.  The  result  we  have  in  this  chapter.  2.  Luther  tells 
how,  while  he  was  still  ignorant  of  the  gospel  of  grace,  the  word  "  repentance  "  was 
repulsive  to  him ;  but  when  once  he  had  apprehended  the  revelation  of  a  free  for- 
giveness, all  the  texts  about  repentance  began  to  charm  and  attract  him.  May  it 
be  thus  with  us.  Note — I.  The  world's  sorrow.  1.  When  St.  Paul  wrote  "  the 
world "  stood  out  plainly  enough  to  the  Christian.  The  idea  of  the  word  in  the 
Greek  is  order.  As  God  sent  it  forth  from  His  creative  hand  it  was  a  system  of 
exquisite  adaptation  and  workmanship.  But  when  sin  entered  and  death  by  sin, 
there  sprang  up  side  by  side  a  new  organisation,  from  which  God  was  left  out. 
When  Christ  came  He  found  this  aUen  world  almost  co-extensive  with  the  human 
universe.  Out  of  it  He  called  such  as  would  hsten.  But  still  in  the  first  days  of 
the  Church  the  other  was  the  predominant  one ;  and  therefore  it  spoke  for  itself  as 
to  what  was  meant  when  St.  John  said,  "  Love  not  the  world,"  or  our  Lord,  "If  ye 
were  of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  its  own."  The  difficulty  began  when  "  the 
world"  itself  adopted  Christianity  for  its  religion,  submitted  itself  to  Christian 
baptism.  But  still  there  is  a  world,  and  a  very  real  one,  and  its  characteristic  is 
just  what  it  was — namely,  an  order  and  an  organism,  which  leaves  God  out.  It 
goes  in  and  out  amongst  the  Church,  with  which  it  claims  to  be  synonymous. 
Wherever  there  is  a  life  hved  without  God  ;  wherever  there  is  a  society  organised  on 
the  principle  of  being  by  itself  untrammelled  by  thought  of  Him,  there  is  "the 
world  "  in  this  evil  sense.  2.  The  world's  sorrow  fills  a  large  page  of  life.  (1)  For, 
of  course,  "  the  world  "  is  not  exempt  from  misfortune,  from  wounds  in  the  house 
of  its  friends — from  death,  and  death's  thousand  perils  and  satellites.  But 
there  is  something  characteristic  in  the  world's  way  of  taking  each  trouble ;  there  is 
an  astonishment,  a  resentment,  a  selfishness,  a  despair  quite  peculiar  to  the  sorrow 
of  the  "  kosmos  "  which  has  shut  out  God.  How  often  has  it  been  seen  quite  hterally 
that  "the  world's  sorrow"  has  wrought  "death"!  How  often  has  suicide  itself 
been  the  world's  way  of  meeting  misfortune  !  (2)  But,  considering  the  context,  we 
may  suppose  St.  Paul  to  have  had  specially  in  his  view  the  world's  sorrow  for  sin. 
Sin  does  touch   with   sorrow   even  "  the   world."     Sometimes   the   sin   of   others 


368  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOIt.  [chap.  vn. 

touches  it ;  the  loose  life  of  a  son  may  deeply  wound  a  father's  love  as  well  as  a 
father's  pride  and  a  father's  confidence.  "The  world  "has  to  sorrow  oftentimes 
for  its  own  sin ;  it  is  often  found  out  by  it.  There  is  a  sorrow  for  the  loss  of 
character,  for  the  blighting  of  a  career,  for  the  object  of  a  guilty  passion,  deprived 
of  all  that  makes  life  valuable.  These  are  specimens  of  "the  world's"  sorrow, 
which,  however,  only  at  last  "  works  death."  The  "  world  "  being  organised  on  the 
principle  of  shutting  out  God,  and  death,  in  its  full  and  final  sense,  is  the  final 
signing  and  sealing  of  that  exclusion  of  God.  II.  "  The  sokeow  whig  his  accokdino 
TO  God."  1.  This  may  mean — (1)  God-like — sorrowing  for  sin  as  God  sorrows  for 
it.  Witness  the  Cross.  (2)  As  God  would  have  it  to  be — a  sorrow  which  is  agree- 
able to  the  mind  and  will  of  the  Holy  One.  (3)  As  God  works  it  by  the  powerful 
efficiency  of  His  grace.  2.  But  none  of  these  senses  is  entirely  satisfactory.  We 
would  rather  read  it,  "  the  sorrow  which  has  regard  to  God,"  in  direct  opposition  to 
the  world's  sorrow,  that  leaves  out  of  it  the  thought  of  God.  It  would  be  unreal 
language  to  require  that  sorrow  for  sin  should  have  no  reference  whatever  to  its 
bearing  upon  the  sinner.  God  has  arranged  in  mercy  and  wisdom  that  motives  of 
fear  and  self-preservation  shall  powerfully  influence  us  ;  but  not  until  God  has 
place  in  the  sinner's  sorrow  can  that  sorrow  be  more  than  ambiguous  as  to  the 
sinner's  state  and  the  sinner's  hope.  3.  This  Godward  sorrow  will  have  in  it  three 
ingredients.  (1)  "  Against  Thee,  Thee,  only  have  I  sinned."  As  the  godly-refrain- 
ing from  sin  has  in  it  the  thought,  "  How  can  I  do  this  great  wickedness  and  sin 
against  God  ?  "  so  the  godly-sorrowing  for  sin  has  in  it  the  thought,  "  Against  Thee, 
0  God,  yea,  in  comparison  against  Thee  alone  have  I  sinned."  (2)  It  does  not 
isolate  the  particular  sin ;  it  sees  it  in  its  root,  and  in  its  connection.  "  Behold,  I 
was  shapen  in  wickedness,  and  in  sin  did  my  mother  conceive  me."  (3)  And  thus 
it  recognises  a  need  far  graver  and  more  serious  than  that  of  forgiveness.  "  Create 
in  me  a  clean  heart,  0  God,  and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me."  Repentance  is 
not  merely  sorrow ;  it  is  the  new  mind  which  views  altogether  differently  from 
before  the  two  lives  of  sin  and  of  holiness,  and  the  two  objects,  self  and  God. 
(Dean    Vaiighan.)  Godly  sorrow  : — I.  Its  nature — Sorrow  according  to  God. 

1.  It  is  sorrow  for  sin  as  an  offence  against  God.  Not  that  the  penitent  is 
unaffected  with  the  evil  of  sin  as  respects  his  fellow-creatures  and  his  own 
soul.  It  is,  however,  as  an  offence  against  God  that  he  chiefly  laments  it; 
he  views  it  as  rebellion  against  God,  as  transgression  of  His  law,  a  disbelief 
of  His  truth,  a  rejection  of  His  grace,  ingratitude  for  His  goodness,  and  insensi- 
bility to  His  love.  "Against  Thee,  Thee  only,  have  I  sinned,  and  done  evil  in 
Thy  sight."  A  consideration  of  his  sins,  as  what  occasioned  the  sufferings  and 
death  of  Christ,  is  what  especially  affects  his  heart.  He  looks  upon  Him  whom  he 
has  pierced,  and  mourns  for  Him.  2.  It  is  according  to  the  will  of  God  as  revealed 
in  Scripture.  Not  that  God  delights  to  see  any  of  His  creatures  unhappy.  He 
knows  that  godly  sorrow  is  essential  to  our  happiness.  8.  It  is  produced  in  the 
heart  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  Man,  in  his  natural  state,  knows  nothing  of  this 
sorrow.  4.  It  accords  with  the  design  of  God  respecting  man.  This  is  evidently 
none  other  than  to  bring  us  back  to  Himself.  II.  Its  effect.  It  "  worketh 
repentance  to  salvation  not  to  be  repented  of."  Repentance  signifies  a  change  of 
mind ;  a  change  of  the  understanding  from  darkness  to  light,  and  of  the  will  and 
affections  from  sin  to  holiness.  Such  a  change  is  attended  with  the  most  happy 
results.  We  do  not  wonder,  therefore,  to  hear  the  apostle  declare  that  it  is  "  not  to 
be  repented  of."  Whether  we  consult  Scripture  or  experience,  whether  we  search 
the  Church  below  or  above,  not  a  saint  can  we  meet  with  that  regrets  his  repentance 
or  his  salvation.  Conclusion :  But  is  this  the  case  with  the  impenitent  ?  1.  Is  not  the 
want  of  "repentance  to  salvation"  often  accompanied  with  such  bitterness  of 
reflection,  even  in  the  present  world,  and  especially  at  the  approach  of  death,  as 
makes  those  who  feel  it  unutterably  wretched?  2.  "The  sorrow  of  the  world 
worketh  death."  Having  no  connection  with  the  love  and  fear  of  God  and  faith  in 
His  mercy  it  never  ends  happily,  whatever  may  be  the  causes  which  produce  it,  it 
terminates  at  no  time  in  a  change  of  heart  and  conduct.  (D.  Rees.)  True 
repentance  is  a  godly  sorrow  : — I.  In  speaking  of  the  nature  of  godly  sorrow  we 
are  led  to  remark  that  it  is  not  only  sorrow  on  account  of  sin,  but  sorrow  of  a 
peculiar  kind.  The  sorrow  of  which  the  apostle  speaks  is  godly  sorrow  which 
leads  men  to  mourn  with  a  right  spirit,  and  has  an  eye  towards  God,  against  whom 
sin  has  been  committed  (Psa.  li.  4  ;  Luke  xv.  18).  Godly  sorrow  not  only  mourns 
before  God  for  outward  sins,  but  also  for  those  evil  thoughts  which  can  be  known 
only  to  Him  who  sees  the  heart.    It  will  be  also  an  increasing  sorrow  in  proportion 


CHAP.  VII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  309 

as  the  subject  of  this  gracious  repentance  is  led  into  all  truth,  as  he  is  brought  to 
know  more  of  the  depths  of  iniquity,  and  the  evil  of  sin  ;  as  he  is  enabled  to  discern 
more  of  the  workings  of  his  heart,  and  more  of  the  spirituality  of  the  Divine  law. 
But  it  will  be  a  feeling  accompanied  with  peace,  because  it  will  be  recognised  as  an 
evidence  of  grace.  II.  Some  of  the  means  by  which  this  godly  soreow  is  excited, 
WHICH  WILL  farther  ILLUSTRATE  THts  TRUTH.  It  is  difficult  sometimcs  to  trace  the 
immediate  cause  of  godly  sorrow,  because  the  first  workin;j,s  of  this  principle  are 
often  silent  and  gentle  in  their  operations.  1.  Affliction.  When  men  are  at  ease  in 
their  possessions,  and  are  intoxicated  with  the  bustle  of  worldly  care,  they  can 
indulge  in  sin  with  little  restraint,  and  neglect  the  salvation  of  their  souls  as  a 
matter  of  little  concern.  The  mercies  of  God  seem  only  to  supply  fresh  encourage- 
ment to  sin.  Hence  He  is  sometimes  pleased  to  awaken  the  sons  of  prosperity  by 
means  of  afflictive  dispensations.  2.  Not  unfrequently  His  goodness  leadeth  to 
repentance.  3.  Another  means  which  God  is  pleased  to  employ  in  producing  godly 
sorrow  is  the  reading  or  the  preaching  of  His  own  Word.  In  some,  as  in  the  case  of 
Josiah,  the  terrors  of  the  law  have  prepared  the  way  for  spiritual  peace.  In  others 
the  effects  have  more  nearly  resembled  those  which  were  produced  by  the  sermon 
of  St.  Peter  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  III.  The  effect  of  this  godly  sorrow.  It 
worketh,  saith  the  apostle,  a  repentance  "unto  salvation"  not  to  be  repented  of 
either  in  this  world  or  the  next.  Let  it  then  be  distinctly  remembered  that  the 
blessing  is  not  of  a  temporal  character ;  but  the  salvation  mentioned  in  the  text 
has  reference  to  higher  blessings,  and  calls  for  inci'easing  thankfulness  because  it 
respects  the  deliverance  of  the  soul.     {IV.  Mayers,  A.M.)         Repentance: — I.  The 

EEMEMBRANCE  of  SIN  IS  THE  CAUSE  OF  GODLY  SORROW  IN  THE  HEART  OF  A  TRUE  PENITENT. 

The  sinner  is  to  be  considered  in  two  different  periods  of  time.  In  the  first  he  is 
under  the  infatuation  of  sin  ;  in  the  last,  after-reflections  on  his  sinful  conduct  fill 
his  mind.  1.  The  sinner  is  affected  with  the  number  of  his  sins.  When  we  reflect 
on  our  past  lives  sins  arise  from  all  parts  and  absorb  our  minds  in  their  multitude. 
2.  The  true  penitent  adds  to  a  just  notion  of  the  number  of  his  sins  that  of  their 
enormity.  Here  we  must  remove  the  prejudices  that  we  have  imbibed  concerning 
the  morality  of  Jesus  Christ ;  for  here  also  we  have  altered  His  doctrine,  and  taken 
the  world  for  our  casuist,  the  maxims  of  loose  worldlings  for  our  supreme  law.  We 
have  reduced  great  crimes  to  a  few  principal  enormous  vices  which  few  people 
commit.  3.  A  third  idea  that  afflicts  a  penitent  is  that  of  the  fatal  influence  which 
his  sins  have  had  on  the  soul  of  his  neighbour.  One  sin  strikes  a  thousand  blows, 
while  it  seems  to  aim  at  striking  only  one.  It  is  a  contagious  poison  which 
diffuseth  itself  far  and  wide,  and  infects  not  only  him  who  commits  it,  but  the 
greatest  part  of  those  who  see  it  committed.  4.  The  weakness  of  motives  to  sin  is 
the  fourth  cause  of  the  sorrow  of  a  penitent.  Motives  to  sin  are  innumerable  and 
various  ;  but  what  are  they  all  ?  Sometimes  an  imaginary  interest,  an  inch  of  ground, 
and  sometimes  a  crown,  the  conquest  of  the  universe,  the  kingdoms  of  the  world 
and  the  glory  of  them  (Matt.  iv.  10).  5.  I  make  a  fifth  article  of  the  penitent's 
uncertainty  of  his  state.  For  although  the  mercy  of  God  is  infinite  yet  it  is  certain 
the  sinner  in  the  first  moments  of  his  penitence  hath  reason  to  doubt  of  his  state, 
and  till  the  evidences  of  his  conversion  become  clear  there  is  almost  as  much  pro- 
bability of  his  destruction  as  of  his  salvation.  6.  Perhaps  hell.  7.  In  fine,  the 
last  arrow  that  woundeth  the  heart  of  a  penitent  is  an  arrow  of  Divine  love.  The 
more  we  love  God  the  more  misery  we  endure  when  we  have  been  so  unhappy  as 
to  offend  Him.  The  union  of  all  these  causes  which  produce  sorrow  in  a  true  peni- 
tent forms  the  grand  difference  between  that  which  St.  Paul  calls  godly  sorrow  and 
that  which  he  calls  the  sorrow  of  the  world,  that  is  to  say,  between  true  repentance 
and  that  uneasiness  which  worldly  systems  sometimes  give  another  kind  of  peni- 
tents. II.  St.  Paul  speaks  of  the  effects  of  *odly  sorrow  only  in  general  terms 
in  our  text ;  he  says  it  worketh  repentance  to  salvation  ;  but  in  the  following 
verses  he  speaks  more  particularly.  1.  The  first  effect  of  godly  sorrow  is  what  our 
apostle  calls  carefulness,  or,  as  I  would  rather  read  it,  vigilance — yea,  what  vigilance ! 
I  understand  by  this  term  the  disposition  of  a  man  who,  feeling  a  sincere  sorrow 
for  his  sins,  and  being  actually  under  the  atiiicting  hand  of  God,  is  not  content  with 
a  little  vague  knowledge  of  his  own  irregularities,  but  uses  all  his  efforts  to  examine 
every  cu'cumstance  of  his  life,  and  to  dive  into  the  least  obvious  parts  of  his  own 
conscience  in  order  to  discover  whatever  is  oi'fensive  to  that  God  whose  favour  and 
clemency  he  most  earnestly  implores.  The  penitence  of  worldlings,  or,  as  St.  Paul 
expresseth  it,  "  the  sorrow  of  the  world,"  may  indeed  produce  a  vague  knowledge  of 
sin.     Afflicted  people  very  commonly  say.  We  deserve  these  punishments,  we  are 

24 


370  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vn. 

very  great  sinners ;  but  those  penitents  are  very  rare  indeed  who  possess  what  our 
apostle  calls  carefulness  or  vigilance.  2.  "  What  clearing  of  yourselves  !  "  adds  St. 
Paul.  The  Greek  word  signifies  apology,  and  it  will  be  best  understood  by  joining 
the  following  expression  with  it,  "yea,  what  indignation ! "  In  the  sorrow  of  the  world 
apology  and  indignation  are  usually  companions ;  indignation  against  him  who 
represents  the  atrocity  of  a  sin,  and  apology  for  hun  who  commits  it.  The  reproved 
sinner  is  always  fruitful  in  excuses,  always  ingenious  in  finding  reasons  to  exculpate 
himself,  even  while  he  gives  himself  up  to  those  excesses  which  admit  of  the  least 
excuse.  Now,  change  the  objects  of  indignation  and  apology,  and  you  will  have  a 
just  notion  of  the  dispositions  of  the  Corinthians,  and  of  the  effects  which  godly 
sorrow  produces  in  the  soul  of  a  true  penitent.  Let  your  apology  have  for  its  object 
that  ministry  which  you  have  treated  so  unworthily,  let  your  indignation  turn 
against  yourselves,  and  then  you  will  have  a  right  to  pretend  to  the  prerogatives  of 
true  repentance.  3.  The  apostle  adds,  "  yea,  what  fear  I  "  By  fear  in  this  place  we 
understand  that  self-di£Qdence  which  an  idea  of  the  sins  we  have  committed  ought 
naturally  to  inspire.  In  this  sense,  St.  Paul  says  to  the  Eomans,  "Be  not  high- 
minded  ;  but  fear  "  (Eom.  xi.  20).  Fear — that  is  to  say,  distrust  thyself .  Here  you 
suffered  through  your  inattention  and  dissipation ;  fear  lest  you  should  fall  by  the 
same  means  again,  guard  against  this  weakness,  strengthen  this  feeble  part, 
accustom  yourself  to  attention,  examine  what  relation  every  circumstance  of  your 
life  has  to  your  duty.  There  you  fell  through  your  vanity  ;  fear  lest  you  should 
fall  again  by  the  same  means.  Another  time  you  erred  through  your  excessive 
complaisance ;  fear  lest  you  should  err  again  by  the  same  means.  4.  "  What  vehe- 
ment desire !  "  This  is  another  vague  term.  Godly  sorrow  produceth  divers  kinds 
of  desire.  Here  I  confine  it  to  one  meaning :  it  signifies,  I  think,  a  desire  of  par- 
ticipating the  favour  of  God,  of  becoming  an  object  of  the  merciful  promises  which 
He  hath  made  to  truly  contrite  souls,  and  of  resting  under  the  shade  of  that  Cross 
where  an  expiatory  sacrifice  was  offered  to  Divine  justice  for  the  sins  of  mankind. 
5.  Finally,  zeal  is  the  sixth  effect  of  godly  sorrow,  and  it  may  have  three  sorts  of 
objects — God,  our  neighbours,  and  ourselves.  III.  St.  Paul  expresses  himself  in  a 
very  concise  manner  on  this  article ;  but  his  language  is  full  of  meaning  ;  kepent- 

ANCE    PRODUCED   BY    GODLY    SORROW    (sAYS   He)  IS   NOT    TO   BE   REPENTED  OF that    is   tO 

say,  it  is  always  a  full  source  of  consolation  and  joy.  Godly  sorrow  reconciles  us 
to  three  enemies  who,  whUe  we  live  in  sin,  attack  us  with  implacable  rage.  1. 
The  first  enemy  who  attacks  us  while  we  live  in  sin  with  implacable  rage  is  the 
justice  of  God.  2.  As  godly  sorrow  reconciles  us  to  Divine  justice,  so  it  reconciles 
us  to  our  own  consciences.  It  is  repentance  only,  it  is  only  godly  sorrow  that  can 
disarm  conscience.  3.  In  fine,  godly  sorrow  reconciles  us  to  death.  (Jas.  Saurin.) 
Sorrow  according  to  God  : — The  apostle's  summary  of  his  preaching  is  "  Eepentance 
towards  God,  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  These  two  ought  never  to  be 
separated.  Yet  the  two  are  separated,  and  the  reproach  that  the  Christian  doctrine 
of  salvation  through  faith  is  immoral  derives  most  of  its  force  from  forgetting  that 
repentance  is  as  real  a  condition  of  salvation  as  faith.  Consider — I.  The  true  and 
THE  FALSE  SORROW  FOR  SIN.  1.  Now  wc  have  HO  morc  right  to  ask  for  an  impossible 
uniformity  of  religious  experience  than  we  have  to  expect  that  all  voices  shaU  be 
pitched  in  one  key,  or  all  plants  flower  in  the  same  month,  or  after  the  same  fashion. 
Life  produces  resemblance  with  differences  ;  it  is  machinery  that  makes  facsimiles. 
Yet,  whilst  not  asking  that  a  man  aU  diseased  with  the  leprosy  of  sin,  and  a  little 
child  "  innocent  of  the  great  transgression,"  shall  have  the  same  experience;  Scrip- 
ture and  the  nature  of  the  case  assert  that  there  are  certain  elements  which,  in 
varying  proportions,  will  be  found  in  all  true  Christian  experience,  and  of  these  an 
indispensable  one  is  "  godly  sorrow."  2.  Notice  the  broad  distinction  between  the 
right  and  the  wrong  kind  of  sorrow  for  sin.  "  Sorrow  according  to  God  "  is  sorrow 
which  has  reference  to  God;  the  "sorrow  of  the  world"  is  devoid  of  that  reference. 
One  puts  sin  by  His  side,  sees  its  blackness  relieved  against  the  "  fierce  light "  of  the 
Great  White  Throne,  and  the  other  does  not.  There  are  plenty  who,  when  reaping 
the  bitter  fruits  of  sin,  are  sorry  enough.  A  man  that  is  lying  in  the  hospital,  a 
wreck,  is  often  enough  sorry  that  he  did  not  live  differently.  The  fraudulent 
bankrupt  that  has  lost  his  reputation,  as  he  hangs  about  the  streets,  slouching  in 
his  rags,  is  sorry  enough  that  he  did  not  keep  the  straight  road.  Again,  men  are 
often  sorry  for  their  conduct  without  thinking  of  it  as  sin  against  God.  Crime 
ineans  the  transgression  of  man's  law,  wrong  the  transgression  of  conscience's  law, 
sin  the  transgression  of  God's  law.  Some  of  us  would  perhaps  have  to  say — "  I 
have  done  crime."     We  are  all  of  us  quite  ready  to  say,—"  I  have  done  wrong  "  ; 


CHAP.  VII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  371 

but  there  are  some  of  us  that  hesitate  to  say,  "  I  have  done  sin."  But  if  there  be  a 
God,  then  we  have  personal  relations  to  Him  and  His  law  ;  and  when  we  break  His 
law  it  is  more  than  crime,  more  than  wrong — it  is  sin.  It  is  when  you  lift  the 
shutter  off  conscience,  and  let  the  light  of  God  rush  in  that  you  have  the  wholesome 
sorrow  that  worketh  repentance  unto  salvation.  I  believe  that  a  very  large  amount 
of  the  superficiality  and  easy-goingness  of  the  Christianity  of  to-day  comes  just  from 
this,  that  so  many  who  call  themselves  Christians  have  never  once  got  a  glimpse  of 
themselves  as  they  really  are.  I  remember  once  peering  over  the  edge  of  the  crater 
of  Vesuvius,  and  looking  down  into  the  pit  all  swirling  with  sulphurous  fumes. 
Have  you  ever  looked  into  your  hearts  in  that  fashion  and  seen  the  wreathing  smoke 
and  the  flashing  fire  there  ?  If  you  have,  you  will  cleave  to  that  Christ  who  is  your 
sole  deliverance  from  sin.  3.  But  there  is  no  prescription  about  depth  or  amount 
or  length  of  time  during  which  this  sorrow  shall  be  felt.  If  you  have  as  much 
sorrow  as  leads  you  to  penitence  and  trust  you  have  enough.  It  is  not  your  sorrow 
that  is  going  to  wash  away  your  sin,  it  is  Christ's  blood.  The  one  question  is, 
"  Has  my  sorrow  led  me  to  cast  myself  on  Christ?  "  H.  "  Godly  sorrow  worketh 
EEPENTANCE."  1.  What  is  repentance  ?  Many  of  you  would  answer  "  sorrow  for  sin," 
but  clearly  this  text  draws  a  distinction  between  the  two.  The  "  repentance  "  of  the 
Bible  is,  as  the  word  distinctly  expresses,  a  change  of  purpose  in  regard  to  the  sin 
for  which  a  man  mourns.  Let  me  remind  you  of  one  or  two  passages  which  may 
show  that  the  right  notion  of  the  word,  "the  gifts  and  calling  of  God  are  without 
repentance,"  i.e.,  without  change  of  purpose  on  His  part.  Again,  "The  Lord 
repented  of  the  evil  which  He  had  said  He  would  do  unto  them,  and  He  did  it  not," 
i.e.  clearly  He  changed  His  purpose.  So  repentance  is  not  idle  tears  nor  the  twitch- 
ings  of  a  vain  regret,  but  the  resolute  turning  away  of  the  sinful  heart  from  its  sins. 
It  is  "  repentance  toward  God,"  the  turning  from  sin  to  the  Father.  2.  This  change 
of  purpose  and  breaking  off  from  sin  is  produced  by  sorrow  for  sin  ;  and  that  the 
production  of  this  repentance  is  the  main  characteristic  difference  between  the  godly 
sorrow  and  the  sorrow  of  the  world.  A  man  may  have  his  paroxysms  of  regret, 
but  the  question  is :  Does  it  make  any  difference  in  his  attitude  ?  Is  he  standing, 
after  the  tempest  of  sorrow  has  swept  over  him,  with  his  face  in  the  same  direction 
as  before ;  or  has  it  whirled  him  clean  round  ?  My  brother !  when  your  conscience 
pricks,  is  the  word  of  command  "  Eight  about  face  !  "  or  is  it,  "  As  you  were  "?  3. 
The  means  of  evoking  true  repentance  is  the  contemplation  of  the  Cross.  Dread  of 
punishment  may  pulverise  the  heart,  but  not  change  it ;  and  each  fragment  will 
have  the  same  characteristics  as  the  whole  mass.  But  "  the  goodness  of  God  leads 
to  repentance,"  as  the  prodigal  is  conquered  and  sees  the  true  hideousness  of  the 
swine's  trough  when  he  bethinks  himself  of  the  father's  love.  III.  Salvation  is 
THE  ISSUE  OF  REPENTANCE.  1.  What  is  the  Connection  between  repentance  and  salva- 
tion ?  (1)  You  cannot  get  the  salvation  of  God  unless  you  shake  off  your  sin. 
"  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,"  &c.  It  is  a  clear  contradiction  in  terms,  and  an 
absolute  impossibiUty  in  fact,  that  God  should  deliver  a  man  from  sin  whilst  he  is 
holding  to  it.  (2)  But  you  do  not  get  salvation  for  your  repentance.  It  is  no  case 
of  barter,  it  is  no  case  of  salvation  by  works,  that  work  being  repentance.  "  Could 
my  tears  for  ever  flow,"  <fec.  2.  What  is  the  connection  between  repentance  and 
faith  ?  (1)  There  can  be  no  true  repentance  without  trust  in  Christ.  Eepentance 
without  faith  would  be  but  like  the  pains  of  those  poor  Hindoo  devotees  that  will  go 
all  the  way  from  Cape  Comorin  to  the  shrine  of  Juggernaut,  and  measure  every  foot 
of  the  road  with  the  length  of  their  own  bodies  in  the  dust.  Men  will  do  anything, 
and  willingly  make  any  sacrifice  rather  than  open  their  eyes  to  see  this — that  re- 
pentance, clasped  hand  in  hand  with  faith,  leads  the  guiltiest  soul  into  the  forgiving 
presence  of  the  crucified  Christ,  from  whom  peace  flows  into  the  darkest  heart.  (2) 
On  the  other  hand,  faith  without  repentance  in  so  far  as  it  is  possible  produces  a 
superficial  Christianity  which  vaguely  trusts  to  Christ  without  knowing  exactly  why 
it  needs  Him ;  which  practises  a  religion  which  is  neither  a  joy  nor  a  security. 
"  These  are  they  which  heard  the  word,  and  anon  with  joy  received  it."  Having 
no  deep  consciousness  of  sin,  "  they  have  no  root  in  themselves,  and  in  time  of 
temptation  they  fall  away."  If  there  is  to  be  a  Ufe-transforming  sin  and  devil- 
conquering  faith,  it  must  be  a  faith  rooted  deep  in  sorrow  for  sin.  Conclusion  :  If, 
by  God's  grace,  my  poor  words  have  touched  your  consciences,  do  not  trifle  with  the 
budding  conviction  !  Do  not  let  it  all  pass  in  idle  soj^row.  If  you  do,  you  wiU  be 
the  worse  for  it,  and  come  nearer  to  that  condition  which  the  sorrow  of  the  world 
worketh,  the  awful  death  of  the  soul.  Do  not  wince  from  the  knife  before  the  roots 
of  the  cancer  are  cut  out.     The  pain  is  merciful.     Better  the  wound  than  the  maUg- 


372  TEE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vn. 


nant  growth.  Yield  yourselves  to  the  Spirit  that  would  convince  you  of  sin,  and 
listen  to  the  voice  that  calls  to  you  to  forsake  your  unrighteous  ways  and  thoughts. 
But  do  not  trust  to  any  tears,  any  resolves,  any  reformation.  Trust  only  to  the 
Lord  that  died  for  you,  whose  death  for  you,  whose  life  in  you,  will  be  deliverance 
from  your  sin.  Then  you  will  have  a  salvation  which  "  is  not  to  be  repented  of." 
{A.  Maclaren,  D.D.)  Godly  sorrow  and  its  ^precious  fruit: — I.  Godly  soebow. 

Its  nature.  1.  Sorrow,  the  generic,  is  known  to  all;  the  specific,  godly  sorrow, 
needs  definition  and  description.  All  understand  what  is  meant  by  a  flower :  so  we 
never  define  it.  But  there  are  some  species  which  few  have  ever  seen,  and  which 
accordingly  have  to  be  described.  This  is  usually  done  by  comparing  and  contrast- 
ing it  with  some  common  plant.  It  is  thus  that  we  must  deal  with  godly  sorrow, 
which  is  here  contrasted  with  a  commoner  kind,  "  the  sorrow  of  the  world."  Now 
this  is  made  up  of  many  different  kinds — the  pain  of  a  diseased  body ;  the  eating 
canker  of  a  discontented  mind ;  the  loss  of  property  or  of  friends.  These  and  all 
other  kinds  of  grief  which  have  respect  only  to  the  present  life  are  slumped 
together  as  "  the  sorrow  of  the  world."  Alone,  on  the  other  side,  stands  that  one 
peculiar  species,  "sorrow  towards  God."  2.  The  expression  intimates  a  changed 
and  peculiar  attitude  of  the  soul.  Away  from  the  world,  with  its  hopes  and  fears, 
the  man  must  turn,  and  open  his  inmost  being  towards  God.  Now  just  as  vapours 
rising  from  the  ground  and  hanging  in  the  atmosphere,  change  the  white  brightness 
of  the  sun  into  a  jaundiced  yellow  or  a  fiery  red,  so  passions,  issuing  like  mists  from 
the  soul  itself,  darken  the  face  of  God,  hiding  His  tenderness,  and  permitting  only 
anger  to  glance  through.  And  it  depends  on  the  work  of  the  Spirit  in  the  man 
whether  the  result  of  that  shall  be  dislike  of  God's  holiness,  or  sorrow  for  his  own 
sin.  This  is  the  very  hinge  of  the  difference  between  the  carnal  and  the  spiritual 
mind.  The  one  is  enmity  against  God  for  His  righteousness ;  the  other,  sorrow  for 
its  own  sin.  The  true  wish  of  the  one  man's  heart  is  that  there  were  less  of  holiness 
in  God  ;  of  the  other,  that  there  were  more  in  himself.  The  two  griefs  and  the  two 
desires  lie  as  far  apart  from  each  other  as  light  and  darkness — as  life  and  death.  3. 
How  it  is  produced.  The  series  of  cause  and  effect  runs  thus  :  goodness  of  God 
(Kom.  ii.  4) ;  godly  sorrow ;  repentance.  Sorrow  for  sin  is  not  felt  until  God's 
goodness  aroused  it ;  and  that  sorrow  once  aroused,  instantly  manifests  true  re- 
pentance in  an  eager  effort  to  put  sin  away  (ver.  1).  A  fear  of  heU  is  not  sorrow 
for  sin :  it  may  be  nothing  more  than  a  regret  that  God  is  holy.  As  an  instrument 
wherewith  the  peace  of  spiritual  death  may  be  disturbed,  the  Lord  employs  it,  but 
it  lies  very  low,  and  is  worthless  unless  it  quickly  merge  in  the  higher  affection — 
sorrow  for  sin.  When  a  man,  touched  by  God's  goodness,  takes  God's  side  with  his 
whole  heart  as  against  himself  in  the  matter  of  his  own  guilt — this  is  the  turning- 
point.  When  Jesus  looked  on  Peter,  Peter  went  out  and  wept.  God's  goodness, 
embodied  in  Christ  crucified,  becomes,  under  the  ministry  of  the  Spirit,  the  cause 
of  godly  sorrow  in  believing  men.  II.  The  repentance  which  godli  soeeow  peo- 
DUCES.  It  is  a  change  of  mind  which  imparts  a  new  direction  to  the  whole  life,  as 
the  turning  of  the  helm  changes  the  course  of  the  ship.  This  turning  is — 1.  Unto 
salvation.  The  man's  former  course  led  to  perdition  ;  it  has  been  reversed,  and 
therefore  now  leads  to  life.  2.  Not  to  be  repented  of.  The  change  is  decisive  and 
final.  Your  portion  is  chosen  for  life — for  ever.  When  in  godly  sorrow  you  have 
turned  your  face  to  Christ,  and  consequently  your  back  on  all  that  grieves  Him, 
you  will  never  need  to  make  another  change  ;  you  wiU  never  repent  of  that  repent- 
ance. (TF.  Arnot,  D.D.)  The  apostolic  doctrine  of  repentance  : — I.  The  soreow 
OF  the  world.  1.  It  is  of  the  world.  There  is  an  anxiety  about  loss,  about  the  con- 
sequences of  misdoing,  about  a  ruined  reputation,  &c.  Now  sin  brings  all  these 
things  ;  but  to  sorrow  for  them  is  not  to  sorrow  before  God,  because  it  is  only  about 
worldly  things.  Observe  therefore — (1)  Pain,  simply  as  pain,  does  no  good  ;  sorrow, 
merely  as  sorrow,  has  in  it  no  magical  efficacy ;  shame  may  harden  into  effrontery, 
punishment  may  rouse  into  defiance.  (2)  Pain  self-inflicted  does  no  good.  The 
hand  burnt  in  ascetic  severity  does  not  give  the  crown  of  martyrdom,  nor  even 
inspire  the  martyr's  feeling.  The  loss  of  those  dear  to  us,  when  it  is  borne  as  coming 
from  God,  has  the  effect  of  strengthening  and  purifying  the  character.  But  to  bring 
sorrow  wilfully  upon  ourselves  can  be  of  no  avail  towards  improvement.  When 
God  inflicts  the  blow.  He  gives  the  strength ;  but  when  you  give  it  to  yourself,  God 
does  not  promise  aid.  Be  sure  this  world  has  enough  of  the  Cross  in  it ;  you  need 
not  go  out  of  your  way  to  seek  it.  2.  It  "  works  death."  (1)  Literally.  There  is 
nothing  like  wearing  sorrow  to  shorten  life.  When  the  terror  of  sorrow  came  on 
Nabal,  his  heart  became  a  stone,  and  died  within  him,  and  in  ten  days  all  was  over. 


CHAP,  vn.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  373 

When  the  evil  tidings  came  from  the  host  of  Israel,  the  heart  of  the  wife  of  Phinehas 
broke  beneath  her  grief,  and  in  a  few  hours  death  followed  her  bereavement.  (2) 
Figuratively.  Grief  unalloyed  kills  the  soul.  Man  becomes  powerless  in  a  pro- 
tracted sorrow  where  hope  in  God  is  not.  The  mind  will  not  work ;  there  is  no 
desire  to  succeed.  "  The  wine  of  life  is  drawn."  (3)  Spiritually.  It  is  a  fearful 
thing  to  see  how  some  men  are  made  worse  by  trial.  It  is  terrible  to  watch  sorrow 
as  it  sours  the  temper,  and  works  out  into  malevolence  and  misanthropy.  Oj)posi- 
tion  makes  them  proud  and  defiant.  Blow  after  blow  falls  on  them,  and  they  bear 
all  in  the  hardness  of  a  sullen  silence.  Such  a  man  was  Saul,  whose  earlier  career 
was  so  bright  with  promise.  But  defeat  and  misfortune  gradually  soured  his 
temper,  and  made  him  bitter  and  cruel.  Jealousy  passed  into  disobedience,  and 
insanity  into  suicide.  The  sorrow  of  the  world  had  "  worked  death."  II.  Godly 
SORROW.  1.  Its  marks.  (1)  Moral  earnestness — "carefulness"  (ver.  11).  (2)  "Fear"— 
not  an  unworthy  terror,  but  the  opposite  of  that  light  recklessness  which  lives  only 
from  day  to  day.  (3)  "  Vehement  desire,"  that  is  affection  ;  for  true  sorrow — sorrow 
to  God — softens,  not  hardens  the  soul.  It  opens  sympathies,  for  it  teaches  what 
others  suffer.  It  expands  affection,  for  your  sorrow  makes  you  accordant  with  the 
"  still  sad  music"  of  humanity.  A  true  sorrow  is  that  "  deep  grief  which  human- 
ises the  soul "  ;  often  out  of  it  comes  that  late  remorse  of  love  which  leads  us  to 
arise  and  go  to  our  Father,  and  say,  "  I  have  sinned  against  Heaven  and  in  Thy 
sight."  (4)  "Clearing  of  themselves,"  i.e.,  anxiety  about  character.  (5)  "  Ke- 
venge" — indignation  against  wrong  in  others  and  in  ourselves.  2.  The  results — 
"Not  to  be  repented  of."  No  man  ever  regretted  things  given  up  or  pleasures  sacri- 
ficed for  God's  sake.  No  man  on  his  dying  bed  ever  felt  a  pang  for  the  suffering 
sin  had  brought  on  him,  if  it  had  led  him  in  all  humbleness  to  Christ.  But  how 
many  a  man  on  his  death-bed  has  felt  the  recollection  of  guilty  pleasures  as  the 
serpent's  fang  and  venom  in  his  soul !     {F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.) 

Ver.  11.  For  ...  ye  sorrowed  after  a  godly  sort — The  internal  ivorkings  of 
genuine  repentance : — The  Bible  says  a  deal  about  repentance.  1.  Its  nature  (Job 
xlii.  5 ;  Psa.  li. ;  Ezek.  xxxvi.  35  ;  Matt.  xxvi.  24  ;  Luke  xv.  35  ;  xviii.  13 ;  2  Cor. 
vii.  9).  2.  Its  necessity  (Ezek.  xiv.  6 ;  Matt.  iii.  1,  iv.  17 ;  Luke  xiii.  13 ;  Acts  iii. 
19 ;  Eev.  ii.  5,  &c.).  3.  Its  internal  working  as  here.  I.  Solicitude.  "  What 
carefulness!  "  Men  who  have  repented  are  no  longer  unconcerned  about  spiritual 
matters,  but  are  cautious,  careful,  diligent.  The  necessity  of  carefuhiess  may  be 
argued  from — 1.  The  corrupting  influences  of  social  life.  2.  The  agency  of  tempt- 
ing spirits.  3.  The  remaining  depravity  of  our  own  nature.  This  is  tinder  for  the 
devil's  fire,  a  fulcrum  for  the  devil's  lever.  Hence  be  careful.  II.  Deprecation. 
"  What  clearing  of  yourselves  " — how  anxious  to  show  your  disapproval  of  the  evil 
of  which  you  have  been  guilty.  Thus  genuine  repentance  ever  works.  HI.  Anger. 
"  What  indignation  ! "  Eepentance  generates  a  deadly  hatred  to  evil.  We  have 
little  faith  in  the  moral  excellency  of  those  who  cannot  go  into  flames  of  indigna- 
tion whenever  the  wrong  appears  before  them.  Strong  love  for  the  thing  loved 
necessitates  strong  hatred  for  the  thing  hated.  "  Dante,  who  loved  well  because  he 
hated,  hated  wickedness  because  he  loved."  When  a  repentant  soul  muses  not  only 
on  the  sins  of  others,  but  on  his  own,  the  fires  of  indignation  kindle  into  a  blaze. 
IV.  Dread.  "  What  fear ! "  Fear,  not  of  suffering  but  of  sin.  This  fear  is  the 
highest  courage,  and  also  love  dreading  to  displease  the  object  of  its  affection.  V. 
Eaenestness.  "  What  vehement  desire  !  " — what  longing  for-a  higher  life !  "  What 
zeal!  " — what  intense  desire  to  eschew  the  wrong  and  to  pursue  the  right !  "What 
revenge !  "  What  a  craving  to  crush  the  wrong  !  Ail  these  expressions  mean  intense 
earnestness  about  spiritual  matters  which  is  rare  and  praiseworthy.  Genuine 
repentance  is  antagonistic  to  indifferentism.     (D.  Thomas,  D.D.) 

Vers.  12-16.  Wherefore,  though  I  wrote  unto  you,  I  did  it  not  for  his  cause  that 
had  done  the  wrong. — Church  discipline  : — I.  Church  discipline  should  be  exer- 
cised FOR  the  good  of  THE  WHOLE  Church  (vcr.  12).  The  particular  individual 
referred  to  here  was  the  incestuous  person  (1  Cor.  v.  1).  The  apostle  here  states 
that  this  discipline  was  not  merely  for  the  offender's  sake,  nor  indeed  for  the  sake 
of  the  offended.  His  object  in  writing  was  not  merely  to  chastise  the  one,  and  to 
obtain  justice  for  the  other.  He  had  a  larger  aim  ;  it  was  to  prove  to  them  how 
much  he  cared  for  their  spiritual  purity  and  reputation.  Punishment  should  not 
only  be  for  the  reformation  of  the  wrongdoer,  but  as  an  example  to  others.  The 
unhealthy  branch  should  be  cut  off  for  the  sake  of  the  tree's  health  and  growth. 


374  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vm. 

All  true  chastisement  for  wrong  aims  not  only  at  the  good  of  the  offender,  but  at 
the  good  of  the  community  at  large.  II.  When  the  good  of  the  Church  is  mani- 
fested IT  IS  A  JUST  MATTER  FOR  REJOICING  (vcr.  13).  The  Church  was  improved  by 
Paul's  disciplinary  letter.  Of  this  Titus  had  assured  him,  for  they  had  "  refreshed  " 
his  "spmt"  during  his  visit  among  them.  Their  improvement,  too,  justified  the 
high  testimony  which  he  had  given  Titus  concerning  them  (ver.  14).  The  love  of 
Titus  for  them  was  increased  by  the  discovery  of  it  (ver.  15).  Thus  the  godly  sorrow 
which  they  manifested  on  account  of  that  which  was  wrong  amongst  them  was  in 
every  way  satisfactory  to  him ;  it  gave  him  comfort,  it  greatly  refreshed  the  spirit  of 
Titus,  increased  his  affection  for  them,  and  inspired  the  apostle  bimseli  with  con- 
fidence and  with  joy.    (Hid.) 


CHAPTER  vm. 


Vers.  1-5.  Tlie  grace  of  God  bestowed  on  the  ehurches  of  Macedonia. — The 

grace  of  liberality : — I.  True  liberality  is  a  Christian  grace — as  truly  a  grace 
as  knowledge,  diligence,  and  love.  What  light  this  throws  upon  the  whole 
subject  of  church  finances !  1.  Failing  to  see  that  hberality  is  a  grace,  we  have 
made  it  a  burden.  As  a  grace  in  the  heart,  liberality  struggles  for  an  outlet  in  acts 
of  benevolence ;  as  a  duty  or  a  burden,  it  needs  to  be  urged.  Hence  all  this  clap- 
trap machinery  for  raising  church  money.  2.  This  grace,  like  any  other,  may  be 
obtained — (1)  By  consecration.  No  man  is  prepared  to  receive  it  until  he  has 
"  first  given  himself  to  the  Lord."  Paul  enforces  such  a  consecration  (ver.  9).  (2) 
By  prayer.  What  reflections  would  arise  in  the  mind  of  one  praying  for  the  grace 
of  liberality !  What  views  of  responsibility  would  the  Spirit  of  all  grace  flash 
upon  his  mind  1  How  would  the  claims  of  self  dwindle  into  insignificance  in  the 
presence  of  the  claims  of  Christ.  II.  This  grace  leads  men  to  give  according  to 
THEIR  ABILITY ;  YEA,  BEYOND.  1.  Neither  the  scanty  income  of  "  deep  poverty,"  nor 
the  increasing  demands  of  accumulating  wealth,  nor  the  claims  of  fashionable  life, 
will  prevent  such  a  man  from  being  liberal  "  according  to  that  which  he  hath,"  &c. 
He  will  never  begin  to  retrench  at  the  church,  because  he  knows  that  God  can 
retrench  upon  him  in  a  thousand  ways.  2.  The  reason  "  God  loves  a  cheerful 
giver  "  is  because  such  giving  can  only  flow  from  grace,  and  such  giving  is  always 
a  means  of  grace.  Instead  of  a  collection  dissipating  all  religious  feeling,  our 
"joy"  ought  "to  abound  unto  hberahty."  If  liberality  is  a  Christian  grace,  and 
giving  is  a  means  of  grace,  why  should  not  a  man  feel  as  religious  while  giving  as 
he  does  while  singing  and  praying  ?  3.  Ordinary  poverty  is  generally  considered 
a  lawful  excuse  for  not  giving.  But  "  the  deep  poverty  of  the  Macedonians 
abounded  unto  the  riches  of  their  liberality"  (vers.  2-4).  The  offering  is  sanctified 
by  its  motive  and  spirit.  It  is  not  the  intrinsic  value  of  the  contribution,  but  the 
love  of  the  contributor  and  his  relative  ability  to  give,  that  makes  the  contribution 
acceptable  to  God.  4.  There  are  three  classes  who  fail  to  do  their  duty — (1)  Those 
who  give  largely,  but  not  "according  to  their  means";  if  they  did,  they  would 
give  hundreds  instead  of  tens,  and  thousands  instead  of  hundreds.  (2)  Those 
who  give  nothing  because  they  are  too  poor.  (3)  A  class  made  up  of  rich 
and  poor,  whose  religious  joy  is  so  seraphic  that  it  always  soars  above  the 
financial  wants  of  the  Church.  They  are  always  trembling  lest  the  pastor 
should  drive  all  religion  out  of  the  Church  by  taking  so  many  collections  ! 
Now,  what  is  wanting  in  all  these  classes  is  this  grace  of  liberality.  This 
would  lead  the  rich  and  the  poor  to  give  "  according  to  their  means."    III.  The 

GRACE   OF    LIBERALITY,    LIKE   ANY   OTHER,    MAY   BE    CULTIVATED    (vCr.    6  ;    1  Cor.  Xvi.  1). 

1.  Here  is  systematic  beneficence.  The  grace  of  liberality  needs  exercise  just  as 
much  as  faith  and  love.  Besides,  the  Churches  need  money  now — every  week. 
This  systematic  way  of  giving  by  weekly  instalments  keeps  the  duty  of  self-denial 
before  the  mind.  Such  a  system  of  beneficence  would  soon  develop  the  grace  of 
liberality  and  increase  the  funds  of  the  Church  to  a  point  where  she  would  have 
an  ample  fund  "  laid  by  "  all  the  time,  ready  to  meet  all  the  claims  at  home  and 
abroad !  2.  Those  who  wait  to  give  largely,  when  they  do  give,  usually  let  the 
grace  of  liberality  die  for  the  want  of  exercise  ;  so  that,  when  the  time  comes  when 


CHAP,  vin.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  375 

they  are  able  to  give  largely,  they  have  neither  the  grace  nor  the  desire  to  do  so.  And 
those  who  give  but  little  or  nothing  through  life,  and  give  largely  when  they  come 
to  die,  rarely  ever  give  enough  to  pay  the  interest  on  what  they  ought  to  have  given 
under  a  hfe  course  of  systematic  beneficence.  3.  It  is  only  those  who  enjoy  the 
grace  of  liberality  as  a  growing  principle  in  the  soul  that  can  realise  the  saying  of 
Christ :  "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."  {J.  M.  Bolland,  A.M.)  The 
grace  of  liberality  : — The  Christians  of  the  Jerusalem  Church  were  in  sore  trouble. 
A  feeble  folk  at  the  best,  they  were  now  reduced  to  an  extremity  of  famine.  At 
this  juncture  the  advantage  of  Christian  fellowship  was  brought  into  clear  light. 
Paul  and  Barnabas  took  it  upon  themselves,  by  Divine  appointment,  to  call  upon 
the  more  favoured  brethren  for  help  (Acts  ii.  27-30).  They  received  prompt 
contributions  from  the  Churches  in  Achaia,  also  from  those  in  Macedonia  (Eom. 
XV.  26).  A  strong  appeal  was  made  to  the  churches  of  Galatia  (1  Cor.  xvi.  1). 
The  congregation  at  Rome,  made  up  largely  of  Gentiles,  some  of  whom  were 
wealthy  and  influential,  was  exhorted  to  do  its  part  (Rom.  xv.  27).  And  in  the 
Scripture  before  us  the  matter  is  presented  to  the  Corinthian  Christians  in  a  way 
to  stir  their  deepest  and  most  substantial  sympathy.  It  was  a  splendid  opportunity 
for  displaying  the  genuineness  of  Christian  unity.  In  appealing  to  the  Corinthian 
Church  the  apostle  makes  mention  of  the  liberality  of  their  brethren  in  Macedonia, 
hoping  thus  to  provoke  them  to  good  works.  At  the  very  time  when  these 
Macedonians  were  sending  their  gifts  to  Jerusalem,  they  themselves  were  groaning 
under  a  twofold  yoke  of  poverty  and  persecution.  Nevertheless  they  furnished 
forth  a  pattern  of  benevolence.  First,  they  gave  voluntarily.  They  gave  with 
spontaneity,  with  good  cheer,  with  abandon.  They  gave  not  as  a  deep  well  gives 
to  the  toiler  at  the  windlass,  but  as  a  fountain  gives  to  the  wounded  hart  that 
stands  panting  at  its  brink.  Second,  they  gave  largely — "  to  their  power,  yea,  and 
beyond  it."  Self-denial  is  the  first  step  in  consecration.  The  virtue  of  sacrifice 
lies  largely  in  the  cost  of  it.  Third,  they  gave  from  principle.  The  beginning  of 
their  generosity  and  its  motive  and  inspiration  lay  in  this,  that  "  they  first  of  all 
gave  their  own  selves  to  the  Lord."  After  that  everything  was  easy.  Let  us  note 
some  of  the  reasons  why  God's  people,  "  as  they  abound  in  everything,  in  faith,  in 
utterance,  in  knowledge,  in  diligence,  and  in  brotherly  love,  should  abound  in  this 
grace  also."  I.  Because  giving  is  a  grace.  It  is  not  a  mere  adjunct  or  incident 
of  the  Christian  life,  but  one  of  its  cardinal  graces.  Whether  a  disciple  of  Christ 
shall  make  a  practice  of  giving  or  not  is  no  more  an  open  question  than  whether 
he  shall  pray  or  not.  The  rule  of  holy  living  is  never  selfishness,  but  always  self- 
forgetfulness.  This  was  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  this  must  be  the 
disposition  of  those  who  follow  him.  II.  It  is  in  the  line  of  common  honesty. 
We  are  stewards  of  the  gifts  of  God.  The  silver  and  the  gold  are  His.  III.  Giving 
is  a  fbuitful  soubce  of  happiness.  IV.  Giving  is  a  means  of  getting.  Let  us 
observe  the  testimony  of  Scripture  on  this  point.  "  Honour  the  Lord  with  thy 
substance  and  with  the  first-fruits  of  all  thine  increase ;  so  shall  thy  barns  be  filled 
with  plenty  and  thy  presses  shall  burst  out  with  new  wine."  "  There  is  that 
scattereth  and  yet  increaseth ;  and  there  is  that  withholdeth  more  than  is  meet, 
but  it  tendeth  to  poverty."  V.  This  is  the  noblest  end  of  money-making.  Some 
men  get  to  hoard.  Others  get  to  spend.  Still  others  get  to  give.  VI.  Our  giving 
IS  God's  method  fob  the  convebsion  of  the  wobld.  It  is  God's  purpose  that 
aU  nations  should  be  evangelised.  Our  wealth  must  furnish  the  sinews  of  the 
holy  war.  VII.  The  example  of  Christ  teaches  us  to  give.  He  was  the  greatest 
of  givers.  He  gave  everything  He  had  for  our  dehverance  from  sin  and  death. 
(D.  J.  Burrell,  D.D.)  Christian  liberality  : — In  1  Cor.  xvi.  mention  was  made  of 
a  contribution  which  the  Corinthians  were  systematically  to  store  up  for  the  poor 
brethren  at  Jerusalem.  Paul  here  renews  the  subject  and  records  the  largeness  of 
the  sum  contributed  by  the  churches  of  Macedonia,  and  urges  the  Corinthians  to 
emulate  their  example.  Note — I.  The  natube  of  Christian  lebeeality.  1.  It 
■was  a  grace  bestowed  from  God  (vers.  1,  6).  Now  there  are  many  reasons  which 
make  Uberahty  desirable.  (1)  Utility.  By  liberaUty  hospitals  are  supported, 
missions  established,  social  disorders  healed.  But  St.  Paul  does  not  take  the 
utilitarian  ground ;  though  in  its  way  it  is  a  true  one.  (2)  Nor  does  he  take  the 
ground  that  it  is  for  the  advantage  of  the  persons  relieved  (ver.  13).  He  takes 
the  higher  ground :  it  is  a  grace  of  God.  He  contemplates  the  benefit  to  the  soul 
of  the  giver.  2.  It  was  the  work  of  a  willing  mind  (ver.  12).  (1)  The  offering  is 
sanctified  or  made  unholy  in  God's  sight  by  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  given.  (2)  A 
willing  mind,  however,  is  not  all.     "  Now  therefore  perform  the  doing  of  it." 


376  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  viii. 

Where  the  means  are,  willingness  is  only  tested  by  performance.  Test  your 
feelings  and  fine  liberal  words  by  self-denial.  Let  it  be  said,  "  He  hath  done  what 
he  could."  3.  It  was  the  outpouring  of  poverty  (ver.  2).  As  it  was  in  the  time  of 
the  apostle,  so  it  is  now.  It  was  the  poor  widow  who  gave  all.  Generally  a  man's 
liberality  does  not  increase  in  proportion  as  he  grows  rich,  but  the  reverse.  (1)  Let 
this  circumstance  be  a  set-off  against  poverty.  God  has  made  charity  easier  to 
you  who  are  not  the  rich  of  this  world.  (2)  Let  it  weaken  the  thirst  for  riches. 
Doubtless  riches  are  a  good ;  but  remember  that  the  Bible  says,  "  They  that  will 
be  rich  fall  into  temptation  and  a  snare."  4.  It  was  exhibited  to  strangers. 
Gentile  and  Jew  were  united  to  each  other  by  a  common  love.  There  is  nothing 
but  Christianity  which  can  do  this.  Think  of  the  old  rancours  of  the  heathen 
world.  Philanthropy  is  a  dream  without  Christ.  Why  should  I  love  the  negro  or 
the  foreigner  ?  Because  we  are  one  family  in  Christ.  11.  Its  motives.  1. 
Christian  completeness  (ver.  7).  It  is  the  work  of  Christ  to  take  the  whole  man, 
and  present  him  a  Uving  sacrifice  to  God.  2.  Emulation.  Compare  vers.  1  to  8 
and  Eom.  xi.  11.  Ordinary,  feeble  philanthropy  would  say,  "Emulation  is 
dangerous."  Yet  there  is  such  a  feeling  in  our  nature.  So  St.  Paul  here  took 
advantage  of  it,  and  exhorts  the  Corinthians  to  enter  the  lists  in  honourable  rivalry. 
Emulation,  meaning  a  desire  to  outstrip  individuals,  is  a  perverted  feeling  ; 
emulation,  meaning  a  desire  to  reach  and  pass  a  standard,  is  the  parent  of  all 
progress  and  excellence.  Hence,  set  before  you  high  models.  Try  to  live  with  the 
most  generous,  and  to  observe  their  deeds.  3.  The  example  of  Christ  (ver.  9).  (1) 
Christ  is  the  reference  for  everything.  But  (2)  it  is  in  spirit,  and  not  in  letter,  that 
Christ  is  our  example.  The  Corinthians  were  asked  to  give  money  for  a  special 
object.  But  Christ  did  not  give  money.  He  gave  Himself.  [F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.) 
The  grace  of  liberality  : — I.  Giving  is  a  Christian  grace.  It  is  a  recognition  of 
that  great  duty  of  service  which  is  obligatory  throughout  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 
II.  Naturally  enough,  then,  we  find  giving  treated  in  this  passage  as  the  duty  of 
ALL.  The  churches  of  Macedonia  in  their  deep  poverty  are  commended  for  their 
giving.  Giving  is  of  as  wide  obligation  as  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath.  Much 
the  same  reasons  could  be  urged  for  excusing  the  poor  from  the  observance  of  the 
Sabbath  as  from  the  duty  of  giving.  The  Sabbath  might  be  transmuted  into 
money.  The  poor  might  use  the  day  to  earn  additional  wages.  III.  A  third  lesson 
of  this  paragraph  is  that  giving  should  be  voluntary  and  cheerful.  The  Mace- 
donian churches  are  here  commended  that  they  gave  of  their  own  accord  and 
besought  Paul  with  much  entreaty  to  accept  their  gift  for  the  needy  at  Jerusalem. 
IV.  Giving,  we  are  to  notice,  is  also  an  act  of  fellowship.  The  Macedonians  in 
sending  their  contribution  to  the  Christians  at  Jerusalem  were  enjoying  "fellowship 
in  the  ministering  to  the  saints."  Fellowship  is  an  interflow  of  hearts  and  a  co- 
operation with  others.  Now  giving  is  one  of  the  simplest  and  easiest  methods 
of  expressing  fellowship.  It  is  at  the  outset  a  recognition  of  the  brotherly  relation 
of  man  to  man.  It  is  an  effort  to  share  the  burdens  of  others.  We  are  filled  with 
amazement  at  the  discoveries  of  modern  science.  To-day  power  can  be  sent  along 
a  wire  through  our  streets  and  into  the  country  and  utilised  wherever  we  please.  It 
is  a  blessing  of  much  the  same  character  that  our  gifts  can  fly  here  and  there  over 
the  whole  world  as  a  force  to  relieve  distress  and  elevate  character.  We  cannot 
always  go  ourselves.  V.  We  must  recognise  Christian  giving  as  the  outcome  of 
PERSONAL  consecration.  The  wonderful  liberality  of  the  Macedonian  Christians  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  "  first  they  gave  their  own  selves  to  the  Lord."  A  friend  lately 
received  the  gift  of  a  house ;  what  did  that  include  ?  The  rent,  of  course,  that 
certain  tenants  were  paying  for  the  use  of  the  house.  The  original  owner,  after  he 
had  given  this  house  to  another,  could  no  longer  collect  the  rents  for  himself.  If 
we  have  truly  given  ourselves  up  to  God  in  a  complete  consecration,  that  includes 
anything  and  everything  of  ours.  If  we  have  property,  it  is  His ;  time,  abilities, 
influence — all  are  His.  VI.  The  passage  declares  that  giving  is  a  proof  of  love. 
It  is  no  trial  to  us  to  advance  the  cause  of  Christ  by  our  gifts  if  we  love 
the  Lord  Jesus  supremely.  VH.  The  passage  urges  us  to  give  in  imitation 
OF  Christ.  The  apostle  reminds  us  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  though  He 
was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  became  poor.  VIII.  Once  more  let  us  notice 
that  giving  is  measured  by  willingness,  not  by  amount.  "  If  the  readiness 
is  there,"  wrote  the  apostle,  "  it  is  acceptable  according  as  a  man  hath  and 
not  according  as  he  hath  not."  We  are  often  discouraged  by  the  smallness 
of  our  gifts,  but  we  need  not  be.  (Addison  P.  Foster.)  Ancient  charity  the 
rule  and  reproof  of  modern : — A  puny  faith  begets  a  sickly  charity.     In  nothing 


CHAP,  vni.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  377 

is  the  faith  of  our  day  set  in  stronger  contrast  with  the  faith  of  the  first 
Chi'istians  than  in  this  its  most  essential  fruit.  You  are  accustomed  for  the  con- 
firmation of  your  faith,  your  discipline,  your  worship,  to  go  back  to  the  first  ages 
and  to  find  your  pattern  there.  Are  you  as  ready  to  go  back  to  them  to  learn  the 
rule  and  practice  of  true  charity  ?  The  gospel  is  the  revelation  of  the  perfect  will 
of  God,  made,  once  for  all,  to  all  mankind.  It  has  but  one  rule,  then,  for  every 
place  and  for  all  ages.  Until  self  is  conquered  nothing  is  accomplished.  "  Ye  are 
not  your  own,  for  ye  are  bought  with  a  price,"  is  the  first  lesson  in  the  Christian 
school.  How  can  it  be  otherwise?  When  did  love  ever  seek  its  own?  The  case 
of  the  Macedonian  Christians  teems  with  instruction  for  us  all.  The  first  reception 
of  the  gospel  was  visited  everywhere  with  persecution.  Saint  was  synonymous 
with  sufferer.  Wherever  the  storm  raged  highest,  love  was  the  most  lavish  of  its 
treasures.  Distance  made  no  difference.  The  "  one  faith  "  made  for  all  "  one 
heart."  At  this  time  the  poor  Christians  at  Jerusalem  were  the  objects  of  especial 
interest.  The  apostle's  tender  heart  yearned  to  his  brethren  of  the  flesh,  and, 
writing  to  the  Church  at  Corinth,  he  pleads  their  cause  with  all  his  own  inimitable 
eloquence.  He  writes  from  Macedonia.  Compared  with  that  at  Corinth,  the 
churches  in  this  province  at  Philippi,  at  Thessalonica,  at  Berea,  were  poor  in  this 
world's  goods.  But  they  were  "  rich  in  faith."  He  holds  them  up,  therefore,  as 
an  ensample  to  their  rich  brethren,  "  to  provoke  them  to  good  works."  1.  That  a 
charitable  disposition  is  the  gift  of  God — "  the  grace  of  God  bestowed  on  the 
churches  " — who  sends  His  Holy  Ghost,  and  pours  into  all  hearts  that  wUl  receive 
it,  "  that  most  excellent  gift  of  charity."  2.  That  it  is  a  source  of  pure  and  rich 
enjoyment  to  its  possessor,  "  the  abundance  of  their  joy,"  the  apostle  calls  it, 
"  twice  blessed,"  in  the  phrase  of  our  great  poet.  3.  That  its  exercise,  where  it 
exists,  is  not  repressed  by  poverty,  not  even  "  deep  poverty,  in  a  great  trial  of 
affliction."  4.  That  it  waits  not  to  be  asked,  but  is  "  willing  of  itself."  5.  That  its 
tendency  is  always  to  exceed,  rather  than  to  fall  short,  of  the  true  measure  of 
abUity,  overflowing  in  the  riches  of  its  liberality,  not  only  "  according  to  "  its 
power,  but  "  beyond  "  its  "  power."  6.  That  it  counts  the  opportunity  of  exercise 
a  favour  done  to  it,  "  praying  us,  with  much  entreaty,  that  we  would  receive  the 
gift."  7.  That  this  will  only  be  so  when  the  heart  has  been  surrendered,  as  "  a 
Uving  sacrifice,"  and  then  will  always  be,  first  giving  "  their  own  selves  to  the  Lord, 
and "  then  "  to  us,  by  the  will  of  God."  (Serinoris  by  American  Clergymen.) 
fure  benevolence  : — This  is  as  much  a  doctrine  as  any  taught  in  God's  Word, 
although  it  may  not  be  so  popular  as  some  others.  I.  How  did  the  Macedonians 
GIVE?  1.  In  affliction.  2.  In  poverty.  3.  In  self-abnegation.  They  gave  more 
than  they  were  able  to  give.  4.  In  willingness.  Not  grudgingly — "Praying  us 
with  much  entreaty."  5.  Beyond  expectation — "  Not  as  we  hoped."  II.  To  whom 
DID  THEY  GIVE  ?  1.  To  Coiinth  ;  that  was  Home  Missions.  2.  To  Jerusalem ;  that 
was  Foreign  Missions.  HI.  What  did  they  give  ?  1.  Their  own  selves.  2.  Their 
money.  IV.  Why  did  they  give  ?  I.  They  were  moved  by  what  Christ  had 
sacrificed  for  them.  2.  They  "gave  to  God."  (Homilist.)  Money: — Money  is 
usually  a  delicate  topic  to  handle  in  the  Church,  and  we  may  count  ourselves  happy 
in  having  two  chapters  from  the  pen  of  St.  Paul,  in  which  he  treats  at  large  of  a 
collection.  We  see  the  mind  of  Christ  applied  in  them  to  a  subject  that  is  always 
with  us,  and  sometimes  embarrassing  ;  and  if  there  are  traces  here  and  there  that 
embarrassment  was  felt  even  by  the  apostle,  they  only  show  more  clearly  the 
wonderful  wealth  of  thought  and  feeling  which  he  could  bring  to  bear  upon  an 
ungrateful  theme.  Consider  only  the  variety  of  lights  in  which  he  puts  it,  and  all 
of  them  ideal.  "  Money,"  as  such,  has  no  character,  and  so  he  never  mentions  it. 
But  he  calls  the  thing  which  he  wants  "  a  grace,"  "  a  service,"  "  a  communion  in 
service,"  " a  munificence,"  "a  blessing,"  "a  manifestation  of  love."  The  whole 
resources  of  Christian  imagination  are  spent  in  transfiguring,  and  lifting  into  a 
spiritual  atmosphere,  a  subject  on  which  even  Christian  men  are  apt  to  be  material- 
istic. We  do  not  need  to  be  hypocritical  when  we  speak  about  money  in  the 
Church ;  but  both  the  charity  and  the  business  of  the  Church  must  be  transacted  as 
Christian,  and  not  as  secular  affairs.     {J.  Denney,  B.D.) 

Vers.  2-4.  How  that  in  a  great  trial  .  .  .  the  abundance  of  their  joy  and  their 
deep  poverty. — The  poverty  of  the  Macedonians  : — The  condition  of  Greece  in  the 
time  of  Augustus  was  one  of  desolation  and  distress.  It  had  suffered  severely  by 
being  the  seat  of  the  successive  civil  wars  between  Caesar  and  Pompey,  between  the 
Triumvirs  and  Brutus  and  Cassius,  and,  lastly,  between  Augustus  and  Antonius. 


378  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  vm. 

Besides,  the  country  had  never  recovered  from  the  long  series  of  miseries  which  had 
succeeded  and  accompanied  its  conquest  by  the  Romans ;  and  between  those  times 
and  the  civU  contest  between  Pompey  and  Caesar,  it  had  been  again  exposed  to  all 
the  evils  of  war  when  Sylla  was  disputing  the  possession  of  it  with  the  general  of 
Mithridates.  .  .  .  The  provinces  of  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  when  they  petitioned 
for  a  diminution  of  their  burdens,  in  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  were  considered  so 
deserving  of  compassion  that  they  were  transferred  for  a  time  from  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  Senate  to  that  of  the  Emperor  (as  involving  less  heavy  taxation).  (T.  Arnold, 
D.D.)  The  best  law  of  liberality  : — "  It  has  been  frequently  wished  by  Christians," 
says  the  late  Dr.  Payson,  of  America,  "  that  there  were  some  rule  laid  down  in  the 
Bible,  fixing  the  proportion  of  their  property  which  they  ought  to  contribute  to 
religious  uses.  This  is  as  if  a  child  should  go  to  his  father,  and  say,  '  Father,  how 
many  times  in  the  day  must  I  come  to  you  with  some  testimonial  of  my  love  ?  How 
often  will  it  be  necessary  to  show  my  affection  for  you  ?  '  The  father  would  of 
course  reply,  '  Just  as  often  as  your  feelings  prompt  you,  my  child,  and  no  oftener.' 
Just  so,  Christ  says  to  His  people,  '  Look  at  Me,  and  see  what  I  have  done  and 
suffered  for  you,  and  then  give  Me  just  what  you  think  I  deserve.  I  do  not  wish 
anything  forced.'  "     {Christian  Herald.) 

Yer.  5.  And  .  .  .  first  gave  their  own  selves  to  the  Lord,  and  unto  us 
by  the  will  of  God. — The  best  donation: — Here  we  see  Paul  disappointed, 
though  he  was  never  discontented.  "  This  they  did,  not  as  we  hoped."  Paul's 
disappointment  was  concerning  money,  although  that  was  a  thing  the  apostle 
never  cared  about  at  all.  But  his  expectations  were  not  reahsed  on  this  occasion 
because  they  were  exceeded.  He  had  only  hoped  that  they  would  give  a  little, 
for  they  were  not  rich  people ;  but  their  hberaUty  was  up  to  the  utmost  limit  of 
their  power,  "yea,  and  beyond  their  power."  Our  gifts  are  not  to  be  measured  by 
their  amount,  but  by  the  surplus  kept  in  our  own  hand.  Not  only  did  these 
Macedonian  believers  give  much,  but  "  ley  were  willing  of  themselves."  The 
apostle  did  not  have  to  organise  a  "  Fancy  Fair"  to  wheedle  the  money  out  of  them, 
nor  even  to  urge  them  to  their  duty.  But  these  Macedonians  gave  more  than 
money :  they  gave  themselves.  This  was  the  best  donation ;  better  even  than  the 
two  mites  of  the  poor  widow.  She  gave  her  living  ;  but  they  gave  their  lite. 
I.  These  people  ake  an  example  to  us.  The  great  works  of  the  world  are  not  done 
by  the  great  people  of  the  world ;  but  as  the  tiny  coral  insects,  patiently  working 
unseen,  produce  large  results,  it  often  happens  that  the  weakest  brethren  bestow 
large  blessings.  They  are  an  example  because — 1.  They  followed  the  right  order. 
They  did  the  first  thing  first.  "  They  first  gave  their  own  selves  to  the  Lord."  It 
spoils  even  good  things  when  you  reverse  the  right  order,  and  put  the  cart  before 
the  horse.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  the  servant  who  first  dusted  the  room  and  then 
swept  it?  This  is  the  first  thing,  because — (1)  It  is  of  the  first  importance.  If  you 
are  Christ's,  join  Christ's  people ;  but  the  first  thing  is,  see  to  it  that  you  are 
Christ's.  Everything  else  is  a  poor  second  in  comparison  with  this.  (2)  It  makes 
the  second  thing  valid.  If  it  does  not  come  first,  the  second  is  good  for  nothing. 
The  man  who  gives  himself  to  the  people  of  God,  before  giving  himself  first  to  God, 
does  wrong  to  God,  to  the  Church,  and  .to  himself,  and  is  thus  a  threefold  offender. 
(3)  It  leads  to  the  second.  These  Macedonians  would  never  have  given  themselves 
to  the  Church  if  they  had  not  first  given  themselves  to  God  ;  for  in  those  days  to 
join  the  Church  meant  shame,  persecution,  and  frequently  death.  2.  They  were 
free  in  what  they  did.  They  "  first  gave."  The  only  pressure  put  upon  them  was 
that  which  made  them  willing  in  the  day  of  God's  power.  The  religion  which  is 
pressed  by  surroundings,  friends,  or  the  demands  of  society  is  not  worth  having. 
They  gave  themselves,  also,  wholly  and  unreservedly.  This  is  proved  by  the  fact 
that  their  money  followed  the  gift  of  their  own  selves.  3.  They  acted  in  obedience 
to  "  the  will  of  God."  (1)  They  felt  that  it  was  right  to  give  themselves  to  the  Lord 
first,  because  Christ  had  bought  them  with  His  blood.  This  is  the  apostle's 
argument  (chap.  14,  15).  (2)  They  felt  the  same  thing  about  giving  themselves 
to  the  apostle,  and  the  Church.  It  is  the  will  of  God  that  you  who  love 
Him  should  be  numbered  with  His  people.  It  is  for  your  comfort,  growth, 
preservation.  You  owe  something  to  the  Church.  By  its  means  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  has  been  kept  alive  in  the  world.  Through  its  preaching  you 
have  been  converted.  (3)  So  also  in  regard  to  helping  the  poor.  Christ  is  the 
poor  man's  truest  Friend  ;  and  those  who  give  themselves  to  Chi-ist  must  give 
of  their  substance  to  the  poor,  and  thus  lay  up  "  treasure  in  heaven."     II.  Let' 


CHAP,  vni.]  IT.  CORINTHIANS.  379 

us  FOLLOW  THEIR  EXAMPLE.  1.  Give  yourself  to  the  Lord.  Do  not  wait  to  make 
yourself  better,  or  to  feel  better.  Until  you  have  given  yourself  to  Him,  He  cannot 
accept  any  other  offering.  Unless  you  are  really  Christ's,  you  cannot  be  truly  happy. 
Nor  can  we  be  safe.  Only  His  power  can  save  us  from  our  adversary,  the  devil. 
Some  of  us  gave  ourselves  to  Christ  forty  years  ago,  some  thirty ;  some  twenty  ; 
some  ten  ;  some  only  quite  lately.  Well,  do  you  wish  to  run  back  ?  2.  Give  your- 
self to  the  Church.  (1)  Not  that  you  will  find  it  perfect.  If  I  had  waited  till  I  had 
found  one  that  was  perfect,  I  should  never  have  joined  one  at  all ;  and  if  I  had 
found  one,  it  would  not  have  been  perfect  after  I  had  become  a  member  of  it.  Still, 
imperfect  as  it  is,  it  is  the  dearest  place  on  earth  to  us.  (2)  How  else  is  there  to  be 
a  Church  in  the  earth  ?  If  it  is  right  for  any  one  to  refrain  from  membership  in 
the  Church,  it  is  right  for  every  one,  and  then  the  testimony  of  God  would  be  lost 
to  the  world.  (3)  It  is  due  to  our  fellow-workers.  Some  of  them  are  fainting  for 
want  of  helpers.  It  is  a  hot  autumn  day,  and  a  man  is  reaping ;  the  sweat  pours 
from  his  face,  and  he  fears  that  he  will  never  get  to  the  end  of  the  field ;  and  all  the 
time  you  are  pleasantly  occupied  leaning  over  a  gate,  and  saying  to  yourself,  "That 
is  an  uncommonly  good  labourer."  Or,  perhaps,  instead  of  doing  that,  you  are 
saying,  "  Why,  he  does  not  handle  the  sickle  properly  !  I  could  show  him  a  better 
way  of  reaping."  The  work  of  the  Church  is  generally  left  to  a  few  earnest  folk. 
Is  that  right  ?  (4)  Think  again,  what  a  lack  of  fellowship  there  will  be  if  those  who 
have  given  themselves  to  the  Lord  do  not  also  give  themselves  to  His  people. 
Possibly  you  ask,  "  What  should  I  gain  by  joining  the  Church  ?  "  That  is  a 
miserable  question  to  put.  Do  you  know  how  much  you  will  lose  by  not  joining  the 
Church  ?  You  will  lose — (a)  The  satisfaction  of  having  done  your  Lord's  will. 
(b)  The  joy  of  fellowship  with  your  brethren,  (c)  The  opportunity  of  helping  by 
your  example  the  weak  ones  of  the  flock.  3.  Give  yourself  both  to  the  Lord  and  to 
His  Church.  Put  the  two  together,  and  thus  begin  to  place  yourseh  wholly  in  the 
line  of  God's  will.  Do  this— (1)  That  you  may  bear  witness  for  Christ.  Here  are 
certain  people  who,  with  all  their  faults,  are  the  true  followers  of  Christ.  Join 
them,  and  say,  "  I,  too,  am  a  follower  of  Christ."  That  is  what  church  membership 
means.  (2)  To  spread  the  gospel.  Everybody  is  needed  in  this  service  to-day ;  for 
the  clear  light  of  the  gospel  is  sadly  obscured  in  many  places.  (3)  To  main- 
tain the  Church.  Nothing  in  the  world  is  dearer  to  God's  heart  than  His 
Church;  therefore,  being  His,  let  us  also  belong  to  it,  that  by  our  prayers, 
gifts,  labours,  we  may  strengthen  it.  (4)  That  you  may  grow  in  love,  and 
continue  to  prove  your  love  to  your  Lord  and  His  Church.  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.) 
Dedication  of  ourselves  to  God  : — I.  To  consider  wh.\t  is  necessarily  supposed  rN 
THE  exercise  HERE  MENTIONED.  1.  We  would  observc  that  this  giving  of  ourselves 
to  the  Lord  must  certainly  suppose  our  having  cordially  believed  on  and  embraced 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with  our  whole  heart  and  soul,  in  all  His  saving  offices  and 
relations.  2.  It  supposeth  our  having,  by  grace,  made  a  free  and  hearty  choice  of 
God  in  Christ  as  our  God  and  portion  (Psa.  Ixxiii.  26  ;  xvi.  1).  3.  It  supposeth  our 
hearty  approbation  and  embracing  of  God's  well-ordered  Covenant  (2  Sam.  xxiii.  5). 
II.  What  MaY  be  implied  in  giving  ourselves  unto  the  Lord.  And  on  this  we 
would  notice — 1.  That  there  are  some  things  which  cannot,  strictly  speaking,  be 
said  to  be  this  giving  of  ourselves  to  the  Lord.  2.  What  of  ourselves  we  are  to  give 
unto  the  Lord ;  and— 3.  Upon  what  grounds  and  principles  we  should  thus  give 
ourselves  unto  the  Lord.  1.  It  cannot  properly  be  said  that  we  can,  by  any  act  or 
disposition  of  our  own,  make  ourselves  to  be  God's  creatures  ;  for  no  creature  can 
give  existence  to  itself ;  He  made  us,  and  not  we  ourselves.  2.  Neither  can  we, 
by  any  act  of  our  own  wills  or  exercise  of  our  own  power,  make  ourselves  God's 
redeemed.  3.  Neither  can  we,  by  any  act  of  our  own,  make  ourselves  more  to  be 
God's  than  we  were  before,  nor  add  anything  to  the  moral  obligations  we  were  under, 
antecedent  to  any  such  giving  of  ourselves ;  for,  by  our  very  nature,  we  should  be 
wholly  for  God.  1.  It  implieth  our  giving  all  the  powers  and  faculties  of  our  souls 
to  God.  2.  It  implieth  that  we  give  our  hearts  to  God.  3.  It  implieth  that  we  give 
our  consciences  to  God — give  them  up  wholly  to  His  will  and  authority.  Some  give 
their  consciences  to  their  friends.  4.  All  real  Christians  give  their  wills  to  God  to 
be  wholly  directed  and  influenced  by  His  authority,  and  they  firmly  resolve  to  have 
no  will  but  His.  5.  Real  Christians  give  all  the  authority,  power,  and  influence 
God  has  given  them  wholly  to  His  service,  whether  it  be  as  a  head  of  a  family,  an 
elder,  a  minister,  or  a  magistrate,  to  be  all  employed  in  the  service  and  on  the  side 
of  religion.  6.  We  should,  and  all  real  Christians  do,  give  their  name  and  reputa- 
tion to  the  Lord.     7.  Real  Christians  give  their  walk  and  conversation  to  the  Lord, 


380  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vm. 

aiming  by  grace  to  conform  their  external  walk  to  the  letter  of  the  law,  and  their 
internal  walk  agreeably  to  the  Spirit  of  God's  holy  law.  8.  Keal  Christians  give 
their  spirits  to  the  Lord,  that  is,  the  temper,  frame,  and  disposition  of  their  souls. 
Oh,  how  many  are  a  disgrace  to  religion  by  their  haughty,  stiff,  untractable  spirits 
and  dispositions.  9.  Eeal  Christians  will  give  unto  the  Lord  aU  they  have — aU  the 
substance  the  Lord  has  made  them  stewards  of.  10.  As  said  before,  i-eal  Christians 
give  their  bodies,  and  all  the  members  thereof,  to  the  Lord.  11.  Christians  should, 
and  real  Christians  do,  give  their  time  to  the  Lord ;  for  as  all  the  time  they  have 
is  from  the  Lord,  it  is  surely  their  duty  to  dedicate  it  to  Him,  to  be  employed  La  His 
service.  III.  Which  was  to  consider  upon  what  ground  real  Christians  givb 
THEMSELVES  UNTO  THE  LoED.  And — 1.  Eeal  Christians  give  themselves  to  the  Lord 
upon  the  ground  of  God's  giving  Himself  in  Christ  unto  them,  to  be  their  God  and 
portion  ;  "  I  will  be  your  God."  2.  Eeal  Christians  give  themselves  to  the  Lord,  on 
the  ground  of  God  Incarnate  giving  Himself  for  them  ;  "  He  suffered  the  just  for 
the  unjust."  3.  They  give  themselves  to  the  Lord,  upon  the  ground  of  a  three-one 
God  giving  Himself  to  them.  4.  They  give  themselves  to  the  Lord  on  the  ground 
of  the  Covenant,  fulfilled  in  all  its  legal  conditions,  as  ratified  in  and  with  the  blood 
of  Christ  (Ezek.  xvi.  6  ;  Isa.  Iv.  1,  3,  4).  5.  They  give  themselves  to  the  Lord  upon 
the  ground  of  the  promise.  6.  Eeal  Christians  give  themselves  to  the  Lord  on  the 
ground  of  the  sweet,  efficacious,  and  powerful  influences  of  the  Spirit  of  all  grace. 
7.  Eeal  Christians  give  themselves  unto  the  Lord  on  the  ground  of  its  being  the 
will  and  command  of  the  Lord,  and  in  obedience  to  His  authority ;  and  without 
this  aU  the  other  grounds  would  be  to  no  purpose.  IV.  The  manner  in  which  the 
Christian  is  to  give  himself  unto  the  Lord.  And — 1.  The  Christian  is  to  give 
himseK  unto  the  Lord  in  faith.  2.  The  Christian  must  do  it  with  knowledge  and 
understanding.  3.  The  Christian  is  to  do  this  evangeUcally,  that  is,  upon  gospel 
principles,  in  a  gospel  spirit,  and  to  gospel  uses  and  ends.  4.  Eeal  Christians  give 
themselves  to  the  Lord  in  love.  It  is  not  a  work  of  their  understandings  only,  but 
also  of  the  heart — of  the  whole  soul.  5.  They  do  it  publicly,  openly,  and  avowedly. 
Application :  1.  Hence  we  may  learn  who  they  are,  who  we  may  expect  will  give 
themselves  unto  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  and  yield  a  cordial  subjection  to  every 
ordinance  of  the  Lord.  They  are  just  such  as  have  first  given  themselves  unto  the 
Lord.  2.  Hence  we  may  learn  in  what  sense,  and  upon  what  grounds,  and  how  far 
Christians  are  to  give  themselves  unto  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  even  to  the  Apostles 
of  the  Lord,  in  conformity  with  His  wUl  and  command.  They  are  to  do  so  in  so 
far,  and  no  farther  than  as  they  keep  by  the  will  of  the  Lord  revealed  in  His  Word. 
3.  We  may  learn  that  as  real  Christians  ought  not,  so  neither  wiU  they  be  averse  to, 
nor  backward  in  giving  themselves  unto  the  Lord.  {Alex.  Dick.)  Self-dedication 
to  God : — Such  is  the  instructive  representation  here  set  before  us  of  the  faithful 
servants  of  Jesus  Christ  in  Macedonia.  The  contrast  stated  in  the  second  verse  of 
this  chapter,  between  their  inward  feelings  and  their  outward  circumstances,  is 
inimitably  beautiful,  and  shows  what  mighty  things  the  grace  of  God  can  accom- 
plish. Here  your  contemplations  are  naturally  directed  to  the  powerful  influence 
of  the  gospel  at  the  promulgation  of  Christianity.  You  behold  the  heathen  nations 
lying  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death.  They  awake  to  newness  of  life ;  they 
rise  to  active  exertions  in  the  cause  of  God.  I.  To  set  before  you  the  example 
OF  these  MACEDONIAN  CHURCHES.  1.  TMs  giving  of  thcmselves  to  Him  implies 
unfeigned  reliance  on  His  infinite  merits,  or  the  unreserved  surrender  of  their  heart 
to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  by  Him  redeemed,  renewed,  and  sanctified.  These 
men  of  Macedonia,  before  their  conversion  to  Christ,  were  in  a  state  of  distance  and 
estrangement  from  the  Divine  favour.  2.  Giving  themselves  to  the  Lord  imphes 
sincere  dedication  of  their  time  and  talents  to  the  honour  and  service  of  that 
blessed  Eedeemer  in  whom  they  have  believed.  3.  Giving  themselves  to  the  Lord 
implies  an  unreserved  surrender  of  their  lot  to  His  unerring   disposal.     H.  To 

RECOMMEND    TO    YOUR   EkHTATION    THE    EXAMPLE    OF   THE   MACEDONIAN    CHURCHES.         1. 

Your  giving  yourselves  to  the  Lord  is  your  duty.  Jesus  is  worthy  to  receive  all 
blessing,  dominion,  and  glory ;  therefore  it  is  acting  a  wise  part  to  give  yourselves 
to  Him  who  waits  to  be  gracious,  and  who  most  justly  challenges  your  supreme 
veneration.  In  Himself  He  possesses  every  excellence.  Angels  adore  Him. 
United  with  His  personal  excellence,  contemplate  the  wonders  of  His  redeeming 
love.  2.  Your  giving  yourselves  to  the  Lord  is  a  privilege,  and  connected  with  your 
best  interests  here  and  hereafter.  He  well  knows  all  your  circumstances,  weak- 
nesses, and  wants,  and  is  able  to  help  you  in  every  time  of  need.  Give  yourselves 
then  to  the  Lord,  and  He  will  strengthen  your  heart.    Perhaps  you  may  ere  long  be 


CHAP,  vni.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  381 

called  to  difiBcult  duties  and  arduous  services.  If  you  have  given  yourself  to  the 
Lord,  you  are  warranted  to  triumph.  3.  Having  urged  your  imitation  of  the  example 
mentioned  in  my  text,  from  the  motives  of  wisdom  and  of  safety,  I  have  only  to 
add  that  solid  comfort  and  exalted  hopes  are  the  happy  consequences  of  giving 
yourselves  to  the  Lord.  I  conclude  by  addressing  myself  in  the  improvement  of 
this  discourse.  1.  To  the  young,  vigorous,  and  healthy.  Give  yourselves  this  day  to 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  2.  To  those  who  have  received  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord. 
Renew  this  day  your  dedication  of  yourselves  to  Him.  3.  To  those  who  have  devoted 
themselves  to  the  God  of  their  salvation.  Eesign  all  your  interests  to  His  unerring 
disposal.  (A.  Bonar.)  On  dedication  to  God: — I.  What  is  implied  in  giving 
OURSELVES  TO  THE  LoED  ?  1.  He  has  a  natural  and  unalienable  right  to  us  as  the 
author  of  our  existence.  Besides  this,  He  has  redeemed  us.  Yet  He  expects  that 
we  should  confirm  His  right  to  us  by  our  own  voluntary  surrender.  2.  We  had 
sold  ourselves  to  sin,  and  the  world  had  too  much  reason  to  claim  us  for  its  own. 
To  give  ourselves  to  the  Lord  implies  that  we  renounce  all  former  dependence  and 
attachments,  and  that  thus  disengaged  from  all  rivals,  we  present  our  bodies  and 
spirits  an  unreserved  sacrifice  to  God.  H.  How  we  aee  to  give  ourselves  to  the 
Lord.  1.  With  humility  and  reverence.  Eemember  that  you  are  engaged  with 
the  greatest  Being  in  the  universe.  2.  Deliberately ;  with  the  prudence  and  caution 
of  those  who  know  what  they  are  doing.  Rash  promises  are  seldom  observed. 
Zeal  without  knowledge  soon  becomes  cold.  3.  Cheerfully ;  not  by  constraint,  but 
willingly.  Consider  yourselves  as  going  to  receive,  not  confer,  a  favour ;  and  let 
gratitude  and  joy  mingle  with  all  that  you  do.  4.  Immediately.  How  long  halt 
ye  between  two  opinions  ?  HI.  Why  this  should  be  our  first  and  principai, 
CONCERN.  Because — 1.  God  has  the  first  and  indisputable  claim  to  us.  2.  It  may 
otherwise  never  be  done.  How  common  is  it  for  men,  when  their  consciences  urge 
them  to  this  self-dedication,  to  put  it  off  to  a  more  convenient  season  !  3.  All 
other  things  will  then  succeed  better.  It  is  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  that  maketh 
rich.  {S.  Lavington.)  Consecration : — I.  First,  we  must  give  our  own  selves. 
Does  that  mean  that  I  am  to  say  my  prayers,  read  my  Bible,  come  to  Church,  and 
do  what  is  kind  and  good  ?  Certainly.  Yet  you  may  do  all  this  and  your  own  self 
not  be  given.  The  giving  of  ourselves  to  God  is,  first,  the  present  of  a  thoughtful 
mind.  But,  more,  the  giving  of  ourselves  is  the  present  of  a  loving  heart.  The 
Macedonians  gave  money  and  gave  effort,  but  the  essential  point  is  that  they 
"  first,  gave  their  own  selves  to  the  Lord."  An  earnest  Christian  says  :  "  Nearly 
four  years  ago,  I  was  to  spend  the  day  in  a  large  city.  Before  starting  I  said  to  my 
dear  invalid  sister,  now  in  glory,  '  Can  I  buy  anything  for  you,  dear  ?  I  do  want 
so  much  to  bring  you  something  from  the  city.'  She  interrupted  the  question, 
saying,  with  such  a  sweet,  yearning  look,  '  Nothing,  dear.  Do  not  bring  anything. 
I  only  want  you.  Come  home  as  soon  as  you  can.'  "  She  goes  on  to  say  :  "  The 
tender  words  rang  in  my  ears  all  the  day,  and  oh,  how  often  since  her  bright 
entrance  within  the  gates  have  her  touching  words  and  loving  look  returned  to  my 
memory."  Let  us  ask  ourselves  if  this  is  not  what  our  Saviour  desires  of  us. 
Christ  knows  that  if  He  gets  any  one's  love  He  gets  that  one's  self  and  service.  If 
we  give  the  heart  it  follows  that  we  have  made  a  present  of  ourself  once  for  all.  Is 
it  not  a  shabby  thing  when  giving  a  present  to  be  thinking  how  much  you  will  need 
to  give  and  how  much  you  may  keep  for  yourself  ?  Is  it  not  even  more  shabby 
when  you  have  once  given  to  be  seeking  back  what  you  have  given  ?  There  is 
nothing  of  that  when  the  gift  really  comes  from  love.  The  heart  given,  and  once 
for  all,  without  reserve,  then  there  may  f oUow  all  the  active  effort  we  desire  to  give. 
II.  The  reason  why  we  should  give  ourselves.  1.  Because  it  is  right.  "  We  are 
not  our  own,  we  are  bought  with  a  price."  2.  It  is  for  our  highest  happiness.  To 
be  sure,  there  is  renunciation  in  consecration,  but  there  is  also  rich  compensation. 
3.  For  the  world's  good  and  happiness.  The  Macedonians  first  gave  their  own 
selves,  then  their  liberality  and  good  works  abounded  towards  others.  The  world 
needs  heart-enlisted  Christians.     {The  Preacher^s  Assistant.) 

Vers.  7,  8.  Therefore,  as  ye  abound  in  everything. — The  grace  of  liberality  : — I. 
Why  we  ought  to  give  a  portion  of  our  substance  to  the  Lord.  It  is  a  duty 
clearly  enjoined  in  Scripture.  The  practice  of  giving  to  the  Lord  began  very  early, 
for  we  read  that  Cain  brought  of  the  fruit  of  the  ground  an  offering  to  the  Lord, 
and  that  Abel  also  brought  of  the  firstlings  of  his  flock  and  the  fat  thereof.  And 
why  is  this  duty  enjoined  in  Scripture  ?  There  are  three  reasons  for  this.  1.  To 
remind  us  of  our  dependence  on  God  as  our  Creator  and  bountiful  benefactor.    2. 


'382  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vm. 

To  remind  us  of  our  obligation  to  God  as  our  Redeemer.  3.  To  promote  our 
spiritual  welfare.  We  are  naturally  selfish,  and  wish  to  retain  in  our  own  posses- 
sion whatever  gifts  God  has  conferred  upon  us.  11.  What  ob  how  mtjch  wb 
SHOULD  GIVE.  Whatever  we  may  think  of  the  tenth  or  of  the  fifth,  or  of  the  early 
Christian  examples,  one  thing  is  certain,  that  if  our  giving  is  to  be  acceptable  to  God 
it  must  cost  us  something.  The  measure  with  too  many  is  what  they  can  give 
without  self-denial,  or  without  in  any  way  affecting  their  comforts  or  luxuries. 
This  is  not  giving  in  the  Scriptural  sense.  Let  us  take  the  Divine  measure,  "  as 
God  hath  prospered  us,"  and  use  it  faithfully  with  the  hand  of  love.  III.  When 
WE  SHOULD  GIVE.  Is  there  any  Scriptural  rule  or  suggestion  on  this  point  ?  (1  Cor. 
xvi.  2).  Some  people  profess  to  despise  system  in  religious  matters,  and  look  upon 
it  as  savouring  of  legality.  In  worldly  affairs  system  is  called  "  the  soul  of  busi- 
ness and  the  secret  of  success."  If,  then,  we  recognise  its  value  in  everything  else, 
why  despise  it  in  giving  to  the  Lord  ?  IV.  How  ob  in  what  spirit  we  should  give. 
(T.  Moir,  M.A.)  Christian  liberality  : — Consider  the  duty  of  consecrating  a 
portion  of  our  substance  to  purposes  of  benevolence.     I.  The  reason  of  the  duty. 

1.  It  is  the  natural  issue  of  the  spirit  of  benevolence.  God  is  love,  and  he  that  is 
begotten  of  Him  in  His  own  image  must  have  a  loving  heart.  Love  delights  to 
give — it  is  its  nature  to  give  ;  it  needs  no  specific  commandment — it  is  a  command- 
ment unto  itself.  2.  To  the  same  result  are  we  led,  I  remark  further,  by  a  regard 
for  God's  glory.  3.  This  brings  us  to  mention,  as  another  incentive  to  Christian 
liberality,  the  love  of  God's  truth.  4.  I  add  here  another  motive — it  is  that  of 
gratitude.  5.  It  is  a  further  plea  for  the  duty  before  us  that  it  benefits  those  who 
perform  it.  A  bountiful  spirit  leads  to  temporal  advantage.  It  favours  industry, 
for  he  who  delights  in  giving  liberally  will  the  more  readily  toil  that  he  may  have 
something  to  give.  For  a  like  reason  it  is  conducive  to  economy.  Selfishness 
more  or  less  deranges  our  powers,  and,  among  other  harms,  it  puts  the  judgment 
in  peril.  Benevolence  restores  the  balance  of  the  mind.  Many  a  man  has  become 
a  bankrupt  who,  if  the  sweet  spirit  of  charity  had  ruled  him,  raising  him  above 
grovelling  aims,  presenting  things  in  their  true  relative  importance,  and  allaying 
the  fever  of  financial  ambition,  would  have  gone  in  comfortable  solvency  to  his 
grave.  Habits  of  beneficence  secure,  besides,  the  goodwUl  of  men.  But  of  far 
greater  consequence  is  the  influence  of  Christian  hberality  on  our  spiritual  well- 
being.  It  is  a  precious  means  of  grace.  II.  From  the  reason  of  the  duty  before 
us  we  pass  now  to  the  manner  of  performing  it.     1.  We  should  give  intelligently. 

2.  We  should  give  cheerfully.  3.  Of  great  importance  is  it  that  we  give  frequently. 
4.  We  should  give  systematically.  III.  We  advert,  in  the  last  place,  to  the 
MEASURE  of  our  benevoIencc.  The  language  of  our  text  is,  "  see  that  ye  abound  in 
this  grace."  What  a  man  can  do,  and  what  abounding  is,  must  depend  on  three 
conditions,  jointly  considered — his  capital,  his  income,  and  his  necessary  expenses. 
(A.  D.  Smith,  D.D.)  To  prove  the  sincerity  of  your  love. — The  test  of  love  : — 
Note — I.  That  love  is  the  essence  op  real  religion.  What  we  see  is  hke  the 
fruit  of  the  vine,  but  there  is  a  root.  The  gracious  principle,  though  hidden,  Uves, 
grows,  and  operates.  Observe — 1.  Love  Divine  enkindles  it.  2.  The  state  of  the 
world  expands  it.  3.  The  Divine  glory  inflames  it.  II.  That  the  genuine  cha- 
racter OF  Christian  love  is  tested  by  circumstances.  These  circumstances  are 
like  balances  to  the  coin,  a  storm  to  the  ship,  the  fire  to  metal,  or  a  battle  to  the 
soldier.  E.g.,  there  is — 1.  The  necessity  of  self-denial  and  bearing  the  cross. 
Eemember  Paul's  conversion  and  subsequent  life.  We  cannot  serve  God  and 
mammon.  2.  The  rival  claims  of  the  world  and  the  worship  of  God.  There  are 
earthly  claims.  Must  not  be  allowed  to  stand  in  opposition,  nor  to  monopolise  that 
which  belongs  to  God.  3.  The  requirement  of  means  for  the  extension  of  the 
Eedeemer's  kingdom.  Conclusion — 1.  Let  us  fairly  prove  the  state  of  our  hearts. 
2.  Let  us  carefully  test  all  our  performances.  3.  Let  us  contemplate  the  decisions 
of  the  judgment  day.  (Congregational  Pulpit.)  Love  to  Christ  proved  : — I.  The 
claim  of  Christ  to  our  love.  It  is  founded — 1.  On  His  Divine  excellence;  and 
the  relation  of  aU  that  excellence  to  us  in  the  character  of  our  Saviour.  2.  On  His 
deeds  of  benevolence  and  mercy.  His  mediatorial  work  and  office.  3.  By  the  per- 
sonal benefits  we  have  derived  and  are  daily  deriving  from  Him.  4.  It  is  discerned 
in  the  provision  He  has  made  for  our  everlasting  happiness  and  perfection.  II. 
The  nature  of  the  love  He  claims  from  us.  1.  It  must  be  supreme.  2.  It 
must  be  constant.  3.  It  must  be  practical.  "  Let  us  not  love  in  word  only,  but  in 
deed  and  in  truth."  III.  How  Christ  teies  the  love  of  His  people.  1.  By  the 
doctrines  and  precepts  of  His  Word.     Proud  reason  llads  it  hard  to  bow  to  some 


tJHAP.  VIII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  383 

truths.  2.  By  the  circumstances  of  His  cause  in  the  world.  3.  By  the  condition 
of  some  of  His  people.  Many  of  them  are  in  want  and  sickness  and  mental  dis- 
tress.    4.  Our  love  to  Christ  is  tried  by  the  special  circumstances  of  our  own  lot. 

IV.  The  marks  which  prove  oub  love  false  and  inadequate.  We  can  have  no 
true  love  to  Christ — 1.  If  we  have  not  committed  our  souls  to  Him.  2.  If  we  are 
cherishing  seci-et  sin.  3.  If  our  attachment  to  any  earthly  object  causes  us  to 
violate  His  commands.  4.  If  we  are  unwilling  to  deny  ourselves  for  His  honour 
■or  the  service  of  His  cause.  5.  If  we  are  unwilling  to  depart  from  this  life  that  we 
may  be  for  ever  with  Him.     {The  Evangelist.) 

Ver.  9.  For  ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  though  He  was 
rich. — What  we  knoiv  through  knowing  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ : — I.  How 
DO  we  know  it.  "  Ye  know."  1.  There  are  records  which  estabUsh  the  fact — the 
gospels,  epistles,  Ac,  the  burden  of  all  of  which  is,  "He  was  rich,  yet  for  your 
sakes,"  &c.  The  contents  may  be  classified  thus — (1)  Earthly  facts  in  the  realm  of 
history  (Acts  x.  38).  (2)  Antecedent  facts  in  the  realm  of  testimony  (John  xvi.  28). 
(3)  The  meaning  of  the  facts  in  the  realm  of  inspiration  (1  Tim.  i.  1-5).  (4)  The 
after  issues  of  the  facts  in  the  realm  of  experience  (Eph.  ii.  18).  2.  There  are  the 
fathers  who  accepted  and  expounded  the  fact.  3.  Through  all  the  entanglements 
of  controversy  in  the  history  of  the  Church  this  fact  and  doctrine  remains  undis- 
turbed. 4.  The  continuity  of  the  Church  has  no  other  solution  but  this.  "  He 
was  rich,"  &c.  U.  What  is  the  fact  which  we  know.  1.  The  person  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  2.  His  pre-existence  (John  xvii.  5) — rich  in  the  Father's  love 
and  in  the  plenitude  of  power.  3.  His  incarnation  (John  i.  14).  "  He  became 
poor."  He  descended  into  the  lowest  rank  amongst  created  intelligences,  and  in 
that  rank  was  the  poorest  of  the  poor.  4.  The  purpose.  "  That  we  might  be 
made  rich."  He  descended  from  His  throne  that  we  might  ascend  to  it.  5.  This 
was  all  prompted  by  grace.  Infinite  love  finds  its  highest  joy  in  giving  itself  to 
enrich  others.  HI.  What  do  we  come  to  know  through  knowing  this  ?  There 
are  many  truths  which  are  valuable,  not  merely  in  themselves,  but  also  on  account 
of  the  further  knowledge  we  acquire  through  them — e.g.,  to  know  how  to  secure  the 
best  microscope  is  of  value  in  this  sense,  so  with  the  telescope.  There  are  four 
fields  of  knowledge  opened  up  by  our  knowledge  of  the  grace  of  Christ.  1.  The 
infinite  love  of  God  (Kom.  v.  8).  2.  The  value  of  man  in  the  eye  of  Heaven.  3. 
The  Divine  consecration  of  self-sacrifice.  4.  The  Divine  lever  by  which  God 
would  hft  the  world.  IV.  This  addition  to  our  knowledge  ought  to  be  the 
MEANS  OF  greater  FULNESS  IN  OUR  LIFE.  Kuowiug  this  fact  our  respousc  should 
be — 1.  Loyalty.  2.  Joy.  3.  Elevation  and  holiness.  4.  Earnestness  in  com- 
mending it  to  others.  (C.  Clemance,  D.D.)  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ : 
— I.  The  original  greatness  of  Christ.  "He  was  rich."  When?  Not  during 
His  Hfe  upon  the  earth.  It  could  not  be  said  that  He  was  born  rich.  Neither  did 
He  acquire  wealth.  It  must  have  been  then  at  some  other  time.  We  take,  there- 
fore, the  term  "rich"  to  designate  "  the  glory  which  Christ  had  with  the  Father 
before  the  world  was."  Not  His  Godhead,  but  its  manifested  splendour.  When 
Peter  the  Great  wrought  as  a  common  ship\vright  he  did  not  cease  to  be  the  autocrat 
of  Russia,  but  his  royalty  was  veiled.  So  the  Lord  did  not  lay  aside  His  deity,  but  the 
advantages  of  it.  II.  The  lowliness  of  His  after  lot.  Marvellous  condescension  ! 
III.  His  purpose.  Three  things  are  implied— 1.  That  men  are  poor  in  respect  of  the 
spiritual  riches.  Intellectually  the  mind  of  the  sinner  may  be  well  furnished,  but  he 
has  no  knowledge  of  God,  no  peace  with  God,  no  portion  in  God.  2.  Christ  became 
poor  in  order  to  enrich  men,  to  bring  us  pardon,  purity,  peace,  and  happiness.  3. 
These  riches  come  to  us  through  the  poverty  which  Christ  endured.  He  could  not 
have  enriched  us  if  He  had  not  thus  emptied  Himself,  for  our  poverty  had  its  root 
in  our  sin,  and  that  sin  had  to  be  atoned  for  before  we  could  be  blessed  (c/.  chap. 

V.  21).  (IF.  M.  Taylor,  D.D.)  The  grace  of  Christ  .-—I.  A  fact  stated.  That 
Christ  being  rich  became  poor.  1.  He  was  rich  in  the  possession  of  the  ineffable 
glory  which  He  had  with  the  Father  before  all  worlds  (John  xvii.  5,  i.  1 ;  Heb.  ii. 
14-16).  Though  He  could  not  change  the  attributes  of  His  nature.  He  suspended 
their  glorious  manifestation.  This  was  a  voluntary  act ;  He  existed  in  such  a  mode 
that  He  had  the  power  to  lay  aside  His  effulgence.  2.  He  was  rich  not  only  in 
glory  but  in  virtue.  He  was  the  object  of  supreme  complacency  with  the  Father 
for  His  immaculate  perfection.  This  character  could  not  be  put  off,  yet  His  rela- 
tive position  to  law  was  altered.  Though  He  could  not  become  poor  in  the  sense 
of  being  a  sinner,  He  did  in  the  sense  of  being  treated  like  one.     He  was  regarded 


384  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  vin, 

by  the  law  as  a  debtor,  and  His  life  was  the  forfeit  of  such  moral  poverty.  II.  The 
DESIGN  TO  BE  ACCOMPLISHED.  "  That  we  through  His  poverty  might  be  made 
rich."  1.  We  were  poor — (1)  In  having  lost  the  glory  and  dignity  with  which  we 
were  originally  invested.  (2)  In  being  sunk  in  positive  and  practical  sin.  (3)  In 
the  sense  that  we  had  nothing  to  pay.  We  were  bankrupts  as  weU  as  debtors.  We 
could  not  answer  the  demands  of  law.  2.  Christ  became  poor,  and  so  made  us 
rich — (1)  By  laying  the  foundation  for  our  pardon  in  His  sacrificial  and  vicarious 
death.  (2)  By  affording  a  ground  in  virtue  of  which  the  Holy  Spirit  is  dispensed, 
by  whom  we  are  renewed  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness  after  the  image  of  Him 
who  created  us.  (3)  By  giving  us  a  hope  of  being  richer  in  the  next  world  than  we 
can  be  in  this.  We  now  know  something  of  "  the  riches  of  His  grace,"  but  we  read 
also  of  His  "  riches  in  glory."  III.  The  knowledge  which  tou  aee  supposed  to 
POSSESS  op  all  this.  "  Ye  know."  1.  You  know  it  is  true.  This  is  an  appeal  to 
judgment  and  reason,  guided  by  evidence  in  support  of  the  truth.  2.  You  know  it 
in  yourselves,  as  enriching  you  now.  You  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious. 
8.  You  know  it  as  the  ground  on  which  aU  your  hopes  are  built  for  futurity,  the 
source  from  which  you  derive  grace  upon  earth,  and  to  which  you  feel  yourselves 
to  be  indebted  for  all  the  honour  and  glory  which  eternity  will  disclose.  This  is  an 
appeal  to  Christian  consistency,  for  it  is  only  the  consistent  Christian  that  can  feel 
the  confidence  that  he  is  standing  upon  this  rock,  who  can  look  forward  now  in 
time  to  what  eternity  will  disclose.  In  conclusion,  learn — 1.  The  importance 
which  it  becomes  us  to  attach  to  all  matters  which  are  matters  of  pure  revelation, 
of  which  this  subject  is  one.  2.  The  actual  necessity  that  there  is  for  the  doctrines 
of  the  Cross  to  give  coherency  and  consistency  to  the  whole  system  of  revealed 
truth.  3.  How  grace  is  exercised  towards  us ;  and  then  you  learn  the  claims 
which  Christ  has  upon  our  affections  and  our  gratitude.  4.  The  necessity  that 
there  is  for  your  examining  into  the  extent,  the  accuracy,  and  the  influence  of  your 
knowledge  of  religious  truth.  What  a  shame  it  would  be  if,  when  the  language 
were  addressed  to  you,  "  You  know  this,"  you  were  to  reply,  "  No,  I  do  not  know 
it ;  I  have  never  read  nor  thought  of  it."  5.  That  Christian  moraUty  is  animated 
and  sustained  by  purely  Christian  motives.  It  is  very  observable  how  Paul 
associates  almost  every  moral  virtue,  in  some  way  or  other,  with  our  obhga- 
tions  to  Christ.  6.  That  the  riches  of  the  Church  throughout  eternity  will 
bear  a  proportion  to  the  poverty  by  which  they  were  obtained.  The  Church 
shall  be  lifted  so  high,  and  her  riches  shaU  be  so  transcendent,  as  the 
poverty  of  Christ  was  extreme  and  aggravated.  {T.  Bmney.)  Poverty  and 
riches  : — It  can  scarcely  be  needful  that  I  should  bid  you  give  your  attention 
to  these  words.  For  we  prick  up  our  ears  the  moment  we  catch  the  slightest 
sound  that  seems  to  hold  out  a  promise  of  making  us  rich.  Will  any  of 
you  tell  me  that  you  have  no  wish  to  be  richer  than  you  are  ?  Happy  are  you. 
You  must  be  truly  rich  ;  and  you  must  have  gained  your  riches  in  the  only  way  in 
which  true  riches  can  be  gained,  through  the  grace  and  the  poverty  of  Christ.  I. 
Chkist  was  eich.  1.  When  He  was  with  God,  even  from  the  beginning,  sharing  in 
the  Divine  power  and  wisdom  and  glory,  and  showing  forth  all  this  in  creating  the 
worlds.  2.  When  He  said,  "  Let  there  be  light."  The  hght  which  has  been  stream- 
ing ever  since  in  such  a  rich,  inexhaustible  flood,  was  merely  a  part  of  His  riches. 
3.  When  He  bade  the  earth  bring  forth  its  innumerable  varieties  of  herbs  and  plants 
and  trees,  and  peopled  it  with  living  creatures,  equally  numerous.  4.  When  He 
made  man,  and  gave  him  the  wonderful  gifts  of  feelings,  affections,  thought,  speech, 
&c.,  when  He  gave  him  the  power  of  knowing  Him  who  was  the  Author  of  all 
things,  and  of  doing  His  will.  This  was  the  crowning  work  in  which  Christ  showed 
forth  His  riches  ;  and  yet  in  this  very  work  before  long  we  find  a  mark  of  poverty. 
For  man,  though  made  to  be  rich,  made  himself  poor.  He  made  himself  poor  in 
that  he,  to  whom  God  had  given  the  dominion  over  every  creature,  made  himself 
subject  to  the  creature,  and  chained  his  soul  to  the  earth,  as  a  dog  is  chained  to  its 
kennel ;  in  that,  instead  of  opening  his  soul  to  receive  the  heavenly  riches  where- 
with God  had  purposed  to  fill  it,  he  closed  it  against  that  riches,  while  he  gave  him- 
self up  to  acquiring  what  he  deemed  far  more  valuable  ;  in  that,  instead  of  lifting 
up  and  spreading  out  his  heart  and  soul  in  adoration  to  God,  he  dwarfed  and  cramped 
them  by  twisting  and  curling  aU  his  thoughts  and  feelings  around  the  puny  idol,^ 
self.  II.  He  BECAME  POOR.  How  ?  In  the  very  act  of  taking  our  nature  upon  Him, 
in  subjecting  Himself  to  the  laws  of  mortality,  to  the  bonds  of  time  and  space,  to 
the  weaknesses  of  the  flesh,  to  earthly  life  and  death.  Even  if  He  had  come  to 
reign  over  the  whole  earth  He  would  have  descended  from  the  summit  of  power  and 


CHAP.  Tin.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  385 

riches  to  that  which  in  comparison  would  have  been  miserable  poverty.  But  then 
He  would  not  have  set  us  an  example  how  we  too  are  to  become  rich.  Therefore 
He  to  whom  the  highest  height  of  earthly  riches  would  have  been  poverty,  vouch- 
safed to  descend  to  the  lowest  depths  of  earthly  poverty.  And  at  His  death  He 
vouchsafed  to  descend  into  the  nethermost  pit  of  earthly  degradation,  to  a  death 
whereby  He  was  "  numbered  among  the  transgressors."  HI.  He  became  poor  that 
WE  THROUGH  His  POVERTY  MIGHT  BE  RICH.  Note  that  our  poverty  was  twofold — that 
which  haunted  us  through  life  in  consequence  of  our  seeking  false  riches,  whereby 
we  are  sure  to  lose  true  riches  ;  and  that  to  which  we  become  subject  in  death,  an 
eternal  poverty,  which  awaits  all  such  as  have  not  laid  up  treasure  in  heaven.  Now 
— 1.  The  example  of  Christ's  life,  if  we  understand  it  and  receive  its  blessings  into 
our  hearts,  will  deliver  us  from  that  poverty  which  arises  from  our  seeking  after 
false  riches.  For  that  poverty  results  in  no  small  measure  from  the  mist  which  is 
over  our  eyes  which  keeps  us  from  discerning  the  true  value  of  things,  and  deludes 
us  by  outward  shows.  It  results  from  our  supposing  that  riches  consists  in  our 
having  worldly  wealth.  Yet  what  is  the  real  value  of  this  under  any  grievous  trial  ? 
Assuredly  we  may  say  to  the  things  of  this  world,  "  Miserable  comforters  are  ye 
all."  Therefore  had  it  been  possible  for  our  Lord  to  be  deluded  by  the  bribe  of  the 
tempter,  He  would  only  have  sunk  thereby  into  far  lower  poverty  than  before.  For 
He  would  thereby  have  lost  that  heavenly  riches  which  lay  in  cleaving  to  the  Divine 
word,  "  Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God,"  &c.  He  would  have  lost  the  riches 
and  the  power  of  that  word  which  was  mightier  than  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  ; 
for  it  made  the  devil  depart  from  Him,  and  angels  come  and  minister  to  Him,  which 
all  the  armies  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  could  not  have  done.  This,  our  Lord 
teaches  us,  is  true  riches.  Moreover  our  Lord's  example  teaches  us  that  true  riches, 
while  it  does  not  consist  in  what  we  have  of  the  things  of  this  world,  does  consist  in 
what  we  give.  Nor  is  this  to  be  measured  by  the  amount  given,  but  by  the  heart 
which  gives  it.  The  poor  widow  was  rich  in  some  measure  after  the  pattern  of  our 
Saviour  Himself.  She  had  the  riches  of  love,  of  freedom  from  care,  of  a  full  trust 
in  Him  who  feeds  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  clothes  the  grass  of  the  field.  Here  you 
may  see  plainly  how  the  poorest  of  you  may  become  rich  through  Christ's  poverty.  2. 
By  the  sacrifice  of  His  death.  One  of  His  first  declarations  was,  that  the  poor  are 
blessed  because  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Now  they  who  have  an  inherit- 
ance in  this  are  rich  not  for  a  few  days  or  years,  but  to  eternity.  But  something 
more  is  needed  in  order  to  attain  it  beside  the  mere  fact  of  being  poor.  For  we  do 
not  enter  into  that  kingdom  through  our  own  poverty,  but  through  Christ's.  But 
when  we  remember  Christ's  poverty,  when  we  feel  that  He  died  in  order  that  we 
might  live,  when  we  know  that  through  His  precious  sacrifice  we  are  reconciled  to 
the  Father,  and  that,  poor  as  we  are  in  ourselves,  and  destitute  of  every  grace.  He 
has  obtained  the  power  of  the  Spirit  for  us,  and  through  Him  will  give  us  grace  for 
grace — then  for  the  first  time  we  find  out  that  in  Him  we  are  truly  rich.  When  we 
consider  ourselves  apart  from  Christ  we  are  always  poor — in  strength,  in  grace,  in 
hope.  But  when  we  have  been  brought  by  His  Spirit  to  feel  ourselves  at  one  with 
Him,  when  we  think,  and  pray,  and  act,  not  in  our  own  strength,  but  in  His,  then 
we  become  partakers  of  those  infinite  riches  He  came  to  bestow.  (Archdeacon  Hare.). 
.  The  riches  and  poverty  of  Christ : — I.  The  native  riches  of  Christ.  They  are  the 
riches  of  God.  Whatever  God  is,  and  has,  "  the  Only-begotten  of  the  Father  "  pos- 
sesses. 1.  These  riches  were  first  displayed  in  the  things  which  He  made  (John 
i.  2 ;  Col.  i.  15-17).  He  is  the  hidden  spring,  the  open  river,  and  the  ocean  fulness  of 
universal  life  and  being.  2.  But,  whilst  He  is  the  presupposition  of  all  things,  He 
is  also  the  prophecy  of  all  things.  All  things  look  to,  move  towards,  and  only  rest 
in  Him.  Creatures  have  latent  powers  that  they  cannot  exercise,  desires  that  they 
never  satisfy.  Man  is  felt  and  seen  to  be  the  crown  of  nature.  But  among  the 
sons  of  men  there  is  no  complete  man.  When  "  the  Word  became  flesh,"  human 
nature  first  became  complete  and  crowned.  3.  What  then  must  His  riches  be  who 
is  the  wealth  of  God  ?  Kiches  among  men  are  distributed.  To  one  is  given  genius  ; 
to  another  force  of  character ;  to  another  social  eminence ;  to  another  worldly 
abundance.  But  the  native  riches  of  our  Lord  is  the  wealth  of  all  wealth.  In  Him 
it  pleases  the  whole  fulness  of  God  to  dwell.  Consider  first  the  earth  in  all  its 
wealth  of  land  and  ocean  ;  its  production  of  life  in  all  its  forms  ;  the  riches  of  its 
hidden  wisdom  in  the  prevailing  order  of  its  silent  forces  ;  and  the  wealth  of  good- 
ness displayed  in  the  designed  beneficence  that  constrains  all  things  to  subserve  the 
well-being  of  all  creatures.  Then  caU  to  mind  the  wealth  which  flows  in  the  stream 
of  human  life.     From  the  earth  we  must  rise  to  the  starry  heavens,  and  thence  to 

25 


386  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vm. 

the  infinite  unseen  beyond,  before  we  can  begin  to  estimate  the  native  riches  of  Him 
of  whose  grace  our  text  speaks ;  the  "  unsearchable  riches  "  which  He  had  with  the 
Father  before  all  worlds,  by  the  possession  of  which  it  became  His  great  work  to 
"  cause  all  to  see,"  &c.  (Ei^h.  iii.  9,  10).  The  riches  of  our  Lord  will  only  be  seen 
in  the  end.  II.  The  poveety  He  chose.  To  be  poor,  never  having  been  anything 
else,  can  scarcely  be  regarded  as  an  evil ;  but  to  become  poor- — how  great  a  calamity ! 
Yet  He  who  was  rich  in  all  the  wealth  of  God  became  poor.  Consider  the  poverty 
of — 1.  His  nature.  "  The  Word  became  flesh,"  the  frailest  and  most  corruptible  of 
all  the  forms  of  life.  He  who  had  life  in  Himself  became  dependent  for  life,  and 
breath,  and  all  things.  He  whom  angels  worshipped  was  made  so  much  lower  than 
they  as  to  welcome  their  ministrations.  He  who  was  the  bread  of  God  became 
dependent  upon  the  bread  of  the  world.  He,  the  Eternal  Son,  having  "  life  in  Him- 
self," became  partaker  of  a  life  subject  to  all  the  laws  of  developed  existence.  He 
who  was  the  Wisdom  of  God  grew  in  knowledge.  He  who  was  possessed  of  "  all 
power  "  craves  the  sustaining  fellowship  of  men.  And  He  to  whom  all  pray  became 
HimseK  a  man  of  prayer,  whose  prayers  were  agonies  unto  blood-sweating.  2.  His 
circumstances.  (1)  The  time  of  His  birth  was  poor — when  the  degradation  of  His 
nation  was  complete,  when  Judsea  wore  a  foreign  yoke.  (2)  The  place  of  His  birth 
was  in  keeping  with  the  time.  (3)  As  He  was  born  in  poverty,  so  in  poverty  He  was 
brought  up,  and  in  poverty  He  lived  and  died.  3.  His  experience.  He  was  "  a 
man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief."  Now  there  is  nothing  makes  us  feel 
how  utterly  poor  we  are  like  sorrow.  We  only  weep  when  we  are  at  our  wits'  end, 
and  our  last  resource  has  been  exhausted.  Jesus  was  "  stricken,  smitten  of  God 
and  afflicted"  ;  "  He  was  numbered  with  transgressors."  III.  The  wealth  of  His 
POVERTY.  It  is  through  His  poverty  that  we  are  made  rich.  His  riches  flow  to  us, 
and  become  ours,  through  His  poverty.  His  riches  require  poverty  as  the  medium 
through  which  alone  they  can  be  given  to  the  poor.  Note — 1.  Its  voluntariness. 
He  became  poor.  By  His  own  act  "  He  became  poor,"  tlie  act  of  His  eager  love 
and  obedience  (Heb.  x.  5-7).  No  one  took  from  off  His  brow  the  crown  of  heaven, 
He  laid  it  aside  ;  no  one  stripped  Him  of  His  royal  robes.  He  unrobed  Himself  ;  no 
one  paralysed  the  arm  of  His  power,  of  Himself  He  chose  our  weakness  ;  He  laid 
down  the  life  of  heaven  for  the  life  of  earth,  as  He  laid  down  the  life  of  earth  for 
the  life  of  heaven.  2.  Its  vicariousness.  His  riches  were  not  laid  aside  for  the 
sons  of  light ;  or  for  the  angels  who  kept  not  their  first  estate,  but  for  the  dust- 
clothed  and  sinful  children  of  earth.  Had  our  circumstances  and  condition,  calling 
for  His  help,  been  the  result  of  misfortune  or  ignorance.  His  pity  were  not  so 
strange.  But  He  became  poor  for  sinners,  for  rebels,  hard  and  unrelenting  in  their 
rebellion.  "Hereby  perceive  we  the  love  of  God,"  "in  that  while  we  were  yet 
sinners,  Christ  died  for  us."  Through  such  poverty  flow  riches  enough  to  quicken 
the  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  3.  The  beneficence  of  its  purpose.  He  does  not 
contemplate  our  deliverance  merely,  nor  our  restoration  to  man's  primitive  state. 
He  became  poor  that  we  maybe  rich  in  all  the  filial  correspondences  of  the  Father's 
wealth.  "  My  God  shall  supply  all  your  need,"  &c.  4.  The  fittingness  of  His 
poverty  for  the  communication  of  His  riches.  We  must  become  that  which  we 
would  bless.  The  father  makes  himself  a  child  that  he  may  win  the  child's  heart ; 
the  teacher  makes  himself  one  with  his  scholars  that  he  may  the  better  teach  them. 
We  must  weep  with  those  who  weep  if  we  would  comfort  them,  and  lie  under  the 
sins  of  sinners  it  we  would  save  them  from  their  sins.  The  riches  of  Christ's  grace 
could  only  be  communicated  through  the  poverty  which  brought  Him  under  our 
condition.  "  He  who  was  rich  became  poor,"  "  was  compassed  with  our  infirmity," 
"touched  with  our  feeling,"  "  tempted  in  all  points  as  we  are,"  "  that  we  might  find 
grace  to  help  in  every  time  of  need,"  and  that  He  might  become  our  "  eternal 
salvation."  5.  The  capacity  for  wealth  contained  in  poverty.  Only  a  nature 
capable  of  great  riches  can  be  subject  to  great  poverty.  But  the  depth  of  poverty 
measures  the  experience  of  the  riches  which  deliver  from  its  destitution.  Only  a 
creature  made  in  the  image  of  God,  and  constituted  a  partaker  of  the  Divine  nature, 
could  suffer  the  loss  of  God  and  be  "  without  hope  in  the  world."  And  only  on 
those  who  have  suffered  from  the  want  of  God  could  there  be  the  displaj"^  of  His 
innermost  riches.  The  deepest  wants  in  man  are  met  by  the  innermost  "  needs 
be  "  in  God.  Sin  opens  up  and  explores  in  the  creature  solemn  and  awful  depths, 
but  the  awful  depths  of  sin  become  filled  with  God's  mercy  towards  sinners.  (IF. 
PuUford,  D.D.)  The  great  renmicidtion  : — Here  we  are  reminded  of  the  mani- 
festation of  the  Divine  love  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  the  grand  design  of  that  mani- 
festation.    1.  Christ  became  poor  in  character.     In  the  past  eternity  He  dwelt  in  a 


CHAP,  vni.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  38T 

holy  universe ;  was  circled  about  with  holy  hosts ;  He  was  Himself  the  li^^ht  in 
which  there  was  no  darkness  at  all.  But  He  "  became  poor."  He  condescended  to 
dwell  with  sinners ;  to  become  the  substitute  and  representative  of  a  guilty  race. 
"  He  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin  condemned  sin  in  the 
flesh."  Here  is  the  heart  of  the  text.  "  He  was  made  sin  for  us  who  knew  no  sin." 
We  all  heard  a  few  years  ago  of  the  island  in  the  South  Seas  called  Leper  Island  ; 
all  who  became  infected  with  the  terrible  disease  in  any  of  the  adjoining  islands 
were  banished  to  Leper  Island,  and  there  ultimately  they  miserably  perished.  And 
then  we  were  told  of  a  priest  who  out  of  pure  pity  went  to  live  in  the  plague  spot. 
He  was  not  a  leper,  but  he  cut  himself  ofif  from  civilisation,  and  was  willing  to 
share  the  lot  of  the  sufferers  so  that  he  might  minister  to  them,  living  with  them, 
being  buried  with  them.  The  conduct  of  that  missionary  was  a  reflection  of  the 
great  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  Catholic  missionary  consenting  to  live  with  the 
leprous  community  could  not  communicate  his  health  to  them — that  was  utterly 
beyond  his  design  and  power ;  the  fact  is  the  priest  became  infected  with  the  leprosy 
himself  and  died  of  it.  But  Christ  came  to  heal  us  of  our  dii-eful  malady,  to  make 
us  share  His  strong  and  beautiful  life,  to  touch  our  lips  with  cleansing,  to  banish 
our  corruptions,  to  send  heavenly  health  through  all  our  veins,  to  give  to  our  whole 
being  the  vitality  and  bloom  of  righteousness.  What  is  more  clear  than  the  fact 
that  Christ  has  enriched  the  race  with  a  new,  a  higher,  a  more  powerful  righteous- 
ness ?  When  the  incarnation  came  the  world  was  poor  enough  in  character.  The 
nations  had  wasted  their  substance  in  riotous  Uving,  and  Jew  and  Greek  were  alike 
hopeless  and  corrupt.  But  let  us  not  lose  ourselves  in  generalities.  "For  your 
sakes."  The  apostle  individualises.  Let  us  personally  claim  that  grace,  and 
although  we  are  poor  and  blind  and  naked  and  defiled.  He  shall  cleanse  us  from 
every  spot,  and  make  our  raiment  to  be  of  gold  and  fine  needlework.  2.  Christ 
became  poor  in  dominion.  In  the  eternity  of  the  past  Christ  sat  on  the  throne.  He 
was  the  Creator,  Kuler,  Heir  of  all  things.  But  for  "  our  sakes  He  became  poor." 
The  fact  of  His  poverty  is  seen  in  that  it  was  possible  for  Him  to  be  tempted.  He 
took  upon  Himself  the  form  of  a  slave  and  became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the 
death  of  the  Cross.  "  That  we  might  become  rich."  That,  slaves  as  we  were,  the 
lost  kingship  might  be  restored  to  us.  Christ  restores  us  to  self-government.  This 
crown  of  self-government  has  fallen  from  our  head.  We  are  tyrannised  over  by 
vile  passions — intemperance,  anger,  pride,  avarice — all  these  vices  triumph  over  us, 
and  make  a  show  of  us  openly.  Christ  once  more  puts  the  fallen  crown  upon  our 
head.  He  restores  in  us  the  government  of  God.  Christ  gives  to  us  seK-mastery — 
first  and  grandest  of  coronations.  Christ  restores  to  us  the  government  of  nature. 
In  the  beginning  man  was  the  vicegerent  of  God.  But  that  dominion  has  been 
broken,  and  instead  of  man  ruling  nature,  nature  has  ruled  man,  affrighted  him, 
crushed  him.  But  as  man  recovers  self-rule  he  mysteriously  acquires  power  over 
all  things.  Do  we  not  see  this  in  the  progress  of  our  Christian  civilisation  ?  As 
men  master  themselves  their  relation  to  nature  is  changed,  they  lift  themselves  out 
of  the  stream  of  physical  forces,  and  attain  a  wider  freedom.  Science  is  only 
possible  through  character,  and  as  Christ  makes  us  free  from  the  power  of  evil  we 
lay  our  hand  on  the  sea,  direct  the  lightning,  and  inherit  the  riches  of  the  world. 
Christ  restores  us  to  an  abiding  government  in  the  kingdom  of  the  future.  We 
read  much  in  the  New  Testament  about  the  saints  reigning  as  kings.  Christ  is  to 
be  King  in  the  world  of  the  future,  and  all  who  are  loyal  to  Him  shall  share  in  the 
undisputed  and  everlasting  sovereignty.  3.  Christ  became  poor  in  blessedness. 
Revelation  brings  the  Deity  before  us  as  infinitely  blissful.  In  God  is  the  unutter- 
able bliss  springing  from  perfect  knowledge,  absolute  will,  ineffable  love,  everlasting 
righteousness.  Here,  once  more,  for  "  our  sakes  He  became  poor."  And  how  pro- 
foundly poor!  He  became  poor  "that  we  might  become  rich."  What  an  extra- 
ordinary gladness  throbbed  in  the  apostles — evei'ywhere  in  the  New  Testament  we 
feel  the  pulsations  of  a  mighty  joy  !  And  so  it  is  still  with  all  those  whose  lives 
are  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  In  the  midst  of  a  world  of  sorrow  and  death  He  brings 
to  us  the  blessedness  of  celestial  worlds.  A  little  while  ago  I  read  of  a  gentleman 
in  the  heart  of  a  great  city  listening  to  a  telephone,  when  he  was  surprised  to  hear 
the  rich  music  of  forest  birds.  It  seemed  that  the  wire  passed  through  the  country, 
and  so  some  way  caught  the  music  of  the  far-away  woods  and  transmitted  it  to  the 
heart  of  the  black  toiling  city.  Christ  has  restored  the  missing  chords  between  heaven 
and  earth,  and  now  in  a  world  of  care  and  conflict,  of  suffering  and  tears,  we  are 
delighted  to  catch  the  echoes  of  far-off  music,  to  taste  the  joy  unsx^eakable  and  full 
of  glory  which  belongs  to  the  perfect  universe.     Many  of  us  are  poor  enough  in  jcy. 


388  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vin. 

but  it  is  not  our  own  fault.  If  we  would  only  claim  more  of  that  glorious  grace 
which  Christ  gives,  our  peace  should  flow  as  a  river,  our  hearts  be  as  a  watered 
garden  whose  waters  fail  not.  4.  Christ  became  poor  in  life.  He  was  rich  in  life. 
"  He  only  hath  immortality."  But  for  "  our  sakes  He  became  poor."  He  shared 
our  mortality.  The  Eose  of  Sharon  faded  as  other  roses  do  ;  the  Lily  of  the  Valley 
withered  as  lilies  nipped  by  the  frost.  He  did  not  even  attain  the  poor  threescore 
years  and  ten.  The  text  assumes  the  poverty  of  humanity.  Yes,  we  are  poor, 
paupers  indeed.  There  is  a  deep  destitution  under  all  our  displays  of  knowledge, 
power,  happiness,  character.  The  enrichment  of  humanity  is  through  the  humilia- 
tion of  Chxist.  In  Him  the  riches  of  eternity  are  poured  into  the  bankrupt  life  of 
man.  There  is  no  other  way  to  true  riches  but  through  Him.  (W.  L.  Watkinson.) 
Foi^erty  and  riches  with  Christ : — I.  Chkist  became  poor.  1.  This  cannot  mean 
that  He  ceased  to  be  the  owner  and  Lord  of  all  things.  That  sort  of  limited  owner- 
ship which  the  law  gives  me  over  what  is  mine  I  can  renounce.  Not  so  with  the 
absolute  ownership  of  God.  The  use  of  them  He  may  lend  ;  His  own  proprietor- 
ship in  them  He  cannot  alienate.  Still  less  is  it  possible  to  strip  oneself  of  those 
moral  and  personal  qualities  which  make  up  the  wealth  of  one's  very  nature.  Could 
a  Divine  Person  cease  to  carry  in  Himself  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Divine  power, 
or  wisdom,  or  goodness  ?  2.  Christ  became  poor  in  the  sense  of  forbearing  to 
claim  His  wealth  or  to  avail  Himself  of  it.  The  nobleman,  e.g.,  who  leaves  behind 
him  his  estates,  conceals  his  rank,  and  goes  abroad  to  maintain  himself  on  what  he 
can  earn  by  daily  labour,  becomes  poor,  not  by  loss  indeed,  but  by  renunciation. 
What  motive  could  be  purer  than  this,  "For  your  sakes"?  What  design  nobler 
than  this,  "  That  ye  through  His  poverty  might  be  rich  "  ?  So  Christ's  poverty  was 
not  an  outward  condition  so  much  as  an  inward  act.  At  the  most  the  outward 
condition  only  mirrored  the  inward  act.  All  things  were  not  less  truly  His  own 
than  before;  only  He  refused  to  assert  His  right  to  them,  or  to  enjoy  their  benefit. 
And  why  ?  That  He  might  make  Himself  in  all  things  like  unto  us.  His  human 
and  fallen  brethren.  (1)  We  are  creatures  who  hang  upon  God  with  absolute 
dependence.  Is  not  that  poverty — to  be  derived  from,  sustained,  and  led  by  another? 
To  this  Christ  stooped.  Though  inherently  equal  to  the  Father,  He  consented  to 
occupy  the  position  of  a  creature's  inferiority:  "My  Father  is  greater  than  I." 
Though  Maker  of  the  universe,  He  consented  to  receive  His  ability  from  God :  "  The 
Son  can  do  nothing  of  Himself."  Of  the  infinite  treasures  which  were  His,  He 
would  not  turn  so  much  as  a  stone  to  bread  to  feed  His  own  hunger.  (2)  There  are 
restrictions  under  which  we  are  bound  to  act — the  confining  bonds  of  law.  No  man 
is  free  to  do  whatever  he  likes.  Against  this  curbing  and  prescribing  law,  whether 
of  morals  or  of  social  custom,  all  men  fret ;  and  Jewish  men  in  particular  were 
saddled  with  a  yoke  of  ancient  prescriptions  peculiarly  vexatious.  To  all  this 
Christ  submitted.  He  became  too  poor  to  have  a  wiU  of  His  own  or  be  a  law  unto 
Himself,  for  He  was  "  made  under  the  law."  (3)  Sin  has  wrought  for  us  a  deeper 
poverty  than  God  meant  for  men.  There  is  no  shame  in  having  nothing  but  what 
our  Father  gives  ;  no  shame  in  being  free  only  to  do  His  will.  But  there  is  shame 
in  wearing  a  life  forfeit  to  the  law  through  criminal  transgression.  This  is  poverty 
indeed.  Yet  Jesus  walked  on  earth  with  a  forfeited  life  because  He  had  devoted  it 
to  the  law.  Here  was  the  acme  of  self -impoverishment.  He  held  not  even  Himself 
to  be  properly  His  own.  On  the  contrary,  He  held  Himself  to  be  a  ransom  for  our 
transgression,  a  price  due,  a  Person  doomed.     II.  It  is  this  spontaneous  abnegation 

WHICH  GIVES  us  THE  MOEAL  KEY  TO  THAT  MTSTEEIOUS  ATONING  LIFE  AND   DEATH    OF   THE 

Son  OF  God.  In  this  act  there  lay  the  perfection  both  of  that  love  which  gives  and 
of  that  humiUty  which  stoops  and  veils  itself.  It  forms  the  most  consummate 
antithesis  to  the  immoral  attitude  taken  up  by  our  fallen  world.  This  world,  being 
indeed  helpless  and  dependent,  yet  renounces  God,  asserts  itself,  dreams  of  self- 
sufficiency.  For  an  answer  to  such  sinful  foUy,  the  Son  of  God,  being  indeed  rich, 
becomes  as  poor  as  the  world  is.  He  stoops  to  show  us  men  our  true  place.  We 
shall  reap  no  profit  from  this  adopted  poverty  of  His  unless  we  learn  of  Him  how  to 
be  poor  in  spirit  before  God.  For  me  as  for  Him  the  pathway  is  one  of  renuncia- 
tion. My  would-be  independence  of  God  I  must  frankly  abandon.  God's  claims  I 
must  own  as  Jesus  Christ  owned  them  in  my  name.  The  sentence  which  righteously 
condemns  me  I  must  accept  as  He  accepted  it  for  me.  The  sacrifice  of  His  costly 
life  I  must  regard  as  the  due  equivalent  for  my  own  life,  forfeit  for  my  guilt.  Then 
I,  too,  am  poor.  I,  too,  owe  everything  to  God.  I  am  so  poor  that  I  am  not  even 
my  own  any  more,  but  His  who  gave  Himself  for  me ;  so  poor  that  I  do  not  live 
any  more,  for  I  died  in  His  death ;  or,  if  I  live,  it  is  no  more  I,  but  Christ  who 


CHAP.  VIII.]  JI.  CORINTHIANS.  389 

liveth  in  me.  III.  This  Christ-like  path  conducts  to  true  enrichment.  Com- 
pare the  Jesus  whom  John  describes  in  chap.  xix.  with  the  Jesus  whom  John 
describes  in  Ecv.  i.  On  the  pavement,  in  the  prsetorium,  and  on  the  Cross,  He  let 
them  strip  Him.  Was  ever  man  stripped  so  poor  as  this  one,  buried  at  last  in  a 
borrowed  grave  ?  Look  up  and  see  the  vision  of  Patmos.  The  same  Man  ;  but  His 
■eyes  are  a  flame  of  fire,  &c.  Has  not  His  path  through  uttermost  poverty  been  a 
path  to  boundless  wealth  ?  Ponder  this  comment  of  St.  Paul,  and  you  will  know 
what  I  mean  (Phil.  vi.  6-11).  Such  glory  as  He  had  with  the  Father  before  the 
world  was,  He  first  laid  aside  that  He  might  be  made  like  unto  us,  inglorious  in  all 
things.  Then  when  He  stood  among  us  as  our  priestly  Head  on  the  night  when  He 
was  betrayed.  He  asked  the  Father  to  give  Him  back  of  His  grace  that  same  glory 
which  He  would  not  claim  by  right,  saying,  "  Now,  0  Father,  do  Thou  glorify 
Me  with  Thine  own  self  with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  Thee  before  the 
world  was  !  "  Why  does  He  thus  stoop  to  be  a  petitioner  for  His  own  ?  Because 
He  would  receive  it  on  such  terms  that  He  may  share  it  with  us.  Hear  Him 
add  (as  one  who  believes  that  he  has  what  he  has  asked),  "  The  glory  which 
Thou  hast  given  to  Me,  I  have  given  to  them."  (J.  Osivald  Dykes,  B.D.)  The 
poverty  of  Christ  the  source  of  heavenly  riches  : — I.  The  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  The  term  "  grace  "  is  of  common  use  in  the  Scriptures,  the  meaning 
of  which  is  determined  by  its  connection.  It  sometimes  implies  wisdom,  "  Let  no 
corrupt  communication,"  &c.  (Eph.  iv.  29).  It  also  signifies  power,  "  My  grace 
is  sufiicient  for  thee,"  &c.  (2  Cor.  xii.  9).  But  generally  it  imports  benevolence, 
favour,  love,  or  goodwill  (llom.  v.  20;  1  Tim.  i.  14).  This  grace  is — 1.  Free  and 
generous  in  its  nature.  Grace  must  be  liberal  and  spontaneous,  otherwise  it  is 
no  more  grace.  Had  the  conduct  of  Christ  towards  man  been  the  result  of  any 
overwhelming  necessity,  it  could  not,  with  any  propriety,  have  been  denominated 
grace.  All  the  movements  of  the  Deity  are  voluntary  and  free.  God  never  acts 
necessarily.  2.  Unsolicited  and  unsought  on  the  part  of  man.  3.  Disin- 
terested in  its  character.  Human  beings  are  selfish  in  their  actions.  Self- 
interest  sways  the  multitude,  and  it  is  difficult  to  divest  ourselves  of  this  principle  : 
we  have  generally  some  interest  in  all  we  do,  either  present  pleasure  or  the 
expectation  of  future  reward.  But  the  Lord  Jesus  is  the  supreme  and  eternal 
God,  who  is  infinitely  removed  from  all  those  low  and  sordid  views  by  which 
man  is  actuated.  His  actions  are  perfectly  disinterested.  4.  Distinguish- 
ing in  its  operations.  Two  orders  of  intelligent  beings  offended  their  Maker, 
angels  and  men.  But  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  displayed  to 
man — fallen,  miserable,  rebellious  man.  5.  This  grace  was  made  known. 
*'  Ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  God  hath  gloriously  dis- 
played it.  It  was  made  known  to  our  primitive  parents  almost  as  soon  as 
sin  entered  into  the  world.  It  was  revealed  to  Abraham,  to  Moses,  to  David, 
to  Isaiah,  and  all  the  prophets ;  for  "  to  Him,"  namely,  to  Christ,  "  give  all 
the  prophets  witness"  (Acts  x.  43).  II.  Consider  the  display  of  this  grace. 
"  Though  He  was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  He  became  poor."  1.  He  possessed  all  the 
incommunicable  perfections  of  the  Deity.  2.  He  possessed  all  the  moral  perfec- 
tions of  the  Deity.  Now  thus  think  upon  Christ.  (1)  Consider  the  grandeur  of 
His  abode.  (2)  Consider  the  extent  of  His  dominion.  (8)  Consider  the  dignity  of 
His  titles.  (4)  Consider  the  number  and  splendour  of  His  attendants.  (5)  Consider 
the  profusion  of  His  liberality.  See  how  He  scatters  His  bounty  in  every  direction. 
There  is  not  a  particle  of  animated  matter  that  He  does  not  feed.  The  riches  of 
Christ  are  widely  different  from  the  riches  which  men  possess,  (a)  His  riches  are 
His  own,  exclusively  and  eternally.  Ours  are  derived  from  others.  The  riches  of 
Christ  are  His,  not  derived,  not  procured,  but  essential  to  His  nature,  (b)  Christ's 
riches  are  undiminishable  and  inexhaustible.  Ours  may  be  squandered  and 
exhausted,  (c)  The  riches  of  Christ  are  illimitable  and  incomprehensible.  But 
He  "  became  poor,"  that  is — 1.  He  assumed  our  nature  in  its  lowliest  and  most 
degraded  state.  2.  He  suffered  the  penalty  due  to  our  sin.  III.  The  design  for 
WHICH  the  grace  OF  Christ  WAS  DISPLAYED.  1.  That  we  might  be  rich  in  grace ; 
rich  in  all  the  fruits  of  righteousness.  2.  Rich  in  glory.  We  shall  inherit  a 
glorious  place  (2  Pet.  i.  11).  We  shall  be  associated  with  glorious  society,  and  be 
invested  with  glorious  privileges.  These  are  the  true  riches  in  opposition  to  those 
of  the  world,  which  are  treacherous,  false,  and  deceitful.  Satisfactory,  in  opposi- 
tion to  earthly  wealth,  which  cannot  satisfy  the  infinite  desires  of  the  mind 
(Luke  xii.  15).  Imperishable,  in  opposition  to  those  which  wax  old  and  perish  in 
the  using.     They  are  riches  attainable  by  all.     The  good  things  of  this  world  are 


390  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vni.. 

possessed  by  few.  The  connection  between  the  poverty  of  Christ  and  the  riches  of 
the  Christian  may  be  easily  discovered.  (1)  By  the  humiliation,  sufferings,  and 
death  of  Christ  an  atonement  was  made  for  sin,  and  a  way  of  access  to  God  made 
plain.  God  is  the  chief  good  :  man  by  sin  became  an  alien  from  Him.  (2)  By  the 
atonement  of  Christ  all  the  blessings  of  grace  and  glory  are  procured  for  us. 
(a)  From  the  subject  before  us  we  infer  how  deeply  we  are  indebted  to  Christ,  (b)  We 
see  with  what  confidence  we  may  come  to  Christ,  (c)  We  discover  from  the  text 
that  it  is  our  privilege,  no  less  than  our  duty,  to  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.     (jR.  Treffry.)  Genuine  'philanthropy  : — In  the  context  we  have  three 

facts  in  relation  to  Christian  philanthropy.  1.  That  true  love  for  humanity  is 
essentially  associated  with  piety.  Paul  is  speaking  of  the  kindness  which  the 
church  at  Macedonia  had  shown  to  the  sufferings  of  the  mother-church  at  Jeru- 
salem. The  affection  that  binds  to  God  will  bind  to  the  race.  2.  That  true  love 
for  humanity  is  an  earnest  element  of  character.  These  Macedonians  seem  to 
have  been  poor  and  afflicted,  probably  the  subjects  of  persecution  (ver.  2).  Their 
benevolence  was  not  a  mere  sentiment.  3.  That  true  love  for  man  has  in  Chris- 
tianity the  highest  example.  "  Ye  know  the  grace,"  &c.  Note  that  genuine 
philanthropy — I.  Is  identical  with  the  love  developed  by  Christ.  This  grace  of 
Christ  was — 1.  All-embracing.  There  are  some  who  sympathise  with  the  physical 
woes  of  man  and  overlook  the  spiritual ;  some  feel  for  a  few,  and  are  regardless 
of  others.  But  Christ  regards  the  bodies  and  souls  of  all  men.  2.  Perfectly 
disinterested.  3.  Self-sacrificing.  II.  Sacbitices  the  mateelu.  fok  the  spiri- 
tual. "  He  who  was  rich,"  &c.  III.  Aims  supremely  at  the  promotion  of 
SPIRITUAL  wealth.  "  That  ye  through  His  poverty  might  be  rich."  Spiritual 
wealth  is — 1.  Absolutely  valuable.  Material  wealth  is  not  so.  In  some  countries 
and  ages  it  is  not  of  much  value.  Of  what  advantage  would  a  handsome  fortune 
be  to  a  savage  ?  But  spiritual  wealth  is  valuable  here,  everywhere,  and  for  ever. 
2.  Is  essentially  connected  with  happiness.  There  is  often  great  trial  in  the 
getting  and  the  keeping  of  worldly  wealth.  3.  Is  within  the  reach  of  all ;  earthly 
wealth  is  not.  Conclusion  :  Observe^(l)  That  to  promote  moral  wealth  requires 
the  sacrifice  of  secular  wealth.  Let  us  suppose  that  Jesus  had  not  become  poor. 
What  would  have  been  the  result?  The  material  must  be  given  up  to  the  spiritual. 
(2)  That  no  sacrifice  is  too  great  to  promote  spiritual  wealth.  "  Christ  gave  Him- 
self." (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  On  the  henejits  derived  from  the  humiliation  of  Jesxis 
Christ : — I.  Let  us  consider  the  original  condition  or  the  person  here  men- 
tioned. "  He  was  rich."  II.  How  this  illustrious  person  accomplished  the 
PLAN  OF  OUE  redemption.  "  He  became  poor."  HI.  To  consider  the  persons 
tor  whom  these  sufferings  were  endured.  "  For  your  sakes  He  became  poor." 
IV.  The  benefits  which  flow  through  the  humiliation  of  Christ.  1.  The  view 
which  has  been  taken  of  Divine  grace  should  awaken  your  gratitude.  2.  The  view 
taken  of  Divine  grace  is  calculated  to  beget  your  confidence.  3.  The  view  taken 
of  Divine  grace  should  constrain  you  to  the  diligent  use  of  all  the  appointed  means 
of  grace  and  salvation.  {W.  Thornton.)  Chrisfs  motive  and  ours  (text  and  Phil, 
i.  29) : — 1.  The  true  test  of  any  action  lies  in  its  motive.  Many  a  deed,  which  seems  to 
be  glorious,  is  really  ignoble  because  it  is  done  with  a  base  intention ;  while  other 
actions,  which  appear  to  be  poor,  are  full  of  the  glory  of  a  noble  purpose.  The 
mainspring  of  a  watch  is  the  most  important  part  of  it ;  the  spring  of  an  action  is 
everjrthing.  2.  The  less  of  self  in  any  effort,  the  nobler  it  is.  A  great  work, 
undertaken  from  selfish  motives,  is  much  less  praiseworthy  than  the  feeble  endea- 
vour put  forth  to  help  other  people.  3.  We  are  often  told  that  we  should  live  for 
the  good  of  others,  and  we  ought  to  heed  the  call;  but  there  is  so  little  in  our 
feUow-men  to  call  forth  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice,  that  if  we  have  no  higher 
motive,  we  should  soon  become  tired  of  our  efforts  on  their  behalf.  Consider — 
I.  The  motive  of  Christ's  work.  "For  your  sakes."  1.  The  august  person  who 
died  "for  your  sakes."  He  was  God.  "Without  Him  was  not  anything  made 
that  was  made."  All  the  powers  of  nature  were  under  His  control.  He  might 
truly  say,  "  If  I  were  hungry  I  would  not  tell  thee :  for  the  world  is  ]^.Iine,  and  the 
fulness  thereof."  Hymned  day  without  night  by  all  the  sacred  choristers.  He  did 
not  lack  for  praise.  Nor  did  He  lack  for  servants ;  legions  of  angels  were  ever 
ready  to  do  His  commandments.  It  was  God  who  came  from  heaven  "  for  your 
sakes."  It  was  no  inferior  being,  no  one  like  yourselves.  If  I  were  told  that  all 
the  sons  of  men  cared  for  me,  that  would  be  but  a  drop  in  a  bucket  compared  with 
Jehovah  Himself  regarding  me.  If  it  were  said  that  all  the  princes  of  the  earth 
had  fallen  at  some  poor  man's  feet,  and  laid  aside  their  dignities  that  they  might 


CHAP,  viii.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  391 

relieve  his  necessities,  such  an  act  would  not  be  worthy  to  be  spoken  of  in 
comparison  with  that  infinite  condescension  and  unparalleled  love  which  brought 
the  Saviour  from  the  skies.  2.  The  insignificant  clients  on  whom  all  this  wealth 
of  affection  was  poured.  If  our  whole  race  had  been  blotted  out,  He  had  but  to 
speak  the  word,  and  myriads  of  creatures  prompt  to  obey  His  will  would  have 
filled  up  the  space.  But  we  are  not  only  insignificant,  we  are  also  iniquitous. 
As  sinners,  we  deserve  nothing  but  God's  thunderbolts.  Many  of  us,  also,  were 
peculiarly  sinful.  Some  of  us  feel  inclined  to  dispute  with  Saul  of  Tarsus  for  the 
title,  "chief  of  sinners."  It  will  ever  remain  a  wonder  to  me  that  the  Son  of 
God  should  have  condescended  to  die  for  me.  3.  The  wondrous  work  which  this 
master-motive  inspired.  "  For  your  sakes  "  the  Son  of  God  took  into  union  with 
Himself  our  nature,  without  which  He  could  not  have  suffered  and  died.  "  He 
became  poor."  The  poverty  of  a  man  is  reckoned  in  proportion  to  the  position  of 
affluence  from  which  he  has  come  down.  When  the  Christ  of  God,  tlie  King  of 
kings,  the  Lord  of  lords,  was  forsaken  by  His  Father,  deserted  by  His  friends,  and 
left  alone  to  suffer  "  for  your  sakes,"  that  was  the  direst  poverty  that  was  ever 
known.  See  your  Lord  beneath  the  olives  of  Gethsemane.  Then  see  Him  before 
Herod,  Pilate,  and  Caiaphas.  Behold  Him,  as  they  lift  Him  up  to  suffer  the  death 
of  the  Cross  !  All  this  Christ  suffered  "  for  your  sakes."  What  love  and  gratitude 
ought  to  fill  your  heart  as  you  think  of  aU  that  Jesus  bore  on  your  behalf !  There 
is  a  story  of  an  American  gentleman  who  was  accustomed  to  go  frequently  to  a 
tomb  and  plant  fresh  flowers.  When  some  one  asked  why  he  did  so,  he  said  that, 
when  the  time  came  for  him  to  go  to  the  war,  he  was  detained  by  some  business, 
and  the  man  who  lay  beneath  the  sod  became  his  substitute  and  died  in  the 
battle.  Over  that  carefully-kept  grave  he  had  the  words  inscribed,  "He  died  for 
me  !  "  There  is  something  melting  in  the  thought  of  another  dying  for  you ;  how 
much  more  melting  is  it  when  that  One  is  the  Christ  of  Calvary !  4.  The  com- 
prehensive motive  for  which  He  wrought  the  wondrous  work.  Everything  He  was 
and  did  was  "  for  your  sakes."  H.  The  motive  which  should  inspire  all  our 
SERVICE  FOR  HiM.  "  For  His  sake."  What  are  we  that  we  should  be  allowed  the 
high  honour  of  suffering  "  for  His  sake  "  ?  It  is  a  great  privilege  to  do,  or  to  be,  or 
to  bear  anything  for  Him.  The  thought  expressed  in  these  words  may  be  enlarged, 
and  assume  six  or  seven  phases.  1.  " For  righteousness'  sake"  (Matt.  v.  10).  If 
a  man  suffers  as  a  Christian  for  doing  that  which  is  right,  he  is  suffering  for 
Christ's  sake.  2.  "For  the  gospel's  sake"  (1  Cor.  ix.  23).  Now,  if  you  are  put  to 
any  shame  for  the  sake  of  the  gospel,  you  suffer  "for  His  sake";  and  if  you 
labour  to  spread  the  gospel  you  are  doing  something  " for  His  sake."  3.  "For 
His  body's  sake,  which  is  the  Church"  (Col.  i.  24).  We  ought  to  do  much  more 
than  we  do  for  God's  people.  4.  "  For  the  elect's  sakes "  (2  Tim.  ix.  10),  i.e., 
not  only  those  who  are  in  the  Church  as  yet,  but  those  who  are  to  be.  Happy  is 
that  man  who  spends  his  time  in  seeking  out  poor  wanderers,  that  he  may  bring  in 
God's  elect.  5.  "  The  kingdom  of  God's  sake  "  (Luke  xviii.  29).  No  one  who  has 
left  aught  for  it  shall  fail  of  present  and  eternal  reward.  6.  "For  the  truth's  sake, 
whicli  dwelleth  in  us  "  (2  John  2).  It  is  not  merely  the  gospel  we  are  to  defend, 
but  that  living  seed  which  the  Holy  Ghost  has  put  into  us,  that  truth  which  we 
have  tasted,  and  handled,  and  felt ;  that  theology  which  is  not  that  of  the  Book 
only,  but  that  which  is  written  on  the  fleshy  tablets  of  our  hearts.  (C.  H. 
Spurgeon.)  Now,  therefore,  perform  the  doing  of  it.^Performances : — There  is 
an  eloquence  of  promise  in  many  men.  In  the  commercial  world  they  excel  in 
promissory  notes.  In  the  social  world  they  are  the  generous  distributors  of  vague 
invitations  guiltless  of  date.  Men  stop  as  pilgrims  at  the  inn  of  Good  Intent, 
and  their  position  is  that  of  "almost  Christians."  Notice  promises — I.  In  rela- 
tion TO  the  kingdom  of  evil.  Men  do  not  like  to  lose  sight  of  the  City  of  God. 
There  is  a  purpose  to  be  true  to  Christ  some  day.  They  mean  well.  Mean  well ! 
What  slave  of  vice  does  not  do  that?  But  let  the  soul  be  brought  face  to  face 
with  the  necessity  of  endeavour,  and  then  De  Quincey,  when  an  opium  eater,  is 
not  more  powerless.  There  is  no  hope  in,  "  I'll  think  about  it,"  in  a  convenient 
season,  in  the  promise,  "  when  I  change  my  neighbourhood."  Now,  perform  the 
resolution  like  a  man,  for  "  Now  is  the  accepted  time."  H.  In  relation  to  respon- 
sibilities. 1.  Of  gift.  "  I  would  give  if  I  were  rich."  No ;  if  you  do  not  yield 
God  a  fair  measure  of  your  income  now  you  would  not  then.  It  is  as  easy  to  be 
miserly  with  a  hundred  a-year  as  it  is  with  a  thousand.  God  performs.  He 
promised  that  the  seed  of  the  woman  should  bi'uise  the  serpent's  head,  and  we  see 
the  triumph  over  evil  in  the  Cross.      Christ  has  promised  a  prepared  place,  and  our 


392  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vm. 

departed  ones  are  now  confessing  that  it  was  all  true.  2.  Of  service.  Service  is 
of  many  kinds,  but  there  is  always  a  "now"  about  it.  Moreover,  performance 
once  honestly  commenced  tempts  out  more  and  more  of  loyal  effort.  It  is 
compensative,  too,  and  brings  surely  its  own  blest  reward.  Never  mind  the  initial 
difficulties.  AU  great  men  h^e  found  them  and  have  mastered  them.  Begin. 
III.  In  belation  to  the  example  of  Cheist  (ver.  9).  In  His  incarnation  He 
*'  performed  the  promise  made  to  our  forefathers."  His  life  was  one  long  per- 
formance. He  performs  still.  Be  ye  imitators  of  Him.  IV.  In  relation  to  the 
BOUNTIFTJLNESS  OF  GoD.  Meditating  on  our  redemption  we  sing,  "  Love  so 
amazing,"  &c.  Perform,  then,  the  doing  of  it.  V.  In  relation  to  influences. 
Actions  speak  louder  than  words.  (IF.  M.  Statham.)  The  laics  of  Christian 
liberality  .-—I.  Eeadiness,  or  a  willing  mind.  What  is  given  must  be  given  freely ; 
it  must  be  a  gracious  offering,  not  a  tax.  This  is  fundamental.  The  0.  T. 
law  is  re-enacted.  "  Of  every  man  whose  heart  maketh  him  willing  shall  ye  take 
the  Lord's  offering."  What  we  spend  in  piety  and  charity  is  not  tribute  paid  to  a 
tyi'ant,  but  the  response  of  gratitude  to  our  Redeemer,  and  if  it  has  not  this 
character  He  does  not  want  it.  If  there  be  first  a  willing  mind,  the  rest  is  easy ;  if 
not,  there  is  no  need  to  go  on.  II.  According  as  a  man  has.  Readiness  is  the 
acceptable  thing,  not  this  or  that  proof  of  it.  If  we  cannot  give  much,  then  a 
ready  mind  makes  even  a  little  acceptable.  Only  let  us  remember  this,  that 
readiness  always  gives  all  that  is  in  its  power.  The  readiness  of  the  Macedonians 
was  in  the  depths  of  poverty,  but  they  gave  "  themselves  "  to  the  Lord ;  yet  this 
moving  appeal  of  the  apostle  has  been  profaned  times  innumerable  to  cloak  the 
meanest  selfishness.  HI.  Reciprocity.  Paul  does  not  write  that  the  Jews  may  be 
released  and  the  Corinthians  burdened,  but  on  the  principle  of  equality.  At  this 
crisis  the  superfluity  of  the  Corinthians  is  to  make  up  what  is  wanting  to  the  Jews, 
and  at  some  other  the  situation  will  be  exactly  reversed.  Brotherhood  cannot  be 
one-sided ;  it  must  be  mutual,  and  in  the  interchange  of  services  equality  is  the 
result.  This  answers  to  God's  design  in  regard  to  worldly  goods,  as  that  design 
is  indicated  in  the  story  of  the  manna.  To  be  selfish  is  not  the  way  to  get  more 
than  your  share ;  you  may  cheat  your  neighbour  by  that  policy,  but  you  wiU  not 
get  the  better  of  God.  In  all  probability  men  are  far  more  nearly  on  an  equality 
in  respect  of  what  their  worldly  possessions  yield,  than  the  rich  in  their  pride,  or 
the  poor  in  their  envious  discontent  would  readily  believe  ;  but  when  the  inequality 
is  patent  and  painful — a  glaring  violation  of  the  Divine  intention  here  suggested — there 
is  a  call  for  charity  to  redress  the  balance.  Those  who  give  to  the  poor  are  co- 
operating with  God,  and  the  more  a  community  is  Christianised,  the  more  will  that 
state  be  realised  in  which  each  has  what  he  needs.     (J.  Denney,  B.D.) 

Ver.  12.  If  there  be  first  a  willing'  mind,  it  is  accepted  according  to  that  a  man 
hath. —  The  Christian  accepted  according  to  his  advantages  : — We  are  led  to  judge 
of  our  own  merits  by  considering  what  we  would  do  if  we  were  in  situations  different 
from  that  in  which  we  have  been  placed.  Had  we  unbounded  wealth,  we  say, 
how  would  we  use  it  for  the  benefit  and  happiness  of  mankind !  Had  we  our  place 
among  the  mighty  of  this  world,  what  a  field  should  we  have  for  doing  good  !  Thus 
we  lose  ourselves  in  vain  imaginations,  in  mere  dreams  of  fancied  usefulness.  And 
why  is  this  but  because  we  forget  the  words  of  the  apostle,  God  accepts  a  man 
"  according  to  that  which  he  hath,  not  according  to  that  which  he  hath  not."  Thus, 
then,  it  seems  that  it  is  a  mistake  for  a  man  to  dwell  upon  what  he  "  hath  not  "  ; 
let  him  rather  apply  himself  seriously  to  consider  what  he  "  hath."  And  here 
every  one  will  most  surely  find  that  he  has  enough.  And  some  things  there  must 
be  which  every  man  hath  ;  some  of  the  duties  of  life  must  be  in  the  power  of  every 
one;  he  is  a  son,  or  a  parent,  and  then  how  much  opportunity  he  has  for  for- 
bearance, and  succour,  and  self-denial :  or  he  has  friends,  or  he  has  enemies,  and 
this  enables  him  to  exercise  the  Christian  graces  of  forgiveness.  But  while  he  sees 
in  it  abundant  matter  of  serious  self-examination,  it  suggests  also  equally  strong 
motives  of  consolation.  God  accepts  according  to  what  a  man  hath,  not  according 
to  what  he  hath  not.  If  it  be  asked,  why  we  are  thus  accepted  in  the  sight  of  God, 
we  may  be  assured  that  it  is  not  for  the  works'  sake.  When  we  have  done  all,  be  it 
more  or  less,  we  can  only  say  we  are  unprofitable  servants.  And  yet  there  is  One, 
for  whose  sake  they  are  accepted,  as  the  tests  and  fruits  of  faith.  "  A  willing  mind," 
this  is  the  sacrifice  required  on  our  part ;  and  wliat  does  this  expression  imply  ?  In 
the  meaning  of  Scripture,  more  perhaps  than  we  should  at  first  suppose ;  it  implies 
a  sincere  disposition  to  submit  to  God  in  all  things,  to  be  led  by  Him,  without  any 


CHAP.  VIII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  393 

reference  to  the  degree  in  which  such  conduct  may  interfere  with  our  own  selfish 
inclinations  and  objects.  The  absence  of  a  willing  mind  is  seen  in  the  case  of  those 
who  say  that  they  intend  at  some  future  time  to  repent.  We  have  all  our  oppor- 
tunities and  means  of  serving  God.  We  have  seen  that  those  opportunities  may  be 
greater  or  less.  If  they  are  greater,  our  responsibilities  will  also  be  greater.  {H.  W. 
Sulivan,  M.A.)         God's  acceptance  of  His  people's  will  for  the  deed  : — I.  Want  of 

POWER    TO   DO    MOKE    SHALL  NOT  MAR  THE  ACCEPTANCE  OF  WHAT  IS   DONE  FROM  A  WILLING 

MIND  ACCORDING  TO  POWER.  In  that  case  God  will  accept  of  His  people's  will  for  the 
deed.  1.  In  what  particular  cases  God  accepts  His  people's  will  for  the  deed.  (1) 
Where  there  is  a  sincere  will  to  serve  Him  in  a  piece  of  work  requiring  some 
external  abilities  which  are  wanting  (Acts  iii.  6).  (2)  When  doing  the  best  we  can 
through  grace,  our  work  after  all  is  attended  with  many  blemishes.  (3)  Going  as 
far  as  we  have  access  in  a  work,  but  meeting  with  a  providential  stop  (Heb.  xi.  17). 
There  is  a  great  difference  betwixt  the  stops  men  make  and  those  which  God  makes ; 
the  former  argues  an  unwilling  mind,  but  the  latter  not  so.  (4)  Services  that  one 
really  desires,  and  fain  would  perform  for  God,  but  have  not  opportunity  (2  Chron. 
vi.  8 ;  Phil.  iv.  10).  (5)  Services  performed  with  a  real  desire  of  success  for  God's 
honour  and  men's  good  ;  the  Lord  accepts  the  good  will  to  the  success  denied,  as  if 
it  had  succeeded  according  to  their  wish  (Isa.  xlix.  4  ;  2  Cor.  ii.  15).  2.  Why  does 
God  accept  such  will  for  the  deed?  (1)  The  sincere  will  to  a  work  is  present,  which 
God  mainly  regards.  (2)  We  have  a  merciful  High  Priest  to  present  that  will  for 
acceptance,  notwithstanding  all  the  weaknesses,  blemishes,  providential  hindrances, 
want  of  opportunity,  and  failure  of  success,  that  it  may  be  attended  with  (Heb.  iv. 
15,  16).  3.  We  have  a  merciful  Father  to  deal  with  (Psa.  ciii.  13,  14).  (T.  Boston, 
D.D.) 

Vers.  13-15.  For  I  mean  not  that  other  men  should  he  eased  and  ye  burdened. — 

Christian  liberality  : — I.  The  spirit  in  which  paul  urged  it.  The  apostle  spoke 
strongly :  not  in  the  way  of  coercion,  but  of  counsel  and  persuasion  (vers.  8,  10). 
Note  the  difference  between  the  dictatorial  authority  of  the  priest  and  the  gentle 
helpfulness  of  the  minister  (chap.  i.  24).  There  is  not  a  minister  or  priest  who  is 
not  exposed  to  the  temptation  which  allures  men  to  try  to  be  a  confessor  and 
director  to  his  people,  to  guide  their  conscience,  to  rule  their  wills,  and  to  direct 
their  charities.  But  observe  how  entirely  alien  this  was  from  St.  Paul's  spirit. 
According  to  the  apostle,  a  Christian  was  one  who,  perceiving  principles,  in  the  free 
spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  applied  these  principles  for  himself.  As  examples  of  this, 
remember  the  spirit  in  which  he  excommunicated  (1  Cor.  v.  12,  13)  and  absolved 
(chap.  ii.  10),  and  remark,  in  both  these  cases — where  the  priestly  power  would  have 
been  put  forward,  if  anywhere — the  entire  absence  of  all  aim  at  personal  influence  or 
authority.  St.  Paul  would  not  even  command  Philemon  to  receive  his  slave  (Philem. 
8,  9,  13,  14).  And  in  the  case  before  us  he  would  not  order  the  Corinthians  to  give 
even  to  a  charity  which  he  reckoned  an  important  one.  He  wanted  them  to  be  men, 
and  not  dumb,  driven  cattle.  II.  The  motives  he  brought  to  bear.  1.  The 
example  of  Christ  (ver.  9).  To  a  Christian  mind  Christ  is  all ;  the  measure  of  all 
things  :  the  standard  and  the  reference.  2.  The  desire  of  reciprocity  (vers.  13-15). 
This  is  the  watchword  of  Socialists,  who  cry  out  for  equality  in  circumstances. 
But  think,  Paul's  principle  is  that  the  abundance  of  the  rich  is  intended  for  the 
supply  of  the  poor  ;  and  the  illustration  of  the  principle  is  drawn  from  the  manna 
(ver.  15).  If  any  one  through  greediness  gathered  more  than  enough,  it  bred 
worms,  and  became  offensive ;  and  if  through  weakness,  or  deep  sorrow,  or  pain, 
any  were  prevented  from  collecting  enough,  still  what  they  had  collected  was  suffi- 
cient. In  this  miracle  St.  Paul  perceives  a  great  universal  principle  of  human  life. 
God  has  given  to  every  man  a  certain  capacity  and  a  certain  power  of  enjoyment. 
Beyond  that  he  cannot  find  delight.  Whatsoever  he  heaps  or  hoards  beyond  that 
is  not  enjoyment  but  disquiet.  E.g.,  if  a  man  monopolises  to  himself  rest  which 
should  be  shared  by  others,  the  result  is  unrest — the  weariness  of  one  on  whom 
time  hangs  heavily.  Again,  if  a  man  piles  up  wealth,  all  beyond  a  certain  point 
becomes  disquiet.  How  well  life  teaches  us  that  whatever  is  beyond  enough  breeds 
worms,  and  becomes  offensive !  We  can  now  understand  why  the  apostle  desired 
equality,  and  what  that  equality  was  which  he  desired.  Equality  with  him  meant 
reciprocation — the  feeling  of  a  true  and  loving  brotherhood  ;  which  makes  each  man 
feel,  "  My  superabundance  is  not  mine  :  it  is  another's:  not  to  be  taken  by  force,  or 
wrung  from  me  by  law,  but  to  be  given  freely  by  the  law  of  love."  Observe,  then, 
how  Christianity  would  soon  solve  the  problems  of  the  rights  of  the  poor  and  the 


394  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vm. 

duties  of  the  rich.  After  how  much  does  possession  become  superabundance  ? 
When  has  a  man  gathered  too  much?  You  cannot  answer  these  questions  by  any 
science.  Socialism  cannot  do  it.  Eevolutions  will  try  to  do  it,  but  they  will  only 
take  from  the  rich  and  give  to  the  poor ;  so  that  the  poor  become  rich,  and  the  rich 
poor,  and  we  have  inequality  back  again.  But  give  us  the  spirit  of  Christ.  Let  us 
love  as  Christ  loved.  Give  us  the  spirit  of  sacrifice  which  the  early  Church  had, 
when  no  man  said  that  aught  of  the  things  he  possessed  was  his  own  ;  then  each 
man's  own  heart  will  decide  what  is  meant  by  gathering  too  much,  and  what  is 
meant  by  Christian  equality.  {F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.)  But  by  an  equality. — 
New  Testament  equality : — The  word  laorrjQ  means  here  neither  reciprocity  nor  equity, 
but  equality,  as  the  illustration  in  ver.  15  shows.  The  tK,  as  in  ver.  11,  expresses 
the  rule  or  standard  in  giving.  The  rule  is  equality ;  we  must  give  so  as  to  produce, 
or  that  there  may  be,  equality.  This  is  not  agrarianism,  nor  community  of  goods. 
The  New  Testament  teaches  on  this  subject — I.  That  all  giving  is  voluntary.  A 
man's  property  is  his  own.  It  is  in  his  own  power  to  retain  or  to  give  away ;  and  if 
he  gives,  it  is  his  prerogative  to  decide  whether  it  shall  be  much  or  little  (Acts  v.  4). 
Giving  is  the  fruit  of  love.  It  is  of  course  obligatory  as  a  moral  duty,  and  the 
indisposition  to  give  is  proof  of  the  absence  of  the  love  of  God  (1  John  iii.  17). 
Still  it  is  one  of  those  duties  the  performance  of  which  others  cannot  enforce  as  a 
right  belonging  to  them.     It  must  remain  at  our  own  discretion.    II.  That  the  end 

TO   BE    accomplished   BY   GIVING    IS   RELIEVING    THE    NECESSITIES    OF   THE    POOE.       The 

equality  therefore  aimed  at  is  not  an  equality  as  to  the  amount  of  property,  but 
equal  relief  from  the  burden  of  want.  III.  That  whilst  all  men  aee  eeethren,  and 
the  poor  as  poor,  whether  Christians  or  not,  are  the  proper  objects  of  charity,  yet 

THERE  IS  A  special  OBLIGATION   RESTING    ON    THE  MEMBERS  OF    ChRIST  TO  RELIEVE    THE 

WANTS  OF  THEIR  FELLOW-BELIEVERS  (Gal.  vi.  10).  All  the  directions  in  this  and  the 
following  chapter  have  reference  to  the  duty  of  Christians  to  their  fellow-believers. 
There  are  two  reasons  for  this.  1.  The  common  relation  of  believers  to  Christ  as 
members  of  His  body,  so  that  what  is  done  to  them  is  done  to  Him,  and  their 
consequent  intimate  relation  to  each  other  as  being  one  body  in  Christ  Jesus.  2. 
The  assurance  that  the  good  done  to  them  is  pure  good.  There  is  no  apprehension 
that  the  alms  bestowed  will  encourage  idleness  or  vice.     IV.  The  poor  have  no 

EIGHT   TO  depend    ON    THE    BENEFACTIONS   OF    THE  RICH    BECAUSE    THEY  ARE   BRETHREN 

(2  Thess.  iii.  10).  Thus  do  the  Scriptures  avoid,  on  the  one  hand,  the  injustice 
and  destructive  evils  of  agrarian  communism,  by  recognising  the  right  of  property 
and  making  all  almsgiving  optional ;  and  on  the  other,  the  heartless  disregard  of  the 
poor  by  inculcating  the  universal  brotherhood  of  believers,  and  the  consequent  duty 
of  each  to  contribute  of  his  abundance  to  relieve  the  necessities  of  the  poor.  At  the 
same  time  they  inculcate  on  the  poor  the  duty  of  self-support  to  the  extent  of  their 
ability.  They  are  commanded  "  with  quietness  to  work,  and  to  eat  their  own 
bread."  Could  these  principles  be  carried  out,  there  would  be  among  Christians 
neither  idleness  nor  want.     {C.  Hodge,  D.D.) 

Vers.  16-24.  But  thanks  be  to  God,  which  put  the  same  earnest  care  into  the 
heart  of  Titus. — Thanksgiving  to  God  for  ministerial  care: — 1.  We  may  look  up, 
and  give  thanks  to  God  for  what  they  are.  2.  We  may  look  back,  and  give  thanks 
to  God  for  what  they  were.  Now  these  two  will  very  much  consist  together — the 
praising  of  Titus,  and  the  praising  of  God  for  Titus.  I.  It  is  mentioned  to  the 
PRAISE  OF  Titus  that  he  had  in  his  heart  an  earnest  care  for  the 
Corinthians.  Observe,  what  service  he  did  was  from  a  principle  within,  from 
something  in  his  heart ;  there  is  the  fountain.  Nor  is  any  work  of  piety  or 
charity  properly  a  good  work  unless  it  be  a  heart  work.  It  was  a  principle  of  care 
that  actuated  him  in  this  service.  The  word  aTrovSr]  signifies  a  close  application  and 
intention  of  mind  to  the  business  he  was  employed  in,  a  concern  to  have  it  done 
well,  fear  lest  there  should  be  any  mistake  or  miscarriage  in  it,  diligence,  industry, 
and  expedition  in  the  prosecution  of  it.  What  Titus  found  to  do  for  the  glory  of 
God,  and  the  good  of  the  souls  of  men,  he  did  it  with  all  his  might,  and  made  a 
business  of  it.  We  translate  it  an  earnest  care,  his  heart  was  upon,  and  he  left  no 
stone  unturned  to  bring  it  to  a  good  issue.  Now  in  the  earnest  care  that  Titus  had 
for  the  churches,  we  are  to  consider  him  both  in  general,  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel, 
and  in  particular,  as  an  agent  in  the  work  of  charity.  1.  Let  us  consider  him  as 
an  evangelist,  for  so  Timothy  and  he  and  many  others  were.  He  was  an  assistant 
to  the  apostles,  both  in  planting  churches  and  in  watering  those  that  were  planted. 
That  which  Titus  is  here  commended  for,  is  the  earnest  care  he  had  for  those  of 


CHAP.  VIII.]  11.  COniNTHIANS.  395 

the  Church  of  Corinth,  and  for  their  spiritual  welfare.  And  concerning  this  we 
may  observe — (1)  Though  Titus  was  not  under  any  particular  obligation  to  the 
Corinthians,  as  their  settled  j)astor,  yet  he  had  an  earnest  care  for  them,  and  they 
were  very  much  influenced  by  his  care,  and  were  very  observant  of  what  he  said  to 
them.  He  did  not  ask,  "  What  are  they  to  me  ?  "  nor  was  he  asked  what  he  had 
to  do  to  concern  himself  about  them.  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons  in  His  bounty, 
nor  must  we  be  so  in  ours.  Titus  had  an  earnest  care  in  his  heart  to  make  himself 
a  blessing  wherever  he  comes,  and  such  should  we  have ;  we  must  study  to  serve 
some  good  purpose  in  every  place  where  Providence  casts  our  lot.  The  more 
extensive  our  usefulness  is,  the  more  it  resembles  His  goodness  whose  tender  mercies 
are  over  all  His  works.  (2)  Though  Titus  had  many  to  take  care  of,  many  churches 
that  he  visited  and  interested  himself  in  the  affairs  of,  yet  his  care  for  each  of  them 
was  an  earnest  care.  The  stream  of  his  pious  concern  ran  broad,  and  yet  it  ran 
deep.  The  extensiveness  of  his  care  abated  nothing  of  the  earnestness  of  it.  Some 
.are  made  careless  by  the  greatness  of  their  undertaking,  they  grasp  at  too  much, 
and  then  think  that  will  excuse  them  in  their  neglects.  Though  a  wise  man  would 
not  thrust  himself  into  a  hurry  of  business,  nor  have  more  irons  in  the  fire  than  he 
can  look  after,  yet  a  good  man  would  covet  a  fulness  of  business,  according  as  his 
capacity  is,  that  whenever  his  Master  comes  he  may  be  found  doing.  (3)  Though 
there  were  others  who  had  the  care  of  the  Corinthians,  and  whose  business  it  was 
to  direct,  exhort,  and  quicken  them,  yet  Titus  showed  the  same  care  for  them  that 
they  did ;  not  that  he  would  intrude  into  other  men's  office,  or  take  their  work  out 
of  their  hands,  but  he  would  strengthen  their  hands,  and  carry  on  their  work, 
would  second  what  they  said,  and  add  thereto  many  like  words.  He  saw  there  was 
need  of  all  the  help  that  might  be  for  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel  there.  Let  us 
now  see  what  improvement  we  may  make  of  this  part  of  Titus's  care  as  a  minister, 
thus  in  some  measure  copied  out.  1.  It  sets  a  good  example  before  ministers  whose 
hearts  should  in  like  manner  be  full  of  earnest  care  about  the  work  they  have  to  do, 
and  the  great  trust  committed  to  them ;  and  happy  were  it  for  the  Church  if  they  were 
all  thus.  2.  It  lays  an  engagement  upon  people,  who  have  been  or  are  under  the 
care,  the  earnest  care,  of  faithful  ministers.  (1)  Examine  yourselves  how  you  have 
improved  under  his  earnest  care  for  you,  and  whether  your  profiting  has  appeared 
in  any  proportion  to  the  opportunities  you  have  enjoyed ;  whether  your  growth  in 
knowledge  and  grace  has  been  answerable  to  the  care  that  has  been  taken  of  you, 
and  the  pains  that  have  been  taken  with  you.  (2)  If  ministers  have  and  should 
have  such  an  earnest  care  for  your  souls,  should  not  you  much  more  have  an 
earnest,  a  more  earnest,  care  for  your  own  souls  ?  (;j)  If  ministers  must  have  this 
earnest  care  for  the  souls  of  those  under  their  charge,  surely  parents  and  masters 
of  families  ought  to  have  some  care,  to  have  an  earnest  care,  for  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  those  under  their  charge,  their  children,  their  servants,  to  restrain  them 
from  that  which  would  be  to  the  prejudice  and  ruin  of  their  souls,  and  to  provide 
that  for  them  which  is  necessary  to  their  well-being.  2.  We  now  come  to  consider 
Titus  as  an  active  instrument  at  this  time  in  a  work  of  charity  that  was  on  foot. 

(1)  It  is  easy  to  apprehend  that  herein  he  showed  an  earnest  care  for  the  poor 
saints  at  Jerusalem,  for  whose  use  this  collection  was  made,  and  a  great  concern  for 
them,  that  they  should  be  speedily  and  plentifully  relieved  in  their  present  distress ; 
and  they  would  have  reason  to  say,  "  Thanks  be  to  God,  that  put  into  the  heart  of 
Titus  this  care"  for  us  and  our  families,  for  otherwise  we  might  have  perished. 
Titus  heard  what  straits  they  were  reduced  to,  and  as  one  who  put  his  soul  into 
their  souls'  stead,  laid  out  himself  to  get  supply  for  them.  Though  Titus  was  a 
Greek,  and  was  never  circumcised,  as  Timothy  was,  and  upon  that  account 
the  saints  at  Jerusalem  (many  of  whom  retained  too  great  an  affection  for  the 
ceremonial  law)  were  perhaps  cool  towards  him,  yet  he  was  active  to  do  them 
service,  as  Paul  also  was,  though  he  was  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  so  our 
liberality  must  not  be  confined  to  those  who  are  just  of  our  own  sentiment  and 
way.     This  was  the  good  work  that  Titus  had  this  earnest  care  to  help  forward. 

(2)  It  is  as  true,  though  not  so  easily  apprehended,  that  Titus  showed  as  earnest 
a  care  for  the  Corinthians,  whom  he  persuaded  to  do  good,  as  for  the  saints 
at  Jerusalem,  whom  he  desired  that  this  good  might  be  done  to.  Now  Titus 
had  an  earnest  care  for  the  Corinthians,  that  they  who  came  not  behind  in 
any  gift,  m'ght  not  come  behind  in  this  gift ;  he  was  in  care  that  they  should  not  be 
slow  in  their  contributions,  because  Paul  had  boasted  of  them,  that  Achaia  was 
ready  a  year  ago  (2  Cor.  ix.  2)  ;  and  in  care  that  they  should  not  be  illiberal  in 
Ihem,  but  that  what  was  gathered  should  be  considerable  :  he  was  in  care  that  they 


396  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vin. 

should  give  like  themselves.  The  Corinthians  were  generally  a  rich  people,  and 
lived  great ;  whence  it  became  a  proverb,  "  Every  man  cannot  pretend  to  live  at 
Corinth."  Now  Titus  was  jealous  of  them,  lest  they  should  pinch  their  charity  to 
feed  their  luxury.  The  particular  kindness  he  had  for  this  Church  of  Corinth  did 
not  put  him  upon  contriving  how  he  might  excuse  them  from  this  good  work,  or 
make  it  easy  to  them,  that  it  might  be  the  more  kind  to  him ;  but  on  the  contrary, 
because  he  loved  them,  he  was  very  earnest  with  them  to  do  more  than  otherwise 
they  would  have  done.  I  would  endeavour,  therefore,  for  the  amending  of  this 
matter,  to  make  it  out  that  those  are  to  be  accounted  your  friends  who,  with 
prudence  and  discretion,  propose  to  you  proper  objects  of  charity,  and  press  you  to 
give  liberally  to  them.  (1)  They  would  have  you  to  do  that  which  is  your  duty,  a 
plain,  necessary,  and  great  duty,  which  God  requires  of  all  those  whom  He  has 
entrusted  with  this  world's  goods.  (2)  They  would  have  you  do  that  which  will 
be  your  honour,  and  which  will  put  a  reputation  upon  you,  and  therefore  it  must 
be  looked  upon  as  an  instance  of  their  earnest  care  for  your  preferment.  (3)  They 
would  have  you  do  that  which  you  will  have  comfort  in,  and  advantage  by,  in  this 
world,  and  therefore  you  are  to  reckon  them  your  friends  who  have  a  care  for  you. 
(4)  They  would  have  you  do  that  which  wiU  be  fruit  abounding  to  your  account  in 
the  day  of  recompence.    II.  It  is  mentioned  to  the  praise  of  God,  that  He  put 

THIS  EAENEST  care  INTO  THE  HEART   OF    TiTUS   FOR   THEM  ;    AND   THANKS    ARE    GIVEN   TO 

Him  FOR  IT.  Now  thanks  be  to  God,  who  by  His  providence  brought  Titus  to  Corinth, 
and  by  His  grace  excited  and  enabled  him  to  do  this  good  office  there.  See  how 
solicitous  blessed  Paul  is  upon  all  occasions  to  ascribe  the  glory  of  all  the  good  that 
was  done,  whether  by  others  or  by  himself,  to  the  grace  of  God,  and  to  own  in  it  the 
influences  and  operations  of  that  grace.  1.  That  God  can  put  things  into  men's 
hearts  beyond  what  was  expected.  He  is  the  Sovereign  of  the  heart,  not  only  to 
enjoin  it  what  He  pleases  by  His  law,  but  to  influence  it,  and  to  infuse  into  it  by  His 
providence  and  grace  as  He  pleases.  He  has  access  to  men's  hearts.  The  way  of 
man  is  not  in  himself,  he  cannot  think  what  he  will,  but  the  wise  God  can  overrule 
him.  Let  no  man  boast  of  his  free  thought,  when  whatever  devices  are  in  men's 
hearts,  it  is  not  their  counsel,  but  the  counsel  of  the  Lord,  that  shall  stand.  See  in 
this  how  God  governs  the  world,  by  the  hold  He  has  of  the  consciences  of  men. 
2.  That  whatever  good  is  in  the  heart  of  any,  it  is  God  that  puts  it  there.  If  Titus 
have  in  his  heart  an  earnest  care  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  Corinthians,  though 
he  is  a  very  good  man,  and  one  whom  much  good  may  be  expected  from,  yet  even 
this  is  not  of  himself,  it  is  not  to  be  called  a  natural  affection,  it  is  a  gracious  one. 
If  we  have  an  earnest  care  for  our  own  souls,  and  for  their  spiritual  and  eternal 
welfare,  it  is  God  that  puts  it  into  our  hearts,  that  gives  it  to  us,  so  the  word  here 
used  signifies,  it  is  He  that  plants  it  in  us.  3.  That  Christ's  ministers  are  in  a 
particular  manner  all  that,  and  that  only,  to  His  churches  that  He  makes  them  to 
be.  They  are  stars  that  shine  with  a  borrowed  light,  and  shed  no  other  benign 
influences  but  what  are  derived  from  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  If  they  have 
a  care,  an  earnest  care,  a  natural  care,  for  the  souls  committed  to  their  charge, 
it  is  God  who  has  put  it  into  their  hearts,  it  is  His  grace  in  them  that  makes 
them  blessings  to  the  places  where  they  are.  We  must  therefore  look  up  to 
God,  by  prayer,  for  that  grace  which  is  necessary  to  make  the  stewards  of  the 
mysteries  of  God  both  skilful  and  faithful.  4.  That  the  grace  of  God  is  par- 
ticularly to  be  seen  and  owned  in  the  progress  and  success  of  any  work  of  charity, 
as  this  here,  which  Titus  was  active  in  among  the  Corinthians.  In  this  we  may  be 
tempted  to  think  there  needs  no  more  but  that  common  concurrence  of  the  Divine 
Providence  which  is  necessary  to  the  negotiating  of  every  other  affair ;  but  it  seems 
by  this  we  have  as  much  need  of  the  working  of  the  Spirit  and  grace  of  God  to 
enable  us  to  give  alms  well,  as  to  enable  us  to  pray  and  preach  well.  Let  us  now 
close  all  with  some  inferences  to  these  observations.  1.  If  this  be  so,  then  those 
who  do  good  have  nothing  to  glory  in ;  for  whatever  good  they  do  it  was  God  that 
put  it  into  their  hearts  to  do  it,  and  therefore  He  must  have  all  the  glory.  Boasting 
is  hereby  for  ever  excluded.  This  forbids  us  to  trust  to  our  own  good  works,  as  if 
by  them  we  could  merit  anything  at  the  hand  of  God.  2.  If  this  be  so,  then  those 
who  have  any  good  done  them,  either  for  soul  or  body,  must  give  thanks  to  God  for 
it,  who  raised  up  those  who  were  the  instruments  of  it,  and  put  it  into  their  hearts 
to  do  it,  and  perhaps  to  do  it  with  an  earnest  care.  We  ought  indeed  to  acknowledge 
their  kindness  and  to  be  grateful  to  them,  but  that  must  be  in  token  of  our  gratitude 
to  God,  who,  in  making  them  His  agents,  made  them  His  receivers.  But  we  must 
look  above  and  beyond  them.     3.   If  this  be  so,  let  us  hereby  be  engaged  and 


CHAP.  VIII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  397 

quickened  to  do  all  the  good  we  can  in  our  places  ;  to  do  the  good  the  Corinthians 
did,  that  is,  to  contribute  largely  and  freely  for  the  support  and  encouragement 
of  poor  saints  according  to  the  ability  God  has  given  us ;  to  do  the  good  Titus  did, 
that  is,  to  solicit  the  cause  both  of  the  necessitous  and  of  the  deserving,  and  to 
procure  assistance  for  them.  Hereby  we  shall  evidence  that  God,  by  His  grace,  has 
put  some  good  into  our  hearts,  which  the  good  we  do  is  the  fruit  and  product  of, 
and  by  which  the  tree  is  known.  Hereby  likewise  we  shall  give  occasion  to  many 
to  praise  God  for  us,  and  for  the  good  which  by  His  grace  we  are  inclined  and 
enabled  to  do.  4.  This  may  be  matter  of  comfort  and  support  to  us  when  useful 
instruments  are  removed  from  us.  (Matthew  Henry.)  The  collection  for  the  poor 
Christians  in  Jerusalem  (text  and  chap,  ix.) : — I.  The  mode  of  collecting  the 
CONTRIBUTION.  1.  St.  Paul  entrusted  this  task  to  three  messengers  :  to  Titus,  who 
was  himself  eager  to  go  ;  to  a  Christian  brother  whom  the  churches  had  selected  as 
their  almoner ;  and  to  another  whose  zeal  had  been  tested  frequently  by  St.  Paul 
himself.  2.  The  reasons  for  sending  these  messengers.  (1)  To  give  the  Corinthians 
time  (chap.  ix.  3).  Obsei"ve  the  tender  wisdom  of  this  proceeding.  Every  one  knows 
how  different  is  the  feeling  with  which  we  give  when  charity  is  beforehand,  from 
that  with  which  we  give  when  it  comes  side  by  side  with  debts  and  taxes.  The 
charity  which  finds  us  unprepared  is  a  call  as  hateful  as  that  of  any  creditor  whom 
it  is  hard  to  pay.  (2)  To  preserve  their  reputation  for  charity.  For  if  the 
Corinthians  were  not  ready,  their  inability  to  pay  would  be  exhibited  before  the 
messengers.  Observe — (a)  The  just  value  which  the  apostle  set  on  Christian 
reputation.  For  the  inabiUty  of  the  Corinthians  would  be  like  insolvency,  and 
would  damage  their  character.  We  all  know  how  insolvency  damages  the  man, 
how  he  feels  humbled  by  it,  and  "  ashamed  "  before  men.  (6)  The  delicacy  of  the 
mode  in  which  the  hint  is  given :  "We  (that  we  say  not,  ye)  may  not  be  ashamed." 
St.  Paul  makes  it  a  matter  of  personal  anxiety.  Thereby  he  appealed  not  to  their 
selfish  feelings,  but  to  everything  which  was  noble  or  high  within  them.  The 
Corinthians  would  feel,  We  cannot  bear  that  Paul  should  be  disgraced.  This  is  a 
great  principle.  Appeal  to  the  highest  motives,  Whether  they  be  there  or  no,  for 
you  make  them  where  you  do  not  find  them.  Arnold  trusted  his  boys,  and  all 
attempt  at  deceiving  him  ceased  forthwith.  When  Christ  appealed  to  the  love  in 
the  heart  of  the  sinful  woman,  that  love  broke  forth  pure  again.  (8)  To  preserve 
his  own  reputation.  If  so  large  a  sum  had  been  entrusted  to  him  alone  he  might 
have  been  suspected  of  appropriating  a  portion  to  himself  (vers.  20,  21).  In  this  is 
to  be  observed  St.  Paul's  wisdom.  He  knew  that  the  world  would  scan  his  every 
act  and  word,  and  attribute  all  conceivable  and  even  inconceivable  evil  to  what  he 
did  in  aU  honour.  Now,  because  the  bare  conception  of  malversation  was  impossible 
to  him,  we  might  have  expected  him  to  forget  that  the  world  would  not  think  it 
equally  impossible.  For  to  the  pure  all  things  are  pure.  It  is  to  such — men  guile- 
less of  heart — that  Christ  says,  "Be  ye  wise  as  serpents."  Consider  how  defenceless 
St.  Paul  would  have  been  had  the  accusation  been  made  !  Moreover,  though  he 
were  to  be  acquitted,  a  charge  refuted  is  not  as  if  a  charge  had  never  been  made. 
Years  after,  the  oblivious  world,  remembering  only  the  accusation,  and  forgetting 
the  fulness  of  the  refutation,  asks,  "  But  were  there  not  some  suspicious  circum- 
stances ?  "  No  innocence  will  shield,  no  honour,  nor  integrity  bright  as  the  sun 
itself,  will  keep  off  altogether  the  biting  breath  of  calumny.  Therefore  it  is  that  he 
says,  "Let  not  your  good  be  evil  spoken  of."  Therefore  it  is  that  he,  avoiding  the 
possibility  of  this,  sent  messengers  to  collect  the  money,  "  providing  for  things 
honest  in  the  sight  of  all  men."  II.  The  measure  or  the  amount.  The  apostle 
did  not  name  a  sum  to  the  Corinthians,  but  counselled  them  to  be — 1.  Liberal : 
"  As  a  matter  of  bounty,  and  not  as  of  covetousness."  He  did  not  speak  as  we 
often  preach — in  an  impassioned  manner  in  order  to  get  a  large  collection.  Yet  he 
plainly  told  them  that  a  large  contribution  was  what  God  asked.  In  the  multi- 
tudinous charities  for  which  you  are  solicited,  give  liberally  somewhere,  in  God's 
name,  and  to  God's  cause.  But  the  cases  must  depend  on  yourselves,  and  should 
be  conscientiously  adopted.  2.  Deliberate :  "  Every  man  according  as  he  purposeth 
in  his  heart."  Distinguish  this  dehberate  charity  from  giving  through  mere  im- 
pulse. Christian  charity  is  a  calm,  wise  thing ;  it  has,  too,  courage  to  refuse.  A 
Christian  man  will  not  give  to  everything;  he  will  not  give  because  it  is  the 
fashion  ;  because  an  appeal  is  very  impassioned,  or  because  it  touches  his  sensibili- 
ties. He  gives  as  he  "  purposeth  in  his  heart."  Here  I  remark  that  often  the 
truest  charity  is  not  giving  but  employing.  3.  Cheerful :  "  The  Lord  loveth  a 
cheerful  giver."    HI.  The  measure  of  the  reward.    As  in  aU  spiritual  rewards  it 


398  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  vm. 

is  exactly  proportioned  to  the  acts  done.  The  law  of  thi  spiritual  harvest  is  two- 
fold. 1.  In  reference  to  quantity:  "He  which  soweth  sparingly  shall  reap  also 
sparingly."  Hence  may  be  inferred  the  principle  of  degrees  of  glory  hereafter 
(cf.  the  Parable  of  the  Talents).  The  right  hand  and  left  of  Christ  in  His  kingdom 
are  given  only  to  those  who  drink  of  His  cup  and  are  baptized  with  His  baptism. 
2.  In  reference  to  kind.  The  reward  of  an  act  of  charity  is  kindred  with  the  act  itself. 
"  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap."  A  harvest  of  wheat  comes  not 
from  sown  barley,  &c.  Thus  also  is  it  in  the  spiritual  world.  Now  here  often  a 
strange  fallacy  arises.  Men  sow  their  carnal  things — give  their  money,  for  example, 
to  God,  and  expect  to  reap  the  same.  In  pagan  times  fishermen  or  farmers 
sacrificed  their  respective  properties,  and  expected  a  double  fishery  or  harvest  in 
return.  The  same  pagan  principle  has  come  down  to  us.  Some  persons  "lend  to 
the  Lord,"  in  order  that  He  may  repay  them  with  success  in  business,  or  an  advance 
in  trade.  The  fallacy  lies  in  this  :  the  thing  sown  was  not  money,  but  spirit,  e.g., 
the  poor  widow  gave  two  mites,  but  God  took  account  of  sacrifice.  The  sinful 
woman  gave  an  alabaster  box  of  ointment,  valued  by  a  miserable  economist  at  three 
hundred  pence.  God  valued  it  as  so  much  love.  Now  God  is  not  going  to  pay 
these  things  in  coin  of  this  earth.  He  will  repay  them  with  spiritual  coin  in 
kind.  In  the  particular  instance  now  before  us,  what  are  the  rewards  of  liberality 
which  St.  Paul  promises  to  the  Corinthians  ?  They  are — (1)  The  love  of  God 
{ver.  7).  (2)  A  spirit  abounding  to  every  good  work  (ver.  8).  (3)  Thanksgiving 
on  their  behalf  (vers.  11,  12,  13).  A  noble  harvest !  but  all  spiritual.  Give,  and 
do  not  expect  your  money  to  be  returned,  like  that  of  Joseph's  brethren  in  their 
sacks'  mouths.  When  you  give  to  God,  sacrifice,  and  know  that  what  you  give  is 
sacrificed,  and  is  not  to  be  got  again,  even  in  this  world  ;  for  if  you  give,  expecting 
it  back  again,  there  is  no  sacrifice ;  charity  is  no  speculation  in  the  spiritual  funds, 
no  wise  investment,  to  be  repaid  with  interest  either  in  time  or  eternity !  (F.  W. 
Robertson,   M.A.)  Providing  for  honest  things,    not  only  in  the    sight   of 

the  Lord,  but  also  in  the  sight  of  men. — Twelve  causes  of  dishonesty : — Only 
extraordinary  circumstances  can  give  the  appearance  of  dishonesty  to  an  honest 
man.  Usually,  not  to  seem  honest,  is  not  to  be  so.  The  quality  must  not 
be  doubtful  like  twilight,  lingering  between  night  and  day  and  taking  hues 
from  both ;  it  must  be  daylight,  clear  and  effulgent.  No  one  has  honesty 
without  dross,  until  he  has  honesty  without  suspicion.  1.  Some  men  find  in 
their  bosom  from  the  first  a  vehement  inclination  to  dishonest  ways.  Knavish 
ways  are  inherited  from  dishonest  parents.  2.  A  child  naturally  fair-minded 
may  become  dishonest  by  parental  example.  He  may  be  taught  to  be  sharp 
in  bargains,  and  vigilant  for  every  advantage.  Little  is  said  about  honesty, 
and  much  about  shrewd  traffic.  Whatever  pi-ofit  breaks  no  legal  statute — though 
gained  by  falsehood — is  considered  fair.  3.  Dishonesty  is  learned  from  one's 
employers.  4.  Extravagance  is  a  prolific  source  of  dishonesty.  The  desire  to  be 
thought  affluent ;  to  outrival  others  in  display.  5.  Debt  is  an  inexhaustible  foun- 
tain of  dishonesty.  The  debtor  learns  cunning  tricks,  concealments,  excuses.  6. 
Bankruptcy,  although  a  branch  of  debt,  deserves  separate  mention.  7.  There  is  a 
circle  of  moral  dishonesties  practised  because  the  law  allows  them.  Gentlemen 
who  can  break  the  whole  of  God's  law  so  adroitly  as  to  leave  man's  law  unbroken. 
8.  Political  dishonesty  breeds  dishonesty  of  every  kind.  The  idea  that  all  is  fair 
in  politics  has  to  be  smitten.  9.  A  coiTupt  public  sentiment  produces  dishonesty. 
10.  Financial  agents  are  especially  liable  to  the  temptations  of  dishonesty.  Their 
whole  attention  falls  directly  upon  naked  money.  The  hourly  sight  of  it  whets  the 
appetite.  11.  Executive  clemency,  by  its  frequency,  has  been  a  temptation  to  dis- 
honesty. Who  will  fear  to  be  a  culprit  when  a  legal  sentence  is  the  prelude  of 
pardon  ?  12.  Criminal  speculations  are  prolific  of  dishonesty.  Speculation  is  the 
risking  of  capital  in  enterprises  greater  than  we  can  control,  or  in  enterprises  whose 
elements   are  not   all   calculable.      {H.    W.   Beecher.)  The   double    standard 

of  duty : — The  language  is  peculiar ;  as  though  the  human  standard  were  a 
step  higher  than  the  Divine ;  as  though  a  Christian  were  in  more  danger 
of  coming  short  of  honesty  before  men  than  before  God.  St.  Paul  really 
means,  however,  that  we  are  to  keep  both  standards  in  view.  I.  The  human 
STANDARD  OF  DUTY.  1.  It  partly  servcs  to  interpret  the  Divine  law,  not  fully, 
but  in  important  measure.  2.  It  restrains  us  from  reading  the  law  according 
to  our  own  interests,  which  is  a  constant  danger.  "Private  interpretation" 
has  danger  in  it.  3.  It  is  a  law  over  us  that  we  are  more  or  less  stringently 
held  to  obey.     Its  penalty  is  visible ;  and  so  it  educates  us  to  obedience.     II.  The 


CHAP.  IX.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  399 

JDiviNE  LAW.  1.  It  is  stricter  than  man's  law.  We  may  well  say  to  ourselves  if  men 
•demand  this,  God  demands  more.  2.  The  Divine  law  considers  our  motives  in  all 
their  extent,  and  holds  us  to  account  according  to  our  intent,  our  power,  and 
'Opportunity.  3.  The  Divine  law  demands  our  best;  men  will  take  less;  God  asks 
-honesty  and  fidelity  as  we  know  them,  not  as  men  define  them.  {Homiletic  Monthly.) 
Wherefore  shew  ye  to  them  .  .  .  the  proof  of  your  love. — Expected  j^roof  of  2i>'ofessed 
dove  : — 1.  In  every  behever's  heart  there  is — (1)  Love  to  God.  He  cannot  else  be  a 
child  of  God.  (2)  Love  to  Christ.  How  could  he  be  a  Christian  otherwise  ?  As  a 
•  consequence  of  this.  (3)  Love  to  the  brotherhood.  2.  Where  there  is  true  love  in 
the  heart  it  becomes  a  working  principle.  It  is  a  vital  principle,  and  out  of  its 
growth  there  comes  fruit.  I.  Wh.\t  is  the  excellexce  of  this  love  that  we  should 
BE  so  anxious  to  PROVE  IT  ?  It  is — 1.  Divine  in  its  origin.  We  sliould  never  have 
loved  if  God  had  not  first  loved  us.  It  is,  therefore,  a  precious  thing,  and  we  ought 
to  take  heed  that  we  assuredly  possess  it,  and  so  to  live  that  others  may  be  con- 
vinced that  it  rules  our  spirits.  2.  Surpassing  in  its  energy,  for  true  love  to  God 
exceeds  all  other  love.  This  affection,  like  Aaron's  rod,  must  swallow  up  all  others, 
and  must  therefore  produce  its  own  proof.  If  it  were  some  minor  passion  we  might 
not  be  so  particular  about  it.  3.  Vital  in  its  necessity.  If  a  man  does  not  love  God, 
Christ,  and  His  people,  then  the  life  of  God  does  not  dwell  in  him.  Hence  the 
importance  that  the  proofs  of  our  love  should  be  unmistakable.  4.  Warranted  by 
the  facts  of  the  case.  Love  to  God — I  will  not  spend  a  word  in  justifying  it.  Love 
to  Christ — how  can  it  be  needful  to  commend  it  to  you  ?  "  Love  so  amazing,  so 
Divine,"  Ac.  5.  Eminent  in  its  achievements.  It  makes  Christians  strong.  Faith 
laughs  at  impossibilities,  and  cries,  "It  must  be  done  "  ;  but  love  performs  the  deed, 
for  "faith  worketh  by  love."  What  have  not  men  done  out  of  love  to  Christ? 
II.  What  is  this  proof  ?  As  regards — 1.  God  and  Christ.  If  you  love  Him  you 
will  keep  His  commandments,  seek  to  honour  Him,  be  anxious  to  extend  His  rule, 
long  for  communion  with  Him,  grieve  when  you  grieve  Him,  long  to  be  like  Him. 

2.  God's  ministers.  If  they  speak  well  of  you,  do  not  let  them  have  cause  to  retract 
their  holy  boasting,  and  to  say  with  tears,  "  I  was  deceived  in  these  people."  If  any 
have  brought  you  to  Christ,  be  an  honour  to  them  and  to  the  gospel  that  they  preach. 

3.  God's  people.  (1)  Go  and  join  them.  Do  as  she  did  who  said,  "  Whither  thou 
goest,  I  will  go ;  .  .  .  thy  people  shall  be  my  people,  and  thy  God  my  God."  (2) 
When  you  have  joined  the  church,  show  a  proof  of  your  love  by  hearty  fellowship. 
(3)  Unite  with  them  in  service.  4.  The  ungodly.  Try  to  snatch  the  firebrands 
from  the  flame.  If  you  can  preach  Christ.  Speak  of  Him  to  your  companions. 
HI.  Why  is  this  proof  called  for  ?  1.  True  love  always  longs  to  prove  itself.  It 
does  not  need  a  command  to  do  it.  It  is  waiting  for  an  opportunity.  It  is  so  with 
your  domestic  life.  In  a  far  higher  degree,  what  a  delight  it  is  to  a  Christian  to  do 
something  for  Jesus  !  2.  That  it  may  become  a  blessing  to  other  people.  It  would 
be  of  no  use  for  the  Corinthians  to  sing  a  hymn  about  charity  while  the  poor  saints 
at  Jerusalem  had  not  a  loaf  to  eat.  3.  It  is  reasonable  that  you  should  do  so.  God 
did  not  love  you  and  keep  it  to  Himself ;  He  gave  His  Son.  IV.  Who  it  is  that 
CALLS  FOR  this  PROOF  OF  OUR  LOVE.  I  will  Icave  out  everybody  else  and  say,  it  is 
your  Lord,  your  own  dying,  living  Saviour  who  says,  "  Show  Me  the  proof  of  your 
love."  I  will  tell  you  how  He  is  saying  it.  1.  Affliction  has  come  into  your  house. 
There  is  a  dear  one  dead ;  and  Jesus  says,  "  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  Me 
more  than  these  dear  ones  ?  If  so,  thou  wilt  part  with  them  and  not  complain." 
2.  Perhaps  you  have  had  a  difference  lately  with  one  to  whom  you  ought  to  be 
united  in  friendship.  Now  your  Lord  and  Master  says  to  you,  "  Show  Me  the 
proof  of  your  love.  Forgive  him  for  My  sake  even  to  seventy  times  seven ;  and  if 
you  have  wronged  him  confess  the  wrong,  and  humble  yourself  for  My  sake."  _  3. 
But  possibly  there  are  some  here  who  have  had  in  their  minds  the  project  of  doing 
something  unusual  for  Jesus,  or  the  church,  or  the  poor,  or  for  missions  to  the 
heathen.  Jesus  says,  "  I  have  prospered  you  :  when  others  have  failed  in  business 
I  have  taken  care  of  you.  Show  Me  the  proof  of  your  love."  WUl  you  not  hear 
His  call?     (C.  H.  Spurgeon.) 


CHAPTER  IX. 


\ers.  1-5.  As  touching  the  ministering  to  the  saints. — Liberal  giving  .•—I.  Why 
DOES  God  call  us  to  give?     1.   He  cannot  need  our  gifts.     We  can  give  Him 


400  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  nc. 

nothing  that  we  did  not  first  get  from  Him.  2.  It  must  be  somehow  for  our  sakes. 
Giving  is  God's  way  of  getting  for  ourselves  the  highest  good.  The  root  of  sin  is 
selfishness.  God  would  have  us  grow  bigger,  have  a  larger  world  to  live  in,  find  a 
higher  joy  ;  and  the  secret  of  all  this  change  is  giving.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  we 
caU  a  man  who  gets  but  does  not  give  a  "  miser,"  that  is,  a  miserable  man.  The 
true  worth  of  money  is  never  learned  until  we  begin  to  make  others  happy  with  it. 
It  is  just  so  of  learning.  There  is  joy  in  getting  knowledge  ;  but  a  higher  joy  it  is 
to  teach  those  who  do  not  know.  II.  Natuee  teaches  us  many  lessons  on  giving. 
The  sun  exists  to  give  light,  heat,  and  Ufa.  The  sea  is  always  giving.  III.  God 
measuees  oxtr  giving  by  ouk  purpose.  "  Every  man  according  as  he  purposeth 
in  his  heart."    What  did  you  mean  to  give,  and  what  was  your  motive?     IV. 

LiBEEAL  giving    IS   PERHAPS   THE    CHOICEST,    RIPEST    FRUIT    OF   THE  SpiRIT.       The  Arab 

proverb  says,  "  The  water  you  pour  on  the  roots  of  the  cocoanut-tree  conies  back  to 
you  from  the  top,  in  the  sweet  milk  of  the  cocoanut."  You  may  hang  up  a  bar  of 
slightly  tempered  steel,  strike  it  with  a  mallet,  and  make  it  a  magnet.  Then  with 
that  magnet  you  may,  by  rubbing  other  bars  with  it,  make  them  magnets  too ;  and 
it  is  wonderful  that  instead  of  making  the  magnetic  power  of  that  first  bar  less,  you 
increase  it.     (A.  T.  Pier  son,  I). D.)        Liberal  giving: — I.  The  tact  and  wisdobi 

AND   tenderness    OF   PaUL    IN    PRESENTING     AND     PRESSING    THE    SUBJECT    ARE    WORTHY 

OF  UNQUALIFIED  ADMIRATION.  The  apostlc  does  Hot  Say  how  much  a  child  of  God 
should  give,  simply  because  he  regards  giving  as  a  spiritual  attainment,  and  not  as 
an  outward  function.  It  is  to  be  governed  by  spiritual  laws  and  to  move  by 
spiritual  impulses.  He  cites  the  case  of  the  Macedonian  Christians,  not  as  a 
standard  of  comparison,  but  as  a  heart-incentive.  The  true  giver  in  blessing  others 
wiU  always  be  a  large  receiver  of  blessings.  The  word  which  in  the  Eeceived  Text 
is  translated  " bounty  "  has  in  the  margin  its  more  literal  meaning,  "blessing." 
The  giver  is  a  sower  of  seed.  His  gifts  are  the  seed  of  a  future  harvest  for  which 
he  may  confidently  look.  There  is  here  no  appeal  to  selfishness,  but  the  simple 
statement  of  a  Divine  law,  and  one  of  widest  scope.  The  man  who  puts  forth  little 
physical  strength  reaps  little  vigour  of  body.  The  man  who  feebly  uses  mental 
faculty  gains  little  mental  power.  The  man  who  loves  Uttle  is  Uttle  loved  and 
destroys  his  capacity  to  love.  As  giving  is  a  spiritual  grace,  it  can  grow  and  reward 
its  possessor  only  by  use.  We  are  at  cross-purposes  with  our  own  faculties  and 
with  God's  plans  respecting  us  if  the  power  of  giving  Ues  unused  within  us.  Our 
selfishness  dwarfs  and  impoverishes  us.  Niggardliness  is  a  most  miserable  invest- 
ment. Put  any  Divine  gift  under  the  leadership  of  greed  or  of  sloth,  and  it  is  sure 
to  err  and  come  to  no  good.  In  the  great  sum  of  things  giving  has  a  royal  place. 
Do  we  not  comprehend  how  the  giver  is  a  receiver  ?  It  is  sufficient  in  answer  to 
appeal  to  two  things :  first,  to  the  homely  evidence  of  experience ;  second,  to  the 
promises  of  God.  But  this  testimony  of  experience  reaches  deeper  than  all  rewards 
in  kind.  True  giving  is  the  act  of  the  soul ;  it  touches  character ;  it  is  a  grand 
power  of  moral  discipline.  It  cleanses  conscience  and  purifies  the  heart  to  give 
rightly  and  generously.  It  awakens  a  higher  manhood  in  the  soul.  It  crucifies 
the  low,  base  lust  of  selfishness.  It  strangles  closeness  and  stinginess  and  all  the 
meaner  and  craven  lusts  of  our  nature  to  get  beyond  and  above  the  greed  of  getting 
and  keeping  into  the  high  and  Divine  realm  of  giving.  Giving  enlarges  a  man.  It 
develops  all  that  is  good  in  him.  It  stirs  him  with  higher  impulses.  It  makes  him 
a  holier  and  happier  man.  But  it  must  be  giving  in  Christ's  sense  and  after  His 
example.  But  this  certainty  of  a  Divine  return  to  the  giver  rests  also  on  the  direct 
promise  of  God.  Here  is  the  giver's  security.  What  is  given  is  not  lost.  It  is  a. 
deposit  in  the  exchequer  of  Heaven.  God  loveth  the  cheerful  giver.  He  is  able 
to  bless  him,  and  He  will  bless  him.  H.  The  final  thought  of  the  apostle  is  the- 
CONNECTION  OP  GIVING  AND  THANKSGIVING.  Eveij  gift  is  a  "  bouuty,"  a  "  blessing,"' 
a  "  thanksgiving."  It  is  a  free  thank-offering  out  of  the  blessings  God  has  given. 
True  giving  rises  out  of  the  catalogue  of  hard  duties  into  the  rank  of  happy 
privileges.  The  root  of  all  giving  is  love,  and  love  is  full  of  thankfulness.  And 
then,  as  the  mind  and  heart  of  the  apostle  are  fiUed  with  a  sense  of  what  a  gi-eat 
blessing  is  this  spirit  of  free  and  generous  giving  both  to  the  giver  and  to  the 
receiver,  he  ends  abruptly  the  discussion  with  the  well-known  sentence,  "  Thanks 
be  unto  God  for  His  unspeakable  gift !  "  He  rises  from  all  human  giving  to  the 
Divine,  the  gift  of  the  Saviour.  He  contrasts  our  feeble  gifts  with  the  unspeakable 
one.  He  inspires  our  giving  with  that.  He  links  our  giving  to  that.  To  give  is  to 
be  like   God.     {T.  H.  Robinson,  D.D.)  Liberal  giving  : — It  is  plain  that  God 

means  that  His  people  shall   all   be  givers.     Opportunities  to  give  everywhere. 


CHAP.  IX.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  401 

surround  us.  The  Christians  at  Jerusalem  were  at  just  this  time  in  great  want. 
In  part  this  may  have  been  due  to  their  experiment  of  a  community  of  goods,  and 
in  part  to  their  repeated  and  long-continued  persecutions.  Christian  giving  should 
be — I.  Primarily,  though  by  no  means  exclusively,  to  needy  saints  (chap.  v.  1). 
II.  Prompt  and  energetic,  that  so  it  may  be  adequate  and  sure  (vers.  2-5).  The 
good  name  of  a  church  is  no  small  part  of  its  power.  It  is  this  which  makes  its 
teachings  respected,  and  its  example  a  stimulus  to  others.  It  is  in  all  things  a 
good  rule  to  be  deliberate  in  planning,  and  then  swift  in  execution.  For  thus  it  is 
that  good  intentions  become  worthy  deeds.  III.  Not  sparing  but  bountiful 
(ver.  6).  IV.  Deliberate  and  cheerful  (ver.  7).  V.  Trustful.  This  is  enforced 
by  the  apostle  by  a  twofold  consideration  (vers.  8-10).  VI.  Mindful  of  the  great 
blessings  sure  to  come  of  it  (vers.  11-14).     (Monday  Club  Sermons.) 

Ver.  6.  He  wMcli  soweth  sparingly  shall  reap  also  sparingly. — The  way  and 
worth  of  genuine  beneficence  : — I.  The  way.  1.  Bountifully  (ver.  6).  2.  Deliberately 
(ver.  7).  A  spurious  charity  gives  frora  impulse  or  pressure.  3.  Cheerfully  (ver.  7). 
II.  The  worth.  It  is  the  most  valuable  thing  in  the  universe.  1.  In  its  issues. 
(1)  It  confers  happiness  on  the  man  who  practises  it.  He  will  be  "  blessed  in  his 
deed."  (2)  It  ensures  the  blessing  of  the  Almighty,  (a)  He  sees  that  the  man  of 
charity  shall  lose  nothing  by  his  contributions  (ver.  8).  (b)  He  sees  that  his 
beneficent  deeds  shall  be  blessed  for  ever  (ver.  9).  A  good  deed  is  a  seed  that  will 
go  on  multiplying  for  ever.  (3)  It  alleviates  the  distress  of  mankind  (ver.  12).  (4) 
It  is  promotive  of  universal  worship  (vers.  12,  13).  2.  In  itself  (ver.  15).  What  is 
the  "  gift "  here ?  Has  Paul  a  special  reference  to  Christ?  Be  it  so.  The  value 
of  that  gift  was  the  love  which  it  incarnated.  (D.  Thomas.)  Liberal  charity 
stated  and  recommended  on  the  j^rinciples  of  the  gos}}el : — The  Scriptures  abound  in 
a  great  variety  of  the  most  beautiful  images  and  figurative  allusions.  I.  Let  us 
begin  with  calling  your  attention  to  the  character  here  represented — "  He 
that  soweth  bountifully,"  in  other  words,  the  man  of  liberal  charity.  1.  This  is  a 
character  formed  and  perfected  under  the  influence  of  supreme  regard  to  God  and 
the  Kedeemer.  Beneficent  love  to  men  is  at  once  a  natural  consequence  and  proof 
of  knowing  the  love  of  God,  and  loving  Him.  2.  The  man  of  liberal  charity  is  one 
who  gives  cheerfully  according  to  his  ability.  3.  True  liberal  charity  is  wisely 
divided  amongst  many,  and  proportioned  to  the  objects  upon  which  it  acts.  It  is 
not,  it  cannot  be  confined  to  near  relations,  intimate  friends,  or  particular  favourites. 
The  principle  which  gave  it  birth  extends  its  influence  in  every  possible  direction. 
4.  That  may  well  be  called  liberal  charity  which  is  designed  to  promote  the  greatest 
possible  good.  H.  Let  us  now  attend  to  the  richness  of  his  reward,  expressed 
in  the  promise  added,  that  he  sh.u:.l  reap  also  bountifully.  Need  I  here 
caution  you  against  considering  what  shall  be  said  on  this  part  of  the  subject  as 
holding  out  any  deserved  recompense  to  personal  merit?  1.  The  truth  of  this  great 
and  gracious  promise  will  be  felt  in  inward  enjoyment  and  spiritual  improvement. 
2.  Add  to  this  the  blessing  and  prayers  of  those  who  receive  your  help.  3.  The 
promise  in  the  text  holds  up,  as  a  farther  inducement  to  liberal  charity,  a  richly 
varied  and  extensive  prospect  of  good  to  the  world.  4.  That  he  who  soweth 
bountifully  shall  reap  also  bountifully  in  a  future  and  eternal  state.  Let  me  now 
entreat  your  attention  to  the  practical  improvement  of  the  subject.  1.  In  the  first 
place,  then,  it  may  direct  us  in  forming  a  just  judgment  of  our  own  characters.  2. 
Must  not  the  consideration  of  this  approved  character  lead  us  to  study  and  admire 
that  religion  from  which  it  receives  all  its  excellence  ?     {R.  Balfour.) 

Vers.  7,  8.  Every  man  according  as  he  purposeth  in  Ms  heart,  so  let  him  give ; 
.  .  .  for  God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver. — A  cheerful  giver  beloved  of  God : — I.  What 
IS  meant  by  a  cheerful  giver?  To  be  this  one  must — 1.  Give  proportionately, 
for  cheerful  givers  reckon  how  much  as  good  stewards  is  expected  from  them.  If 
giving  the  tenth  of  one's  income  to  the  Lord  were  a  duty  under  the  Jewish,  much 
more  is  it  so  now  under  the  Christian  dispensation.  But  the  Jew,  with  his  free-will 
offerings,  cfec,  perhaps  gave  as  much  as  a  third  altogether.  And  at  this  present 
day  the  Hindoos  give  very  nearly  that  proportion,  and  thus  shame  the  illiberality 
of  many  Christians.  I  do  not,  however,  like  to  lay  down  rules.  Give  as  the  Lord 
hath  prospered  you,  and  do  not  make  your  estimate  what  will  appear  respectable, 
or  what  is  expected  by  others,  but  as  in  the  sight  of  God.  2.  Give  willingly,  and 
do  not  be  "  bled  "  or  squeezed  like  the  young  grape  to  get  the  wine  out  because  it  is 
not  ripe.     We  ought  to  be  like  the  honeycomb,  dropping  spontaneously.     3.  Get 

26 


402  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  re. 


beyond  the  serf -like,  slavish  spirit.  The  slave  brings  his  pittance,  which  he  isi 
obliged  to  pay,  and  goes  his  way  in  raisery.  But  the  child,  pleased  to  give  its 
Father  what  it  can,  beholds  the  Father  smile,  and  goes  its  way  rejoicing.  4.  Give 
very  earnestly.  Some  give  God  their  time,  but  they  are  half  asleep.  Some  give 
Him  their  efforts,  but  their  heart  never  seems  in  them.  5.  Wish  that  we  could  give' 
ten  times  as  much.  Oh  that  we  could  learn  the  secret  of  entire  consecration  !  II. 
Why  does  God  love  a  cheerful  giver  ?  Because — 1.  He  made  the  world  on 
the  plan  of  cheerful  giving,  and  the  great  Artist  loves  all  that  is  consistent  with  His 
plan.  Why  is  the  sun  bright  ?  Because  it  is  giving  away  its  Ught.  Why  is  it 
glorious  ?  Because  it  is  scattering  its  beams  on  all  sides.  The  moon — wherefore 
do  we  rejoice  in  her  ?  Because  what  light  she  receives  from  the  sun  she  gives  again 
to  us.  Even  yon  twinkling  stars — their  brightness  and  radiance  consist  in  their 
giving.  Take  the  earth ;  what  is  its  excellence  but  what  it  gives  ?  Thousands  of 
years  ago  there  were  vast  forests  waving  in  the  sunbeams,  and  giving  themselves  to 
die  to  form  vast  stores  of  coal  for  future  use.  There  is  not  a  tree  but  is  giving  per- 
petually. There  is  not  a  flower  but  its  very  sweetness  lies  in  its  shedding  its  frag- 
rance. All  the  rivers  run  into  the  sea,  the  sea  feeds  the  clouds,  the  clouds  empty 
out  their  treasures,  the  earth  gives  back  the  rain  in  fertility,  and  so  it  is  an  endless 
chain  of  giving  generosity.  There  is  nothing  in  this  world  but  lives  by  giving, 
except  a  covetous  man,  and  such  a  man  is  a  piece  of  grit  in  the  machinery.  He 
is  out  of  date  ;  out  of  God's  order  altogether.  But  the  cheerful  giver  is  marching 
to  the  music  of  the  spheres.  2.  Grace  has  placed  such  a  man  in  order  with  the 
laws  of  redemption  as  well  as  the  laws  of  nature.  Salvation  is  not  a  thing  to  be 
earned  and  won,  but  is  the  result  of  the  free  grace  of  God.  Now  the  professed 
Christian,  who  is  no  giver,  or  being  a  giver  is  not  a  cheerful  giver,  is  out  of  order 
with  the  system  which  revolves  around  the  Cross  of  Christ.  3.  He  loves  anything 
that  makes  His  people  happy  ;  and  the  spirit  of  love  to  others  is  the  surest  source 
of  happiness.  He  who  lives  for  himself  must  be  wretched.  4.  In  such  He  sees  the 
work  of  His  Spirit.  It  takes  a  great  deal  of  grace  to  make  some  men  cheerful 
givers.  With  some  the  last  part  of  their  nature  that  ever  gets  sanctified  is  their 
pockets.  III.  Why  we  who  love  the  Lord  should  seek  to  be  cheerful  givers 
WHOM  God  loves.  Because — 1.  All  we  have  we  owe  to  Him.  2.  Kecollect  that  the 
time  for  giving  will  soon  be  over.  3.  We  have  need  of  a  giving  God.  (C.  H. 
Spurgeon.)  Cheerful  giving  : — When  St.  Paul  tells  us  that  God  loveth  a  cheerful 
giver  he  must  surely  mean  that  in  cheerful  giving  there  is  something  which  God 
approves.  Had  any  one  suggested  to  him  that  Christian  men,  at  any  rate  in  this 
world,  must  always  need  God's  pity  and  forbearance,  and  can  never  in  anything 
they  are  or  do  deserve  His  approbation,  he  would  have  answered  that  they  are  God's 
workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works,  and  that  He  is  able  out  of 
very  poor  materials  to  create  what  He  Himself  can  regard  with  delight.  I  am 
thankful  to  believe  that  in  those  who  do  not  bear  Christ's  name  there  are  many 
virtues  which  God  honours,  and  that  in  Christian  people  He  recognises  a  goodness 
which  is  hidden  not  only  from  themselves,  but  from  other  men.  It  was  not  by  an 
accident  that  the  apostle  spoke  of  a  "cheerful"  giving,  and  not  merely  of  con- 
scientious giving,  or  liberal  giving,  or  unostentatious  giving.  There  are  only  two 
passages  in  which  the  word,  which  is  very  properly  translated  cheerful  in  this  place, 
and  the  cognate  word  cheerfulness,  occur  in  the  New  Testament ;  both  are  in  the 
writings  of  St.  Paul,  and  both  texts  refer  to  the  duty  of  giving.  The  writer  tells 
the  Corinthians  that  God  loveth  the  cheerful  giver,  and  in  writing  to  the  Eomans 
he  says  that  he  who  showeth  mercy  is  to  do  it  with  cheerfulness.  There  are  many 
duties  which  have  to  be  discharged  with  solemnity,  and  some  which  it  is  not  a  sin 
to  discharge  reluctantly ;  there  are  some  duties  the  discharge  of  which  makes  us 
very  sad,  but  the  duties  of  giving  and  of  showing  mercy  are  to  be  discharged  cheer- 
fully. There  are  some  people  who  give,  but  who  are  certainly  not  cheerful  givers. 
It  is  impossible,  I  suppose,  that  the  man  who  gives  ostentatiously  should  be  a 
cheerful  giver.  He  has  no  delight  in  parting  with  his  money.  The  satisfaction  is 
not  in  the  giving,  but  in  the  honour  which  comes  to  him  as  the  result  of  it,  and  he  is 
vexed  with  manifold  anxieties  as  to  whether  his  wishes  will  be  fulfilled  or  not.  The 
man  who  gives  because  it  is  the  custom  of  people  about  him  to  give  is  not  a  cheerful 
giver.  He  would  not  be  sorry  if  there  were  no  such  thing  as  a  hospital,  just  as  he 
would  not  be  sorry  if  there  were  no  such  thing  as  an  income  tax.  No  doubt  most 
duties  become  pleasanter  the  more  faithfully  they  are  discharged,  and  if  any  one  is 
conscious  that  he  has  no  inclination  to  give,  and  no  delight  in  doing  it,  he  ought 
still  to  give  because  his  conscience  commends  him.     It  would  be  well  for  such  a 


CHAP.  IX.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  403; 

man  to  remember  that  there  is  a  very  intimate  relation  between  the  conscience  and 
the  heart.  If  the  heart  does  not  long  to  give,  the  conscience  is  very  likely  to  be 
satisfied  with  gifts  which  would  seem  quite  inadequate  if  he  had  the  spirit  of 
generosity.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  by  following  this  course,  and  by  praying  to 
God  very  earnestly  for  the  grace  of  generosity,  the  general  spirit  of  charity  will 
gradually  be  developed.  But,  I  believe,  there  are  many  of  you  whom  St.  Paul  him- 
self would  describe  as  cheerful  givers.  I  think  I  know  people  who  feel  grateful  to. 
eveiy  one  who  makes  known  to  them  some  new  channel  for  their  benevolence,  who 
tells  them  of  want  which  they  can  relieve,  and  sorrow  which  they  can  comfort.  1. 
For  cheerful  giving  it  is  necessary,  first  of  all,  that  the  heart  should  be  free  from 
the  spirit  of  coveteousness.  There  is  no  harm  that  I  can  see  in  a  man  liking  the 
things  which  only  money  can  purchase ;  and  there  is  no  harm  in  desiring  to  make 
money  in  order  to  be  able  to  purchase  them.  I  cannot  think  that  God  is  displeased 
if  we  Uke  the  pleasant  things  which  He  has  made,  for  He  meant  us  to  like  them,  or 
He  never  would  have  made  them.  And  if  it  is  no  sin  to  like  them  it  is  no  sin  to 
desire  to  have  them ;  but  we  cannot  have  them  without  money.  But  it  is  possible 
to  like  these  pleasant  things  too  well,  to  have  the  heart  absorbed  by  them ;  it  is 
possible  to  care  too  much  for  them,  and  to  be  indifferent  to  the  great  end  of  life,  and 
to  those  supreme  duties  which  should  have  our  first  thought  and  our  most 
earnest  care.  Perhaps  it  is  not  so  much  the  love  of  the  pleasant  things  which  money 
brings  which  is  the  worst  enemy  of  large-hearted  liberality,  as  the  desire  to  live  in 
style,  and  the  wish  to  accumulate  money  for  its  own  sake.  God  loves  a  cheerful, 
giver,  because  cheerful  giving  proves  that  the  spirit  of  covetousness  is  blotted  out. 
2.  For  cheerful  giving  there  must  be  a  heaiiy  sympathy  with  the  particular  objects 
for  which  we  are  asked  to  give.  No  doubt  many  accidental  circumstances  deter- 
mine the  direction  in  which  our  sympathies  are  directed.  Many  of  us  have  a  deep 
interest  in  missions  to  the  heathen,  whUst  some  of  us  care  most  about  missions  to 
the  heathen  at  home.  Some  men  are  specially  impressed  with  the  importance  of 
the  duty  of  chapel  building,  and  some — though  not  many — are  particularly 
interested  in  our  colleges.  Many  of  us  have  kno^vn  people  who  have  gone  to  the 
hospital  during  the  year,  and  have  come  out  in  health  and  strength,  and  it  is  hardly- 
possible  for  any  man  with  a  human  heart  beating  in  his  breast  not  to  be  touched  by 
the  appeal  which  comes  to  you  to-day.  God  loves  a  man  who  gives  cheerfully  for 
an  object  of  this  sort  because  the  gift  is  induced  by  the  very  spirit  of  compassion  by 
which  the  hand  of  Christ  was  moved  to  confer  miraculous  relief.  When  we  ask  to 
be  filled  with  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus,  we  desire  to  be  filled  with  the  com- 
passion for  human  misery  that  possessed  Him.  3.  In  cheerful  giving  our  gifts  must 
bear  a  fair  proportion  to  our  resources.  I  believe  that  any  man  who  gave  a  shilling 
at  the  collection  last  year,  and  was  unconscious  of  any  thrill  of  pleasure,  would  find 
that  by  giving  ten  shillings  the  pleasure  would  come.  God  Himself  doubtless 
rejoices  in  all  the  joy  with  which  His  bountiful  hand  enriches  His  creatures.  He 
loves  a  cheerful  giver,  because  when  a  man  gives  cheerfully  he  gives  not  only  at  the 
impulse  of  a  generous  love,  but  he  gives  largely  enough  to  make  his  gift  a  real  sacri- 
fice, and  by  every  sacrifice  for  others  we  are  brought  into  closer  sympathy  with  God 
Himself.  4.  Giving  becomes  most  cheerful  when  it  is  exalted  into  an  act  of  thanks- 
giving and  an  expression  of  love  for  God  as  well  as  for  man.  The  collection  is  a 
part  of  the  service ;  and  it  is  something  for  us  to  have  one  portion  of  the  service  in 
which  we  may  all  take  a  part  with  cheerfulness.  In  very  much  of  the  service,  I 
fear,  there  is  very  little  joy  for  many  of  you.  When  we  are  showing  forth  God's 
praise  some  of  your  hearts  are  filled  with  self-reproach,  because  there  is  not  more 
fervour  and  gladness  in  thanksgiving.  But  those  of  you  who  are  most  depressed 
may  rejoice  that  to  one  appeal  which  God  makes  you  can  respond  with  cheerful- 
ness. To-day  He  asks  us  what  we  will  do  to  lessen  their  suffering  and  restore  them 
to  health.  He  will  rejoice  if  with  any  thoughts  of  them  our  hearts  are  moved  with 
compassion,  and  if  we  give  cheerfully  out  of  love  to  them.  But  if  we  remember  how 
dear  they  are  to  Him,  and  give  the  more  largely  because  of  that,  He  will  rejoice  the 
more.  And  we  too  shall  give  the  more  cheerfully  if  we  remember  that  by  our  giving 
■we  not  only  alleviate  human  suffering,  but  made  glad  the  heart  of  God.  Here  is 
something  we  can  do  for  God  HimseK.  You  serve  Me  if  you  serve  My  children. 
"  God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver,"  for  he  who  gives  most  cheerfully,  gives  out  of  love 
for  God,  as  well  as  out  of  love  for  man.  (R.  W.Dale,  D.D.)  God  is  able  to  make 
all  grace  abound  towards  you. — The  all-ability  of  God  : — These  words  stand  in  the 
heart  of  a  chapter  which  is  almost  entirely  occupied  with  instructions  about  giving. 
It  is  a  habit  of  our  apostle,  in  the  discussion  of  a  particular  subject,  to  lift  himself. 


404  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  ix. 

up  suddenly  to  a  higher  level,  where  he  can  grasp  some  more  general  principle  and 
command  a  wider  outlook.  The  language  of  the  verse  is  like  that  of  Eph.  iii.  20. 
I.  "  God  is  able  " — a  very  simple  proposition.  A  self-evident  one  to  those  who 
really  believe  in  God.  Is  not  the  opinion  of  many  something  like  this? — "  God  is 
not  able  to  do  much  specifically.  Granting  His  personal  existence,  He  can  only  act 
along  the  line  of  the  laws,  and  in  conformity  with  the  great  forces  of  the  universe." 
"  God  is  able  "  is  our  answer  to  this.  Whatever  He  has  done,  He  can  do  again.  Is 
He  not  the  Creator  still,  every  day  ?  Every  morning  He  says,  "  Let  there  be  light." 
Every  year  He  says,  "Let  the  earth  bring  forth  grass,  and  herb  yielding  seed  after 
his  kind."  H.  Then  surely  He  is  able  to  rule  the  world  He  has  created,  and 
STILL  CREATES.  He  is  the  Lord  of  Creation,  and  not  its  servant.  The  "laws"  of 
the  world  are  but  the  methods  of  God.  Nature  is  God's  way  of  acting  to-day.  If 
He  acts  differently  to-morrow,  that  will  be  nature  too.  It  will  be  another  nature, 
another  method  of  God  made  known.  He  can  act  behind  aU  the  points  that  are 
visible  to  us,  and  without  altering  the  "order  of  nature"  He  can  produce  what 
change  He  desires.  III.  We  mat  therefore  ask  Him  to  give  us  what  we  think 
WOULD  BE  GOOD  FOR  US.  There  are  limits  to  prayer  as  to  everything  else.  Every 
one  is  bound  to  say  with  the  Master  Himself — "Nevertheless,  not  as  I  will,  but  as 
Thou  wilt."  StiU  there  is  room  for  prayer.  1.  Take,  e.g.,  "  Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread."  That  scarcely  any  would  object  to.  Even  sceptical  people  wish  to  be 
fed.  Even  the  richest  of  men  need  bread.  But  that  simple  prayer  is  an  appeal  to 
the  all-ability  of  God  ;  and  if  answered,  as  it  is  continually,  involves  supernatural 
considerations.  2.  We  pray  to  God  also  about  the  weather.  But  there  are  some 
who  are  almost  afraid  to  pray  about  it.  The  feeling  is  :  "  We  had  better  to  leave 
it ;  God  knows  best  what  to  do.  We  are  under  physical  laws.  If  we  pray  at  aU, 
let  it  be  for  the  spirit  of  submission  to  them."  This  shadowy  phantom  that  men 
call  law,  which  is  nothing  but  the  present  amount  of  their  own  knowledge  of  God's 
methods  of  action,  disappears  for  a  while  when  the  great  Presence  is  realised,  and 
then  it  comes  stalking  in  again  and  makes  for  the  throne,  and  its  worshippers  stand 
around  with  formula  and  definition,  with  records  of  discoveries,  with  catalogues  of 
sciences  and  arts,  and  say,  "  Law  is  king."  3.  Thus  we  reach  the  solemn  dread 
issue — "  God  or  no  God  !  "  For  if  I  may  not  ask  my  daily  bread  from  God,  if  I  may 
not  teU  Him  what  I  wish  about  the  weather,  then  what  may  I  speak  to  Him  about  ? 
"  About  spiritual  blessings  "  ;  but  are  they  not  also  given  according  to  law  ?  If  God 
is  bound  to  act  invariably  in  the  material  sphere.  He  is  equally  bound  to  act  in- 
variably in  the  spiritual  sphere ;  and  if  we  may  not  pray  to  Him  in  the  one,  we  may 
not  pray  to  Him  in  the  other.  It  is  God  or  no  God.  IV.  Prater  springs  from  this 
FAITH  THAT  "  GoD  IS  ABLE."  For  what  is  prayer  ?  "  Our  Father  which  art  in 
heaven  "  is  the  answer.  Prayer  is  the  child  speaking  to  the  Father — asking  any- 
thing that  seems  good  and  needful.  1.  Prayer  is  asking.  It  is  not  dictation.  If  it 
were,  it  would  be  liable  to  the  objections  urged  against  it.  2.  Answers  come  in  many 
ways.  They  sometimes  come  by  denial  of  the  particular  request,  in  order  that  a 
greater  blessing  may  be  given.  3.  Do  you  say,  "  I  am  not  so  much  concerned  about 
the  outward  things  of  this  life,  but  I  am  borne  down  by  a  sense  of  guilt :  I  see  no 
way  of  escape,  for  it  is  written,  "As  a  man  soweth,  so  shall  he  also  reap'  "?  I 
answer,  "  God  is  able  to  forgive."  4.  Do  you  say,  "  My  nature  seems  strengthless. 
I  can  wish,  but  I  can  do  nothing  "  ?  I  answer,  "  God  is  able  "  to  make  you  all  that 
He  designs  man  to  be.  5.  Or  do  you  say,  "  I  hope  I  am  forgiven,  and  yet  I  am  in 
fear.  The  heart  is  deceitful,  temptation  is  strong.  What  if  after  all  I  should  make 
shipwreck  of  faith"?  My  answer  is,  "  God  is  able  "  to  guide  you  safely  through. 
(A.  Raleigh,  D.D.)  Abounding  grace: — I.   The   exhaustless  treasure — "All 

grace."  You  know  it  a  man  has  got  a  little  money,  and  he  lives  upon  the  principal, 
he  may  get  rid  of  it  all  and  be  reduced  to  want ;  but  here  is  a  treasure  that  you  may 
live  upon — the  interest  and  principal  too — as  long  as  life  lasts.  1.  "T'liis  is  treasured 
up  by  God  the  Father  in  His  infinite,  paternal  love ;  and  it  can  no  more  be  plundered 
than  it  can  fail  or  be  exhausted.  2.  It  is  held  officially  and  responsibly  by  our 
covenant  Head.  He  is  the  Treasure,  and  He  is  the  Treasurer.  3.  It  is  imparted  by 
the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is  His  province  first  to  implant  aU  His  own  graces,  and  then  to 
impart  supplies  to  those  graces  to  call  them  into  lively  exercise.  II.  The  aboundings 
OF  the  supplt.  "  God  is  able  to  make  all  grace  abound  towards  you."  It  is  of  no 
use  for  a  man  to  tell  me  that  he  has  abundance  of  gold  locked  up  in  an  iron  chest, 
and  he  has  lost  the  key  ;  but  let  it  be  brought  out,  and  it  may  be  of  some  impor- 
tance. So  also  with  the  statement  of  my  text.  God  does  not  deal  as  parsimoniously 
with  us  as  as  we  with  Him.    It  is  abounding  grace  that  He  bestows.     1.  He  does 


CHAP.  IX.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  405 

not  always  meet  the  caprice,  the  carnal  desire  of  His  people,  but  He  always  makes 
His  grace  abound  in  everything  they  really  need.  2.  God  makes  all  grace  to  abound 
for  the  replenishing  of  the  exhausted  child  of  God.  Those  of  you  who  have  been  at 
all  accustomed  to  sharp  exercises  will  be  prepared  at  once  to  recognise  the  seasons 
in  which  you  have  felt  exhausted,  just  like  the  man  that  is  running  a  race,  and  bids 
fair  to  win  the  prize,  but  his  strength  is  exhausted,  just  like  the  man  that  has 
been  hungering  and  thirsting  a  long  while,  and  is  almost  wishing  to  die.  Now,  in 
such  cases  as  these,  what  is  the  abounding  of  grace  for  but  to  replenish  ?  "  He 
giveth  power  to  the  faint,  and  to  them  that  have  no  might  He  increaseth  strength." 
{J.  Irons.)  Being  enriched  in  everything  to  all  bountifulness. — Reasons  for 
penuriousness  self-refuting  : — Thei'e  are  some  words  used  by  people  in  utter  ignorance 
of  their  true  meaning.  When  appealed  to  on  behalf  of  some  charity  the  stock 
excuses  are  "I  must  be  economical — frugal — thrifty";  by  which  they  mean 
that  they  must  be  narrow-hearted,  niggardly,  although  they  do  not  intend  you 
to  take  that  as  their  meaning.  But  never  were  words  more  misused.  Let  us  see 
what  they  really  mean.  I.  Economical  comes  from  the  Greek  root  which  means 
*'  home  feeding."  Now,  fathers  and  mothers,  what  does  home-feeding  mean  ?  Just 
to  measure  out  so  many  ounces  to  your  little  child,  and  a  little  more  to  your  eldest 
one  ?  Is  that  the  way  we  feed  our  children  ?  No  !  We  set  them  down  at  the  table 
and  let  them  eat  as  much  as  they  like,  until  they  have  had  enough — that  is  economy. 
The  Mosaic  economy  is  the  dispensation  of  God's  abundant  graces  through  the 
teaching,  &c.,  of  Moses  to  the  family  of  Israel.  The  economy  of  Christ  is  taken,  I 
suppose,  from  the  miracle  of  the  loaves,  where  Christ  stands  as  the  Father,  breaks 
the  bread,  blesses  it,  and  gives  it  out,  and  there  is  enough  and  to  spare.  The 
economy  of  grace  is  God  giving  enough  for  each  and  all — bestowing  His  Holy  Spirit, 
enough  for  each  and  for  all.  Economy  is  one  of  the  noblest  and  most  bountiful 
words  in  the  language.  II.  Thrifty.  You  say,  "I  must  be  thrifty,"  and  I  hope 
you  will ;  for  it  is  an  adjective  derived  from  the  words  "  to  thrive."  And  thrive  as 
fast  as  you  can,  and  God's  blessing  be  with  you.  But  do  not  attach  a  meaning  that 
is  "  mean  "  to  it.  A  thrifty  table  is  a  thriving  table,  and\a  bountiful  one  too.  III. 
Frugal.  This  comes  from  the  Latin  Frugis,  fruitful.  A  frugal  table  is  a  fruitful 
table,  groaning  beneath  the  weight  of  God's  temporal  gifts.     (R.  Maguire,  D.D.) 

Vers.  13,  14.  By  the  experiment  of  this  ministration  they  glorify  God  for 
your  professed  subjection  unto  the  gospel  of  Christ. — Professed  subjection  unto  the 
gospel  of  Christ : — We  have  here — I.  A  summary  of  Christian  principles — "  The 
gospel  of  Christ."  And  what  is  the  gospel  ?  It  is,  in  short,  a  proclamation.  1.  A 
fuU  salvation.  2.  A  finished  salvation.  3.  A  free  salvation.  4.  An  infallible  and 
eternal  salvation.  II.  An  epitome  of  Christian  experience.  "  Your  subjection." 
1.  This  carries  with  it  a  supposition  that  man  likes  not  the  gospel  of  Christ 
naturally.  And  never  will  depravity  give  way  until  it  is  brought  into  subjection 
to  the  gospel  of  Christ.  2.  The  proof  of  this  subjection  is  the  being  made  willing 
to  submit  to  the  humiliating  plan  of  salvation,  and  this  is  illustrated  in  the  case  of 
St.  Paul.  III.  An  exhibition  of  Christian  practice — "your  professed  subjection." 
There  is  then  to  be  a  profession  of  religion.  If  retirement,  if  solitary  communion 
with  God  had  been  all  that  was  necessary,  He  would  have  appointed  us  to  live  in 
solitude  rather  than  in  communities.      {R.  C.  Dillon,  D.D.)  What  is  essential 

to  Church  membership  ? — I  wish  to  direct  attention  to  the  declaration  of  those  who 
profess  obedience  to  Christ  by  joining  the  Church.  Such  a  one  professes  to  have — 
I.  A  clear  understanding  of  the  first  principles  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
One  cannot  make  a  profession  truly  unless  he  makes  it  intelligently.  There  is 
a  difference  between  knowledge  and  faith,  yet  when  there  is  faith  there  must  be 
some  knowledge.  Ignorance  marks  credulity,  but  not  faith.  True,  there  is  a 
difference  between  apprehension  and  comprehension.  We  often  apprehend  what 
we  cannot  explain.  To  be  a  Christian  it  is  not  necessary  to  be  a  theologian  ;  yet 
there  must  be  a  clear  conception  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Lord,  that  He  has  suffered 
and  died  to  make  salvation  possible.  In  the  present  reaction  against  creeds  we 
must  see  that  we  do  not  let  go  our  hold  on  the  essential  truths.  II.  A  personal 
experience  of  the  gospel's  power.  Men  should  first  come  to  Christ,  then  into 
the  Church.  I  do  not  claim  that  the  Church  member  should  be  able  to  tell  the 
moment  when  he  was  born  into  the  kingdom  of  the  Saviour,  or  the  details  of  his 
conversion.  The  watchman  may  not  be  able  to  tell  when  the  first  faint  gleam  of 
the  day  was  on  the  eastern  sky,  &c.  What  I  ought  to  know  is  that  the  day  has 
dawned  in  my  heart.     It  is  not  claimed  that  the  Christian  is  to  be  perfect.     The 


406  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  ix. 

little  one  in  the  primer  class  is  just  as  much  a  student  as  the  youth  with  his- 
calculus.  So  no  one  is  to  be  excluded  from  Christ's  school  because  he  is  but 
learning  the  alphabet  of  His  doctrine.  III.  A  willingness  to  sacrifice  every- 
thing THAT  is  inconsistent  WITH  A  CHRISTIAN  LIFE.  The  Christian  has  one  Lord, 
Christ  Jesus.  If  he  enters  where  there  is  another  ruler,  call  it  pride,  fashion,  or 
what  you  will,  he  becomes  a  traitor  to  his  Lord.  Remember,  the  Christian  can- 
have  but  one  king.  And  think  of  Paul's  warning,  that  he  that  doubteth  is  con- 
demned already.  IV.  A  willingness  to  work  with  the  Church  in  behalf  op 
Christianity.  The  Church  has  a  work  to  do  in  the  world.  1.  To  those  who  have 
professed  this  subjection,  Have  you  kept  this  profession  ?  2.  To  those  who  have 
not  made  profession.  Why  have  you  not  professed  Christ  ?  (IF.  M.  Taylor,  D.D.) 
The  Christianas  surrender  to  Christ  .-—The  apostle  expresses  his  thought  in  military 
language.  He  speaks  of  the  confession  of  Christ  which  the  Corinthian  Christians 
had  made  as  a  surrender,  in  which  they  grounded  the  arms  of  their  opposition 
and  enlisted  under  His  banner.  He  speaks  of  their  subjection  as  a  subordination 
to  military  authority.  This  is  Paul's  idea  of  Church  membership.  I.  The  gospel 
is  a  great  body  of  truth  received  from  heaven  by  immediate  revelation,  and 

FOR   this   reason    OF   A   HIGHER     ORDER    AND    A    MORE     BINDING     AUTHORITY    THAN    ANY 

truth  which  comes  to  us  IN  a  natural  way.  To  this  system  of  revealed  truth 
we  are  to  subject  our  understandings.  We  are  to  receive  it  as  the  Word  of  God. 
II.  The  gospel  is  the  revelation  of  a  method  of  salvation — a  new  method, 
one  of  which  man  never  could  have  conceived — an  exclusive  method,  so  that  a 
man  must  discard  all  others  if  he  accepts  this.  Church  membership  implies,  in- 
this  second  sense,  subjection  of  the  heart  to  the  method  of  redemption  revealed  in 
the  gospel— the  renunciation  of  all  self -righteousness.  III.  The  gospel  prescribes 
A  RULE  OF  practical  LIVING.  So,  then,  he  is  to  subject  his  life  to  the  guidance 
and  control  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     IV.  The  gospel  is  God's  great  agency  for  the 

REGENERATION,    THE     PURIFICATION,    THE     ENLIGHTENMENT     OF     THE     WORLD.       Church 

membership  involves  the  subjection  of  one's  resources  to  the  service  of  Christ. 
A  man's  time,  his  influence,  his  money,  all  are  to  be  laid  upon  the  altar  to  be  used 
as  the  Lord  has  need.  This  is  the  kind  of  Church  membership  we  need  to-day. 
(r.  D.  Witherspoon,  D.D.)  Thanks  be  imto  God  for  His  imspeakable  gift, — 

God's  unspeakable  gift : — Consider  Christ  as — I.  The  gift  of  God.  1.  What  i& 
not  implied — (1)  That  there  is  any  posteriority  on  the  part  of  the  Son  to  the 
Father.  The  Son's  goings  forth  are  "  from  of  old — even  from  everlasting."  "  Before 
Abraham  was,  I  am."  (2)  That  there  is  any  inferiority  in  nature,  perfections,  or 
blessedness  on  the  part  of  the  Son ;  for  what  the  Father  is  that  the  Son  is.  (3) 
Still  less  that  there  was  any  involuntariness  on  the  part  of  the  Son  to  come  to  us. 
The  Son  was  as  willing  to  be  given  as  the  Father  was  to  give  Him.  2.  What  is 
implied— (1)  The  Saviour's  appointment  by  the  Father  to  the  work  of  substitution- 
for  sinners.  (2)  The  Saviour's  subjection,  as  the  sinner's  Substitute,  to  all  the 
consequences  which  His  situation  entailed,  having  undertaken  to  make  satisfaction 
for  us.  (3)  The  application  of  the  Son  to  the  sinner's  soul  as  his  portion,  with 
all  the  blessings  that  are  consequent  upon  His  mission.  II.  The  unspeakable 
GIFT  OF  God.  Now  this  word  "  unspeakable  "  occurs  only  twice  elsewhere  (chap, 
xii.  4 ;  1  Pet.  i.  8).  1.  It  is  unspeakably  great.  Its  greatness  surpasses  all  human 
expression.  It  is  a  Divine  gift.  Divinity  is  the  sun  that  Hghtens  and  gilds  every 
passage  of  inspiration.  2.  It  is  unspeakably  free.  And,  after  all,  it  is  the  freeness 
of  this  gift  that  makes  it  so  worthy  of  God  to  bestow,  and  so  fit  for  us  to  accept. 
3.  It  is  unspeakably  necessary.  We  were  lost,  and  none  but  Christ  could  find  us ; 
dead,  and  none  but  Christ  could  raise  us;  sunk,  and  none  but  Christ  could  recover 
us ;  afar  off,  and  none  but  Christ  could  bring  us  in ;  guilty,  and  none  but  Christ 
could  procure  for  us  a  pardon.  4.  It  is  unspeakably  efficacious.  A  gift  may  be 
exceedingly  valuable  in  itself — it  may  have  been  bestowed  by  great  kindness,  but,, 
somehow  or  other,  it  may  fail  of  answering  the  end  intended.  But  here  is  a  gift 
that  is  efficacious.  III.  A  gift  for  which  thanks  are  to  be  returned  to  God. 
These  thanks  must  be — 1.  Personal.  2.  Fervent  and  lively.  3.  Practical.  As  Philip 
Henry  says,  "  thanksgiving  is  good,  but  thanks-living  is  better."  (J.  Beaumont,  M.D.). 
God's  unspeakable  gift : — I.  The  gift  of  God.  1.  Its  nature.  It  is  the  gift  of 
His  beloved  Son.  The  prophets  foretold  Him  as  the  gift  of  God — "  Unto  us  a 
Son  is  given."  Jesus  describes  HimseK  as  the  gift  of  God — "  God  so  loved  the 
■world  that  He  gave,"  &c.  The  apostles  announce  Jesus  as  the  gift  of  God  (1  Rom. 
vi.  23 ;  1  John  v.  ii.)  2.  Its  excellence.  It  is  unspeakable  in — (1)  Its  source.  The 
love  of  God.    Who  can  tell  why  God  hath  loved  us  ?  who  can  calculate  how  God 


CHAP.  IX.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  407 


hath  loved  us?  or  who  can  comprehend  the  beginninp;  or  the  end  of  the  love  of  God 
in  Christ  Jesus  ?  Who  can  tell  its  duration  or  its  perfections,  its  tenderness,  or  its 
strength  ?  Angels  stoop  fi-om  their  throne  in  glory  to  contemplate  and  to  adore  the 
manifestation  of  redeeming  love  in  Christ.  (2)  Its  value.  To  form  some  faint 
idea  of  the  value  of  this  gift,  consider — («)  the  divinity  of  the  Redeemer's  person. 
(6)  The  depth  of  the  Redeemer's  sufferings.  (3)  Its  character.  AU  wisdom, 
mysteries,  and  blessings  unite  in  Christ  crucified.  (4)  Its  application  is — (a)  Free. 
Jesus  invites  all,  and  casts  out  none,  (b)  Spiritual.  Though  offered  to  all  freely, 
the  Holy  Spirit  alone  can  effectually  apply  it.  (5)  Its  effects.  Pardon,  peace,  holi- 
ness, heaven.  II.  The  duty  of  man.  To  thank  God  for  the  gift  of  His  Son. 
1.  With  the  gratitude  of  our  hearts.  2.  With  the  praises  of  our  lips.  3.  By  the 
obedience  of  our  lives.      (J.  Cawood,  M.A.)  GoiVs  iinnpeakahle  gift: — AU  the 

gifts  of  God  are  good ;  but  there  is  one  which,  in  its  intrinsic  value  and  the 
importance  of  its  blessings,  infinitely  transcends  them  all,  so  that,  without 
exaggeration,  it  is  "  unspeakable."     That  gift  is  Jesus  Christ.     It  is  unspeakable — 

1.  In  the  feeeness  of  its  bestowment.  1.  It  was  unmerited  ;  it  was  a  gift  to 
those  who  never  had  the  shadow  of  a  claim.  It  was  a  gift  to  man,  not  in  a  state 
of  allegiance  and  innocence,  but  of  rebellion  and  apostasy.  2.  Never  was  gift  so 
entirely  unsolicited.  The  grace  which  was  given  us  in  Christ  Jesus  God  gave  us 
before  the  world  began.  II.  In  its  value.  1.  In  itself  it  is  unspeakable.  The 
wondrous  union  of  the  Divine  with  the  human  nature  in  the  person  of  Immanuel  is 
infinitely  more  than  our  feeble  powers  can  comprehend.  Yet  it  is  a  truth  most  clearly 
revealed.  From  this  union  arises  His  ability  to  save;  hence  the  incalculable  value  of 
His  sacrifice.  On  the  one  hand,  being  human,  He  can  obey  and  suffer;  on  the  other 
hand,  being  Divine,  there  is  an  infinite  merit  impressed  upon  His  obedience  and  suffer- 
ings. 2.  Its  relative  value.  Think  of  the  relation  in  which  the  Redeemer  stood— (1) 
To  the  Father.  Think  of  the  glory  which  He  had  with  Him  before  the  world  was. 
(2)  To  the  universe,  as  the  Creator,  the  Proprietor,  and  the  Sovereign  Lord.  III.  In 
THE  kesults  of  ITS  BESTOWMENT.  1.  The  salvatioH  of  men.  This  was  the  great 
object  of  the  Redeemer's  mission.  It  is  a  salvation  from — (1)  The  pollution  of  sin. 
Purity  is  an  essential  part  of  it.  (2)  The  power  of  sin.  Sin  shall  not  have  dominion 
over  them  who,  being  justified  by  faith,  are  no  longer  under  the  law,  but  under 
grace.  (3)  The  wrath  of  God.  God  is  angry  with  the  wicked  every  day.  (4)  The 
sting  of  death.  (-5)  The  resurrection  of  damnation,  the  terrors  of  judgment,  and  the 
pains  of  hell.  2.  The  honour  of  God.  {T.  Raffles,  D.D.)  The  unspeakable  gift: — • 
Let  me — I.  Illustrate  this  interesting  doctrine.  By  the  gift  of  Christ  we  receive 
— 1.  The  gift  of  religious  truth.  2.  The  gift  of  conscience.  Where  there  is  no  truth 
there  is  no  conscience;  men  seem  asleep;  in  their  trespasses  and  sins  they  are  dead. 
Such  was  the  state  of  the  pagan  world.  3.  The  gift  of  righteousness  by  faith.  It  is 
only  by  Christ  that  we  come  to  know  the  fact  that  the  God  whom  we  have  offended 
is  placable,  and  that  it  is  in  His  gracious  purpose  to  forgive.  4.  A  new  order 
of  affections.  5.  The  privilege  of  public  worship.  II.  Improve  it.  1.  This 
unspeakable  gift,  with  all  its  resulting  blessings,  may  have  been  offered  to  us  in  vain. 

2.  In  it  see  the  love  of  God  ;  His  readiness  to  save.  3.  If  the  gift  be  unspeakable, 
from  the  very  fulness  and  variety  of  its  blessings,  then  have  we  presented  to  us  the 
noblest  view  of  the  true  life  of  a  Christian.  In  every  other  form  of  religion,  or  in 
those  framed  out  of  a  corrupted  form  of  the  true  religion,  we  soon  see  all  that  they 
can  give ;  the  spring  is  soon  dry,  or,  rather,  it  never  flows  but  in  the  imagination  of 
the  deluded  votary.  But  here  the  fulness  is  inexhaustible,  and  spreads  innumerable 
blessings  before  us  in  time  and  eternity.  {R.  Watson.)  The  unspeakable  gift : — 
It  is  unspeakable  because — I.  It  is  most  precious  (1  Pet.  ii.  7).  Suppose  I  put 
into  your  hand  a  large  jewel  worth  ten  thousand  pounds;  then  I  show  you  another, 
and  say  there  are  only  four  to  be  seen  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  one  is  costly, 
the  other  rare,  and  both  are  precious.  Christ  is  precious  because — 1.  He  is  most 
valuable.  His  humanity  is  adoi'ned  with  every  grace ;  His  Divinity  is  enriched 
with  every  perfection.  2.  He  is  most  rare.  There  is  only  one  Bible,  and  that  is 
enough.  We  have  only  one  sun.  So  we  have  only  one  Saviour,  and  we  need  no 
other.  II.  It  is  most  comprehensive  (Rom.  viii.  32).  It  comprehends  all  we  need 
for  time  and  for  eternity.  They  who  receive  this  gift  receive — 1.  God  the  Father, 
God  the  Son,  God  the  Holy  Ghost.  2.  All  spiritual  privileges.  3.  Heaven  (John 
xiv.  1).  III.  It  is  most  suitable.  They  who  receive  this  Gift  receive  raiment 
for  their  naked  souls  (Rev.  vii.  13).  Those  who  are  spiritually  hungry  receive 
"the  Bread  of  Life"  (John  vi.  48).  Water  is  to  satisfy  the  thirsty;  they  who 
receive    this    Gift   receive   the   "  water  of    life "   (John    iv).     They    who   receive 


408  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  ix. 

this  Gift  receive  freedom  from  the  captivity  of  Satan  and'of  the  world  (Isa. 
M.  1).  IV.  It  is  most  satisfying.  The  world  never  satisfies.  That  large 
bag  of  gold  contains  twenty  thousand  sovereigns.  What  is  that  written 
on  the  outside?  "  Satisfieth  not."  But  what  is  Christ?  A  Gift  so  precious  that 
they  who  receive  it  are  satisfied  for  ever.  V.  It  is  eternal  (Rom.  vi.  20).  You  see 
inscribed  upon  all  earthly  things  the  words,  "  Only  for  a  time."  (A.  Fletcher,  D.D.) 
The  unspeakable  gift  :—l.  Befobe  we   consider  what  this  unspeakable  gift  is, 

LET    us    CONSIDER    THOSE    WHICH    CAN    BE    EASILY    SPOKEN    OF.        1.    What     a    WOnderful 

world  is  this  !  What  beauty,  variety,  majestic  presence  of  law,  vast  order,  infinite 
adaptations  to  the  purposes  of  life  !  Go  out  on  a  summer  morning.  Man  goes 
forth  to  his  work  and  his  labour,  creating  another  world  of  art  and  use,  a  micro- 
cosm in  the  macrocosm.  He  also  is  allowed  to  be  a  creator  in  his  httle  sphere.  2. 
Life  is  a  httle  day,  but  how  it  is  filled  with  opportunity  for  knowledge,  for  work,  for 
love  !  3.  And  what  a  wonderful  gift  is  the  human  soul !  What  mysterious  powers 
are  hidden  therein,  slowly  evolved  into  grand  activities  !  For  all  this  we  may  well 
thank  God  every  day  and  every  hour.  But  why  ?  He  does  not  need  words  of 
praise.  He  cannot  love  praise  as  men  desire  it.  To  this  many  would  answer,  "  He 
wishes  our  praise,  not  for  Hi<s  own  sake,  but  only  for  ours.  It  does  us  good  to  be 
grateful."  This  is  true  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  only  hah  the  truth.  There  is  a  sense 
in  which  God  may  enjoy  the  thanks  of  His  creatures.  If  those  thanksgivings  of 
ours  come  from  love,  then  even  the  Infinite  Majesty  of  Heaven  may  find  joy  in  the 
grateful  heart  of  creation,  for  love  unites  the  high  and  the  low.  Who  can  ever 
despise  or  be  indifferent  to  sincere  love  ?  II.  Love,  then,  is  "  the  unspeakable 
GiET."  1.  The  gift  which  makes  the  value  of  all  other  gifts.  We  do  not  value  a 
gift  from  man  unless  we  see  in  it  some  love.  Ingratitude  is  inability  or  unwilling- 
ness to  recognise  love  in  a  giver.  2.  Love  is  "  unspeakable,"  for  who  can  describe 
even  human  love,  much  less  infinite  love  ?  But  what  we  cannot  describe  we  can 
see  and  know.  Who  can  describe  the  perfume  of  a  violet  ?  Yet  we  know  it.  Who 
can  describe  the  melody  in  the  song  of  a  nightingale  or  the  music  of  a  gentle  voice  ? 
But  we  know  these,  and  can  recall  them  after  long  years.  So  we  may  know, 
though  we  cannot  describe,  this  unspeakable  gift  of  Divine  love.  Men  may  receive 
all  God's  other  gifts,  and  if  no  love  is  seen  in  them  they  will  awaken  no  gratitude. 
A  man  of  taste  may  be  gratified,  but  hardly  grateful,  in  the  sight  of  outward 
beauty.  The  sight  of  vast  laws  may  gratify  our  desire  for  knowledge  ;  a  man  may 
do  right  simply  because  it  is  right,  and  will  find  satisfaction  in  so  doing.  But  the 
"  unspeakable  gift "  may  not  be  in  any  of  these  blessings.  It  is  not  till  we  see  love 
in  God's  gifts  that  we  are  grateful ;  and  when  we  see  love  we  cannot  help  being 
grateful.  3.  But  is  not  this  the  wonder  of  v/onders,  that  the  Infinite  Being  should 
not  be  above  the  reach  of  love  ?  We  see  power,  wisdom,  benevolent  adaptations 
everywhere ;  but  before  the  personal  being,  the  great  heart  of  the  universe,  there 
hangs  an  impenetrable  veil.  To  the  intellect  this  mystery  is  unfathomable.  But 
one  has  drawn  aside  that  veil — one  who  from  the  first  spoke  of  God  as  Father.  We 
can  come  to  the  Infinite  Being  by  the  broad  highway  of  reason.  But  who  except 
Jesus  has  revealed  the  deeper  mystery  of  Divine  love  ?  There  have,  indeed,  been 
mystics  in  all  rehgions  who  have  sought  by  ascetic  practices  to  purify  themselves  so 
a,s  to  meet  God  in  their  souls.  But  Jesus  brings  God's  love  to  all,  not  to  the 
thinker  or  the  monk,  but  to  the  humblest  child  of  the  Infinite  Friend.  The  sailor 
;  on  the  high  and  giddy  mast  can  feel  beneath  him  the  everlasting  arms.  The  young 
/  soldier,  dying  in  pain  on  the  battle-field,  can  say,  "  My  Father  !  "  and  be  at  peace. 
I  The  sinner  in  the  midst  of  temptation  can  utter  in  his  heart  a  cry  for  help,  and  be 
pardoned  and  saved.  The  little  child  can  talk  with  this  dear  Father,  and  its 
childish  prattle  will  reach  the  Infinite  ear.  4.  And  this  unspeakable  gift  is  given 
to  you  and  to  me.  To  us  the  word  of  this  salvation  is  sent.  Salvation  !  for  what 
can  be  more  safe  than  to  feel  ourselves  in  the  embrace  of  an  infinite  love  ?  Sacri- 
fice and  offering  He  does  not  require.  He  says  only  this,  "  My  son,  give  Me  thine 
heart."  And  to  enable  us  to  do  this  He  shows  how  He  so  loved  the  world  as  to  give 
His  only  Son  to  bring  the  same  sense  of  a  Father's  love  to  the  rest  of  His  children. 
(J.  Freeman  Clarke,  D.D.)  The  gift  xinspeakahle  : — Nothing  can  so  excite  God's 
people  to  give  to  Him  as  the  remembrance  of  what  God  has  given  to  them. 
"  Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give."  Gospel  graces  are  best  stimulated  by 
gospel  motives.  The  gospel  is  founded  upon  giving,  and  its  spirit  is  giving.  God 
gives  us  Jesus — everything  in  fact ;  and  then,  moved  by  love  to  Him,  we  give  our- 
selves back  to  Him  and  to  His  people.  I.  Christ  is  the  gift  unspeakable.  1. 
Ko  man  can  doctrinally  lay  down  the  whole  meaning  of  the  gift  of  Christ  to  men. 


CHAP.  IX.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  409 

The  devout  and  studious  have  themselves  cried  out,  "  Oh,  the  depths,"  but  they 
have  not  pretended  to  fathom  this  abyss  of  mystery.  It  is  idle  to  attempt  a  defini- 
tion of  infinity.  Theology  can  speak  on  many  themes,  and  she  hath  much  to  say 
on  this,  but  her  voice  fails  to  speak  the  whole.  2.  No  man  can  ever  set  forth  the 
manner  of  this  gift.  (1)  The  manner  of  the  Father's  giving  the  Only-Begotten  to 
us.  We  swim  in  mysteries  when  we  speak  of  the  Father  and  the  Son.  How,  then, 
shall  any  explain  how  God  could  give  the  Son  to  die,  He  being  one  with  Himself  ? 
Or,  if  he  could  explain,  can  he  tell  us  what  it  cost  ?  (2)  Our  Lord's  sufferings  when 
He  was  made  sin  for  us.  None  can  declare  the  greatness  of  His  sufferings.  Incar- 
nation is  but  the  first  step,  but  of  that  first  descent  of  love  who  shall  declare  the 
mystery?  "Thine  unknown  sufferings,"  says  the  Greek  Liturgy,  and  unknown 
they  must  for  ever  be.  3.  None  can  describe  the  boons  which  have  come  to  us 
through  the  gift  of  Christ.  There  is,  first  of  all,  the  forgiveness  of  sins  according 
to  the  riches  of  His  grace.  Then  comes  adoption,  and  all  that  that  means.  "  All 
things  are  yours,"  &c.  Other  gifts  may  amaze  us,  but  this  overwhelms  us.  If  the 
stream  be  fathomless  who  shall  find  a  plummet  wherewith  to  measure  the  fountain  ? 
4.  When  it  is  best  realised  speech  about  it  fails.  Utterance  belongs  not  to  the 
deepest  emotion.  Some  feelings  are  too  big  for  expression.  A  dear  lover  of  Christ 
wished  to  join  a  certain  church,  but  her  testimony  was  too  little  to  satisfy  the 
brethren,  and  they  told  her  so ;  when,  bursting  through  all  bonds,  she  cried  out, 
"  I  cannot  speak  for  Him,  but  I  could  die  for  Him."  5.  Even  when  the  Spirit  of 
God  helps  men  to  speak  upon  it,  they  yet  feel  it  to  be  unspeakable.  You  shall  not 
be  able  to  soar  amongst  the  mysteries  and  then  come  back  and  say,  "  I  can  declare 
it  all  to  you."  No,  Paul  "heard  things  which  it  were  not  lawful  for  a  man  to 
utter."  II.  Cheist  is  a  gift  to  be  vkry  much  spoken  of.  1.  By  thanks  to  God. 
2.  By  deeds  of  praise.  If  our  words  have  failed  let  us  try  actions,  which  speak 
more  loudly  than  words.  (1)  Give  yourself  away  to  your  Lord.  If  God  has  given 
you  Christ,  give  Him  yourself.  Ye  are  not  your  own.  (2)  Then,  having  given 
yourself,  give  of  your  substance  to  God,  and  give  freely.  Nothing  can  be  too  good 
or  great  for  Him.  (8)  Deeds  of  patience  are  among  the  thanks  which  best  speak 
out  our  gratitude  to  God.  If  you  have  lost  everything  but  Christ,  yet  if  you  have 
Christ  left  you  what  have  you  lost  ?  Why  fret  for  pins  when  God  gives  pearls  ?  3. 
By  always  holding  a  thankful  creed.  Believe  nothing  which  would  rob  God  of 
thanks  or  Christ  of  glory.  Hold  a  theology  which  magnifies  Christ,  which  teaches 
that  Christ  is  God's  unspeakable  gift.  4.  By  bringing  others  to  accept  God's 
unspeakable  gift.  Seek  out  those  who  do  not  know  Christ,  and  tell  them  "  the  old, 
old  story  of  Jesus  and  His  love."  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  The  gift  of  gifts  : — It  is 
unutterably  precious  because — I.  Of  the  givee.  II.  It  includes  otheb  gifts. 
III.  It  improves  other  gifts.  Through  it  man  values — 1.  Nature.  2.  Human 
nature.  3.  The  Bible  more.  IV.  It  makes  us  givers.  V.  It  is  a  gift  to  all. 
1.  Not  a  loan.  2.  Not  a  purchase.  3.  A  gift,  and  a  gift  to  all.  (T.  R.  Stevenson.) 
Praise  for  the  gift  of  gifts  : — I.  Salvation  is  altogether  the  gift  of  God.  1.  It 
comes  to  us  by  Jesus,  and  what  else  could  Jesus  be  ?  2.  Over  and  over  again  we 
are  told  that  salvation  is  not  of  works,  and  these  are  themselves  a  gift,  the  work  of 
the  grace  of  God.  3.  If  salvation  were  not  a  free  gift  how  else  could  a  sinner  get 
it  ?  I  know  that  there  would  have  been  no  hope  of  heaven  for  me  if  salvation  had 
not  been  the  free  gift  of  God  to  those  who  deserved  it  not.  4.  Look  at  the  privi- 
leges which  come  to  us  through  salvation !  They  are  so  many  and  so  glorious  as  to 
be  altogether  beyond  the  limit  of  our  furthest  search  and  the  height  of  our  utmost 
reach.  (1)  Pardon.  (2)  Sonship.  (3)  Heirship.  (4)  Oneness  with  Christ.  (5) 
The  Divine  indwelling.  (6)  Peace  which  passeth  understanding.  (7)  Victory  over 
death.  (8)  Heaven.  II.  This  gift  is  unspeakable.  Not  that  we  cannot  speak 
about  it.  How  many  times  have  I,  for  one,  spoken  upon  it.  It  is  like  an  artesian 
well  that  spiingeth  up  for  ever  and  ever.  We  can  speak  about  it,  yet  it  is  unspeak- 
able. Christ  is  unspeakable — 1.  In  His  person.  He  is  perfect  man  and  glorious 
God.  2.  In  His  condescension.  Can  any  one  measure  or  describe  how  far  Christ 
stooped  ?  3.  In  His  death.  4.  In  His  glory.  When  we  think  of  His  resurrection, 
of  His  ascending  to  the  right  hand  of  God,  words  languish  on  our  lips.  5.  In  His 
chosen.  All  the  Father  gave  Him,  all  for  whom  He  died,  He  will  glorify  with  Him- 
self, and  they  shall  be  with  Him  where  He  is.  6.  In  the  heart  here.  Throughout 
a  long  life  and  even  in  heaven  Christ  will  be  a  gift  unspeakable.  "  Eternity's  too 
short  to  utter  half  Thy  praise."  HI.  For  this  gift  thanks  should  be  rendered. 
1.  Some  cannot  say  "  Thanks  be  to  God,"  &c.,  because — (1)  They  never  think  of 
it.      There  must  be  "think"  at  the  bottom  of  "thank."      (2)  Some  are  always 


410  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  ix. 

delaying.  (3)  Some  do  not  know  whether  they  have  it  or  not.  2.  Join  me  in  this 
exercise.  (1)  Thank  God  for  this  gift.  Put  out  of  your  mind  the  idea  that  you. 
ought  to  thank  Christ,  hut  not  the  Father.  It  was  the  Father  that  gave  Christ. 
He  gave  His  Son  because  He  already  loved  us.  (2)  Thank  God  only.  Do  not  be 
thinking  by  whose  means  you  were  converted.  (3)  Thank  God  spontaneously. 
Imitate  Paul.  When  he  sounded  this  peal  of  praise  his  mind  was  occupied  about 
the  collection,  but,  collection  or  no  collection,  he  will  thank  God  for  His  unspeak- 
able gift.  (4)  Thank  God  practically.  Do  something  to  prove  your  thanks,  (ft) 
Look  for  His  lost  children,  (b)  Succour  His  poor  saints.-  (c)  Bear  with  the  evil 
ones,  (d)  Watch  for  His  Son  from  heaven.  {C.  H.  Spurgcon.)  Gratitude  to 
God  for  the  mediation  of  Christ: — I.  We  are,  then,  to  show  that  God  is  entitled 

TO     THE    GKEATEST     GBATITUDE     BECAUSE     OF     THE     UNSPEAKABLE     GIFT     OF     HiS      SoN 

Chbist  Jesus.  Gratitude  is  that  affection  of  the  soul  which  is  excited  by  acts  of 
kindness  done  to  us.  It  should  always  bear  proportion  to  the  kindness  shown. 
But  how  can  we  estimate  the  degrees  of  kindness  ?  In  the  case  of  a  gift  we  may  do 
this  in  the  following  manner  :  In  pi'oportion  as  that  which  is  given  is  valued  by  the 
person  who  gives,  in  proportion  as  it  is  of  advantage  to  the  persons  to  whom  it  is 
given,  and  in  proportion  to  its  being  undeserved  or  more  or  less  strictly  gratuitous, 
in  the  same  proportion  is  the  degree  of  kindness  shown,  and  in  the  same  propor- 
tion, consequently,  is  the  degree  of  gratitude  due.  1.  Let  us  first  consider  the  great 
value  which  God  must  have  set  on  the  gift.  It  was  not  one  of  the  most  exalted  of 
our  own  order  whom  God  gave  to  men  as  their  Saviour,  neither  was  it  one  of  the 
angelic  spirits  who  are  far  more  exalted  beings  than  the  most  exalted  of  the  chil- 
dren of  men.  Now,  if  God  has  such  a  love  to  good  and  holy  men  as  He  is  repre- 
sented in  Scripture  to  have.  His  love  to  so  glorious  a  person  as  Christ  above  must 
be  unspeakably  greater.  But  this  is  not  all.  The  particular  name  by  which  this 
glorious  person  is  distinguished  in  Scripture  plainly  intimates  the  nature  and 
strength  of  that  love  which  the  God  of  love  must  ever  feel  towards  Him.  He  is 
called  His  Son,  His  own  Son,  His  only  begotten  and  well-beloved  Son.  If  God  has 
such  an  extraordinary  love  to -those  who  are  His  adopted  sons,  as  we  find  in  Scrip- 
ture He  has,  how  inconceivably  greater  love  must  He  always  bear  to  the  Son  of  His 
nature,  who  was  ever  with  Him,  and  ever  did  the  things  which  pleased  Him !  What 
unspeakable  kindness  towards  men,  then,  did  God  discover  in  giving  His  own  Son, 
a  person  of  such  worth,  and  so  dear  to  Himself,  to  be  their  Saviour  !  How  grateful 
a  sense  of  His  kindness  ought  such  a  gift  to  produce  in  us  !  2.  Let  us,  in  the  next- 
place,  consider  the  vast  value  of  this  gift  to  men.  Many  and  valuable  are  the  gifts 
which  we  have  received  from  God,  but  of  them  all  there  is  none  so  valuable  as  the 
gift  of  His  Son,  and  of  eternal  life  through  Him.  Its  great  superiority  appears  in 
this  circumstance,  that  the  bestowal  of  it  was  necessary  in  order  to  convert  all  other 
gifts  into  blessings.  For  what  would  the  gift  of  life  in  this  world,  with  all  pros- 
perity, have  proved  if  the  Son  of  God  had  not  also  been  given  that  He  might 
become  the  author  of  eternal  salvation  to  as  many  as  obeyed  Him  ?  3.  But  let  us, 
in  the  last  place,  on  this  part  of  the  subject,  consider  our  entire  want  of  claim  on 
God  for  this  gift.     II.  To  inquiee  what  some  of  the  causes  are  of  that   base 

INGKATITUDE  WITH  WHICH  THE  GKEAT  BODY  OF  THE  HEARERS  OF  THE  GOSPEL  ARE 
CHARGEABLE,    NOTWITHSTANDING    THIS    UNSPEAKABLE    GIFT.       1.    The  first  CaUSC  of    this 

base  ingratitude  which  we  shall  mention  is  ignorance  of  the  nature  and  excellence 
of  the  gift.  Knowledge  is  the  light  of  the  soul,  and  by  it  are  the  various  powers 
and  faculties  of  the  mind  directed  in  their  operation.  It  is  the  perception  of  what 
is  grand  that  excites  our  admiration  ;  it  is  the  perception  of  loveliness  that  excites 
our  esteem ;  and  it  is  the  perception  or  knowledge  of  kindness  shown  to  ourselves 
that  excites  our  gratitude,  Where  there  is  no  such  perception  or  knowledge  of 
kindness  there  can  be  no  gratitude.  Whether  you  neglect  the  Bible,  or  contemn 
and  deny  it,  in  order,  as  you  may  think,  to  show  your  superior  wisdom  and  under- 
standing, your  ignorance  of  the  nature  and  excellence  of  the  gift  of  God  made  known 
to  you  in  it  must  be  highly  criminal,  and  consequently  the  ingratitude  which  flows 
from  your  ignorance  cannot  be  excused.  2.  The  next  cause  of  this  base  ingratitude 
which  we  shall  mention  is  error,  or  such  opinions  respecting  this  gift  as  derogate 
from  its  greatness  and  excellence.  The  gift  is  depreciated  by  making  Christ  a  mere 
man,  which  lessen  also  the  value  of  it  to  men  by  denying  that  they  are  so  miserable 
as  the  Scriptures  represent  them  to  be,  and  which  depreciate  it  further  by  magnify- 
ing the  merit  of  human  conduct,  as  if  it  deserved  much  favour.  3.  Another  great 
cause  of  ingratitude  is  insensibility  of  heart.  This  is  the  principal  cause.  It  is  the 
parent  of  the  indolence  and  inattention  which  produce  ignorance  of  Divine  things 


CHAP.  IX.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  411 

in  general,  and  of  this  gift  in  particular.  It  is  also  a  prime  reason  of  that  perver- 
sion of  understanding  which  embraces  error  for  truth.  4.  The  only  other  cause  of 
this  ingratitude  which  we  shall  mention  is  pride.  Pride,  being  a  high  sense  of  our 
own  worth,  is  most  unfriendly  to  the  exercise  of  gratitude,  because  it  always  dis- 
poses us  to  look  upon  ourselves  as  entitled  to  those  favours  which  we  receive.  We 
come  now  to  conclude  the  subject  with  a  few  reflections  on  what  has  been  said.  1. 
In  the  first  place,  then,  from  this  subject  we  may  learn  that  God  is  entitled  to  our 
warmest  gratitude  for  such  an  unspeakable  gift  as  the  gift  of  His  only  begotten  and 
■well-beloved  Son.  2.  In  the  next  place,  from  this  subject  we  must  be  convinced  of 
the  propriety  of  the  feeling  and  language  of  Paul,  and  of  those  who,  like  him,  are 
ready  to  say,  "  Thanks  be  unto  God  for  His  unspeakable  gift !  "  3.  In  the  last  place, 
from  this  subject  we  are  led  to  contemplate  the  baseness  and  depravity  of  our  nature, 
(ir.  Aiild.)  Christ,  God's  best  gift  to  man  : — I.  Christ  is  the  Gift  of  God  to  men. 
He  fulfils  all  the  conditions  of  a  gift.  1.  He  is  something  valuable.  2.  He  is  offered 
to  us  freely ;  for  God  was  under  no  kind  of  obligation  to  make  us  such  an  offer.  3. 
He  is  offered  to  persons  who  have  no  claim  to  such  a  favour.  We  cannot  claim  the 
offer  of  Christ  as  a  recompense  for  injuries  received  from  God,  for  He  has  never 
injured  us ;  nor  can  we  claim  it  in  return  for  services  performed,  or  favours 
bestowed,  for  we  have  never  done  anything  for  God.  4.  Nor  does  God  offer  His 
Son  with  the  expectation  of  receiving  anything  in  return,  for  we  and  all  that  we 
possess  are  already  His.  5.  Nor  does  God  offer  us  His  Son  with  any  intention  of 
resuming  the  gift ;  for  the  gifts  of  God  are  without  repentance.  II.  This  gift  mat 
BE  JUSTLY  STYLED  UNSPEAKABLE.  Obscrvc — 1.  That  the  love  which  led  God  to 
bestow  such  a  gift  upon  us,  must  have  been  unspeakably  great.  Though  Christ  spoke 
as  never  man  spake,  yet  even  He  could  not  describe  it  except  by  its  effects.  "  God," 
says  He,  "so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,"  &c.,  thus 
intimating  that  His  love  could  not  be  described,  and  leaving  us  to  judge  of  its 
greatness  by  its  effects.  And,  judging  by  this  rule,  how  great  must  His  love  have 
been  !  2.  Christ's  worth  and  excellence  are  unspeakably  great.  He  is  the  pearl  of 
great  price.  In  Him  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge  and 
^race ;  His  riches  are  unsearchable.  In  Him  dwells  all  fulness,  even  all  the  fulness 
of  the  Godhead.  In  giving  us  Christ,  therefore,  God  has  given  us  Himself  and  all 
He  has ;  and  hence  those  who  receive  this  gift  are  said  to  be  filled  with  the  fulness 
of  God.  3.  Unspeakable  as  is  the  intrinsic  value  of  Christ,  He  is,  if  possible,  still 
more  unspeakably  valuable  to  us.  The  value  of  a  gift  depends  much  on  circum- 
stances. Money  may  be  a  valuable  present  to  any  one ;  but  to  a  man  on  the  point 
of  being  dragged  to  prison  for  debt  it  is  much  more  so.  Medicine  or  food  may  be 
valuable  in  itself,  but  when  given  to  a  man  ready  to  perish,  its  value  is  very 
greatly  increased.  So  Christ  is  unspeakably  precious  in  Himself.  But  how 
unspeakably  more  valuable  is  such  a  gift  to  us,  who  were  on  the  point  of  perish- 
ing for  ever.  III.  This  is  a  gift  for  which  we  ought  to  thank  God  with  the 
MOST  LIVELY  GRATITUDE.  Is  it  ueccssary  to  prove  this  ?  Is  it  not  evident  from  the 
preceding  consideration?  {E.  Pay  son,  D.D.)  Unspeakable  gifts  of  God: — It  may 
surprise  some  that  concerning  this  passage  there  has  been  considerable  difference 
of  opinion  among  expositors.  The  point  in  dispute  is  this,  to  what  particular  gift 
of  God  did  the  apostle  refer  ?  Most  readers  instantly  conclude  that  Christ  is  the 
gift.  To  what  other  gift  of  God  can  you  give  this  title  "  unspeakable."  I  refer  to 
this  reasoning  only  to  remind  you  how  fallacious  it  is.  It  has  its  roots  not  in  an 
exaggerated  idea  of  the  greatness  of  the  gift  of  Christ,  for  that  is  impossible,  but  it 
has  its  roots  in  unworthy  notions  of  God's  other  bounties.  We  should  not  say  it 
must  be  the  gift  of  Christ,  because  it  is  called  unspeakable,  for  that  is  assuming 
God's  other  gifts  are  such  as  our  finite  minds  can  clearly  comprehend.  It  is  true 
that  Christ  is  an  unspeakable  gift  of  God.  In  the  gift  of  Christ  God's  love  did 
transcend  all  His  other  manifestations  ;  but  it  is  also  true  that  before  Christ  came 
from  the  heart  of  God  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost,  gifts  had  been  lavished  upon  the 
children  of  men  of  which  we  would  have  said  their  greatness  surpasses  our  descrip- 
tion. If  we  take  the  bounties  of  God  and  set  them  before  our  minds,  and  try  to 
realise  what  we  should  feel,  and  what  our  earthly  life  would  have  been  if  those 
bounties  had  been  denied,  instead  of  saying  one  of  His  gifts  is  unspeakable,  we 
should  be  more  likely  to  say  they  are  all  unspeakable.  Now  look  at  some  common 
bounties,  as  we  call  them ;  common,  not  because  we  can  do  without  them,  but 
because  in  the  fulness  of  the  Divine  love  they  come  constantly  and  they  come  to 
nearly  all.  In  ihj  be,i;inning  darkness  was  upon  the  earth.  God  said,  "Let  there 
be  light,  and  there  was  light."     That  command  is  still  heard,  and  by  Divine  power 


412  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  ix. 

every  night  is  turned  to  day.  Can  you  gaze  upon  the  glories  of  each  new  returning 
morning  without  feehng  that  this  one  gift  of  light  repeated  every  twenty-four  hours 
through  the  untold  ages  is  an  unspeakable  gift  ?  Sometimes  you  meet  a  man  blind 
from  his  birth ;  you  see  him  groping  his  way  in  the  midst  of  the  thousand  fair 
things  whose  varied  beauties  are  a  perfect  blank  to  him.  When  you  put  that  man's 
darkness  by  the  side  of  your  light,  when  you  put  that  man's  poverty  by  the  side  of 
your  wealth,  do  you  not  feel  that  you  can  with  the  utmost  reason  exclaim,  "Thanks 
be  to  God  for  this  unspeakable  gift."  Sometimes  you  see  a  poor  stricken  sufferer 
who  has  borne  the  burden  of  pain  and  weakness  well  nigh  through  his  hfe.  When 
you  think  of  his  pain  and  feebleness,  and  of  your  own  soundness  and  bodily  health, 
vigour,  and  animal  spirits,  would  it  be  exaggeration  if  you  exclaimed,  "  Thanks  be 
to  God  for  this  unspeakable  gift "  ?  Sometimes  you  meet  a  poor  creature  to  whom 
the  light  of  reason  is  denied,  human  as  to  his  bodily  form,  but  wanting  in  the  mind, 
which  is  man's  crown  of  glory.  He  has  no  reason  whatever  to  control  his  instincts 
and  to  subdue  the  strong  passions  of  his  body.  He  cannot  look  through  nature  up 
to  nature's  God.  When  you  look  at  him,  what  name  do  you  give  to  your  own 
faculties?  There  is  but  one  name  for  your  faculties  ;  they  are  an  "  unspeakable 
gift."  Those  who  know  me  best  wiU  least  need  to  be  told  that  it  is  not  mine  to 
induce  you  to  think  less  of  Christ,  the  gift  of  gifts.  Not  less  of  Christ,  but  more  of 
God's  other  benefits.  Now  it  is  more  than  time  to  seek  an  answer  to  this  question. 
Seeing  that  there  are  so  many  unspeakable  gifts,  and  the  apostle  refers  to  only  one, 
to  which  did  he  refer  ?  Many  able  expositors  contend  that  the  gift  the  apostle 
refers  to  was  the  generous,  liberal  disposition  of  the  Corinthian  Christians  to  the 
poor  saints  at  Jerusalem.  "  God  has  given  to  you,  Corinthians,  the  heart  to  feel 
for  others.  He  has  given  to  you  the  readiness  to  help  others.  God  be  thanked  for 
this  unspeakable  gift."  Then  comes  the  question  :  Was  the  apostle  thinking  of 
this  when  he  exclaimed,  "  Thanks  be  to  God  for  His  unspeakable  gift."  Those  to 
whom  I  have  referred  beheve  that  in  effect  the  apostle  said,  "  You,  Corinthians, 
have  never  seen  the  poor  suffering  people  at  Jerusalem,  but  your  hearts  have  bled 
with  pity  for  them,  and  your  hands  have  been  held  out  bountifully.  Your  bounti- 
fulness  makes  many  people  believe  in  the  gospel  with  greater  faith  and  love."  I 
am  afraid  that  such  an  exposition  of  the  passage  is  what  some  selfish  people  have 
never  dreamt  of.  They  have  looked  at  the  words,  and  they  have  thought  the 
apostle  is  speaking  of  some  rich  treasure  which  God  has  put  into  the  hands  of  the 
people  for  their  own  use  and  enjoyment.  It  never  occuri'ed  to  them  that  he  might 
mean  something  which  God  put  into  the  hearts  of  the  Corinthians  to  make  them 
think  and  care  for  others,  to  make  them  deny  themselves  for  the  sake  of  others. 
A  quick,  sympathetic  nature  is  an  unspeakable  gift ;  they  make  no  effort  at  aU  to 
get  that  gift.  But  a  great  many  people  seem  as  if  they  do  wish  they  could  be 
delivered  from  the  burden  of  all  troublesome  thought  and  affection  towards  others. 
If  they  could  be  their  own  creators,  they  would  give  themselves  thoughts  of  tender- 
ness towards  themselves,  and  hearts  of  granite  towards  other  people.  He  who 
wrote  these  words  about  this  gift  himself  had  it  in  rich  abundance.  At  first  he 
had  a  proud  heart,  a  cruel  nature,  and  the  grace  of  Christ  came  and  changed  that 
nature,  and  made  him  responsive  to  the  touch  of  everybody's  trouble.  Yes, 
we  must  look  at  this  gift  not  only  in  relation  to  this  life,  but  in  relation  to  the  life 
which  is  to  come.  Those  to  whom  God  gives  a  gracious  heart  like  His  own.  He 
does  not  intend  to  leave  them  for  ever  in  this  world  of  blended  light  and  darkness, 
sorrow  and  joy.  He  intends  very  soon  to  take  them  where  all  is  peace,  and  all  is 
perfection,  and  all  is  blessedness.  I  have  already  given  you  two  classes  of 
exposition  of  this  passage.  Suffer  me  now  to  say  a  word  about  a  third.  The 
late  Dean  Alford  took  this  text  for  a  Whit  Sunday  sermon,  and  he  said,  "I 
hesitate  not  to  say  at  once  that  the  unspeakable  gift  is  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit."  He  contended  that  the  blessing  of  Pentecost — the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit — was  the  one  even  toward  which  all  the  other  events  of  Revelation  con- 
tributed. "  The  other  gifts,"  he  said,  "  are  means  to  an  end,  the  indwelhng  of  the 
Spirit  in  me  is  the  end  itself."  Was  not  Christ  exalted  that  the  Spirit  might  be 
given  to  men  ?  No  one  will  question  that  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  is  an  "  unspeakable 
gift."  This  world,  with  all  its  light  and  comforts,  we  owe  to  the  gift  of  the  Spirit. 
If  the  unspeakable  gift  of  the  Spirit  had  not  been  given  to  Moses,  David,  Isaia(h, 
and  all  the  inspired  writers,  they  would  never  have  given  us  a  book  which  above  all 
others  is  a  lamp  to  our  feet  and  a  light  to  our  path.  Not  only  was  the  Spirit 
needed  for  those  who  wrote ;  it  is  needed  also  for  those  who  read.  We  know  that 
he  "that  endureth  to  the  end,  the  same  shall  be  saved,"  but  how  do  we  lack  the 


CHAP.  IX.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  415 

patience,  perseverance,  and  power  necessary  to  continue  to  the  end.  But  when  the- 
human  knowledge  and  energy  fails,  the  Divine  force  may  secure  the  victory,  and 
bring  the  man  off  more  than  conqueror.  I  daresay  some  of  you,  while  I  have  been 
talking,  have  been  hke  the  dove  out  on  the  wild  waste  of  waters,  you  ai'e  glad  to 
get  back  with  a  weary  wing  to  the  old  familiar  ark,  and  you  say,  "After  all  you 
have  said,  it  ivas  Christ  the  apostle  meant."  Be  it  so,  you  cannot  go  wrong  in 
saying  that  that  gift  is  unspeakable — unspeakable  in  the  love  it  reveals — unspeak- 
able in  the  glorious  issue  it  will  ultimately  have.  Does  some  one  say  that  I  have 
touched  upon  so  many  unspeakable  gifts  that  I  have  left  him  in  confusion  and 
perplexity  ?  I  am  glad  if  it  is  so.  I  wanted  to  make  you  feel  that  God's  gifts  are 
not  one,  nor  two,  nor  three  gifts  only ;  they  are  not  like  two  or  three  pyramids 
rising  out  on  a  flat  and  dreary  desert  plain.  The  region  of  God's  bounty  is  a 
mountainous  region.  "Peak  after  peak,  alps  upon  alps  arise."  The  higher  we 
climb  the  broader  the  vision  becomes.  There  is  one  higher  than  the  rest,  and  I  see 
a  cross  on  its  summit.  To  that  summit  we  should  look  most  frequently.  It  is 
there  we  are  nearest  to  God ;  it  is  there  we  grow  most  into  His  likeness ;  it  is  there 
we  drink  most  into  His  Spirit ;  it  is  there  where  sinful  men  get  their  guilt  cancelled, 
and  receive  their  passport  to  a  crown  and  kingdom  of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away. 
Thanks  be  to  God  for  every  unspeakable  gift.  (C.  Vince.)  The  pricelessness  of 
Christ : — It  is  a  peculiarity  of  St.  Paul  that  the  less  reminds  him  of  the  greater. 
The  most  ordinary  of  facts  su^'gest  to  him  the  sublimest  of  truths.  The  apostle  is 
here  enforcing  the  duty  of  liberality  by  a  variety  of  arguments  which  reach  their 
climax  in  the  text.  This  gift  of  God  is  unspeakable  because — I.  It  possesses  un- 
sPE.iK-UJLE  worth.  1.  Chiist  is  the  embodiment  of  a  perfect  humanity,  and  is 
precious  as  perfect  purity  must  be  amidst  pollution,  as  perfect  obedience  must  be 
amidst  rebellion,  as  perfect  love  must  be  where  each  man  seeks  his  own.  2.  He  is 
God  manifest  in  the  flesh.  The  hands  that  men  touched  fashioned  the  worlds. 
The  eyes  they  looked  into  were  those  from  which  there  is  nothing  hid.  The  voice 
they  listened  to  commanded  the  hosts  of  heaven,  and  called  the  dead  from  their 
graves.  Not  till  our  arithmetic  can  reckon  the  wealth  of  omnipotence  can  we 
estimate  the  preciousness  of  Christ.  He  is  unspeakably  precious  as  the  Picture  and 
Transcript  of  God.  II.  It  provides  for  unspeak.\ble  needs.  1.  Unspeakable 
guilt.  When  the  soul  sees  how  in  Christ  God  can  be  just  and  the  Justifier  of  the 
unjust,  then  it  echoes  the  words,  "  Unto  them  that  believe  He  is  precious.  Thanks 
be  unto  God,"  &c.  2.  Unspeakable  weakness.  And  he  who  accepts  it  discovers 
that  while  the  chains  of  justice  fall  off  from  his  limbs,  a  new  tide  of  vigour  flows  all 
through  his  being.  That  is  a  treasure  indeed  which  contains  both  the  key  that 
unlocks  the  prison  doors  and  the  medicine  that  restores  the  released  man's  health, 
sending  him  forth  on  existence  not  only  free  but  whole.  3.  Unspeakable  loneliness. 
Man  is  without  friendship,  or  at  least  such  a  friendship  as  he  really  needs. 
Circumstances  happen  when  man,  however  plentiful  or  loving  his  friends  may  be, 
must  feel  alone.  There  are  the  isolations  of  individual  perplexity,  sin,  sorrow,  and 
death.  Give  me  the  presence  of  One  who  is  wise  enough  to  say,  "  This  is  the  way, 
walk  ye  in  it,"  in  my  hours  of  doubt — gracious  enough  to  say,  "  I  have  seen  thy 
ways  and  will  heal  thee,"  in  my  hours  of  remorse — loving  enough  to  say,  "  Cast  thy 
burden  upon  Me,"  in  my  hours  of  trial — near  enough  and  strong  enough  to  say, 
"  When  thou  passest  through  the  waters  I  will  be  with  thee,"  at  the  time  when  my 
feet  feel  the  chill  waters  of  death.  Give  me  the  presence  of  a  Comforter  like  this ; 
then  will  the  heart  be  satisfied.  This  need  is  supplied  by  God's  unspeakable  gift. 
III.  It  conveys  unspeakable  blessings.  Large  as  the  wants  are,  the  provisions 
are  larger ;  great  as  man's  poverty  is,  greater  still  is  God's  grace.  It  is  one  thing 
to  take  a  vessel  and  to  fill  it ;  it  is  another  to  place  it  in  a  boundless  sea,  where  it 
may  ever  float,  and  ever  be  brimming.  1.  God  not  only  gives  pardon  for  guilt. 
Not  as  the  offence  is,  so  is  the  free  gift ;  but  where  sin  hath  abounded,  there  gi-ace 
hath  abounded  much  more ;  and  they  whom  God  pardons  He  raises  to  infinite 
dignity.  What  other  king  ever  translated  rebels  from  the  prison-house  straight  to 
the  palace,  and  gave  them  a  share  in  the  children's  heritage?  2.  God  not  only 
discloses  for  weakness  a  sufficiency  of  strength;  in  Christ  there  is  the  pledge  of  unspeak- 
able victory.  It  were  much  to  stand  in  the  evil  day ;  but  those  who  have  Christ  shall 
be  more  than  conquerors.  3.  God  not  only  proffers  companionship  for  loneliness, 
but  affords  unspeakable  sympathy.  In  Christ  there  is  a  fellow-feeling  so  wide  that 
it  sweeps  the  ran.cje  of  every  emotion,  and  so  true  and  so  delicate  thai  it  can  touch 
the  tenderest  and  not  jar.  IV.  It  is  the  evidence  and  embodisient  of  unspeak- 
able LO^T,.     Here  we  reach  the  spring  and  the  origin  of  all.    [W.A.  Gray.)        God's 


414  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  x. 

^inspeakable  gift : — 1.  Christ  brought  us  truth  on  the  highest  questions  of  all,  and 
taught  us  that  truth  most  fully.  We  prize,  and  justly  prize,  the  great  masters  who 
gave  us  the  knowledge  of  nature — Copernicus,  Galileo,  Newton,  Darwin  ;  but  more 
momentous  still  are  the  instructions  of  Moses,  Isaiah,  and  the  great  moral  masters 
of  the  ages.  Here  Christ  is  supreme.  He  vindicated  and  disclosed  the  spiritual 
world  and  the  spirituality  of  man  with  surpassing  authority  and  power.  He  made 
it  impossible  henceforth  that  the  race  should  lose  itself  in  materialism  and 
sensuality.  In  Christ  we  have  in  its  fulness  the  precious  doctrine  of  grace,  forgive- 
ness, peace.  2.  Christ  brought  righteousness.  He  secured  to  us  the  power  of 
purity.  He  inspires  the  strength  by  which  the  highest  goodness  is  attainable.  3. 
Christ  brought  us  hope.  He  came  into  the  world  in  an  age  of  weariness  and 
despair,  and  He  made  everything  to  live  by  putting  into  the  heart  of  the  race  a  sure 
and  splendid  hope.  The  advent  of  Jesus  mightily  enriched  the  race  in  incorruptible 
treasure — in  knowledge,  kindness,  purity,  and  hope.  How  much  it  enriched  us 
none  may  tell.  The  gift  is  "  unspeakable."  Have  we  received  the  unspeakable 
gift  ?  Men  do  not  readily  believe  in  and  accept  the  highest  gifts.  They  are  often 
strangely  blind.  Did  they  welcome  Gutenberg?  Did  they  strew  flowers  for 
Columbus  ?  The  world  did  not  believe  in  these  great  donors  ;  the  gifts  they  brought 
were  too  grand.  So,  when  the  "  unspeakable  gift  "  was  given,  men  stood  aloof  in 
insensibility  or  scorn.  Christ  came  to  His  own,  but  they  received  Him  not.  The 
message  of  God's  redeeming  mercy  is  disregarded  by  multitudes  of  nominal 
Christians.  Every  now  and  then  we  hear  of  a  superb  masterpiece  being  discovered 
in  a  house  where  for  years  it  has  been  neglected  and  unknown.  The  picture  has 
been  the  butt  of  wit,  it  has  had  penknives  through  it,  it  has  been  relegated  to  the 
attic.  But  in  how  many  houses  is  the  gospel,  the  masterpiece  of  God,  ignored  and 
despised !  The  savage  living  in  a  land  of  rich  landscapes,  of  gorgeous  birds,  of 
priceless  orchids,  of  reefs  of  gold,  of  mines  of  diamonds,  of  stores  of  ivory,  and  yet 
unconscious  of  it  all,  possessing  nothing  but  a  hut  and  a  canoe,  is  a  faint  image  of 
thousands  in  this  Christian  land  who  are  living  utterly  unmindful  of  the  boundless 
spiritual  treasure  close  to  their  feet.  Some  of  us  have  received  the  crowning  gift  of 
God  ;  but  we  have  not  fully  received  it.  That  is  a  striking  passage  in  Obadiah  : 
"  The  house  of  Jacob  shall  possess  their  possessions."  What  a  great  deal  belongs 
to  us  that  we  do  not  possess !  It  lies  beyond  us  untouched,  unseen,  unrealised. 
Our  poor  experiences  are  not  the  measure  of  the  gift  of  Christ.  We  have  the  dust 
of  gold  rather  than  the  gold  itself,  a  few  rose  leaves  rather  than  the  garden,  grape 
gleanings  rather  than  the  vintage.  And  let  us  not  miss  the  great  practical  lesson 
of  the  text.  The  theme  of  the  chapter  is  that  of  ministering  to  the  saints.  If  God 
has  been  so  magnificent  in  His  generosity  to  us,  what  ought  we  to  deny  our 
brother  ?  Our  thanks  for  Heaven's  infinite  gift  must  be  expressed  in  our  practical 
sympathy  with  the  sons  and  daughters  of  misfortune  and  suffering.  (IF.  L. 
Watkinson.) 


CHAPTER  X. 

Ver.  1.  Now  I  Paul  myself  beseech  you  by  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of 
Christ. — The  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ : — These  words  recognise  Christ's 
character  as  an  accepted  standard  of  appeal  among  the  Corinthians.  To  ourselves 
such  an  appeal  would  not  be  strange.  But  does  it  not  strike  you  as  remarkable  here ? 
For  remember  that  only  a  few  years  before  this  the  oldest  of  the  converts  were 
gross  idolaters.  The  standard  of  appeal  has  not  altered.  The  preacher  refers  back 
to  Christ  as  the  source  of  all  authority  and  influence.  As  Christians,  if  we  are  in 
peiplexity,  we  ask  the  question,  What  did  Christ  do?  and  when  we  discover  that, 
our  course  is  clear.  There  is  to  us  no  higher  joy  than  to  please  Him.  But  notice 
what  it  is  in  Christ  to  which  Paul  refers.  I.  The  bieekness  and  gentleness  or 
Christ.  1.  Men  had  been  striving  to  overturn  Paul's  authority  and  destroy  his 
influence.  This  was  enough  to  excite  the  indignation  of  any  true-hearted  man,  and 
no  wonder  if  he  had  vindicated  his  character  in  stinging  words.  But  he  will  not  do 
this.  He  will  conquer  them  by  the  gentleness  which  Christ  ever  manifested  to  those 
who  had  gone  astray.  Most  thoroughly  had  he  entered  into  Christ's  spirit.  He  can 
never  forget  how  tenderly  and  patiently  the  Saviour  had  treated  him.  Years  after, 
when  writing  to  one  who  had  never  tried  the  patience  of  Christ  as  he  had  done,  he 


CHAP.  X.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  415 

said :  "  I  thank  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord  "  (1  Tim.  i.  12-16).  Paul  had  experienced  the 
power  of  Christ's  meekness  and  gentleness,  and  he  was  anxious  that  others  should 
know  it  too.  2.  Let  us  turn  to  the  life  of  Christ,  and  see  how  full  it  is  of  this 
Divine  virtue.  John  the  Baptist  said,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  !  "  and,  though 
there  is  an  idea  of  sacrifice,  what  is  more  meek  and  gentle  than  a  lamb  ?  He  Him- 
self declared,  "  I  am  meek  and  lowly  of  heart."  Think  of  all  He  suffered,  and  the 
manner  in  which  He  suffered  it.  He  came  into  the  world  eager  to  bless  and  save  it, 
but  "  He  was  despised  and  rejected  of  men,  a  Man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with 
grief."  And  yet  in  no  instance  was  He  ruffled  by  the  injuries  wrought  on  Himself. 
When  the  helpless  and  the  poor  were  oppressed.  He  stood  ready  to  defend  them. 
How  He  scathed  the  Pharisees  !  Yet  even  in  their  case  tenderness  and  love  were  in 
His  heart,  for  immediately  after  His  tremendous  exposui'e  He  breaks  out  in  a  wail 
like  a  mother  for  the  child  of  her  love,  "  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest 
the  prophets,"  &c.  And  to  the  very  close  of  life  He  remains  the  same.  Isaiah 
{liii.  7)  and  Peter  (1  Pet.  ii.  23) — the  one  in  prophecy,  the  other  in  history — unite 
in  bearing  testimony  to  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ.  II.  The  gentle- 
ness OF  Chkist  was  not  an  AMi.iBLE  WEAKNESS.  There  are  many  who  obtain  credit 
for  this  virtue  who  have  no  manner  of  right  to  it.  They  are  patient  if  any  one 
■wrongs  them,  and  seem  the  incarnation  of  good  humour.  Often  this  disposition  is 
simply  a  consciousness  of  helplessness  or  indifference.  But  Christ  was  gentle 
because  He  was  strong.  It  was  an  awful  power  that  Christ  carried  with  Him  ;  and 
■were  it  not  that  we  know  how  gentleness  clothed  that  power,  we  should  be  ready  to 
■wonder  that  men  did  not  shrink  in  fear  before  His  presence.  He  had  power  enough 
to  drive  devils  into  the  deep,  yet  gentleness  to  gather  children  in  His  arms. 
III.  Jesus  was  gentle,  but  it  was  not  because  He  was  ignorant  of  men's 
CHARACTERS.  We  may  often  act  towards  others  in  kindness  and  forbearance  because 
■we  do  not  know  them.  But  Christ  knew  what  was  in  men  ;  He  was  never  deceived ; 
and  this  was  one  of  the  reasons  of  His  gentleness.  He  saw  good  as  well  as  bad. 
He  understood  all  the  difficulties  that  beset  men.  Allowances  were  to  be  made,  and 
He  made  them ;  circumstances  were  to  be  considered,  and  He  considered  them. 
We  are  hasty  in  judgment,  because  we  are  so  ignorant  of  what  passes  within  the 
hearts  of  those  we  condemn.  Christ  was  full  of  forbearance,  because  He  knew  the 
■whole.  IV.  Jesus  was  gentle,  but  not  because  He  was  indifferent  to  justice 
AND  purity.  We  often  overlook  sin,  because  we  do  not  much  care  whether  things 
are  right  or  wrong.  A  child  does  wrong  ;  a  friend  in  amiable  pity  says,  "  Oh,  let 
him  go  this  time."  The  friend  cares  very  little  about  justice  itself  or  the  law  of  the 
household.  When  a  criminal  is  taken,  there  are  plenty  of  weak  people  who  wiU 
urge  you  to  let  him  go.  They  get  credit  for  gentleness.  But  then,  indeed,  some 
people  are  always  ready  to  forgive  any  wrong  that  has  been  done  against  some  one 
else.  People  are  careless  because  they  have  no  hatred  of  what  is  evil  in  their  own 
natures.  They  have  sinned  so  much  themselves  that  they  readily  condone  sin  in 
others.  But  all  this  is  not  true  gentleness ;  it  is  indifference  to  righteousness.  Now 
Christ's  gentleness  was  not  of  this  nature.  He  did  care  what  men  did.  He  was 
perfectly  pure,  and  every  sin  wounded  His  heart  like  a  poisoned  arrow.  He 
loved  righteousness,  and  hated  iniquity.  He  was  as  just  as  He  was  loving; 
and  it  was  to  vindicate  Divine  justice  that  He  came  to  Calvary.  He  died 
the  just  for  the  unjust.  V.  This  meekness  and  gentleness  is  the  weapon  by 
AVHicH  Christ  conquers  us.  It  is  the  power  of  His  love  that  subdues  human 
hearts.  He  will  bear  with  men  until  His  very  patience  and  gentleness  shall 
make  them  ashamed  of  their  sin.  What  argument  can  be  more  powerful  than 
this  ?     (IF.  Braden.)  The  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ  recommended  to  the 

imitation  of  the  young. — When  this  pathetic  address  is  considered  in  connection 
■with  the  circumstances  that  led  to  it,  the  character  of  Paul  appears  in  a  very 
interesting  light.  In  writing  to  a  church  where  party  spirit  was  raging,  the  apostle 
expresses  himself  in  a  manner  prudent  and  mild,  yet  firm  and  dignified.  The 
meekness  of  Christ  is  a  phrase  expressive  of  the  calmness  and  patience,  the  for- 
bearance and  humility  by  which  He  was  distinguished.  I.  In  what  way  meekness 
and  gentleness  should  operate  in  the  young  is  the  first  topic  that  claims  our 
ATTENTION.  1.  Meekness  and  gentleness  appear  in  modest  and  unassuming  manners. 
Meekness  and  gentleness  are  directly  opposed  to  the  love  of  display,  and  this  desire 
to  have  the  pre-eminence.  They  delight  in  the  shade  of  retirement,  and  shrink 
from  the  glare  of  public  observation.  2.  Meekness  and  gentleness  appear  in  calm- 
ness and  forbearance  under  provocations  and  injuries.  The  power  of  meekness  and 
gentleness  is  sometimes  aff'ectingly  manifested  under  domestic  evils.     3.  Meekness 


416  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  x. 

and  gentleness  appear  in  courtesy  and  kindness  in  the  intercourse  of  life.  4.  Meek- 
ness and  gentleness,  prompt  to  lenity  and  indulgence  to  others,  and  to  abstinence 
from  all  measures  of  rigour  and  severity.  The  spirit  of  meekness  and  gentleness 
will  preserve  us  from   rigour  and  severity  in  judging  of   the  actions  of    others. 

5.  Meekness  and  gentleness  appear  in  patient  acquiescence  under  the  afflictions  of 
life.     n.  I  proceed  now  to  show  that  the  meekness  and  gentleness  or  Christ- 

PRESENT  the  MOST  PEKSUASIVE  MOTIVES  TO  THE  CULTIVATION  OF  THESE  EXCELLENCES. 

1.  Meekness  and  gentleness  appear  in  the  character  of  our  Lord  in  the  most 
winning  form.  If  your  hearts  are  at  all  open  to  the  influence  of  good  example^ 
they  must  be  gained  now.  2.  It  is  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  One  whom  you 
are  under  the  strongest  obligations  to  imitate.  Eefiect  on  what  He  endured  for  you. 
3.  Consider  how  much  His  honour  and  that  of  His  religion  are  concerned  in  the 
regard  which  you  pay  to  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ.  You  wish  the 
world  to  think  well  of  the  spirit  of  your  Master,  but  you  must  know  that  they  will 
judge  of  it  from  you.  4.  Consider  how  much  Christ  is  related  to  you.  To  beseech 
a  child,  by  the  virtues  of  his  parents,  will  probably  guard  him  against  the  opposite 
vices,  and  lead  him  to  act  as  they  did.  5.  Consider  the  glory  of  His  person  and 
character.  It  is  not  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  one  whose  station  is  low,  or 
whose  influence  is  insignificant ;  nor  are  these  solitary  graces  in  His  character. 

6.  It  is  the  meekness  and  the  gentleness  of  one  who  has  connected  the  most  impor- 
tant consequences  with  our  imitation  or  neglect  of  his  example:  "  If  any  man  has. 
not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  His  "  (Eom.  viii.  9).  I  conclude  by  recom- 
mending the  imitation  of  this  meekness  and  gentleness  to  other  classes  of  persons. 
Ye  who  are  old,  I  beseech  you  by  the  meekness  and  the  gentleness  of  Christ,  not  t» 
aggravate  the  sorrows  of  your  evil  days  by  peevishness  and  discontent.  Ye  parents, 
I  beseech  you  by  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ,  to  beware  of  "  pro- 
voking your  children  to  wrath,"  and  to  endeavour  to  persuade  before  you  attempt 
to  compel.  Masters,  do  your  duty  to  your  servants,  forbearing  threatening,  know- 
ing that  your  Master  is  in  heaven,  and  that  there  is  no  respect  of  persons  with. 
Him.  Ye  who  are  at  variance,  I  beseech  you  by  these  virtues  of  Christ  to  leave  off 
contention.  "  Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall  be  called  the  children 
of  God"  (Matt.  V.  9).  Ye  members  of  churches,  follow  after  the  things  that  make 
for  peace,  and  things  whereby  one  may  edify  another.  Let  political  parties  cease 
to  distract  the  nation  by  their  broils  and  their  scurriUties ;  and  let  them  in  the 
spirit  of  the  gospel  direct  their  efforts  to  promote  peace  on  earth  and  good-will 
among  men.  (H.  Belfrage.)  The  gentleness  of  God  : — I.  Gentleness  is  the 
METHOD  BY  WHICH  STRENGTH  MANIFESTS  ITSELF.  1.  The  greater  the  powcr  of  the 
being,  the  greater  will  be  the  marvel  and  the  delicacy  of  gentleness.  In  a  woman 
we  expect  gentleness.  But  in  a  warrior  it  creates  an  admiration  that  it  does  not  in. 
woman.  2.  It  is  wonderful,  too,  in  proportion  to  the  provocation  to  contrary  feel- 
ings. That  all  rude  and  hateful  things  should  find  themselves  the  subjects  oi 
gentleness,  this  is  surprising.  3.  It  is  likewise  wonderful  in  proportion  to  the 
moral  sensibility  and  discriminating  purity  of  the  mind  which  exercises  it.  Gentle- 
ness, springing  from  easy  good-nature,  which  will  not  take  the  trouble  to  vindicate 
justice  and  right,  wUl  not  command  even  respect.     U.  Consider,  then,  with  these 

INTERPRETING   REMARKS,  WHAT   MUST   BE   THE    NATURE    OP  GENTLENESS  IN  GoD.       1.    He 

dwells  alone  from  eternity  to  eternity,  because  there  is  none  other  that  can  be  of 
His  grandeur  of  being.  The  whole  earth  is  said  to  be  but  a  drop  of  the  bucket 
before  Him.  And  that  such  a  One,  living  in  such  a  wise,  should  deal  with  Hi& 
erring  children  with  gentleness  is  wonderful  and  sublime !  2.  Consider  also  His- 
moral  purity  and  His  love  of  purity,  and  His  abhorrence  of  evil.  That  such 
a  Being  should  carry  Himself  with  gentleness  toward  those  who  have  forfeited  all 
claim  to  mercy  and  gentleness — this  is  wonderful !  The  life  of  every  individual  is 
a  long  period  of  moral  delinquency.  No  one  who  has  not  had  the  experience  of 
a  parent  can  have  any  adequate  conception  of  the  patience  and  gentleness  exer- 
cised by  a  mother  in  rearing  her  child.  True  mothers  are  only  God's  miniatures- 
in  this  world.  How  great  will  be  the  disclosure  which  shall  be  made  when,  in  the 
great  day,  Christ  shall  enrol  from  the  archives  of  eternity  the  history  of  each 
individual  soul.  It  will  be  seen  then  how  much  patience  must  have  been  exer- 
cised by  the  Divine  Being  in  rearing  a  single  one  of  His  creatures.  Now 
consider  national  life.  Judge  from  your  own  feelings  how  God,  with  His 
infinite  sensibility,  must  feel  when  He  sees  men  rising  up  against  their  feUow- 
men,  waging  wars  and  devastating  society  by  every  infernal  mischief  that  their 
ingenuity  can  invent.     The  Bible  says  that  God  is  past  finding  out ;  not  merely 


CHAP.  X.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  417 

His  physical  power,  but  His  disposition  —  His  moral  nature.  If  God  cared  for 
the  misconduct  of  men  no  more  than  we  do  for  the  fiery  strifes  of  an  ant-hill, 
there  would  be  no  foundation  for  such  a  conception  of  Divine  gentleness  and 
Divine  goodness.  Evil  is  eternal  in  the  sight  of  God,  unless  it  be  checked  and 
cured.  Sin,  like  a  poisonous  weed,  re-sows  itself,  and  becomes  eternal  by  repro- 
duction. Now  God  looks  upon  the  human  race  in  the  light  of  these  truths.  And 
tell  me  what  other  attribute  of  God,  what  other  influence  of  His  character,  is  so 
sublime  as  this — His  gentleness?     HI.  Now,  while  these  statements  aee  fresh 

IN  TOUK  MIND,  I  DESIRE  TO  PRESENT  TO  YOU  A  CLEAR  CONCEPTION  OF  GoD  AS  YOUR 

personal  God.     He  is  not  a  Being  that  dwells  in  the  inner  recesses  of  the  eternal 
world,   inaccessible,   incomprehensible.     Men  never   find    Christ,  but   are   always 
found  of  Him.     He  goes  forth  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost.     It  is  the  abounding 
love  of  His  heart  that  draws  us  up  toward  Him.     "  We  love  Him  because  He  first 
loved  us."     It  is  this  willing,  winning,  pleading  Christ,  who  wields  all  the  grandeur 
of  justice  and  all  the  authority  of  universal  empire  with  such  sweet  gentleness  that 
in  all  the  earth  there  is  none  like  unto  Him,  that  I  set  before  you  as  your  personal 
friend.     He  does  not  set  His  holiness  and  His  hatred  of  sin  like  mountains  over 
■which  you  may  not  climb.     He  does  not  hedge  Himself  about  by  the  dignities  and 
superiorities  of  Divinity.     All  the  way  from  His  throne  to  your  heart  is  sloped ; 
and  hope,  and  love,  and  patience,  and  meekness,  and  long-suifering,  and  kindness, 
and  wonderful  mercies,  and  gentleness,  as  so  many  banded  helping  angels  wait  to 
take  you  by  the  hand  and  lead  you  up  to  God.     And  I  beseech  you  by  His  gentle- 
ness, too,  that  you  fear  Him  no  longer ;  that  you  be  no  longer  inditferent  to  Him  ; 
that  you  wound  Him  by  your  unbelief  no  more,  but  that  now  and  henceforth  you 
follow  Him—"  for  there  is  none  other  name  under  heaven  among  men  whereby  we 
must  be  saved."     Conclusion  :  I  hold  up  before  you  that  God  who  loves  the  sinner 
and  abhors  sin ;   who  loves  goodness  with  infinite  fervour,  and  breathes  it  upon 
those  who  put  their  trust  in  Him.   And  remember  that  it  is  this  God  who  yet  declares 
that  He  will  at  last  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty !    Make  your  peace  with  Him  now, 
or  abandon  all  hopes  of  peace.     Be  not  discouraged  because  you  are  sinful.     It  is 
the  very  office  of  His  love  to  heal  your  sins.   Who  would  need  a  physician  if  he  might 
not  come  to  his  bedside  until  after  the  sickness  was  healed  ?     What  use  of  school- 
master if  one  may  not  go  to  school  till  his  education  be  complete  ?     (H.  W.  Beecher.) 
The  tenderness  of  Christ : — I.  In  connection  with  what  has  been  revealed  to  us 
concerning  His  mission  and  life.    1.  It  harmonises  with  the  prophetic  intimations. 
(1)  See  this  in  the  very  "  titles  "  bestowed  upon  Him.     Lest  the  spirit  should  fail 
at  the  thought  of  "  the  Ancient  of  Days,"  the  "  Everlasting  Father,"  "  the  Mighty 
God,"  we  are  encouraged  to  look  at  HLm  as  "  the  seed  of  the  woman,"  the  "conso- 
lation of  Israel,"  "  the  Prince  of  peace."     Though  He  is  the  "  plant  of  Renown," 
He  grows  up  a  "  tender  plant."     Though  He  is  the  "Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah," 
He  is  led  as  a  "  lamb  to  the  slaughter."     And  though  speaking  to  us  out  of  the 
"  bush  burning  with   fire,"  it  is  a  fire  which   only  awes  by  its   brightness,  but 
consumes  not  a  leaf  with  its  flame.     (2)  Still  more  does  this  come  out  in  prophecies 
bearing  more  directly  on  His  work  and  office  (Isa.  xxxii.  2,  xlii.  1 ;  cf.  Matt.  xii. 
18).     2.  And  such  as  prophecy  declared  Christ  should  be,  such,  in  all  the  actings 
of  His  earthly  life,  do  we  find  He  was.     With  His  own  disciples  He  had  to  bear 
much.     Yet  rarely   does  His  language  rise  to   harsh  reproof — scarcely  even  to 
upbraiding.     It  is  rather  that  of  a  subdued,  softened,  melancholy  tenderness.     And 
was  there  less  of  tenderness  in  His  dealings  with  those  who  were  not  disciples? 
with  the  penitent  woman  in  Simon's  house?  with  the  woman  of  Samaria?  &c.     3. 
This  tenderness   of  the   Saviour's    character  has  accompanied  Him  into  heaven, 
arching  as  with  the  mild  splendours  of  a  rainbow  the  throne  of  His  mediation,  and 
giving  a  softened  light  and  lustre  to  the  moral  administration  of  God  (Rev.  i.-iii.). 
n.  In  its  bearing  on  some  of  the  experiences  of  the  Christian  life.     1.  How 
should  we  be  comforted  by  it  under  early  convictions  of  sin,  and  doubts  of  the 
Divine  forgiveness  ?     None  should  despair  whilst  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  there 
stands  the  gentle  Lamb  of  God  whose  blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin.     2.  It  should 
be  very  comforting  when  cast  down  by  the  weakness  of  our  faith.     The  same  weak- 
ness has  been  exhibited  by  our  brethren  in   the  world,  but  a  gracious  Saviour 
allowed   for,   pardoned  them.     Look   at    that   agonised  father   as  he  brings  his 
demoniac  son  to  the  Saviour.   Weak  faith,  mixed  faith,  little  faith — better  this  than 
none  at  all :  "  Lord,  I  beUeve ;   help   Thou  mine  unbelief."     Or  see  again  how 
tenderly  the  Master  deals  with  His  fearful  disciples  in  the  storm.     And  therefore 
to  all  who  are  suffering  from  this  infirmity,  we  say,  "  Be  not  afraid,  only  believe." 

27 


418  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  x. 

3.  Consider  it  as  it  bears  upon  our  slow  progress  in  the  Divine  life — our  coldness  in 
sacred  exercises,  our  fluctuations  and  decays  of  religious  feeling.  Go  to  Geth- 
semane,  and  look  on  the  disciples  sleeping  when  they  ought  to  have  been  praying ; 
but  the  compassionate  Saviour  can  excuse  all.  "  The  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but 
the  flesh  is  weak."  4.  See  the  Christian  under  the  pressure  of  outward  adversity. 
More  than  thirty  years  did  our  Divine  Master  spend  in  that  school.  And  we  love 
to  think  of  Jesus  as  "  touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  infirmities  "  now  that  He  reigns 
in  heaven.  5.  See  the  Christian  again  under  the  prevalence  of  temptation,  and 
what  a  strong  refuge  has  he  in  the  Saviour's  tenderness :  "  For  in  that  He  Himself 
hath  suffered,  being  tempted,  He  is  able  to  succour  them  that  are  tempted."  Yes, 
"  tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are."  And  now,  in  heaven.  He  brings  to  bear  on 
His  work  for  us  all  the  sacred  memories  and  experiences  of  His  earthly  state.  6. 
Behold  the  Christian  in  that  hour  of  nature's  greatest  weakness,  when  he  sees 
opening  before  him  the  doors  of  the  unseen  world.  Then  does  he  feel  the  power 
of  the  Saviour's  tenderness  most;  for  it  is  His  special  office  "  to  deliver  them  who 
through  fear  of  death  were  all  their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage."  (D.  Moore,  M.A.) 
The  gentleness  of  Christ : — Gentleness  is  not  so  much  the  essence  of  goodness  as  it 
is  its  exquisite  setting ;  it  is  a  kind  way  of  being  good.  It  is  not  the  tree  itself,  but 
the  blossom  upon  its  boughs  ;  but  the  tree  of  which  it  is  the  blossom  is  the  tree  of 
hfe.  There  is  none  so  gentle  as  "  the  Lord  God  omnipotent."  We  see  and  feel 
His  gentleness  in  the  way  in  which  He  is  daily  conferring  His  bounties.  I.  The 
WAY  IN  WHICH  He  exercised  His  POWER.  We  are  almost  afraid  of  power  in  the 
possession  of  man.  When  we  think  of  the  Pharaohs,  the  Herods,  the  Cffisars,  the 
Napoleons,  we  shrink  from  the  committal  of  power  to  any  human  arm.  He  laid 
a  gentle  hand  upon  the  sick  ;  He  spoke  gentle  words  to  those  who  appealed  for  His 
succour,  quietly  and  graciously.  H.  The  way  in  which  He  taught  Divine 
TRUTH.  Men  of  brilliant  powers  often  like  to  flash  them  upon  society  ;  genius  often 
dazzles  and  bewilders.  But  the  Great  Teacher,  not  neglecting  the  opportunity  that 
offered,  went  quietly  and  meekly  to  His  work  of  utterance.  He  chose  the  humble 
wayside,  the  upper  room,  the  shaded  garden,  where  He  could  teach  His  disciples. 
in.  The  way  in  which  He  treated  error  and  failure  and  sin.  1.  Gently 
He  excused  the  extravagant  zeal  of  one  of  His  disciples,  discovering  for  her  a 
justification  she  would  never  have  found  for  herself.  "  She  has  done  it  for  My 
burial"  (Matt.  xxvi.  12).  2.  Gently  He  bore  with  infirm  discipleship ;  correcting 
their  misunderstanding,  enlightening  them  in  their  darkness,  and  on  one  occasion 
most  graciously  accepting  their  intended  but  halting  service  (Matt.  xxvi.  41).  3. 
Gentb'  He  rebuked  and  restored  failure  and  fall  (Luke  xxii.  61 ;  John  xxi.  15-19). 

4.  Gently  He  dealt  with  those  who  rejected  Him.  5.  Gently  He  dealt  with  those 
whom  all  others  spurned;  admitting  the  publican  into  His  kingdom.  6.  Gently 
He  bore  Himself  at  the  last  sad  scenes.  We  may  beseech  men  by  the  gentleness  of 
Christ — (1)  To  have  their  own  character  and  conduct  clothed  with  this  grace  ;  that 
themselves  and  their  life  may  be  beautiful  and  attractive  like  their  Lord's.  (2)  To 
yield  their  hearts  to  Him  who  is  the  rightful  object  not  only  of  high  regard,  but  of 
a  true  affection  ;  this  gentle  Lord  of  truth  and  grace  is  one  whom  we  can  love  and 
therefore  serve.  (3)  To  shrink  from  the  condemnation  of  Christ.  We  can  afford 
to  disregard  the  threatenings  of  the  violent,  but  we  may  not  despise  the  earnest 
warnings  of  the  calm  and  true.  {W.  Clarkson,  B.A.)  The  apostle's  vindication  : — 
The  Epistle  has  until  n|w  been  addressed  to  those  who  at  least  acknowledged  the 
apostle's  authority.  But  now  we  have  St.  Paul's  reply  to  his  enemies.  Note — I. 
The  impugners  of  his  authority.  1,  We  must  distinguish  these  into  two  classes — 
the  deceivers  and  the  deceived  ;  else  we  cannot  understand  the  difference  of  tone, 
sometimes  meek,  and  sometimes  stern,  which  pervades  the  vindication ;  e.g.,  comp. 
ver.  2  with  ver.  1.  His  enemies  charged  him  with  insincerity  (2  Cor.  i.  12,  13,  18, 
19) ;  with  being  only  powerful  in  writing  (2  Cor.  x.  10) ;  of  mercenary  motives ;  of 
a  lack  of  apostolic  gifts  ;  and  of  not  preaching  the  gospel.  They  charged  him  with 
artifice.  His  Christian  prudence  and  charity  were  regarded  as  devices  whereby  he 
deceived  his  followers.  2.  We  must  also  bear  in  mind  that  the  apostle  had  to  deal 
with  a  strong  party  spirit  (1  Cor.  i.  12),  and  of  all  these  parties  his  chief  difficult}' 
lay  with  that  which  called  itself  Christ's.  (1)  Though  these  persons  called  them- 
selves Christ's  they  are  nevertheless  blamed  in  the  same  list  with  others.  And  yet 
what  could  seem  to  be  more  right  than  for  men  to  say,  "  We  will  bear  no  name 
but  Christ's ;  we  throw  ourselves  on  Christ's  own  words  ;  we  throw  aside  all  intel- 
lectual philosophy  ;  we  will  have  no  servitude  to  ritualism  "  ?  Nevertheless,  these 
persons  were  just  as  bigoted  and  as  blameable  as  the  others.     They  did  not  mean 


CHAP.  X.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  419 

to  say  only,  "  We  are  Christ's,"  but  also,  "  You  are  7}ot  Christ's."  This  is  a  feeling 
which  is  as  much  to  be  avoided  now  as  then.  Sectarianism  falsifies  the  very 
principle  of  our  religion,  and  therefore  falsifies  its  forms.  It  falsifies  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  It  substitutes  for  "  our  Father,"  the  Father  of  me,  of  my  Church  or  party. 
It  falsifies  the  creed :  "  I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Loi-d."  It  falsifies  both  the 
sacraments.  (2)  However  Christian  this  expression  may  sound,  the  spirit  which 
prompts  it  is  wrong.  This  Christ-party  separated  themselves  from  God's  order 
when  they  rejected  the  teaching  of  St.  Paul  and  the  apostles.  For  the  phase  of 
truth  presented  by  St.  Paul  was  just  as  necessary  as  that  taught  by  Christ.  Not 
that  Chi-ist  did  not  teach  all  truth,  but  that  the  hidden  meaning  of  His  teaching 
was  developed  still  further  by  the  inspired  apostles.  We  cannot,  at  this  time,  cut 
ourselves  off  from  the  teaching  of  eighteen  centuries.  We  cannot  do  without  the 
different  phases  of  knowledge  which  God's  various  instruments  have  delivered  to  us. 
For  God's  system  is  mediatorial — that  is,  truth  communicated  to  men  through  men. 
II.  His  vindication.  1.  St.  Paul  based  his  authority  on  the  power  of  meekness, 
and  it  was  a  spii'itual  power  in  respect  of  that  meekness.  The  weapons  of  his 
warfare  were  not  carnal.  (1)  This  was  one  of  the  root  principles  of  St.  Paul's 
ministry.  If  he  reproved,  it  was  done  in  the  spirit  of  meekness  (Gal.  v.  1) ;  or  if 
he  defended  his  own  authority,  it  was  still  with  the  same  spirit  (chap.  x.  1).  He 
closes  his  summary  of  the  character  of  ministerial  work  by  showing  the  need  of 
a  gentle  spirit  (2  Tim.  ii.  24-2(3).  (2)  Here,  again,  according  to  his  custom,  the 
apostle  refers  to  the  example  of  Christ.  He  vindicated  his  authority,  because  he 
had  been  meek,  as  Christ  was  meek.  So  it  ever  is  :  humility,  after  all,  is  the  best 
defence.  Do  not  let  insult  harden  you,  nor  cruelty  rob  you  of  tenderness.  You 
will  conquer  as  Christ  conquered,  and  bless  as  He  blessed.  But  remember,  fine 
words  about  gentleness,  self-sacrifice,  meekness,  are  worth  very  little.  Would  you 
believe  in  the  Cross  and  its  victory  ?  then  live  in  its  spirit — act  upon  it.  2.  St. 
Paul  rested  his  authority  not  on  carnal  weapons,  but  on  the  spiritual  power  of 
truth.  The  strongholds  which  the  apostle  had  to  pull  down  were  the  old  habits 
which  still  clung  to  the  Christianised  heathen.  There  was  the  pride  of  intellect 
in  the  arrogant  Greek  philosophers,  the  pride  of  the  flesh  in  the  Jewish  love  of 
signs,  and  most  difficult  of  all — the  pride  of  ignorance.  For  this  work  St.  Paul's 
weapon  was  Truth,  not  authority,  craft,  or  personal  influence.  He  felt  that  truth 
must  prevail.  A  grand,  silent  lesson  for  us  now !  when  the  noises  of  a  hundred 
controversies  stun  the  Church.  Let  us  teach  as  Christ  and  His  apostles  taught. 
Force  no  one  to  God,  but  convince  all  by  the  might  of  truth.  Should  any  of 
you  have  to  bear  attacks  on  your  character,  or  life,  or  doctrine,  defend  yourself 
with  meekness,  or  if  defence  should  make  matters  worse,  then  commit  yourself 
fully  to  the  truth.  Outpray,  outpreach,  outlive  the  calumny.  (F.  W.  Robert- 
son, M.A.) 

Vers.  3-6.  For  though  we  walk  in  the  flesh,  we  do  not  war  after  the  flesh. — The 

distijictions  beticeen  the  good  and  the  bad  : — I.  What  is  conceded  by  the  apostle 
in  the  text  as  to  the  general  state  of  the  servants  of  Christ  ;  or,  in  other  words, 
what  is  meant  by  the  expression,  we  "walk  in  the  flesh  "  ?  1.  It  is  evident  that  this 
expression  does  not  mean  the  same  thing  as  "  walking  after  the  flesh  " ;  for,  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Romans,  it  is  expressly  said  that  the  servant  of  God  "does  not  walk 
after  the  flesh,"  but  "after  the  Spirit."  The  expression  plainly  refers,  not  to  the 
corruptions  of  the  bad,  but  to  the  infirmities  of  the  good.  Consider  in  what 
respects  a  real  Christian  may  sometimes  be  found  to  "  walk  in  the  flesh."  1.  He 
"  walks  in  the  flesh  "  in  that  he  is  subject  to  all  the  inflrmities  of  the  body.  It  is 
said,  for  instance,  of  Hezekiah,  that  he  was  "sick  even  unto  death."  The  same 
fact  is  stated  with  regard  to  Onesiphorus.  And  Timothy  is  commanded  to  "  take  a 
little  wine,  on  account  of  his  often  infirmities."  2.  In  the  next  place,  the  servant 
of  God  is  liable  to  error  in  judgment  and  opinion.  3.  In  like  manner  the  real 
Christian,  as  long  as  the  connection  of  "the  flesh,"  or  of  the  body  and  soul,  con- 
tinues, is  subject  to  the  assaults  of  temptation.  Abraham  was  tempted;  Job  was 
tempted ;  Peter  was  tried  by  his  natural  impetuosity  ;  Paul,  by  a  thorn  in  the  flesh. 
4.  In  like  manner  the  real  servant  of  God  is  subject  to  infirmities  of  temper  and 
conduct.  Look,  for  example,  into  the  history  of  the  Old  Testament  saints,  and  see 
their  deviations  from  holiness.  5.  The  real  Christian  is  subject  to  inflrmities  even 
as  to  those  great  principles  and  affections  which  are  nevertheless  the  governing 
powers  of  his  soul.  What  infirmity,  for  instance,  is  there  in  his  faith  !  Look  again 
at  the  love  of  the  real  servant  of  Christ.     At  times  how  ardent  and  active  are  his 


420  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [ch.vp.  x. 

feelings,  and  at  other  times  how  cold  and  sluggish!  Thus,  also,  the  hope  of  the 
real  Chi-istian  is  often  characterised  by  much  infirmity.  To-day  every  promise  is 
bright  in  his  eyes ;  the  next  day,  perhaps,  the  consciousness  of  his  guilt  seizes  upon 
his  mind ;  his  sky  is  clouded.  But  does  it  foUow,  as  some  would  pretend,  that 
there  is  no  distinction  between  the  servants  of  God  and  the  servants  of  the  world, 
between  religion  and  irreligion?  By  no  means.  "Though  we  walk  in  the  flesh," 
yet  "  we  do  not  war  after  the  flesh."  11.  Consider  in  what  the  DisTrNCxiON 
between  the  good  and  the  bad  consists  ;  or,  in  other  words,  what  is  the  meaning  of 
the  expression  "  we  do  not  war  after  the  flesh  "  ?  1.  The  Christian,  says  St.  Paul, 
does  not  "war  after  the  flesh";  in  other  words,  he  does  not  contend  with  his 
opposers  in  the  spirit  or  in  the  manner  in  which  they  contend  with  him.  Look,  for 
instance,  at  the  great  Head  of  the  Christian  Church,  when  sulTering  under  the 
cruelty  of  His  countrymen :  He  returns  silence  for  insults  ;  deeds  of  mercy  for  deeds 
of  blood.  Look  again  at  the  first  martyr  to  the  religion  of  the  Cross:  "I  pray  God 
that  it  may  not  be  laid  to  their  charge."  And  such  will  be  the  distinction  of  temper 
and  conduct  in  every  case  of  conflict  between  the  servant  of  Christ  and  of  the  world. 
2.  But  it  is  my  wish  to  extend  this  inquiry  to  the  more  general  points  of  distinction 
between  the  real  Christian  and  the  followers  of  the  world.  And  it  is  not  too  much 
to  afiirm,  that  as  to  no  one  point  will  the  real  servant  of  God  habitually  walk,  think, 
live  "  after  the  flesh."  1.  Lathe  first  place,  holiness  in  a  servant  of  God  is  habitual ; 
sin  is  occasional  and  rare.  Hezekiah  was  betrayed  into  an  act  of  vanity;  Herod, 
we  may  conceive,  was  habitually  vain.  2.  The  real  Christian  alone  mourns  over 
his  sins  as  so  many  acts  of  ingratitude  and  disobedience  to  God.  It  is  almost  a  f  oUy 
to  speak  of  the  man  of  the  world  as  mourning  for  sin  at  all.  3.  The  Christian,  and 
the  Christian  alone,  carries  his  sins  to  the  Cross  of  Christ  for  pardon.  4.  The 
Christian,  and  the  Christian  alone,  is  carrying  his  corruptions  to  the  Spirit  of  God 
for  correction  and  sanctification.  5.  The  Christian  is  obtaining  a  daily  and  visible 
conquest  over  his  corruptions.  The  corruptions  of  the  men  of  the  world,  because 
left  to  themselves,  or  nursed  up  in  the  cradle  of  self-indulgence,  are  daily  gaining 
strength.  1.  Conclusion :  If  such  are  the  infirmities  even  of  the  acknowledged  servants 
of  God,  how  necessary  is  it  that  men,  in  every  stage  of  their  religious  progress, 
should  acknowledge  their  weakness  and  worthlessness,  and  cast  themselves  on  the 
compassion  of  God  for  pardon  and  grace !  2.  If  the  points  of  distinction  between 
a  servant  of  God  and  a  servant  of  the  world  are  as  many  and  great  as  we  have  seen, 
let  no  man  who  has  not  the  marks  of  a  Christian  lay  any  claim  to  his  name  and  to 
his   privileges.     {J.    W.    Cunningham,   A.M.)  Our  warfare: — I.    The    enemy 

AGAINST  WHOM  THIS  WABFAEE  IS  DiEECTED.  1.  That  enemy  is  Satan.  2.  The 
position  of  these  hosts  of  darkness.  3.  The  kingdom  of  Satan  is  represented  as 
fortified  by  numerous  strongholds.  (1)  Of  these  some  are  intellectual.  There  is 
the  stronghold  of — (a)  Wilful  ignorance  (chap.  iv.  4).  [h)  Infidelity,  in  which 
revealed  truth  is  scornfully  rejected  and  bitterly  reviled,  (c)  Prejudice,  under  which 
multitudes  refuse  the  doctrines  of  Evangelical  religion,  {d)  Superstition  and 
idolatry.  (2)  There  is  the  stronghold  of  moral  depravity  in  every  heart.  When 
every  other  fortress  is  broken  down,  man  finds  a  refuge  here.  II.  The  weapons 
WITH  WHICH  THIS  WAEFAEE  IS  PEOSECTJTED.  1.  The  wcapous  of  our  Warfare  are  not 
carnal — neither  force  nor  intrigue.  False  religions  have  been  thus  propagated ;  but 
Christianity  repudiates  all  such  aid.  2.  What  those  weapons  are,  Paul  has  stated 
in  Eph.  vi.  Now  these  weapons,  though  not  carnal,  are  nevertheless  mighty.  (1) 
For  defence.  (2)  For  conquest.  For  the  overthrow  of  Satan's  kingdom,  and  the 
disenthralment  of  the  human  race  from  his  iron  yoke,  we  need  no  other  weapons. 
(3)  In  their  source — "  God";  not  any  skill,  or  strength,  or  courage  in  us.  (a)  It  is 
God  who  summons  us  to  this  glorious  conflict,  [h)  He  equips  us  for  the  contest, 
(c)  He  is  graciously  present  with  us  by  His  good  Spirit,  inspiring  us  with  Divine 
energy,  and  giving  us  the  victory.  HI.  The  triumphs  we  anticipate.  1.  The 
total  downfall  of  the  strongholds  of  Satan.  (1)  The  stronghold  of  ignorance.  The 
darkness  which  for  so  many  centuries  has  covered  the  earth  shall  be  dispelled. 
Many  shall  run  to  and  fro,  and  knowledge  shall  be  increased.  (2)  The  strongholds 
of  superstition  and  idolatry.  The  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  shall  be  universally 
triumphant.  (3)  Those  earthly  governments  which  obstinately  withstand  Christianity. 
The  kmgdoms  of  the  earth  will  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  God  and  of  His  Christ. 
2.  The  casting  down  of  imaginations,  and  of  every  high  thing  that  exalteth  itself 
against  the  knowledge  of  God — bold  speculations,  sophistical  reasonings,  false 
philosophies,  which  either  deny  His  existence  or  distort  His  character  and  misinter- 
pret His  will.     Now  such  things  are  made  high  things  by  learning,  genius,  rank. 


CHAP.  X.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  421 

wealth,  and  popular  applause.  But  the  things  which  promote  the  knowledge  of 
Ood  have  for  the  most  part  been  low,  humble,  obscure.  But  these  matters  will  be 
reversed.  The  knowledge  of  God  will  make  its  way.  3.  The  subjugation  of  human 
hearts  to  the  sceptre  of  Jesus.  (W.  Ilurton.)  Christianity  a  warfare : — I.  A 
WAKFARE  ILLUSTRATING  THE  CH.YKACTEB  OF  CHRISTIANITY.  1.  Christianity  caunot  get 
into  any  man's  heart  but  it  makes  a  warrior  of  him.  The  grace  of  God  is  com- 
pletely at  variance  with  the  spirit  and  practice  of  the  world.  What  does  Paul  call 
his  life  as  he  looks  back  on  it  ?  An  extended  scene  of  unbroken  serenity  and 
enjoyment?  No — "  a  good  fight."  2.  But  observe,  is  it  not  of  a  defensive  warfare 
that  the  text  speaks  ?  "  Pulling  down,"  "casting  down,"  "bringing  into  captivity"  are 
the  operations  of  an  aggressive  army.  A  religion  of  benevolence  is  an  amiable  and 
useful  thing,  but  if  it  is  unaccompanied  with  a  hatred  of  sm  and  a  striving  against 
it,  we  must  not  call  it  Christianity.  II.  The  object  of  this  warfare.  1.  The 
demolition  of  evil.  "For  this  purpose  the  Son  of  God  was  manifested,  that  He 
might  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil."  And  that  must  be  ours  too.  Think  of  a 
country  so  strong  in  its  natural  defences  as  to  be  impregnable — there  is  a  picture 
of  Satan's  dominion.  No  created  power  can  wrest  it  out  of  his  hand.  But  there  is 
One  before  whom  natural  obstacles  are  aU  as  nothing,  and  so  Satan  strengthens  them 
■with  fortifications  and  citadels.  These  in  one  age  or  country  are  of  one  kind,  in 
another  of  another  kind.  Satan  accommodates  himself  to  the  nature  of  the 
ground.  There  is — (1)  Superstition,  one  of  Satan's  oldest  fortresses.  In  the  apostle's 
days  it  appeared  as  paganism.  When  Christianity  began  to  triumph,  it  assumed  a 
new  character,  paganising  Christianity  in  the  form  of  error.  (2)  InfideHty,  no 
longer,  however,  coarse  and  scoffing,  but  cultured  and  professedly  reverent.  2.  The 
entire  subjugation  of  the  human  mind  to  Christ.  When  soldiers  besiege  a  fortress, 
and,  battering  down  its  walls,  take  possession  of  it,  the  men  within  it  become  their 
prisoners.  And  Christ  aims  His  gospel  at  the  strongholds  of  Satan,  and  calls  upon 
His  followers  to  beat  them  down  in  order  to  rescue  men  from  Satan's  bondage  and 
to  make  them  captives  to  HimseH.  "  Bringing  every  thought  into  captivity  to  the 
obedience  of  Christ."  How  low  are  our  ideas  of  Christianity  when  compared  with 
St.  Paul's.  Such  texts  as  these  make  us  feel  sometimes  as  though  we  had  never 
yet  learnt  anything  of  it.     HI.  The  weapons.     1.  What  are  the  "  carnal  weapons  "  ? 

2.  What  then  will  do  the  work  ?  This  the  apostle  does  not  say.  We  are,  however, 
at  no  loss.  "We  preach  Christ  crucified,"  says  this  apostle;  and  what  does  he 
immediately  call  that  ?  a  carnal  weapon  ?  No,  "  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom 
of  God."  I  do  not  say,  lay  all  other  means  aside.  Form  societies,  build  schools, 
erect  churches,  circulate  books — but  remember  still,  all  these  will  not  damage 
materially  one  bulwark  of  Satan  among  us  unless  our  one  main  object  in  them  is  to 
make  known  the  gospel.  (C.  Bradley,  M.A.)  The  spiritual  conflict,  weapons,  and 
victory  : — I.  The  conflict  in  which  Christianity  and  its  advocates  are  engaged. 
1.  The  world  must  be  regarded  as  the  scene  of  universal  strife  and  rebellion  against 
God.  Before  the  creation  of  our  race  some  of  the  powers  of  heaven  revolted  from 
their  allegiance.  By  the  chief  of  these  fallen  spirits,  man  was  successfully  tempted 
to  the  perpetration  of  evil ;  and  the  whole  history  of  the  world  since  has  only 
presented  the  annals  of  unbroken  rebellion  against  God.  2.  The  conduct  of  the 
warfare  on  behalf  of  God  was  confided  to  a  temporary  dispensation  ;  but  in  the 
fulness  of  time  it  was  finally  committed  to  the  dispensation  of  the  gospel.  When 
the  gospel  went  forth  there  was  a  vast  amount  of  individual  opposition.  But, 
besides  this,  there  were  opposing  systems.  There  was,  for  example,  Judaism,  which, 
now  that  its  shadows  were  fulfilled,  had  no  right  to  the  exercise  of  authority  over 
men.     There  were  also  various  modifications  of  the  grand  apostasy  of  heathenism. 

3.  This  gospel  is  still  to  be  the  instrument  of  the  spiritual  conflict.  TL.  The  weapons 
WITH  WHICH  this  CONFLICT  IS  CONDUCTED.  Notc — 1.  The  denial  expressed.  "  We 
do  not  war  after  the  flesh."  "  The  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal" — not 
penalties,  prison-houses,  or  swords.  Christianity  is  absolutely  incompatible  with 
those  means  of  propagation.  Never  did  the  penalties  of  law  or  the  horrors  of  armies 
urge  forward  the  cause  of  redemption  one  single  step.  2.  The  affirmative  implied. 
(1)  The  instrumentality  that  the  advocates  of  Christianity  are  to  employ. 
Evangelical  truth,  along  with  the  evidence  by  which  that  truth  is  attested  and  con- 
firmed. The  preaching  of  the  Cross  of  Christ  involves  in  it  all  those  high  and 
delightful  topics  which  are  so  well  adapted  to  produce  a  powerful  impression  on  the 
intellect  and  the  affections  of  mankind  ;  and  we  therefore  rely  upon  it  to  secure  the 
progress  of  Christianity.  (2)  The  agency  upon  which  they  are  to  depend.  God  has 
been  pleased  to  provide  the  agency  of  His  own  Spirit  to  work  in  connection  with  the 


422  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  x. 

gospel.  The  Word  of  God  is  the  sword  of  the  Spirit.  Man  draws  the  bow  at  a 
venture,  God  wings  the  arrow,  and  makes  it  sharp  in  the  hearts  of  the  King's 
enemies.  "Not  by  might,  nor  by  power."  III.  The  victory  in  which  this  con- 
flict WILL  TEE3IINATE.  1.  The  nature  of  this  victory  will  be  accordant  with  infinite 
benevolence.  Our  contemplations  of  victory  in  human  war  are  always  connected 
with  many  causes  of  sorrow ;  but  who  can  contemplate  the  victories  of  the  gospel 
without  rapture?  2.  The  extent  of  this  victory  wiU  be  commensurate  with  the 
boundaries  of  the  world.     (J.  Parsons.) 

Ver.  4.  For  the  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal,  but  mighty  to  the 
pulling  down  of  strongholds. — The  moral  power  of  Christianity  : — In  the  wi'itings 
of  St.  Paul  you  meet  with  frequent  military  allusions,  but  you  must  not  consider 
them  as  introduced  by  the  apostle's  preference  of  the  figurative  style.  We  doubt 
whether  it  be  altogether  just  to  speak  of  these  allusions  as  metaphorical.  The 
Christian  is  not  so  much  metaphorically  as  really  a  soldier,  if  by  a  soldier  we 
understand  one  who  is  surrounded  by  enemies.  You  will  at  once  perceive,  by 
reference  to  the  context,  or,  indeed,  by  observing  the  verse  itself,  that  the  apostle  is 
here  describing  Christianity,  not  in  its  operations  within  the  breast  of  an  individual, 
but  rather  as  the  engine  with  which  God  was  opposing,  and  would  finally  over- 
throw, the  idolatry  and  the  wickedness  of  the  world.  We  admit,  indeed,  that  it  is 
perhaps  unnecessary  to  separate  altogether  Christianity,  as  ruling  in  the  individual, 
from  Christianity  as  advancing  to  sovereignty.  The  weapons  with  which  the 
preacher  conquers  himself  must,  in  a  measure,  be  those  with  which  he  conquers 
others.  But  still  the  points  of  view  are  manifestly  different.  St.  Paul  is  describing 
himself  as  the  champion  of  righteousness  and  truth,  against  the  vices  and  erroi'S  of 
a  profligate  and  ignorant  world  ;  and  the  point  which  he  maintains  is  that  the 
engine  with  which  he  prosecutes  his  championship,  though  not  "carnal,"  is 
"  mighty  through  God  "  to  the  accomplishing  the  object  proposed.  I.  We  begin 
WITH  Christianity  as  adapted  to  the  converting  individuals.  And  we  fasten 
upon  the  expression  of  the  apostle  that  his  weapons  were  not  carnal ;  they  were  not 
such  weapons  as  a  carnal  policy  would  have  suggested,  or  a  carnal  philosophy  have 
approved.  The  doctrines  advanced  did  not  recommend  themselves  by  their  close 
appeal  to  reason  ;  neither  did  they  rely  for  their  cogency  on  the  eloquence  with 
which  they  were  urged.  It  seems  implied  that  the  virtue  of  the  weapons  lay  in  the 
fact  of  their  not  being  carnal,  for  the  apostle  is  put  on  his  defence,  and  the  not 
using  carnal  weapons  is  his  self-vindication.  And,  beyond  question,  in  this  lies  the 
secret  of  the  power  of  Christianity,  and  of  the  thorough  insufficiency  of  every  other 
system.  If  Christianity  demanded  nothing  more  than  confession  of  its  truth, 
Christianity  would  be  carnal,  seeing  that  we  satisfied  ourselves  of  its  evidences  by  a. 
process  of  reasoning,  and  such  process  is  quite  at  one  with  the  carnal  nature, 
flattering  it  by  appealing  to  the  native  powers  of  man.  If,  again,  Christianity 
depended  for  its  reception  on  the  eloquence  of  its  teachers,  so  that  it  rested  with 
them  to  persuade  men  into  belief,  then  again  Christianity  would  be  carnal,  its 
whole  effectiveness  being  drawn  from  the  energy  of  the  tongue  and  the  susceptibility 
of  the  passions.  And  if  Christianity  were  thus  carnal — as  every  system  must  be 
which  depends  not  on  a  higher  than  human  agency — it  could  not  be  mighty  in 
turning  sinners  unto  God.  But  Christianity,  as  not  being  carnal,  brings  itself 
straightway  into  collision  with  every  passion,  principle,  and  prejudice  of  a  carnal 
nature,  and  must  therefore  either  subdue,  or  be  subdued  by  that  nature.  I  do 
not  think  it  possible  to  insist  too  strongly  on  the  fact  that  the  great  work  of 
Christianity,  considered  as  an  engine  for  altering  character,  is  derived  from  its 
basing  itself  on  the  supposition  of  human  insufficiency.  If  it  did  not  set  out  with 
declaring  man  helpless,  it  would  necessarily,  we  believe,  leave  man  hopeless.  It 
goes  at  once  to  the  root  of  the  disease  by  proclaiming  man  lost  if  left  to  himself. 
It  will  not  allow  man  to  take  credit  to  himself  for  a  single  step  in  the  course  of 
improvement,  and  that  it  is  which  makes  it  mighty,  inasmuch  as  being  proud  of 
the  advance  would  ensure  the  falling  back.  Hence  the  stronghold  of  pride  gives 
way,  for  there  must  be  humility  where  there  is  a  thorough  feeling  of  helplessness, 
and  with  the  stronghold  of  pride  is  overturned  also  the  stronghold  of  fear,  seeing 
that  the  lesson  which  teaches  us  our  ruin,  teaches  us,  with  equal  emphasis,  our 
restoration.  And  the  stronghold  of  indifference — this,  too,  is  east  down  ;  the 
message  is  a  stirring  one ;  it  will  not  let  the  man  rest  till  he  flee  impending  wrath. 
Neither  can  the  stronghold  of  evil  passions  remain  unattacked  ;  for  the  gospel 
scheme  in  proffering  happiness   exacts  the   mortification  of   lusts.     II.  But   wb 


CHAP,  X.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  423 

SHALL  GREATLY  CORROBORATE  THIS  ARGUMENT  IF  WE  EXAMINE  THE  POWER  OF 

Christianity  in  civilising  nations.  It  admits  of  little  question  that  paganism 
and  barbarism  go  generally  together,  so  that  the  worshippers  of  idols  are  ordinarily 
deficient  in  the  humanities  of  life.  We  may  not  indeed  affirm  that  heathenism 
and  civilisation  cannot  co-exist ;  for  undoubtedly  some  of  the  nations  of  antiquity, 
as  they  could  be  surpassed  by  no  modern  in  superstition,  so  they  could  by  few,  if  by 
any,  in  literature  and  arts.  We  shall  not  pretend  to  say  that  a  vast  revolution 
might  not  be  wrought  among  a  heathen  population  if  you  domesticated  in  their 
land  the  husbandman  and  the  artificer,  and  thus  awakened  in  them  a  taste  for  the 
comforts  of  civilised  life,  even  though  you  left  them  undisturbed  in  their  idolatry, 
and  sent  them  no  missionary  to  publish  Christianity.  So  that  we  are  not  about  to 
affirm  that  Christianity  is  the  only  engine  of  civilisation ;  but  we  venture  to  affirm 
that  none  can  be  compared  with  it  as  to  effectiveness.  You  may  introduce  laws,  but 
laws  can  only  touch  the  workings,  not  the  principles  of  evil ;  whereas  every  step 
made  by  Christianity  is  a  step  against  the  principles,  and  therefore  an  advance  to 
the  placing  government  on  its  alone  secure  basis.  To  civilise  must  be  to  raise  man 
to  his  true  place  in  the  scale  of  creation,  and  who  wiU  affirm  this  done  whilst  he 
bows  down  to  the  inferior  creatures  as  God?  We  have  a  confidence  in  the 
missionary  which  we  should  not  have  in  any  lecturer  on  political  economy,  or  any 
instructor  in  husbandry  and  handicraft.  You  may  think  it  a  strange  method  of 
teaching  the  savage  the  use  of  the  plough  to  teach  him  the  doctrine  of  the  atone- 
ment. But  the  connection  lies  in  this — and  we  hold  it  to  be  strong  and  well 
defined — by  instructing  the  savage  in  the  truths  of  Christianity  I  set  before  him 
motives,  such  as  cannot  elsewhere  be  found,  to  the  living  soberly,  industriously, 
and  honestly ;  I  furnish  him  at  once  with  inducements  whose  strength  it  is 
impossible  to  resist,  to  the  practising  the  duties  and  evading  the  vices  which 
respectively  uphold  and  obstruct  the  well-being  of  society.  And,  if  this  has  been 
done,  has  not  more  been  done  towards  elevating  him  to  his  right  place  in  the 
human  family  than  if  I  had  merely  taught  him  an  improved  method  of  agriculture? 
Shall  not  the  mental  process  be  deemed  far  superior  to  the  mechanical  ?  And  shall 
it  be  denied  that  the  savage  who  has  learned  industry  in  learning  moraUty  has 
gone  onward  with  an  ampler  stride  in  the  march  of  civilisation  than  another  who 
has  consented  to  handle  the  plough  because  perceiving  that  he  shall  thereby 
increase  his  animal  comforts  ?  This  we  conceive  is  the  true  order ;  not  to  attempt 
to  civilise  first,  as  though  men  in  their  savage  state  were  not  ready  for  Chris- 
tianity, but  to  begin  at  once  with  the  attempt  to  Christianise,  computing 
that  the  very  essence  of  the  barbarism  is  the  heathenism,  and  that  in  the 
train  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  move  the  arts  which  adorn  and  the  charities 
which  sweeten  human  life.  And  in  this  is  Chi-istianity  "mighty  through  God 
to  the  pulling  down  of  strongholds."  The  missionary,  with  no  carnal  weapon 
at  his  disposal,  with  no  engine  but  that  gospel,  has  a  far  higher  likelihood  of 
improving  the  institutions  of  a  barbarous  tribe,  introducing  amongst  them  the- 
refinements  of  poUshed  society,  increasing  the  comforts  of  domestic  life,  and 
establishing  civU  government  on  more  legitimate  principles,  than  if  he  were  the 
delegate  of  philosophers  who  have  made  civilisation  their  study,  or  of  kings  who 
would  bestow  all  their  power  on  its  promotion.  We  will  ask  the  missionary  who 
is  moving,  as  the  patriarch  of  the  village,  from  cottage  to  cottage,  encouraging  and 
instructing  the  several  families  who  receive  him  with  smiles,  and  hear  him  with 
reverence.  We  will  ask  him  by  what  engines  he  humanised  the  savages,  by  what 
influence  he  withdrew  them  from  lawlessness,  and  formed  them  into  a  happy  and 
well-disciplined  community.  Did  he  begin  with  essays  on  the  constitution  of 
society ;  on  the  undeveloped  powers  of  the  country  ;  on  the  advantages  derivable 
from  the  division  of  labour ;  or  on  those  methods  of  civilisation  which  might  be 
thought  worthy  the  patronage  of  some  philosophical  board  ?  Oh,  the  missionary 
will  not  tell  you  of  such  methods  of  assaulting  the  degradation  of  centuries ;  he 
will  tell  you  that  he  departed  from  his  distant  home  charged  with  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  and  that  with  this  gospel  he  attacked  the  strongholds  of  barbarism  ;  he  will 
tell  you  that  he  preached  Jesus  to  the  savages,  and  that  he  found,  as  the  heart  melted 
at  the  tidings  of  redemption,  the  manners  softened  and  the  customs  were  reformed  ; 
he  will  tell  you  that  he  did  nothing  but  plant  the  Cross  in  the  waste,  and  that  he 
had  proved  that  beneath  its  shadow  aU  that  is  ferocious  wiU  wither,  and  aU  that  is 
gentle  spring  up  and  ripen.  Such  is  Christianity,  mighty  in  the  converting 
individuals,  mighty  in  the  civilising  nations.  This  is  the  engine  through  which  we 
ourselves  have  risen  to  greatness,  and  from  which  each  of  us  draws  the  means  of 


424  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  x. 

grace  and  the  hope  of  glory.  This  is  the  religion,  thus  effective  in  fertilising  the 
waste  places  of  the  earth,  and  elevating  the  most  degraded  of  our  species.  (H. 
Melvill,  B.D.)  Spiritual  warfare  : — I.  The  w.urfake.  It  is — 1.  A  moral  warfare. 
It  is  the  cause  of  truth  against  error  ;  of  knowledge  against  ignorance  and  super- 
stition; of  liberty  against  vassalage:  of  holiness  against  sin.  Its  object  is  that  the 
kingdom  of  darkness  may  be  overthrown  and  the  kingdom  of  Christ  established. 
2.  A  necessary  contest.  It  is  not  optional.  We  must  conquer  or  be  conquered.  3. 
An  arduous  conflict.  It  cannot  be  maintained  by  an  idle  show  on  the  parade,  but 
only  by  actual  and  persevering  service.  Our  enemies  are — (1)  Numerous.  We 
wrestle  not  against  flesh  and  blood.  (2)  Ever  on  the  alert.  We  cannot  with  safety 
reckon  on  any  cessation  of  hostilities.  4.  A  most  momentous  struggle.  In  it  are 
involved  interests  the  most  solemn  and  interminable.  11.  The  weapons.  1.  Every 
Christian  is  a  soldier,  and  he  puts  on  the  whole  armour  of  God  (Eph.  vi.  11,  &e.). 
Those  engaged  in  this  warfare  fight  according  to  prescribed  laws.  Wherever  they 
go  they  erect  the  standard  of  the  King  of  kings.  They  fight  and  conquer  by 
their  faithful  preaching,  holy  living,  works  of  faith,  and  labours  of  love.  2. 
These  weapons  are  not  carnal.  Men  are  not  to  be  dragooned  into  Christianity. 
Errors  are  not  to  be  cut  to  pieces  by  the  sword.  3.  But  though  they  are  not 
carnal,  they  are  real  and  powerful.  How  mighty — (1)  Compared  with  those  used 
by  the  warriors  of  this  world !  What  can  they  do  ? — they  can  wound  the  body ; 
but  the  soul  defies  their  power.  But  here  are  weapons  which  can  take  hearts 
prisoners,  and  carry  them  away  in  delightful  captivity.  (2)  Compared  with  the 
weapons  of  those  who  oppose  themselves  to  Christ — the  jests  of  impiety — the 
subtleties  of  sophistry,  the  feathered  arrows  of  sarcasm.  When  by  the  means  of 
these  has  ever  error  been  wrung  from  the  heart  ?  4.  Whence  arises  this  might  ? 
Let  us  take  care  not  to  attribute  too  much  to  our  weapons.  They  are  mighty 
through  God.  He  furnishes  and  accompanies  the  right  use  of  them  with  His 
presence  and  His  power.  IH.  The  issue.  1.  The  pulling  down  of  strongholds. 
The  enemy,  after  having  been  worsted  in  open  conflict,  flee  to  the  strongholds ;  but 
we  are  to  lay  siege  to  and  destroy  the  foe  in  their  very  fortresses.  And  what  is 
any  unregenerate  heart  but  a  stronghold?  Men  are  under  the  influence  of  the 
spirit  that  worketh  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  disobedience.  Is  he  not 
fortified  there  by  ignorance,  by  pride,  by  corrupt  passions,  by  unbelief  ?  2. 
"  Casting  down  imaginations,  and  every  high  thing,"  &c.  The  allusion  here  is  to 
those  engines  which  are  employed  to  destroy  walls  and  towers  of  defence.  The 
terms  apply  to  "  philosophy,  falsely  so  called."  How  many  high  things  are  there 
still  in  the  world  which  must  be  cast  down  !  3.  The  captivity  of  every  thought  to 
the  obedience  of  Christ.  (1)  The  enemy  has  been  pursued,  his  fortresses  have 
been  thrown  down,  his  citadel  has  been  taken,  and  every  individual  within  has 
been  carried  away  in  triumph.  The  whole  man  with  all  his  powers  is  overcome. 
A  victory  this  such  as  the  warriors  of  this  world  never  achieved.  Bodies  may  be 
taken  captive,  still  the  thoughts  are  free.  But  here  is  a  conquest  over  the  thoughts. 
(2)  And  this  captivity  is  as  honourable  and  delightful  as  it  is  complete.  What  can 
be  more  degrading  than  to  be  a  captive  of  sin  and  Satan? — but  to  be  taken  captive 
by  Christ,  and  to  be  obedient  to  Him,  what  an  honour,  a  joy !  Conclusion  :  We  may 
learn  that  our  common  Christianity — 1.  Is  not  a  system  of  seclusion  and  quietism. 
It  is  a  warfare.  Neutrality  is  out  of  the  question  here.  "Curse  ye  Meroz,"  &c. 
2.  Is  not  only  defensive,  but  aggressive.  The  principal  reason  why  the  gospel  has 
not  made  more  progress  in  the  world  is  this :  we  have  contented  ourselves  with  a 
defensive  rather  than  an  aggressive  warfare.  What  are  we  doing — defending  the 
outworks,  showing  our  dexterity  in  distinguishing  nice  points,  and  sometimes 
wounding  a  fellow-soldier,  perhaps,  because  his  habUiments  differed  from  our 
own?  This  we  have  done,  instead  of  uniting  in  one  broad  phalanx  against  the 
common  foe!  3.  Is  destined  ulthuately  to  triumph.  (R.  Neirtoti,  D.D.)  True 
soldiership : — I.  Its  weapons.  1.  They  ar«  not  carnal.  They  are  not — (1) 
Mh'aculous.  Miracles  were  employed  in  the  cause  of  truth ;  but  they  were  never 
intended  to  be  permanent.  (2)  Coercive.  The  civil  magistrate  has  sought  by 
penalties  to  force  Christianity  upon  the  consciences  of  men.  Such  means  mis- 
represent it,  and  were  proscribed  by  its  Founder.  (3)  Crafty.  In  nothing  perhaps 
has  the  craftiness  of  men  appeared  more  than  in  connection  with  the  profession  of 
extending  Christianity.  2.  Though  not  carnal,  they  are  mighty — through  God 
because — (1)  They  are  His  productions.  Gospel  truths  are  the  ideas  of  God — 
remedial  ideas  embodied  in  His  Son;  and  they  are  the  "power  of  God."  The 
gospel  has  proved  itseK  the  greatest  power  in  the  social  world.     (2)  They  are  the 


CHAP.  X.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  425 

instruments  of  God.  When  we  put  our  ideas  in  a  book  we  cannot  personally 
accompany  them.  We  know  not  their  effects,  and  then  we  die,  and  must  leave 
them  behind.  But  God  goes  with  His  ideas,  and  works  by  them.  II.  Its  victories. 
1.  They  are  mental.  There  is  not  much  glory  in  destroying  the  bodily  life  of  man. 
Wild  beasts,  a  poisonous  gust  of  air,  will  excel  man  in  this.  And  then  you  do 
not  conquer  the  man  unless  you  conquer  his  mind.  2.  They  are  corrective.  They  do 
not  destroy  the  mind  nor  any  of  its  native  faculties,  but  certain  evils  that  pertain 
to  it.  (1)  The  evil  fortifications  of  the  mind.  The  depraved  mind  has  its  strong- 
holds against  truth  and  God — prejudices,  worldly  maxims,  associations,  passions, 
habits.  (2)  The  corrupt  thinking  of  the  mind:  "Casting  down  imaginations"  (marg. 
"  reasoning  ").  It  is  against  evil  thinkings,  whether  of  a  poetic,  a  philosophic,  or  any 
other  character.  (3)  The  antitheistic  impulses  of  the  mind:  " and  everything  that 
exalteth  itself  against  the  knowledge  of  God."  Every  feeling  and  passion  that  rise 
against  God.  3.  They  are  Christian.  They  are  victories  won  for  Christ.  (D.Thomas, 
D.D.)  Weapons  of  warfare : — The  last  idea  that  occurs  to  some  professing  Christians 
is  that  Christianity  or  that  Christian  life  is  a  warfare.  It  has  been  noticed  hy  discern- 
ing persons  that  almost  as  soon  as  a  man  joins  the  Church  he  settles  down  into 
indifference  or  selfish  enjoyment — as  if  a  man  should  enlist  into  the  army,  and  then 
go  home  and  sit  down  all  the  rest  of  his  days  on  the  sunny  side  of  his  house  and  in 
the  favourite  spot  of  his  garden.  What  kind  of  enlistment  is  that  ?  In  addition  to 
this  the  next  mistake  that  is  made  is  that  persons  who  enter  the  Christian  service 
imagine  that  all  the  fighting  is  to  be  done  outside.  You  cannot  fight  outside  until 
you  have  fought  inside.  The  first  man  you  have  to  kill  is  yourself.  It  is  possible 
to  be  a  magnificently  grand  philanthropist  in  public,  and  to  let  your  own  famUy 
starve  for  want  of  sympathy.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  possible  for  men  to  be  so 
generous  at  home  as  to  have  no  larger  charity,  not  to  care  about  those  who  are  far 
off  and  at  present  unknown ;  possible  for  a  man  to  be  so  pottering  about  his  own 
little  affairs  in  a  little  four-cornered  house,  as  to  forget  that  God  has  made  constel- 
lations, universes,  infinite  spaces,  and  countless  myriads  multiplied  by  countless 
myriads  of  mankind.  Are  we  at  war  ?  If  the  Church  is  not  at  war,  it  is  unfaithful 
to  Christ.  Was  Christ  the  Prince  of  Peace?  Truly  He  was,  yet  the  Prince  of 
Peace,  for  the  very  reason  that  He  was  the  Prince  of  Peace,  never  ceased  from  war. 
No  such  soldier  ever  lived  as  Christ.  Christ  is  against  every  bad  thing ;  against  foul 
air ;  against  false  weights  and  measures  and  balances  ;  against  all  trickery  in  trade, 
all  insincerity  in  social  life ;  against  all  show,  fashion,  glitter,  that  has  not  behind  it 
the  bullion  of  eternal  truth  and  everlasting  grace.  Christ  never  met  evil  without 
smiting  it  in  the  face.  Supposing  the  Church  to  be  at  war ;  has  the  Church  the 
right  instruments  or  weapons  in  hand  ?  I  think  not.  The  metal  is  bad,  the  forging 
is  faulty,  the  whole  conception  of  the  panoply  is  vicious.  There  are  many  wrong 
weapons  in  the  Church.  There  is  disputativeness.  That  is  a  miserable  weapon, 
and  never  brings  home  any  prey.  Some  people  want  to  legislate  men  into  good- 
ness. Why  does  not  the  State  take  up  this  matter  ?  Because  the  State  has  no  right 
to  the  use  of  such  weapons.  The  State  is  not  necessarily  a  soldier  of  Christ.  The 
State  cannot  make  people  sober,  it  can  only  punish  them  for  having  been  drunk. 
All  this,  therefore,  points  to  the  necessity  of  something  other.  What  is  that  some- 
thing other  ?  It  is  the  spiritual  element.  You  can  only  get  at  men  by  getting  at 
their  souls.  How  wUl  Paul,  chief  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Cross,  deport  himself  in 
this  war?  Hear  him:  "Now  I  Paul  myself  beseech  you."  Is  that  the  fighting 
tone  ?  Yes,  in  the  Church  it  is  the  only  fighting  tone.  But  here  are  men  who  want 
to  conquer  hearts,  souls ;  and  they  lie  down,  beseech,  and  make  their  meekness  part 
of  their  panoply ;  and  their  gentleness  is  the  very  strength  of  their  sword.  Then 
there  is  the  beautiful  life.  What  a  sturdy  old  weapon  is  that !  The  mother  converts 
the  children  without  saying  much  to  them.  Her  patience  is  an  argument ;  her  night- 
and-day  love  wins  in  the  issue.  Then  there  must  be  spiritual  conviction  and 
spiritual  persuasion,  and  you  must  get  a  hold  upon  the  heart.  The  pastor  who  has 
hold  of  his  people's  hearts  can  never  be  dethroned.  Let  our  war,  therefore,  be 
according  to  our  capacity  and  our  opportunity.  Let  us  go  steadily  forward  with 
quiet  work,  steady  giving,  constant  sympathy,  perpetual  readiness  to  do  the  very 
next  thing  that  is  to  be  done,  though  it  be  of  the  very  simplest  character.  Only  get 
up  something  romantic,  and  you  may  command  any  amount  of  attention,  and  any 
amount  of  response  for  the  time  being.  But  romance  has  no  deepness  of  earth,  and 
therefore  it  soon  withers  away.   When  will  men  be  steady  workers  ?    {J.  Parker,  D.D.) 

Ver.  5.  Casting  down  imagrinations. — Forts  demolished  and  prisoners  taken ;— 


426  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  x. 

1.  FoETKESSES  DEMOLISHED.  Many  things  are  opposed  to  the  knowledge  of  God. 
Some  are  garrisoned  against  it  by  the  feeling — 1.  That  they  do  not  want  to  know 
God.  The  masses  of  our  fellow-countrymen  are  not  so  much  opposed  to  the  gospel 
as  indifferent  to  it.  "What  shall  we  eat?"  &c.,  are  far  more  important  questions 
than  "  What  must  we  do  to  be  saved  ?  "  This  entrenchment  has  to  be  carried,  and 
the  gospel  arouses  apprehension,  and   so  storms  the  stronghold  of  indifference. 

2.  That  they  know  already.  Trained  from  their  childhood  in  false  doctrine,  they 
hold  fast  to  it,  and  defy  the  gospel  to  reach  them.  How  the  Holy  Spirit  casts  down 
this  imagination  when  He  makes  men  feel  that  they  are  blind  by  nature.  3.  That 
if  they  do  not  know  God  they  can  find  Him  out  without  His  help.  4.  That  they 
know  of  something  better  already  ;  that  the  gospel  is  outworn.  5.  That  they  never 
can  know.  In  this  despair  the  rebel  entrenches  himself  as  in  a  very  Malakoff,  and 
becomes  desperate  in  his  resistance  to  the  gospel.  Yet  even  this  rampart  is  cast 
down  by  mighty  grace.  II.  Prisonees  aee  made.  "  Bringing  into  captivity  every 
thought."  The  mind  is  like  a  city,  and  when  it  is  captured  the  inhabitants  which 
swarm  its  streets  are  the  thoughts,  and  these  are  taken  prisoners.  1.  The  gospel 
comes  with  power  to  the  heart  of  a  man,  and  he  begins  to  fear  the  wrath  of  God 
and  the  judgment.  Christ  has  captured  his  thoughts  of  self-security.  2.  He  cries, 
"  I  am  guilty  ;  I  have  broken  God's  law,  and  I  am  condemned  !  "  The  Lord  has 
captured  his  thoughts  of  self -righteousness.  3.  Now  he  begins  to  pray,  "  God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner,"  and  his  ideas  that  he  could  do  without  his  God  are  made 
prisoners.  4.  His  thoughts  of  pleasure  in  alienation  from  the  Great  Father  are 
now  slain,  for  he  desires  to  draw  near  to  the  Most  High.  5.  A  little  hope  begins  to 
dawn,  he  hopes  that  there  may  be  salvation  for  him.  His  thoughts  of  rebellious 
despair  are  led  captive.  6.  The  Spirit  of  God  encourages  him,  and  he  comes  to 
believe  in  Jesus;  his  self -trust  is  a  prisoner.  7.  Hear  him  as  he  sings,  "I  am 
forgiven,  because  I  have  believed  in  Jesus  !  Oh,  how  I  love  His  precious  name!" 
His  inmost  heart  is  captured.  III.  These  peisonees  aee  to  be  led  away  into 
CAPTIVITY.  Monarchs  of  old,  when  they  subdued  a  country,  removed  the  people  to 
a  distance.  Now,  when  the  Lord  captivates  the  thoughts  of  our  mind.  He  leads 
them  to  another  region  altogether.  The  offspring  of  the  mind  He  guides  into  the 
spiritual  realm,  wherein  they  delight  in  the  Lord,  and  bow  themselves  before  Him. 

1.  He  who,  being  made  conscious  of  his  sin,  believes  in  Jesus  Christ,  submits  aU  the 
thoughts  of  his  judgment  and  understanding  to  the  obedience  of  Christ,  and  this  is 
a  great  point  gained.     His  prayer  is,  "  Lord,  teach  me,  for  else  I  shall  never  learn." 

2.  The  same  power  leads  captive  the  will.  It  remains  a  will  still,  but  the  will  of 
God  is  supreme  over  it.  3.  Human  hopes  also  are  spellbound  by  grace.  These 
wmged  things  were  wont  to  flutter  no  higher  than  the  tainted  atmosphere  of  this 
poor  world,  but  now  they  find  stronger  pinions  and  soar  aloft  to  things  not  seen  as 
yet,  eternal  in  the  heavens.  4.  The  man's  fears  too,  now  ennobled  by  grace,  cover 
their  faces  with  their  wings  before  the  throne  of  God,  while  the  man  fears  to  offend 
against  the  Father's  love.  5.  His  joys  and  sorrows  are  now  found  where  they 
never  went  before  ;  he  rejoices  in  the  Lord,  and  he  sorrows  after  a  godly  sort.  6. 
His  memory  also  now  retains  the  precious  things  of  Divine  truth,  which  once  it 
rejected  for  the  trifles  of  time,  and  his  powers  of  meditation  and  consideration 
keep  within  the  circle  of  truth  and  holiness,  finding  green  pastures  there.  7.  This 
done,  you  shall  see  the  same  enthralment  cast  over  the  Christian  man's  desires  and 
aspirations.  He  has  flung  away  his  old  ambitions,  and  aspires  to  nobler  things. 
8.  The  same  blessed  servitude  binds  the  man's  plots  and  designings.  He  plans 
stUl,  but  it  is  not  for  his  own  aggrandisement ;  his  grandest  design  is  to  bring 
jewels  to  the  crown  of  Christ.  Does  this  sound  rather  like  sarcasm  to  you  ?  If  it 
does,  stand  convicted,  for  every  thought  is  to  be  brought  into  captivity  to  the 
obedience  of  Christ.  9.  The  renewed  man's  love  and  hate  are  both  held 
captive  by  the  power  of  grace.  He  loves  Jesus  truly  and  intensely ;  he 
hates  sin  with  his  whole  soul.  10.  It  is  a  fair  sight  to  see  Christ's  sacred 
bands  worn  by  our  tastes,  which  are  so  volatile  and  hard  to  constrain.  The 
fancy,  too,  that  impalpable  cloud,  painted  as  by  the  setting  sun,  that  wiU-o'- 
th'-wisp  of  the  spirit,  even  this  is  impressed  into  royal  service,  and  made  to 
wear  the  Mvery  of  Christ,  so  that  men  even  dream  eternal  life.  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.) 
The  present  struggle  of  error,  and  complete  future  victory  of  the  gospel : — I.  What 
IS  MEANT  BY  IMAGINATIONS?  Imaginations  in  respect  to — 1.  The  being  and 
character  of  God.  Some  have  imagined  that  there  is  no  God  (Psa.  cxU.).  Others 
have  degraded  His  character  by  false  representations  of  Him  (Rom.  i.  23,  25). 
There  is  the  Pantheist — his  god  is  identical  with  the  universe  ;  the  Deist — his  God 


CHAP.  X.]  II.  COBINTHIANS.  427 

is  in  the  heights  of  heaven,  wholly  uninterested  in  the  concerns  of  men ;  the 
narrow-minded  religionist — his  God  is  implacable  and  arbitrary.  2.  Our  own 
merit  and  excellence.  The  Corinthian  Church  was  full  of  this,  and  many  modern 
professors  have  no  other  standard  than  themselves,  and  condemn  all  who  differ 
from  them,  however  excellent  they  may  be.  3.  The  performance  of  the  duties  of 
religion.  (1)  Prayer.  It  is  to  God  alone  we  are  to  pray.  (2)  The  sacraments. 
(3)  The  preaching  of  the  gospel.  A  poetic  style  is  all  very  well,  but  many  "  darken 
counsel  by  words  without  knowledge."  11.  These  imaginations  are  peefectlt 
INCOMPATIBLE  WITH  THE  TRUE  KNOWLEDGE  OF  GoD.  "  That  exaltcth,"  &c.  They  are 
incompatible — 1.  With  the  whole  tenor  of  the  Scriptures  ;  as  regards — (1)  The 
character  of  God.  "  God  is  a  Spirit."  "  God  is  light."  "  God  is  love."  (2)  The 
character  of  man  (Job  xv.  14 ;  Psa.  viii.  4 ;  Rom.  iii.  10-13).  (3)  The  various 
duties  of  religion,  (a)  Prayer  must  be  offered  to  God  from  the  heart,  and  in  the 
name  of  Christ  (Psa.  Ixv.  2  ;  Heb.  xi.  6 ;  John  xiv.  14).  (b)  The  ordinances. 
Compare  the  commandments  of  Christ  with  the  false  teachings  of  men  (Matt,  xxviii. 
19,  20;  1  Cor.  xi.  24-26).  (c)  Preaching  (chap.  iv.  5 ;  1  Cor.  ix.  27).  2.  With 
true  philosophy.  All  sciences  point  to  God.  3.  With  the  experiences  of  the  wise 
and  good  in  all  ages  of  the  world.  III.  The  tendency  of  the  gospf.l  in  regard 
TO  these  imaginations.  The  weapons  by  which  they  are  to  be  demolished  are — 
1.  The  circulation  of  the  Scriptures.  2.  The  preaching  of  the  gospel  in  its  purity. 
3.  The  influences  of  the  Spirit.  Conclusion:  We  see — (1)  The  certain  destiny  of  error. 
It  must  perish.  (2)  The  future  felicity  of  the  world.  Free  fi'om  all  error.  (3)  Our 
duty  in  the  present.  Oppose  error,  and  serve  truth.  {Congregational  Pulpit.) 
Strongholds : — 1.  Ignorance  is  one  of  these  strongholds.  Nothing  but  their  ignorance 
of  Christianity  makes  two-thirds  of  the  world  heathen  to-day.  2.  Indolence  may 
also  be  mentioned  as  a  stronghold  of  Satan.  Souls  may  be  lazy  as  well  as  bodies. 
3.  Appetite  is  a  formidable  stronghold.  Some  persons,  from  natural  propensity  or 
habits  of  life,  ai-e  much  more  under  this  tyranny  than  others.  With  some  it  has 
been  a  point  which  absolutely  commanded  the  soul,  and  when  Satan  succeeds 
in  intrenching  himself  there,  he  can  usually  shell  out  most  of  a  man's  religion 
from  his  heart.  Fort  Drunkenness,  Fort  Licentiousness,  and  Castle  Gluttony  are 
masters  of  one-half  the  world.  Many  a  soul  has  played  the  role  of  Esau,  and  sold 
its  eternal  birthright  for  a  mess  of  toothsome  pottage.  4.  Pride  is  a  lofty  height 
which  commands  many  a  soul,  and  which  Satan  is  very  sure  to  get  possession  of. 
It  is  hard  for  pride  to' own  itself  an  abject  criminal  at  the  bar  of  God,  and  to  beg 
for  mercy.  5.  I  need  not  say  that  Satan  has  no  more  powerful  stronghold  than  the 
love  of  money.  He  prefers  gold-plated  defences  to  iron,  and  if  he  can  succeed  in 
sheathing  a  soul  with  sovereigns,  he  will  pretty  surely  hold  it  against  all  assaults. 
This  is  par  excellence  his  stronghold  in  the  heart.  6.  The  power  of  habit.  It  is 
not  merely  that  an  old  sinner  is  more  depraved  than  a  younger  one,  which  makes  us 
less  hopeful  of  his  conversion,  but  because  he  has  formed  a  habit  of  sinning,  which, 
like  all  other  habits,  becomes  more  and  more  difficult  to  break.  Every  time  a  godless 
act  is  repeated  is  like  casting  a  new  spadeful  upon  the  breastworks  and  fortifications 
by  which  we  are  shutting  ourselves  off  from  God,  till,  finally,  the  stronghold  of  Satan 
rises  about  us  frowning  and  impregnable  as  the  very  ramparts  of  hell.  (The  Church.) 
And  bringing  into  captivity  every  thought. — The  moral  discijjline  of  the  intellect : — 
Men  Uve  more  lives  than  one.  There  is  the  life  of  thought  as  well  as  the  life  of 
action,  and  the  one  must  be  moralised  as  well  as  the  other.  We  must  practise 
mental  morality.  Let  us  then  consider  in  detail  this  moral  culture  of  the  mind — 
I.  As  IT  RELATES  TO  SELF.  1.  Avoid  a  WTong  self-estimate.  Neither  overestimate 
nor  underestimate.  Beware  of  pride,  vanity,  conceit,  and  kindred  vices.  2.  Culti- 
vate humiliity — mental  modesty.  Live  in  the  presence  of  God,  of  His  holiness  and 
greatness,  and  keep  a  fresh  and  high  ideal^pride  cannot  then  exist.  II.  As  it 
RELATES  TO  NATURE  AND  MAN.  1.  In  relation  to  nature.  Let  us  in  our  interpretation 
of  it  preserve  a  deep  love  of  truth.  2.  In  relation  to  man.  Cultivate  sobriety  in 
judgment  and  reflection.  (1)  In  matters  personal.  Do  justice  to  distasteful 
individuals.  Be  charitable.  (2)  In  matters  political.  Beware  of  blind  and  bitter 
partisanship.  Argue  for  truth,  not  victory.  (3)  In  matters  social.  On  such 
questions  as  capital  and  labour,  allow  for  the  "personal  equation" — for  class  pre- 
judice and  self-interest.  Beware  of  rash  theorising.  III.  As  it  relates  to  God 
AND  religion.  1.  Practically.  (1)  Beware  of  an  unscrupulous  conscience. 
(2)  Beware  of  an  over-scrupulous  conscience — weak,  narrow,  morbid,  unenlightened. 
(8)  Let  conduct  increase  in  efficiency,  with  knowledge.  2.  Speculatively.  Beware  of 
wanton  doubt-dabbling.    (E.  S.  Keeble.)       The  conflict  of  faith  with  undue  exaltation 


428  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  s. 

of  intellect : — The  recent  history  of  Cilicia  may  have  well  suggested  this  language, 
it  having  been  the  scene  of  some  very  fierce  struggles  in  the  wars  against  Mithridates. 
The  dismantled  ruins  of  120  strongholds  may  have  impressed  the  boyish  imagina- 
tion of  Saul  with  the  destructive  energy  of  Rome ;  but  the  apostle  only  remembers 
these  earlier  impressions  to  give  them  a  spiritual  application.     I.  It  is  "  the  undue 

EXALTATION    OF "    INTELLECT    WITH    WHICH    THE    ChURCH    OF    ChRIST     IS    IN    CONFLICT. 

1.  With  intellect  itself  religion  can  have  no  quarrel.  It  were  a  libel  on  the  All-wise 
Creator  to  suppose  that  between  thought  and  faith  there  could  be  any  original 
relations  other  than  those  of  perfect  harmony.  2.  Here,  as  elsewhere  in  human 
nature,  we  are  met  with  unmistakable  traces  of  the  Fall.  A  range  of  granite 
mountains,  which  towers  proudly  above  the  plain,  speaks  to  the  geologist  of  a  sub- 
terranean fire  that  has  upheaved  the  primal  ci'ust.  And  the  arrogant  pretensions 
of  human  thought  speak  no  less  truly  of  an  ancient  convulsion.  The  Fall  so  dis- 
turbed the  original  structure  of  our  nature  as  to  make  reason  generally  the  slave  of 
desire  instead  of  its  master.  And  therefore  the  intellect  which  exalts  itself  against 
revelation  is  often  in  reality  not  free  intellect,  but  intellect  working  at  the  secret 
bidding  of  an  irritated  passion.  Yet  intellect  never  vaunts  its  freedom  so  much  as 
when  it  is  in  conflict  with  revelation.  We  do  not  pose  as  champions  of  free 
thought  in  mathematics.  We  solve  an  equation  as  dispassionately  as  if  we  were 
ourselves  pure  reason.  But  revelation  challenges  the  activity  of  will  and  con- 
science ;  and  the  passions  sound  an  alarm  at  the  first  signs  of  the  coming  of  the 
Son  of  Man.  Then  natural  intellect  feels  it  necessary  to  be  upon  its  guard,  and  to 
maintain  an  attitude  of  suspicion.  3.  Take  note  of  the  varieties  of  intellect  which 
enter  into  this  conflict.  There  is — (1)  Mercenary  intellect.  Necessity,  it  is  said, 
knows  no  law ;  and  that  poverty  cannot  afford  to  have  a  conscience.  And  some- 
times this  hired  intellect  passionately  asserts  its  monopoly  of  freedom.  It  even 
tells  the  ministers  of  Christ,  who  have  freely  entered  His  service,  that  we  are  not 
free.  Under  the  circumstances,  conflict  with  religion  is  natural.  (2)  Self- 
advertising  intellect,  which  is  bent  on  achieving  a  reputation,  no  matter  how.  It 
will  write  something  startling,  "  original."  When  it  asserts  that  Scripture  is  a. 
collection  of  foolish  legends,  it  takes  pleasure  in  thinking  of  the  trouble  which  its 
irritating  productions  will  occasion.  But  its  object  is  notoriety.  (3)  Sensualised 
intellect,  whose  purpose  is  to  rouse  in  the  imagination  and  veins  of  man  those  fiery 
passions  which  are  his  worst  enemy.  (4)  Self-reliant  or  cynical  intellect,  that  slave 
of  a  sublime  egotism ;  but  its  cold,  clear,  incisive  energy  passes  for  perfect  intellec- 
tual freedom.  4.  We  must  not  forget  that  among  earnest  opponents  are  souls- 
which  glow  with  a  love  of  truth.  They  have  not  yet  found  the  road  to  Damascus  ; 
but  we  may  safely  leave  them  to  the  love  and  providence  of  God.  II.  It  is  implied 
in  the  language  of  the  apostle,  that  intellectual  opposition  to  Revelation,  except 
on  great  occasions,  and  under  the  leadership  of  distinguished  captains,  does  not 
USUALLY  SEEK  US  IN  THE  OPEN  FIELD.  Its  customary  instiuct  is  to  take  refuge  on 
some  heights,  or  behind  some  earthworks.  It  screens  its  advance  under  the  cover 
of  some  disputed  principle,  or  of  some  unproved  assumption.  1.  A  primary 
characteristic  of  sceptical  intellect  is  its  unwillingness  to  make  room  for  faith ;  it 
assumes  to  command  the  whole  field  of  truth.  It  feels  itself  humiliated  if  debarred 
from  the  the  sight  of  any  spiritual  fact.  (1)  But  we  find  no  such  sensitiveness 
respecting  the  power  and  range  of  the  organ  of  sight.  Ask  the  astronomer  whether 
the  stars  and  suns  that  reveal  themselves  to  his  telescopes  are  the  only  ones  which 
exist.  Ask  the  entomologist  whether  his  microscope  has  discovered  the  most 
minute  embodiment  of  the  principle  of  life.  It  is  no  discredit  to  the  organs  of 
sense  that  they  are  thus  limited.  Nor  should  reason  complain  if,  as  we  ascend  the 
mountain  of  thought,  she  reaches  a  region  at  which  she  must  leave  us.  (2)  Reason, 
indeed,  can  do  much,  even  beyond  the  province  in  which  she  confessedly  reigns. 
She  can  prove  to  man  that  he  possesses  a  soul  and  a  conscience,  and  that  his  will 
is  really  free.  She  can  even  attain  to  a  certain  shadowy  knowledge  of  the  First 
Cause  of  all.  But  she  can  do  no  more.  Her  highest  conquests  but  suggest 
problems  she  cannot  solve,  afford  glimpses  of  a  world  on  which  she  may  not  pre- 
sume to  enter.  What  knows  she  of  the  inner  life  of  God  ?  What  can  she  tell  us 
concerning  sin,  or  its  removal  ?  &c.  Reason  must  accept  her  providential  place 
as  faith's  handmaid,  not  as  faith's  substitute  ;  or  her  pride  will  surely  prepare  for 
her  a  terrible  chastisement.  2.  But  when  the  possibility,  need,  and  even  the  fact 
of  a  revelation  has  been  admitted,  the  rebellious  intellect  stipulates  that  revelation 
must  not  include  mysteries.  Whatever  may  be  revealed,  it  must  be  submitted  to 
the  verifying  faculty.     (1)  But  surely  it  is  unreasonable  to  determine  beforehand 


CHAP.  X.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  429 

what  a  revelation  ought  or  ought  not  to  contain  ;  we  are  in  no  position  to  speculate 
on  such  a  subject.  But  let  me  ask,  what  is  a  mystery  ?  Not  a  confused  state- 
ment, a  contradiction,  an  impossibility,  an  unintelligible  process,  a  reverie  of  the 
heated  religious  imagination.  A  mystery  is  simply  a  truth  hidden,  in  whatever 
degree.  We  see  some  truths  directly,  just  as  in  the  open  air  we  gaze  upon  the  sun. 
We  know  other  truths  indirectly,  just  as  we  know  the  sun  is  shining,  from  the  ray 
of  sunlight  which  streams  in  at  the  window.  Now  a  mystery  is  a  truth  of  the  latter 
kind.  It  can  only  be  known  from  the  evidence  or  symptoms  of  its  presence.  Yet 
the  evidence  proves  to  us  that  the  truth  is  there  ;  and  the  truth  is  not  the  less  a 
truth  because  it  is  itself  shrouded  from  our  direct  gaze.  Thus  St.  Paul  speaks  of 
the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation,  and  of  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles,  and  even  of 
marriage.  (2)  Now  the  world  we  live  in  is  a  very  temple  of  mysteries.  In  spring 
everywhere  around  you  are  evidences  of  the  existence  of  a  mysterious  power  which 
you  can  neither  see,  nor  touch,  nor  define,  nor  measure,  nor  understand.  What  do 
you  really  know  about  the  forces  you  term  attraction  and  gravitation  ?  And  you 
yourselves,  what  are  you  but  living  embodiments,  alike  in  your  lower  and  your 
higher  natures,  and  in  the  law  of  their  union,  of  this  all-pervading  principle  of 
mystery?  (3)  To  object  to  mystery  as  a  feature  of  a  Divine  Revelation  is  therefore 
irrational.  Surely,  as  we  mount  in  the  scale  of  being,  we  must  expect  an  increase 
both  in  the  number  and  magnitude  of  these  hidden  truths.  3.  Granting  this,  the 
wayward  reason  falls  back  upon  the  demand  that  revelation  shall  not  be  dogmatic. 
Christianity  must  abandon  the  pretension  to  offer  a  defined  body  of  truth,  and  is 
bidden  to  accommodate  herself  to  the  changed  circumstances  and  imperious  neces- 
sities of  the  time.  (1)  But  this  is  only  a  disguised  form  of  opposition  to  the  truth 
which  dogmatic  statements  embody.  A  theist,  e.g.,  has  no  objection  to  saying  ex- 
pHcitly  that  there  is  one  God.  It  does  not  occur  to  him,  that  in  making  that  state- 
ment he  is  guilty  of  an  intellectual  narrowness  or  of  bad  taste.  Nor  does  he  hold 
it  necessary  presently  to  balance  his  profession  by  some  other  statement  which 
shall  reduce  it  to  the  level  of  an  uncertainty.  Yet  to  say  that  there  is  one  God  is 
to  make  an  essentially  dogmatic  statement.  If,  then,  he  presently  hesitates  to  say 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  truly  God,  or  that  His  death  was  a  propitiatory  offering  for 
human  sin — this,  we  must  suppose,  is  because  he  does  not  believe  the  truths  which 
are  thus  stated  in  human  language.  If  he  urges  that  a  dogmatic  statement  is 
more  or  less  unsatisfactory  in  that,  owing  to  the  imperfection  of  human  speech,  it 
leaves  unanswered,  or  rather  it  suggests,  many  concomitant  questions  ;  it  may  be 
rejoined  that  this  is  no  less  true  when  you  assert  the  unity  of  God,  than  when  you 
assert  the  Godhead  or  the  satisfaction  of  Jesus  Christ.  If  he  dislikes  dogma 
because,  forsooth,  dogma  is  the  "stagnation,"  or  the  "imprisonment,"  or  the 
"paralysis"  of  thought,  his  objection  applies  to  his  statement  that  there  is  one 
God,  just  as  much  as  to  any  other  proposition  in  the  creeds.  (2)  The  fact  is,  faith 
discerns  in  dogma  the  regulation  of  its  thought,  just  as  the  mathematician  finds  in 
the  axioms  which  are  the  base  of  his  science,  the  fixed  principles  which  guide  his 
onward  progress,  not  the  tyrannical  obstacle  which  enthrals  and  checks  him. 
(3)  This  prejudice  against  dogma  is  the  last  stronghold  of  the  enemy ;  it  is  a 
position  from  which  he  must  be  dislodged  at  any  cost,  or  aU  previous  victories  may 
soon  be  forfeited.  Surely  it  is  of  little  avail  to  grant  that  a  revelation  has  been 
given,  and  even  that  it  is  replete  with  mystery,  if  no  one  revealed  truth  may  be 
stated  in  terms  as  absolutely  certain.  If  religion  is  to  be  a  practical  thing,  it  must 
depend,  not  upon  beautiful  thoughts,  but  upon  clearly-defined  certainties.  When 
tempted  we  need  something  solid  to  fall  back  upon ;  not  a  picture,  not  a  mist,  not  a 
view,  not  an  hypothesis,  but  a  fact.  {Canon  Liddon.)  Christian  subjection  of 
tlwuijht : — A  sceptic  once  said  to  me,  "  Why,  Christianity  actually  wants  the  control 
of  your  very  thoughts.  Who  could  really  conform  to  a  system  like  that"?  My 
rejoinder  was,  that  a  man's  thoughts  were  his  very  life,  and  that  a  religion  which 
is  going  to  do  anything  for  a  man  must  work  upon  his  thoughts  and  endeavour  to 
lift  them,  by  giving  him  both  a  law  and  an  ideal  of  thinking.  This  is  one  of  the 
glories  of  Christianity.  In  paganism  you  have  religious  observances  divorced  from 
morality — a  cult  which  panders  to  a  man's  lowest  passions.  And  even  in  Christen- 
dom, amongst  communions  which  have  more  or  less  lost  touch  of  the  Bible  and 
Christ,  the  problem  is  how  to  satisfy  the  religious  instincts  of  men  without 
troubling  them  to  move  out  of  their  present  level  of  thought  and  practice.  The 
purpose  of  New  Testament  religion  is  the  subjection  of  every  thought  to  the 
obedience  of  Christ.  Is  that  too  great  a  programme  ?  It  is  a  difficult  one,  certainly. 
Study  the  development  of  character  in  a  man  who,  from  practical  paganism,  has 


430  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [ch.vp.  x. 

been  brought  under  the  power  of  gospel  like  Bunyan.  First,  there  was  the  out- 
ward act  of  submitting  himself  to  Christ.  Next  follows  a  reformation  of  outward 
conduct.  But  the  greatest  conquest  comes  later.  For  a  long  time  the  trouble  was 
that  the  thoughts,  the  grooves  of  which  had  been  cut  in  the  old  dissolute  days, 
could  break  loose  and  revel  like  devils  in  the  chambers  of  his  brain.  And  it 
required  many  a  period  of  wrestling  and  much  powerful  work  of  the  Divine  Spirit 
before  that  great  realm   of  life   was  fully  in  the  Master's  hands.      I.  "  Every 

THOUGHT  "  IS  A  PHEASE    WHICH    COVERS   PRETTY  NEARLY  THE  WHOLE  INNER  LIFE  OF  MAN. 

Philosophical  analyses  of  man's  mind  usually  divide  it  into  thought,  feeling, 
volition ;  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  these  are  all  mixed  up  and  act  together.  You 
love  a  person  ;  but  the  feeling  is  fuU  of  thought.  On  the  other  hand,  thought  is 
full  of  feeling.  The  feeUng  of  gladness  or  hope  produces  thoughts  of  one  sort,  the 
feeling  of  gloom  those  of  an  opposite.  And  when  you  come  to  volition  or  wiU,  you 
find  thought  and  feeling  combmed  in  its  every  act.  And  Christ  will  aim  at  nothing 
less  than  that  the  whole  inner  life  be  subjected  to  Him.  Now  what  is  meant  here 
is  simply  that  all  our  thinkings  be  after  the  pattern  of  God's  own  mind.  The 
ultimate  triumph  of  the  gospel  is  that  we  shall  love  to  find  out  what  His  thoughts 
are,  to  interpret  them,  to  enjoy  them,  to  obey  them.     H.  Only  as  the  world's 

THOUGHT  IS  BROUGHT  THOROUGHLY  INTO  THIS  SUBJECTION  CAN  IT  HOPE  TO  GET  THE  BEST 

OR  SOAR  TO  THE  HIGHEST.  1.  What  is  a  truc  musician,  e.g.  ?  Surely  one  who  in  that 
department  is  obedient  to  the  thought  of  God.  He  is  simply  an  interpreter  of  God's 
laws  of  harmony.  True,  some  of  the  great  musicians  have  not  been  noted  as 
rehgious  men  ;  but  inasmuch  as  they  were  great  in  music,  it  was  so  by  the  strict- 
ness of  their  obedience  to  God's  mind  in  that  one  department  of  it.  2.  What  of 
the  interests  of  truth,  of  scientific  investigation?  Will  the  world  be  shut  up  to 
narrow  ideas?  Why,  do  we  not  see  that  everything  that  can  be  found  out  by 
investigation,  in  the  heavens  above  or  on  the  earth  beneath,  is  already  true  in  the 
mind  of  God?  Every  new  advance  here  is  simply  getting  at  another  of  God's 
thoughts.  Obedience  stopping  inquiry  ?  Why,  it  is  a  call  to  inquiry.  For  we 
need  to  know  more  that  we  may  more  perfectly  obey.  III.  This  needs  pushing 
HOME  TO  each  ONE  OF  US.  We  Can  never  get  the  best  out  of  life  till  we  have  all  our 
thoughts  brought  into  obedience  to  the  Christ  of  God.  Imagine  a  man  regulated 
by  this  principle.  All  his  thinkings  are,  as  it  were,  coloured  by  the  consciousness 
of  God's  presence.  Each  thought  floats  in  this  as  in  an  atmosphere.  1.  It  is  only 
so  that  a  man  comes  to  understand  what  faith  is  and  what  it  can  do  for  him.  The 
secret  of  the  business  is  in  realising  that  you  have  not  to  strain  to  get  yourself  into 
a  state  of  higher  exaltation  of  spirit  to  find  Him,  but  to  feel  that  He  is  just  here 
where  you  are,  working  in  and  through  your  life  each  moment.  When  you  lift 
anything  and  then  let  it  fall,  there  is  gravitation,  you  say.  Yes  ;  it  is  God  at  work. 
When  you  look  at  a  tree  coming  into  bud,  the  charm  of  it  is  in  seeing  God,  your 
Great  Companion,  at  work  in  it.  No  one  else  could  do  this.  Yes.  He  is  here  as 
much  as  anywhere  in  the  universe — here  in  aU  His  wisdom,  power,  and  love.  2.  I 
have  spoken  of  our  thoughts  as  floating  in  an  atmosphere,  and  as  coloured  by  that. 
Just  as  in  a  landscape  the  rocks,  woods,  water,  which  yesterday  looked  black, 
frowning,  almost  repulsive,  to-day,  by  their  sunny  brightness  woo  and  fascinate 
you,  and  that  simply  by  a  change  in  the  atmospheric  conditions  ;  so  with  persons 
and  your  thoughts  about  them.  Now,  when  the  mind  is  won  to  the  obedience  of 
Christ,  the  atmosphere  in  which  our  thoughts  float  is  the  atmosphere  of  His  love. 
Ah,  how  differently  do  our  fellow-men  present  themselves  to  us  when  seen  through 
that  light!  Here,  e.g.,  is  one  person  looked  at  by  three  different  pairs  of  eyes.  It 
is  that  poor  fallen  woman  who  crouches  at  the  feet  of  Christ.  Yonder  is  a  man, 
brutal  and  sensual,  and  his  thoughts  are  only  of  the  animal,  of  sensuous  gratifica- 
tion. There  is  another  looking  on,  a  hard,  flinty  Pharisee,  who  sniffs  here  nothing 
but  human  carrion,  and  who  goes  away  thinking  how  virtuous  he  is,  and  how 
wicked  some  people  are.  But  there  is  Christ.  We  know  something  of  what  His 
thoughts  were.  Now  if  I  come  into  obedience  to  the  mind  of  Christ,  I  shall  have 
just  such  thoughts  as  His  about  such  an  one.  I  should  see  her  and  pray  to  God 
for  her  salvation.  (J.  Brierley,  B.A.)  Government  of  the  thoiights  : — I  suppose 
there  are  few  prerogatives  which  men  would  be  less  inclined  to  part  with  than  the 
absolute  secrecy  and  independence  of  their  thoughts.  Each  one  should  take  care 
to  keep  himself  inwardly  as  well  as  outwardly  pure,  "bringing  into  captivity  every 
thought  to  the  obedience  of  Christ."  Here,  however,  an  objection  is  sometimes 
raised.  Our  thoughts,  it  is  said,  succeed  each  other  according  to  fixed  and  un- 
alterable laws,  one  thought  bringing  up  another  in  a  constant  current,  over  which 


CHAP.  X.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  431 

the  will  has  no  more  power  than  over  the  current  of  blood  in  our  veins.  Un- 
questionably it  is  not  for  our  will  directly  to  determine  what  we  shall  think  of  at 
the  moment;  neither  can  we,  merely  by  willing  it,  stop  thinking  altogether.  Thus 
much  is  true ;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  we  have  no  control  whatever  over  our 
trains  of  thought.  Suppose,  for  example,  that  I  am  thinking  of  a  sinful  indulgence  ; 
I  am  free  to  think  of  that  side  of  it  which  invites,  or  of  that  side  of  it  which  repels ; 
I  can  think  of  it  as  an  indulgence  merely,  or  as  a  sinful  indulgence ;  and  the  train 
of  thought  to  which  the  whole  will  give  rise  will  vary  accordingly.  We  are  com- 
j)etent  at  any  moment  freely  and  deliberately  to  select  out  of  a  train  of  thoughts 
that  one  to  which  we  will  attend.  But  we  wiU  suppose  this  selection  made,  not 
ireely  and  deliberately,  but  spontaneously,  or  from  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  as 
is  probably  the  fact  in  most  cases  ;  still  what  we  do  from  the  impulse  of  the 
vmoment,  depends  on  the  state  of  our  minds,  and  this  again  depends,  for  the  most 
part,  on  what  we  have  chosen  to  make  it,  or  allow  it  to  become.  Accordingly  it 
will  not  do  to  disown  all  responsibility  respecting  the  government  of  our  thoughts, 
on  the  plea  that  they  are  not  subject  to  our  control.  Thus  far,  the  aim  of  my 
reasoning  has  been  to  prove  that  no  object  is  likely  to  suggest  bad  thoughts,  except 
through  the  concurrence  of  a  weakened  or  depraved  mind.  But,  in  a  practical 
view  of  the  subject,  this  is  taking  higher  ground  than  is  necessary,  or  perhaps 
judicious.  Let  us  admit,  then,  that,  in  the  present  condition  of  humanity,  there  are 
some  things  so  adapted  of  themselves  to  excite  bad  thoughts  that  they  will  have 
this  effect  on  the  best  minds.  Still  this  does  not  hinder  us  from  being  able  to 
•govern  our  thoughts,  for  it  by  no  means  follows  that  we  are  obliged  to  put  ourselves 
in  the  way  of  such  things.  Let  me  add,  that  the  control  which  every  man  has,  or 
might  have,  over  his  thoughts  does  not  consist  in  prevention  alone.  Bad  single 
thoughts  may  flit,  from  time  to  time,  through  the  minds  of  good  men  ;  but  it  is  bad 
men  only  who  encourage  their  stay.  If  we  would  expel  bad  thoughts,  it  must  be 
•by  the  preference  we  give  to  good  thoughts,  that  is,  by  introducing  good  thoughts 
into  their  place.  Away,  then,  with  that  subtle  but  most  inconsistent  form  of 
fatalism,  which  teaches  that  we  can  help  our  actions,  but  not  our  thoughts.  What 
is  to  choose  but  to  think  ;  and  without  freedom  of  choice  what  freedom  of  actions 
<;ould  there  be  ?  All  freedom,  therefore,  begins  and  ends  with  freedom  of  thought. 
Within  certain  limits,  therefore,  and  as  far  as  morality  goes,  we  have  as  real  a  con- 
trol over  our  thoughts  as  over  our  actions  or  our  Umbs.  This  being  conceded, 
nothing  remains  but  to  consider  some  of  the  reasons  and  motives  which  should 
induce  us  to  exert  this  power  wisely  and  effectually,  "bringing  into  captivity  every 
thought  to  the  obedience  of  Christ."  I.  Consider  how  much  the  thoughts  have 
TO  do  in  forming  and  determining  the  whole  character.  "  Thought,"  says  an 
eloquent  writer,  "  is  the  rudder  of  human  action.  As  the  thought  is  wise  or 
ioolish,  good  or  bad,  vicious  or  moral,  the  cause  of  action  is  noxious  or  salutary. 
When,  therefore,  I  am  told  it  is  but  a  thought,  I  am  told  that  it  is  the  most  impor- 
tant of  all  things."  Tell  me  what  are  a  man's  thoughts,  and  you  do  not  tell  me 
what  he  will  actually  do,  but  you  tell  me  what  he  would  like  to  do.  Tell  me  what 
are  a  man's  thoughts,  and  you  do  not  tell  me  what  he  is  in  the  judgment  of  the 
world,  for  the  world  judges  by  the  outward  appearance.  Thoughts  have  been 
called  "the  seeds  of  conduct";  but  they  are  more  than  this.  They  are  seeds 
which  have  akeady  begun  to  germinate  under  ground ;  they  have  begun  to  develop 
their  natural  and  essential  properties.  In  this  way  the  whole  character  may  be 
•covertly  undermined.  Melancholy  instances  of  this  description  occur,  from  time 
to  time,  in  what  is  regarded  as  the  sudden  fall  of  men  who  have  hitherto  enjoyed 
the  entire  confidence  of  the  community.  These  men  have  been  falling  for  years  in 
the  slow  decay  of  all  upright  purpose  and  thought.  11.  It  will  help  us  to  understand 
how  this  can  be,  and  at  the  same  time  strengthen  our  general  conviction  as  to  the 
necessity  of  controlling  our  thoughts,  if  we  consider  that  every  sin  begins  in  a  sin 
OF  thought  ;  that  is  to  say,  in  some  vicious  purpose  or  intention,  and  often  ia 
meditating,  over  and  over  again,  when  at  length  we  are  emboldened  to  do.  As  a 
/general  rule,  it  is  only  after  frequently  revolving  crime  in  their  minds  that  men  find 
the  resolution,  or  rather  the  hardihood,  to  commit  it.  Take,  for  example,  the 
crimes  of  envy,  jealousy,  and  malice ;  who  does  not  know  how  often  a  man  will 
wish  evil  to  another,  and  imagine  ways  in  which  he  would  like  to  do  him  evil, 
before  he  arrives  at  the  point  of  putting  any  one  of  his  fancied  schemes  in  practice? 
The  same  is  also  true  of  acts  of  fraud  and  dishonesty.  Actual  transgression,  when 
first  proposed,  is  never  in  itself  agreeable  to  our  nature,  but  always  more  or  less 
zevolting.     A  strong  instinctive  aversion  must  be  overcome  before  we  can  go  on. 


432  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  x. 

Our  sense  of  repugnance  to  the' crime  has  been  bhmted  by  famiUarity.  And  here  it 
is  that  the  demoralising  influence  of  ill-regulated  thought  appears.  III.  Hence  a. 
third  consideration  which  should  impress  us  with  the  necessity  of  governing  our 

thoughts    is,    THAT    UNLESS    THE  KESTKAINT    IS    lAID    THEKE    IT    IS    NOT   LIKELY   TO   BE 

EFFECTUAL.  Becausc  we  maintain  the  sinfulness  of  bad  thoughts,  it  does  not  follow 
that  we  must  push  this  doctrine  to  the  extent  of  asserting  that  the  thought  of  sin 
is  as  bad  as  the  deed.  Unquestionably  it  is  not.  The  actual  perpetrator  of  a 
crime  is  guilty  of  a  double  offence,  that  of  desiring  to  do  it,  and  that  of  not 
restraining  the  desire.  Nay,  more  ;  if  the  evil  thought  is  suggested  from  without, 
and  immediately  disowned  and  rejected  from  within,  it  will  depart  and  leave  no 
stain.  The  guilt  of  evil  thoughts  does  not  consist  in  our  having  them,  but  in  our 
indulging  them.  Let  the  check  be  put  upon  the  thought,  and  we  not  only  prevent 
the  sin  from  coming  to  maturity,  but  we  take  the  character  of  sin  from  its  first 
beginnings  ;  that  is  to  say,  we  turn  what  would  otherwise  have  been  a  temptation 
yielded  to,  which  is  sin,  into  a  temptation  overcome,  which  is  virtue.  Those,  oa 
the  contrary,  who  indulge  the  thought,  and  yet  rely  on  their  power  and  resolution 
to  prevent  it  from  passing  into  act,  do  miserably  miscalculate  their  strength.  As- 
has  been  said,  "  There  can  be  no  doubt  with  any  reflecting  mind  but  that  the  pro- 
pensities of  our  nature  must  be  subject  to  regulation  ;  but  the  question  is,  where 
the  check  ought  to  be  placed — upon  the  thought,  or  only  upon  the  action  ?  "  After 
all,  the  weightiest  consideration  which  should  lead  us  to  govern  our  thoughts  is  that 
which  religion  suggests ;  they  are  known  unto  God,  who  will  call  them  mto  judg- 
ment at  the  last  day.  Something,  doubtless,  would  be  gained,  as  regards  the  duty 
in  question,  if  we  would  merely  give  heed  to  that  apothegm  of  Pagan  wisdom, 
"  Reverence  thyseK."  For  he  who  knowingly  tolerates  in  himself  what  he  would 
be  ashamed  to  have  others  know,  shows  that  he  has  less  respect  for  his  own  good 
opinion  than  for  that  of  the  world.  The  mind,  the  soul,  will  go  on  thinking  still, 
even  in  its  disembodied  state,  and  thinking  as  it  did  here,  and  takes  its  place  according 
to  the  spirit  and  tendency  of  its  thoughts.  Is  not  this  what  the  Scriptures  mean  when 
they  say,  "  Therefore,  judge  nothing  before  the  time,  until  the  Lord  come,  who  both 
will  bring  to  light  the  hidden  things  of  darkness,  and  will  make  manifest  the  counsels 
of  the  hearts  ;  and  then  shall  every  man  have  praise  of  God  "  ?  {J.  Walker,  D.D.) 
The  captivity  of  thought : — I.  The  power  of  thought.  The  greatest  on  earth  is; 
man,  the  greatest  in  man  is  mind,  the  great  function  of  mind  is  to  think.  1.  The 
ability  to  think  is  man's  great  distinction.  By  this,  man  seems  to  be  distanced 
from  every  other  creature  by  an  impassable  guK  ;  for,  if  other  creatures  have  built 
the  way  which  leads  up  to  man,  it  is  one  they  have  not  been  able  to  follow.  2. 
Thought  is  the  instrument  of  all  man's  work.  Within  creaturely  limits  it  is  a  power 
of  creation.  Consider  what  it  has  already  accomplished,  what  is  still  being  done 
by  it,  and  what  prophecies  of  work  continue  ceaselessly  to  proceed  from  man's  busy 
brain.  3.  Thought  is  also  the  great  material  with  which  we  work.  All  work  is  the 
working  out  and  working  up  of  thought.  We  sometimes  hear  men  talk  of  being 
used-up.  He  only  can  be  used-up  who  has  not  learned  to  use  himself.  4.  Thought 
gives  value  to  everything.  (1)  Works  of  skill  are  costly.  Skilled  labour  commands 
the  highest  market  price.  And  as  the  world  completes  its  history  thought  will  be 
more  and  more  in  demand.  In  all  great  crises  the  man  of  thought  will  come  to  the 
front.  (2)  The  value  of  thought,  too,  is  seen  in  its  power — when  wisely  directed — 
of  control  over  the  inferior  powers.  A  man  of  rightly-directed  thought  cannot  well 
be  a  low,  bad  man.  Earnest  and  well-chosen  engagement  of  mind  disengages  the 
body  from  every  excess,  and  disqualifies  it  for  low  pursuits.  II.  For  our  thoughts 
TO  HAVE  THIS  VALUE,  WE  MUST  LEARN  TO  LEAD  THEM.  1.  Thought  unled,  like  an 
unbroken  animal,  will  be  drawn  hither  and  thither  by  the  allurements  of  the 
senses ;  or  left,  passively  subject  to  external  influences  and  circumstances,  to 
vegetate  but  not  to  bear  fruit ;  for  there  is  no  order  in  the  thought  of  an  undisci- 
plined mind,  consequently  no  harvest — no  accumulation  of  thought  and  its- 
results.  2.  If  a  man  does  not  lead  his  thoughts,  some  other  power  will,  the  world, 
the  flesh,  or  the  devU,  or  all  these  powers  combined.  Now,  the  central  character  of 
the  power  of  our  thoughts  makes  it  a  first  necessity  that  we  should  lead  them,  if  we 
are  to  remain  in  possession  of  ourselves.  Thought  determines  the  man.  "As  a. 
man  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is  he."  It  arrests  the  attention,  awakens  feeling, 
inflames  the  passions,  subdues  the  will,  and  commands  action.  Thoughts,  therefore, 
unled  will  be  to  a  man  what  winds  and  waves  are  to  a  ship  under  canvas  but 
without  a  rudder,  or  what  steam  is  to  an  engine  without  the  guiding  rail — a  driving 
and  destructive  power.     3.  What  is  so  important,  then,  as  that  we  should  have 


CHAP.  X.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  433 

power  over  our  thoughts,  that  we  should  be  able  to  choose  them,  to  select  those  we 
wish  to  retain,  and  to  dismiss  those  we  would  banish  ;  that  we  should  be  able  to 
hold  and  fix  arrested  thoughts,  infuse  them  with  our  will,  and  work  in  and  by  them 
our  good  pleasure.  III.  If  we  would  lead  our  thoughts,  we  must  know  how  to 
MAKE  them  interesting.  The  mind  readily  places  itself  at  the  service  of  the  heart. 
To  master  the  details  of  any  subject  in  which  we  are  not  truly  interested  is  an  irk- 
some task.  But  when  we  take  to  a  subject,  with  what  eagerness  we  pursue  it !  The 
mind  readily  labours  for  what  interests  the  heart.  The  heart  lives  with  its  treasure, 
and  surrounds  it  with  habitual  thought.  These  thoughts  repeat  themselves  so 
frequently  that  they  soon  become  established.  We  should  mark  those  thoughts 
which  come  unbidden,  and  ascertain  their  right  to  the  place  they  seek  to  occupy. 
And  we  cannot  do  this  too  soon,  for  thoughts  which  occupy  the  heart  become  im- 
passioned, and  are  difficult  to  dismiae,  though  they  may  be  such  as  it  ill  becomes 
us  to  cherish ;  and,  if  not  at  once  dismissed,  become  habitual.  IV.  How  may  we 
LEAD  our  thoughts  INTO  ciJTiviTY  ?  Thought  cannot  be  forced.  To  lead  it  we 
must  observe  the  nature  of  the  mind,  which  is  susceptible  of  influence,  but  not  of 
force.  Our  leading,  therefore,  must  not  be  arbitrary,  but  in  accordance  with  law 
and  order — truth  and  justice.  There  is  nothing  more  repugnant  to  the  mind  than 
the  tyranny  of  wiKulness ;  but  the  appeal  of  law  and  order  accords  with  its  nature, 
and  awakens  their  own  deep-laid  echoes  in  answering  assent.  To  lead  our  thoughts, 
then,  we  must  simply  ask  for  obedience  to  an  authority  which,  though  it  speaks 
without,  appeals  to  its  own  "  Amen  "  within  us.  But  to  what  authority  ?  1.  To 
that  of  conscience.  Paul  only  sought  to  enforce  that  which  "  commended  itself  to 
the  conscience  in  the  sight  of  God."  Man's  conscience  is  endowed  with  that  power 
of  judgment  which  makes  him  responsible  for  an  obedience  according  to  the  light. 
Our  thoughts  must  be  led  by  our  consciences.  2.  The  Divine  Word.  This  has  its 
correspondence  in  the  conscience,  as  the  light  has  its  corresponding  faculty  in  the 
eye  which  witnesses  of  the  designed  agreement  between  them.  The  Word  of  God, 
by  awakening  the  conscience,  awakens  a  power  to  whose  judgment  it  submits  the 
claims  of  its  authority.  But  it  is  a  higher  authority  than  conscience.  Conscience 
is  corruptible,  and  has  been  corrupted.  The  Word  is  "  incorruptible,"  and  "  liveth 
and  abideth  for  ever."  It  faithfully  represents  the  judgment  of  God,  and  enables 
the  spirit,  which  is  given  to  every  man,  when  once  awakened,  to  see  things  in  His 
light — even  the  deep  things  of  God.  The  spirit  in  the  child  has  an  ear  which 
knows  the  Father's  voice,  and  an  eye  which  discerns  His  light,  and  is  the  child's 
capacity  for  being  taught  of  God.  Under  the  inherited  corruption  that  is  in  the 
flesh,  and  the  influence  of  the  vain  pageantry  of  "the  course  of  this  world,"  the 
conscience  is  dead,  and  needs  to  be  quickened  and  enlightened  by  "the  Word, 
which  is  quick  and  powerful,"  »fec.  3.  He  who  speaks  in  thp  Word.  He  is  the  last 
authority  because,  without  the  Word  which  addresses  the  conscience  through  the 
ear,  we  should  be  ignorant  of  Him.  With  light  everywhere,  men  know  not  God. 
"  How  shall  they  believe  in  Him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard  ?  "  whose  minds 
"  the  god  of  this  world  ha,th  blinded  "  lest  "  the  light  of  God  should  shine  unto 
them."  It  is  through  "the  foolishness  of  preaching"  that  He  is  revealed  to  us  as  a 
God  of  attractive  goodness  and  mercy.  In  Jesus  Christ  "the  Word  became  flesh 
and  dwelt  among  us,  and  we  beheld  His  glory,"  &c.  In  Him  we  have,  though 
last,  our  highest  authority  for  the  obedience  of  our  thoughts.  And  when  He  is 
once  seen,  liie  the  risen  sun,  He  accounts  for  and  claims  as  His  all  the  light  that 
preceded  Him.  He  is  the  centre  and  source  of  every  attraction.  With  His  reign 
set  up  in  the  heart,  submission  becomes  a  devotion,  obedience  a  worship,  and  the 
whole  life  moves  in  charmed  circles  of  rectitude  and  peace.  The  powers  of  His 
life,  His  light.  His  love  are,  therefore,  "the  weapons  of  a  warfare"  which  are 
"  mighty,  through  God,  to  the  pulling  down  of  strongholds,"  etc.  How  blessed  it  is 
to  know  that  there  is  a  way  for  our  thoughts,  a  way  having  all  the  authority  of  law, 
the  satisfaction  of  truth,  the  charm  of  goodness,  the  promise  of  stability,  and  the 
certainty  of  perpetual  progress !  A  right,  royal,  central  way,  which  conducts  to  the 
centre  of  all  blessedness !  How  blessed  it  is  to  know  that  this  way  is  His,  whose 
"  counsel  standeth  for  ever,  the  thoughts  of  His  heart  to  all  generations,"  who  can 
cleanse  the  thought  of  our  hearts  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  who 
has  undertaken  to  do  so  as  "  the  Captain  of  our  salvation."  Admit  Him  to  our 
hearts,  and  He  will  lead  our  thoughts  captive,  not  by  force,  but  by  the  love  He 
inspires.  But,  in  order  thus  to  lead  our  thoughts,  He  draws  us  not  merely  "  with 
cords  of  love  "  but  also  by  "  the  bands  of  a  man  " — by  influences  in  harmony  with 
the  laws  of  our  nature.    He  knows  we  are  amenable  to  reason,  that  we  carry  an 

28 


434  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  x. 

echo  truth  can  awaken,  that  we  respond  to  goodness  and  yield  to  mercy.  By  appeal- 
ing, therefore,  to  our  several  powers  in  accordance  with  their  own  freedom  of  action, 
we  are  made  willing  in  the  day  of  His  power,  and  yield  ourselves  up  to  His  sway. 
(W.  Pulsford,  D.D.)         The  government  of  the  thoughts  necessary  to  holiness : — 
Christianity  is  sometimes  spoken  of  as  the  revelation  of  a  plan  by  which  the  guilty 
may  be  pardoned,  and  sinners  be  saved.     Thank  God  this  is  gloriously  true.     A 
truer  designation  of  Christianity  is,  that  it  is  the  divinely  oiiered  means  for  exalting 
the  debased  character  of  fallen  man  to  a  fitness  for  the  enjoyment  of  God  and  the 
blessedness  of  His  presence  in  eternity.     Again,  Christianity  is  sometimes  treated 
of  as  a  scheme  for  improving  the  character  and  elevating  the  morals  of  mankind. 
It  is  certainly  not  a  difficult  matter  for  persons  well  brought  up  to  be  moral  in  their 
conduct   and  honest  in  their   deaUngs.     The   light  of  conscience  is  abundantly 
sufficient  for  withholding  us  from  the  commission  of  numberless  vices,  and  impel- 
ling us  to  the  cultivation  of  some  of  the  most  exalted  virtues.     It  is  obvious,  there- 
fore, that  if  Christianity  aimed  at  nothing  higher  than  to  excite  our  belief  in  certain 
truths,  and   to  elevate  our  conduct  to   a   certain  standard,   a  very   unnecessary 
expenditure  of  suffering  has  been  endured  for  a  purpose  that  might  have  been 
attained  had  Jesus  Christ  never  suffered  and  His  apostles  never  preached.     But 
God  never  does  employ  any  means  but  for  an  end  fully  worthy  of  them.     That  end 
is  the  one  expressed  in  the  text.     "  Bringing  into  captivity  every  thought  to  the 
obedience  of  Christ."     Yes,  the  gospel  goes  as  no  other  teaching  does,  or  can,  to  the 
hidden  man  of  the  heart.     It  came  from  God,  and  it  has  to  do  with  that  in  us 
which  constitutes  our  resemblance  to  God — the  soul.     What  a  work  is  this  !     Who 
that  knows  anything  of  his  own  heart,  knows  not  the  difficulty  of  restraining,  con- 
trolling, governing,  fixing,  directing  his  thoughts  and  feelings  ?  and  our  thoughts 
and  feelings  are  ourselves — the  actions,  the  movements  of  our  souls.     We  are  not 
so  much  what  our  actions  are  (for  ten  thousand  motives  may  prompt  our  actions), 
but  what  our  thoughts  are,  what  our  intentions,  purposes,  feelings,  wishes,  aims 
are.     This,  then,  is  true  religion,  to  have  every  thought  brought  into  captivity  "to 
the  obedience  of  Christ."     All  below  it  may  be  amiable,  but  is  not  Christianity. 
"  Our   thoughts  are   heard  in    heaven."     Our    thoughts   are   God's    rule,    God's 
standard  for  judging  of  our  character,  and  fixing  of  our  destiny  ;  our  words  are  but 
the  expression  of  our  thoughts,  and  our  actions  but  embodied  thoughts.     Then  only 
■do  we  know  what  true  Christianity  is  when  we  acknowledge  its  supremacy  over  the 
movements  of  our  inmost  souls.     I  exhort  you  to  give  to  the  gospel  its  righteous 
demands.     Keligion  must  have  its  proper  place  within  us — or  none.     To  give  it  a 
subordinate   authority  is   even  to   pour  contempt  upon  its  author,  assuredly  to 
deprive  ourselves  of  its  promised  bliss.     I.  The  nature  of  tkue  religion  is  well 
EXPRESSED.     To  bring  "  into  captivity  every  thought  to  the  obedience  of  Christ." 
Not  that  it  is  meant  that  every  thought  of  our  minds  is  to  be  about  religion,  or  that 
the  wUl  of  Christ  is  always  to  be  had  directly  in  view,  or  the  presence  of  Christ 
always  perceptibly  felt.     Nothing  so  impracticable.     This  is  a  blessedness  reserved 
for  the  faithful  above.    Yet  an  approach  to  it  is  implied  and  may  be  made.    I 
speak  of  the  really  godly  ;  Christ  is  enthroned  in  their  affections.    Just  as  gain 
holds  in  captivity  every  thought  of  the  covetous  man,  or  ambition  of  the  worldly 
man,  or  pleasure  of  the  man  of  fashion,  or  lust  of  the  sensuahst;  just  as  music, 
or  painting,  or  Uterature  of  the  man  of  taste,  even  though  ten  thousand  thoughts, 
independent  of  his  predominating  passion,  pass  through  his  mind,  and  direct  his 
walk — so  is  it  with  the  man  of  God.     Christ  holds  in  captivity  every  thought  of 
the   Christian.     "  To   him  to  live  is  Christ."     His  ruling  passion,  his  prevailing 
taste,  his  one  great  work,  is  religion.     He  may  have  many  worldly  duties  to  dis- 
-charge,  but  he  has  not  in  any  a  thought  or  a  feeling  at  variance  with  the  will  of 
Christ.     For  him  to  be  reconciled  to  sin,  nay  not  to  abhor  it  in  all  its  phases  and 
disguises,  would  be  as  contrary  to  his  new  nature  as  for  a  musician  to  be  insensible 
to  the  charms  of  harmony  or  the  jarring  of  discords.     Eeligion  with  him  is  not 
only  an  appointed  work,  but  a  ruling  passion,  a  Divine,  a  heaven-born  taste.     Like 
every  other  passion  or  taste  (call  it  which  you  will),  it  may  require  many  a  strong 
effort  of  the  mind,  demand  many  a  sacrifice,  impose  much  self-denial.     Seasons 
indeed  there  are  in  a  true  believer's  experience  when  the  influence  of  grace  is  as 
powerfully  felt  as  among  the  redeemed  above.     Then  is  the  triumph  of  religion, 
and  then  too  is  the  believer's  enjoyment  complete.     But  not  only  then  is  it  that 
every  thought  of  his  breast  is  in  "  captivity  to  the  obedience  of  Christ,"  even  his 
most  worldly   occupations  are   under   the  blessed  influence  of  His  loving  spirit. 
Pride,  selfishness,  anger,  jealousy,  malice,  lust,  are  prohibited  from  entering  the 


CHAP.  X.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  435 

holy  habitation  of  his  heart.  Such  is  true  religion,  and  these  are  its  fruits.  II. 
The  means  for  making  this  attainment.  Mighty  as  the  change  from  our  natural 
condition  is  to  that  implied  by  the  word  of  the  text,  one  thing,  and  but  one  thing 
can  effect  it,  can  reduce  our  souls  to  obedience,  can  reconcile  us  to  God,  and  bring 
"  every  thought  into  captivity  " — the  Cross,  the  Cross  of  Christ,  seen,  approached, 
embraced.  The  hfe  that  flows  from  that  death  alone  can  quicken  us  to  submit 
to  His  authority  who  endured  it  on  our  behalf.  But  the  difficulty  is  to  bring  our 
souls  within  the  influence  of  the  Cross,  within  the  range  of  its  transforming  energy.. 
This  can  only  be  done  by — 1.  Devout  meditation  on  your  own  soul's  worth,  its 
powers,  capabilities,  and  eternal  duration ;  the  present  degradation  of  living  without 
God  in  the  world,  and  the  unutterable  misery  of  being  separated  from  His  presence 
in  eternity.  Meditate  on  the  holiness  of  God,  the  heinousness  of  sin,  and  the 
fearfulness  of  that  curse  which  its  commission  provokes.  Then  look  up  to  the 
Cross  and  meditate  on  the  love  of  Christ  as  exhibited  in  the  atoning  death.  2.  Be 
much  in  prayer  for  gi-ace  to  give  you  so  lively  an  impression,  to  set  and  keep  before 
you  so  vivid  a  perception  of  the  love  and  power  of  Christ  crucified,  as  may  subdue 
your  soul  into  obedience  and  love,  and  unite  all  its  powers  into  one  great  and 
lasting  effort  to  glorify  His  name.  3.  Be  diligent  in  good  works.  These,  as  we 
abound  in  them  hberally,  affectionately,  self-denyingly,  have  a  wonderful  power  in 
clarifying  our  spiritual  vision  ;  yes,  and  in  perfecting  our  whole  moral  nature.  4. 
Be  constant  in  the  means  of  grace.  These  are  instruments  of  even  almighty  power 
for   saving  and  perfecting  our  souls  in  righteousness.     HI.  The  blessedness  op 

"  BKINGING  into  captivity  EVEKY    THOUGHT    TO    THE    OBEDIENCE    OF    ChRIST."      Verily, 

their  "  peace  "  shall  be  "  as  a  river,"  and  "  their  righteousness  "  as  the  waves  of 
the  sea."  They  shall  be  safe  from  evil  and  from  the  fear  of  evil.  "  His  faithfulness 
and  truth,"  whose  captives  they  are,  shall  be  their  "  shield  and  buckler."  Unmoved 
by  trying  providences,  untormented  by  earthly  passions,  unharassed  by  worldly 
cares,  unsubdued  by  Satan's  temptations,  they  shall  pass  on'their  way  heavenward 
in  peaceful  hope.  The  pleasures  of  sense  and  the  promises  of  sin  shall  lose  their 
power  even  to  tempt  and  allure,  by  reason  of  the  increasing  fascinations  which 
those  of  holiness  are  felt  to  impart.  (T.  Nunns,  31. A.)  The  subjection  of  the 
heart  to  Christ : — The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  in  your  hearts.  But  your  hearts, 
too,  are  not  like  a  single  citadel,  but  rather  a  wide,  diversified  country.  Does  the 
kingdom  occupy  only  a  narrow  space  of  hardly  won  ground,  or  does  the  royal 
standard  float  over  every  stronghold,  and  do  the  King's  writs  run  through  all  the 
wide  region  peopled  by  your  purposes  ?  Not  until  then,  not  till  the  sway  of  Christ 
commands  every  motion  of  our  wills,  not  till  He  has  imprisoned  every  rebeUioua 
desire  and  exiled  every  turbulent  intention,  not  till  He  has  conquered  every 
ambition  that  threatens  His  throne  with  rivaky,  not  till  our  whole  nature  is  a  loyal 
realm,  obedient  to  His  sceptre,  dare  we  cease  with  all  earnestness  of  supplication 
to  uplift  the  prayer,  "  Thy  kingdom  come."  (C.  A.  Vince,  M.A.)  Unreserved 
surrender  to  Christ : — I  remember  reading — I  think  it  was  in  the  Indian  Mutiny — 
of  a  siege  which  the  British  army  conducted,  how  they  captured,  after  long  fighting, 
the  walls  of  the  city  they  had  besieged  ;  but  the  native  garrison  within  only  slowly 
retreated,  fighting  their  way  step  by  step,  until  at  last  they  entrenched  themselves 
in  the  citadel,  and  there  defied  the  British  troops.  So  it  is  with  us.  Self  may 
be  beaten  by  Christ  in  the  outworks  of  life  ;  it  may  retreat  from  Christ,  until  all  the 
soul  is  open  to  Christ  save  one  little  room.  Hold  one  thing  back,  you  hold  all ; 
yield  one  thing  you  yield  all.  Yes,  a  man's  cross  is  just  that  which  he  finds  it 
most  difficult  to  yield.  (G.  8.  Barrett,  B.A.)  Christ  must  be  our  absolute 
Monarch : — When  we  are  in  the  right  condition  Christ  and  not  self  occupies  the 
centre  of  our  being.  Then  it  is  that  He  reigns  with  unhindered  sway  as  Kmg 
within.  The  writer  not  long  since  heard  one  who  had  been  a  Christian  many  years 
describe  the  nature  of  the  blessing  he  had  recently  received  in  the  following  words : 
"  I  had  heard  of  Christ  being  King.  Well,  He  had  reigned  in  me,  but  it  was  only 
as  a  constitutional  sovereign.  I  was  Prime  Minister,  and  I  did  a  good  deal  of  the 
work  myself.  Then  I  found  that  He  must  be  absolute  Monarch.  And  so  now  He 
is."  {E.  Hopkins,  M.A.)  The  victory  of  Christ  over  thought: — I.  This  gospel 
IS  TO  BRING  THE  THOUGHTS  OF  MEN  INTO  SUBJECTION  TO  Christ.  Christianity 
recognises  man  as  a  thinking  being,  "  bringing  into  captivity  every  thought."  The 
thought  of  man  may  be  regarded — 1.  As  the  distinguishing  attribute  of  his  nature. 
It  distinguishes  man  from  the  brute  creation  and  assimilates  him  to  God  and  fits 
him  to  enjoy  Him  for  ever.  Now — 2.  As  the  great  parent  of  his  character.  Man 
is  what  his  thoughts  are.     If  his  thoughts  be  false,  his  character  is  false  ;  if  his 


436  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  x. 

thoughts  be  in  harmony  with  the  everlasting  laws  of  God,  his  character  will  be  so 
too.  If  a  man  thinks  feebly,  his  character  will  be  feeble ;  if  he  thinks  vigorously, 
independently  and  progressively,  his  character  will  be  the  same.  3.  As  the  chief 
instrument  of  his  influence.  Every  other  influence  is  utterly  insignificant  when 
compared  with  this.  The  corrupting  influences  of  the  world  are  only  to  be 
removed  by  the  action  of  free  and  loving  thought  upon  them.  The  death  of  mind 
is  its  departure  from  God.  You  cannot  point  to  a  country  where  some  of  the  ideas 
of  Jesus  are  not.  Sometimes  we  take  discouraging  views  of  the  progress  of 
Christianity,  but  we  should  remember  that  the  thoughts  of  Christ  are  mixed  with 
the  literature,  the  philosophy,  the  legislation,  the  commerce  of  the  world.  Is  it  not 
a  glorious  oflice  of  Christianity  to  bring  these  thoughts  into  captivity?  II.  How 
DOES  Christ  captivate  minds?  1.  By  arousing  tliem  into  life  and  action.  A 
man's  religion  is  valuable  just  in  proportion  as  it  engages  his  intense,  solemn, 
and  prayerful  thought.  The  first  action  of  Christ  on  the  mind  is  to  make 
us  think.  2.  By  removing  obstacles.  "  Strongholds "  must  be  pulled  down ; 
"  imaginations "  or  false  reasonings  must  be  cast  down.  What  is  the  great 
hindrance  to  the  subjection  of  mind  to  Christ  ?  Human  depravity — sin.  But  in 
what  form  does  it  manifest  itself  ?  (1)  Sensuousness — materialism.  Sensuousness 
took  Adam  away  from  his  allegiance,  deluged  the  old  population,  broke  up  the 
Jewish  nation,  first  degraded  and  then  destroyed  virtue  in  Greece,  and  overthrew 
Eome.  Sensuousness  is  the  dominion  of  the  flesh  over  the  spirit ;  the  despotism  of 
matter  over  mind.  This  is  the  most  gross  form  of  opposition  to  Christianity,  the 
most  common,  and  probably  the  most  fatal.  There  is  hope  of  men  while  they  think, 
but  there  is  no  hope  for  men  if  they  have  sunk  into  sensuousness.  (2)  False 
philosophy — the  spirit  of  all  wrong  systems,  which  generally  develops  itself  in 
scepticism.  (3)  Religious  superstition  which  substitutes  mechanical  action  for  mental 
activity.  (4)  Secular  authority.  Conclusion :  1.  Have  you  given  your  thoughts 
to  Christ?     2.  What  are  we  to  do  to  bring  other  minds  to  Christ?     (Caleb  Morris.) 

Vers.  8-10.  For  though  I  should  boast  somewhat  more  of  our  authority. — God's 
gift  of  special  jpoiver  to  man  : — The  "  authority"  of  which  the  apostle  here  speaks 
was,  in  all  probability,  a  supernatural  endowment  (Acts  xiii.  8-11,  xiv.  8-10,  xv. 
9-12).  Having  this  power,  he  was  superior  even  to  the  ablest  of  his  censors,  and 
he  felt  that  should  he  "  boast  somewhat "  of  this  there  was  no  reason  for  him  to  be 
ashamed.  Note  that  such  special  gift — I.  Is  under  man's  control.  Paul's  language 
seems  to  imply  that  he  might  or  might  not  use  his  "  authority"  ;  it  did  not  infringe 
in  any  way  his  freedom  of  action.  God  has  given  exceptional  power  to  some  men, 
to  Moses,  Elijah,  EUsha,  Peter,  &c. ;  but  in  all  cases  it  seemed  to  leave  them  free 
to  use  it  or  not,  to  use  it  in  this  direction  or  in  that.  The  Maker  and  Manager  of 
the  universe  respects  evermore  the  free  agency  of  His  rational  and  moral  offspring. 
We  may  enslave  ourselves,  but  He  will  not,  and  will  always  treat  us  as  responsible 
for  all  we  do.  II.  Its  design  is  usefulness.  "  The  Lord  has  given  us  for  edifica- 
tion," &c.— not  to  pull  down,  but  to  build  up.  Usefulness  is  the  grand  end  of  our 
existence  !  We  are  formed  not  to  injure,  but  to  bless.  Alas,  how  extensively  men 
pervert  these  high  gifts  of  heaven !  II.  It  is  no  protection  from  malice.  Though 
Paul  was  so  distinguished  by  signal  endowments,  he  was  nevertheless  the  subject 
of  envy  and  slander  (ver.  10).  So  with  Moses  and  the  prophets.  The  more  dis- 
tinguished a  man  is  for  gifts  and  graces,  the  more  he  is  exposed  to  the  detraction 
and  hatred  of  others.  It  was  so  with  Christ  Himself.  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.)  For 
his  letters,  say  they,  are  weighty  and  powerful;  but  his  bodily  presence  is  weak. — 
'The  Corinthian  criticism  of  St.  Paul  is  really  of  moral  import,  although  it  has  been 
read  in  a  physical  sense.  It  does  not  say  anything  at  all  about  the  apostle's 
physique,  or  about  his  eloquence  or  want  of  eloquence ;  it  tells  us  that  (according 
to  these  critics),  when  he  was  actually  present  at  Corinth,  he  was  somehow  or  other 
ineffective,  and  when  he  spoke  there  people  simply  disregarded  him.  An  uncertain 
tradition  no  doubt  represents  Paul  as  an  infirm  and  meagre  person,  and  it  is  easy 
to  believe  that  to  Greeks  he  must  sometimes  have  seemed  embarrassed  and  inco- 
herent in  speech  to  the  last  degree  (what,  e.g.,  could  have  seemed  more  formless  to 
a  Greek  than  vers.  12-18?).  Nevertheless,  it  is  nothing  like  this  which  is  in  view 
here.  It  is  simply  this — as  a  man  bodily  present  he  could  get  nothing  done ;  he 
talked,  and  nobody  listened.  It  is  implied  that  this  criticism  is  false,  and  Paul 
bids  any  one  who  makes  it  consider  that  what  he  is  in  word  by  letters  when  he  is 
absent,  that  he  will  also  be  in  deed  when  he  is  present.  The  double  role  of  potent 
pamphleteer  and  ineffective  pastor  is  not  for  him.     To  this  kind  of  criticism  every 


CHAP,  X.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  437 

preacher  is  obnoxious.  An  epistle  is,  so  to  speak,  the  man's  words  without  the 
man,  and  such  is  human  weakness  that  they  are  often  stronger  than  the  man 
speaking  in  bodily  presence.  The  character  of  the  speaker,  as  it  were,  discounts 
all  he  says,  and  when  he  is  there  and  delivers  his  message  in  person,  the  message 
itself  suffers  an  immense  depreciation.  This  ought  not  to  be,  and  with  a  man  who 
cultivates  sincerity  will  not  be.  He  will  be  as  good  as  his  words ;  his  effectiveness 
•will  be  the  same  whether  he  writes  or  speaks.  Nothing  ultimately  counts  in  the 
work  of  a  Christian  minister  but  what  he  can  say  and  do  and  get  done  when  in 
direct  contact  with  living  men.  In  many  cases  the  modern  sermon  really  answers 
to  the  epistle  as  it  is  referred  to  in  this  sarcastic  comment ;  in  the  pulpit,  people 
say,  the  minister  is  impressive  and  memorable  ;  but  in  the  ordinary  intercourse  of 
life,  and  even  in  the  pastoral  relation,  where  he  has  to  meet  people  on  an  equal 
footing,  his  power  quite  disappears.  He  is  an  ineffective  person,  and  his  words 
have  no  weight.  When  this  is  true,  there  is  something  very  far  wrong ;  and  though 
it  was  not  true  in  the  case  of  Paul,  there  are  cases  in  which  it  is.  To  bring  the 
pastoral  up  to  the  level  of  pulpit  work — the  care  of  individual  souls  and  characters 
to  the  intensity  and  earnestness  of  study  and  preaching — would  be  the  saving  of 
many  a  minister  and  many  a  congregation.     (J.  Denney,  B.D.) 

Vers.  11-18.  Such  as  we  are  in  word  .  .  .  will  we  be  also  in  deed.— r/(e  vital  in 

character,  foolish  in  jiuh/ment,  dishonourable  in  conduct,  and  supreme  in  ohWjation  : — 
Here  is — I.  A  tkait  of  chakacter  that  is  vital  (ver.  11).  The  apostle  claims  for 
himself  thorough  and  inflexible  honesty.  His  enemies  implied  that  he  would  not 
say  in  their  presence  what  he  wrote  in  his  epistles.  He  denies  this.  A  good  man 
is  incarnate  honesty,  always,  everywhere,  and  with  all.  A  splendid  attribute  of 
character  this,  albeit  rare.  Truculency  and  time-serving  are,  alas  !  rampant ;  they 
are  a  cancer  that  is  eating  up  the  life  of  the  social  body.  II.  A  judgment  of  self 
that  is  foolish  (ver.  12).  1.  They  had  represented  Paul  as  cowardly.  With  oblique 
irony  he  says,  "We  dare  not  make  ourselves  of  the  number,"  as  if  he  had  said, 
"  Of  course  we  cannot  compare  ourselves  with  men  of  your  transcendent  courage." 
Satire  is  often  a  serviceable  element  in  conveying  truth ;  it  cuts  its  way  into  the 
heart,  and  makes  the  nerves  of  self-conceit  quiver.  2.  But  the  point  to  be  noticed 
is  contained  in  the  last  clause  of  the  verse,  that  is  their  foolish  test  of  self -judgment, 
viz.,  the  character  of  others.  Nothing  can  be  more  unwise  than  for  a  man  to  make 
the  character  of  another  the  standard  by  which  to  try  his  own,  because — (1)  It  would 
lead  to  a  wrong  estimate  of  self.  The  best  of  men  are  imperfect,  and  conformity  to 
them  would  leave  us  far  from  what  we  ought  to  be.  (2)  It  will  exert  a  pernicious 
influence.  It  will  nurse  vanity  in  the  soul.  Those  who  are  conspicuously  vain 
have  their  settled  society  among  those  who  are  inferior  to  themselves.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  presence  of  the  great  humbles  us.  III.  A  conduct  of  ministers  that  ts 
dishonourable  (vers.  13-16).  1.  The  teachers  at  Corinth  who  were  calumniating  Paul 
had  gone  into  his  "measure"  or  province  of  labour;  they  had  gone  to  the  Church 
at  Antioch,  which  he  had  founded,  and  to  the  Church  at  Galatia,  now  they  were 
stirring  up  strife  at  Corinth.  They  did  not  break  up  fresh  ground.  Paul  did  so 
everywhere ;  his  commission  was  to  the  whole  Gentile  world  ;  therefore  he  did  not 
"  stretch  "  himself  beyond  his  province ;  therefore  he  did  not "  boast  of  things  "  with- 
out his  "  measure,"  or  of  other  men's  labours.  2.  The  conduct  which  the  apostle 
here  deprecates  is  pursued  in  these  times — (1)  In  interfering  in  other  men's  spheres 
of  labour.  (2)  In  appropriating  other  ministers'  sermons,  IV.  Moral  obligations 
that  are  supreme.  1.  Glorying  in  the  Lord  (ver.  17).  This  implies — (1)  Supreme 
appreciation.  We  can  only  glory  in  that  which  we  value.  (2)  Soul-appropriation. 
As  a  rule  we  can  only  "  glory  "  in  that  which  belongs  to  us.  He  who  can  say,  "  The 
Lord  is  my  portion  "  may  well  glory.  2.  Seeking  the  approval  of  the  Lord  (ver.  18). 
To  please  Him  is  our  highest  duty  and  sublimest  happiness  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.) 
The  false  and  true  method  of  estimating  men  : — I.  The  false  and  true  metidd  of 
ESTIMATING  THE  CHARACTEB  OF  OTHERS  (vcr.  13).  1.  To  judgc  by  pubUc  report  is  a 
wrong  method.  There  was  an  impression  in  Corinth  that  not  only  was  Paul's 
"  bodily  presence  "  contemptible,  but  that  his  letters  displayed  a  heroism  of  which 
the  writer  was  destitute,  and  hence  he  was  judged  to  be  a  boaster  and  charlatan. 
How  common  it  is  for  people  to  judge  by  general  report!  But  a  miserably  false 
standard  of  judgment  is  this.  I  have  often  received  impressions  concerning  a 
person  I  have  never  seen,  which  a  subsequent  personal  acquaintance  has  completely 
dispelled.  2.  To  judge  by  personal  knowledge  is  the  true  method.  "  Wait  until  I 
come,  and  you  will  find  that  I  am  true  to  the  character  of  mv  lettersj'^  A  man's 


¥ 


x^«-- 


438  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  x. 

letters,  even  when  rightly  interpreted,  will  not  give  a  complete  idea  of  the  author. 
The  author  is  greater  than  his  book,  and  one  hour  with  hirn  will  give  a  better  idea 
of  him  than  all  the  productions  of  his  pen.  II.  The  false  and  tkue  method  of 
ESTIMATING  OUE  OWN  CHAEACTERs.  1.  The  falsc  method  is  comparing  our  own; 
character  with  the  character  of  others  (ver.  12).  (1)  This  is  the  general  tendency 
of  mankind.  When  we  are  accused  we  are  prone  to  say  we  are  not  worse  than 
so-and-so.  A  false  standard  this,  because — (a)  The  mass  of  mankind  are  corrupt. 
(6)  The  best  of  men  are  more  or  less  imperfect,  (c)  There  is  only  one  perfect 
character — Jesus  Christ.  (2)  In  these  words  Paul  indicates — (a)  That  it  is  a  terrible 
thing  thus  to  judge  ourselves.  "  We  dare  not  (are  not  bold  enough)  make  ourselves 
of  the  number."  It  is  a  terrible  thing,  for  it  leads  to  fearful  issues,  (b)  An  unwise 
thing.  2.  The  true  method  is  judging  ourselves  by  the  will  of  God  (ver.  13). 
Though  the  apostle  by  the  expression  "  rule  which  God  hath  distributed  "  primarily 
refers  to  the  Divine  hmits  of  his  apostolic  work,  as  will  appear  again,  the  "  rule" 
applies  also  to  his  personal  character.  God's  will  is  the  standard  or  canon  by  which 
all  characters  are  to  be  determined.  Conclusion :  "  Search  me,  0  God,  and  know 
my  heart,"  &g.     (Ibid.) 

Ver.  12.  For  we  dare  not .  .  .  compare  ourselves  with  some  that  commend 
themselves ;  hut  they  measuring  themselves  by  themselves  .  .  .  are  not  wise. — 

Two  false  standards  of  judgment : — At  the  first  reading  we  might  scarcely  see  any 
distinction  between  the  two  faults  spoken  of.  "  Measuring  themselves  by  them- 
selve,"  and  "comparing  themselves  with  themselves,"  where  is  the  difference? 
This  habit  of  measuring  self  by  self  may  arise  from  various  causes.  1.  It  may 
arise  from  conceit.  The  man  thinks  himself  perfect.  Or,  if  not  perfect — which  no 
one  says,  or  perhaps  thinks — still  sufficiently  so  for  practical  purposes.  He  needs 
no  thorough  remodeUing ;  he  may  stih  be  his  own  measure,  though  the  measure 
itself  may  bear  a  little  repairing  to  bring  it  up  to  statute  and  regulation.  But  the 
measuring  of  himself  by  himself  may  have  another  explanation.  2.  Isolation  will 
account  for  it.  A  man  lives  alone,  does  his  own  work,  does  not  read,  does  not  mix 
with  others,  never  sees  either  self-denial  or  courage  or  patience  or  nobleness 
exemplified  in  life  or  action — how  can  he  measure  himself  by  any  one  or  anything 
but  himself?  3.  A  third  account  of  it  might  be  that  sort  of  sluggishness  and 
stupidity  of  the  moral  sense  which  acquiesces  in  the  thing  that  is,  thinks  it  will  do, 
hopes  aU  wiU  come  right.  St.  Paul  does  not  "presume"  or  "deign"  to  make 
himself  of  the  number.  How  palpably  the  opposite  of  that  heroic  soul  which 
"  counted  not  itself  to  have  apprehended  "  !  Self-measuring  is  one  of  the  two  faults, 
let  us  turn  now  to  the  other.  "  Comparing  themselves  with  themselves,  they  are 
not  wise."  Here  the  singular  has  become  plural.  The  standard  of  the  individual 
has  become  the  standard  of  a  multitude.  The  men  spoken  of  compare  themselves  with 
themselves  after  all,  only  the  self  which  they  make  their  measure  is  a  plural  self,  a 
composite  self,  a  self  of  surroundings  and  circumstances,  an  "  envu'onment "  of  beings 
just  like  themselves,  reflections  of  their  own  thought,  their  own  principle,  and  their 
own  judgment.  This  is,  or  may  be,  a  less  unlovely  person  than  the  former.  He  is  na 
solitary,  and  he  is  no  pendant,  and  he  is  no  misanthrope.  He  does  not  profess 
himself  the  one  wise  man,  or  the  one  important  man,  or  the  one  perfect.  He  is 
willing  to  let  in  some  light  upon  the  self -life.  But  it  is  a  limited  hght.  It  is  the  hght 
of  his  own  Mttle  world.  It  may  be  a  very  little  world.  Some  people — especially 
among  the  poor — pride  themselves  upon  their  littleness.  They  make  it  a  merit  not  to 
go  about  houses.  Men  bound  themselves  by  the  workshop,  the  office,  or  the  counting- 
house — women  literally  by  the  home.  Yet  within  this  fraction  of  the  race  multitudes 
of  individual  men  and  women  are  absolutely  cribbed  and  cabined.  They  think 
within  it,  they  judge  within  it,  they  act  within  it — worse  still,  they  aspire  within  it. 
Not  one  idea  comes  to  them  but  from  it.  St.  Paul  says  that  they  who  are  described 
by  either  of  these  titles,  self-measurers  by  self,  or  self-comparers  with  each  other, 
"  are  not  wise."  He  might  have  put  it  more  strongly.  A  man  might  be  unwise, 
though  applying  a  right  standard  to  himself,  because  he  was  condemned  by  it, 
because  he  did  not  live  up  to  it.  But  the  man  whose  measure  is  self,  or  whose  self- 
comparison  is  with  other  selves,  as  fallible  and  as  prejudiced  and  as  half -informed 
and  as  lazy-minded  as  himself,  has  no  chance  and  no  peradventure  and  no 
possibility  of  wisdom.  He  is  on  the  wrong  tack.  "  Measuring  themselves  by  them- 
selves, they  are  not  wise."  What  is  to  be  done  ?  Evidently  self  is  the  inordinate, 
the  exaggerated,  the  overgrown  thing.  Self  is  here  the  thing  which  must  be 
counteracted,  combated,  taught  its  place.     "  Measuring  themselves  by  themselves," 


CHAP.  X.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  439 


they  must  be  taup;ht  to  measure  themselves  by  something  else.  Almost  anything 
will  be  a  bettei-  standard.  And  now  we  must  take  the  two  men  of  the  text,  each  by 
the  hand,  and  bid  them  rise  to  a  life  higher  for  them  both.  We  shall  bid  them  to 
rest  in  no  earthly  heroism,  and  to  acquiesce  in  no  human  example  of  virtue.  We 
shall  carry  them  on,  without  pause  or  dallying,  to  the  contemplation  of  One  in  the 
presence  of  whose  beauty  and  glory  all  such  minor  excellences  pale  and  fade  away. 
(Dean    Vaurihan.)  A     %crong    standard    of  measure  : — I.    First,    then,   let    us 

bring  this  question  of  comparison  to  the  testing  of  character.  We  compare 
ourselves  with  others  and  say,  "I  am  as  good  as  ordinary  Christians."  What  is 
wanted  is  not  just  "  ordinary  Christians."  AVe  ought  each  to  pray  with  Wesley, 
"Lord,  make  me  an  extraordinary  Christian."  Average  Christians  comparing 
themselves  with  average  Christians  may  think  they  are  about  right.  II.  Again, 
how  practical  this  is  for  testing  the  measure  of  our  self-sacrifice.  Many 
people  want  to  get  to  heaven  as  cheaply  as  they  can.  A  man  sees  his  neighbour  do 
certain  things  on  the  Sabbath,  therefore  he  claims  a  right  to  do  them.  III.  Once 
more,  let  this  serve  for  testing  the  measure  of  our  ze.\l  and  consecration  in 
God's  service.  As  to  woi'k.  Do  you  compare  youi-self  with  others  ?  Are  you  ever 
tempted  to  say,  "I  do  as  much  as  my  neighbour;  I  do  not  like  to  push  myself 
forward ;  I  never  like  to  seem  to  take  the  lead !  "  Such  feelings  are  born  purely 
Df  a  tendency  to  compare  ourselves  among  ourselves.  Let  us  try  to  be  of  the 
utmost  use  in  the  world.         Wrong  estimates  : — I.  The  folly  of  adopting  a  false, 

WORLDLY  STANDARD  of  CHARACTER  AND  CONDUCT.     The  folly,  viz.,  of — 1.    Self-righteOUS 

reliance  on  ourselves,  or  our  supposed  excellences.  See  this  in  the  parable  of  the 
Pharisee.  "  There  is  a  generation  pure  in  their  own  eyes,  and  yet  are  not  washed 
from  their  filth."  Paul  was  once  one  of  these  Pharisees.  "  I  was  alive  without  the 
law  once  ;  but  when  the  commandment  came,  sin  revived  and  I  died."  The  death 
of  legal  hope  became  the  life  of  evangelical  obedience.  The  true  Christian  rests  in 
Christ  only  and  wholly.  2.  Dependence  on  the  opinion  of  mankind.  A  fatal 
indolence  is  apt  to  creep  upon  the  soul  when  once  it  has  attained  the  good  opinion 
of  religious  men.  Pursuit  is  at  an  end  when  the  object  is  in  possession.  If  at  the 
judgment  we  were  to  be  tried  by  a  jury  of  fellow  mortals,  it  would  be  but  common 
prudence  to  secure  their  favour  at  any  price.  3.  Dependence  on  morality  without 
religion.  Society  is  a  gainer  from  the  absence  of  vice  and  the  presence  of  virtue. 
We  are,  however,  careful  to  mark  the  distinction  between  the  morality  which  has 
for  its  only  source  the  motives  which  begin  and  end  in  time,  and  that  holiness 
without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord,  which  has  its  root  and  origin  in  Christian 
motives  and  principles.  4.  Dependence  on  religion  without  morality.  Christianity 
must  be  received  as  a  whole.  Christianity  is  something  more  than  a  mere  set  of 
rules,  it  is  a  living  principle  of  action.  Faith  works  by  love  and  purifies  the  heart. 
In  acknowledging  Christ  as  Eedeemer  we  must  not  forget  that  He  is  Lawgiver.  II. 
The  wisdom  of  adopting  that  standard  of  character  which  the  gospel  reveals. 
1.  As  it  regards  the  rule  of  our  faith.  2.  As  it  regards  the  test  of  practice. 
(Homiletic   Magazine.)  Cliques   in    Church  : — "  They   measure  themselves  by 

themselves,"  &c.,  they  constitute  a  religious  coterie,  a  sort  of  ring  or  clique  in  the 
Church,  ignoring  all  but  themselves,  making  themselves  the  only  standard  of  what 
is  Christian,  and  betraying  by  that  very  proceeding  their  want  of  sense.  There 
is  a  fine  liberality  about  this  sharp  saying,  and  it  is  as  necessary  now  as  in  the 
first  century.  Men  coalesce  within  the  limits  of  the  Christian  community  from 
affinities  of  various|  kinds — sympathy  for  a  type  or  aspect  of  a  doctrine,  or  liking 
for  a  form  of  polity  ;  and  as  it  is  easy,  so  it  is  common,  for  those  who  have  drifted 
like  to  like,  to  set  up  their  own  associations  and  preferences  as  the  tnly  law  and 
model  for  all.  They  take  the  air  of  superior  persons,  and  the  penalty  of  the 
superior  person  is  to  be  without  understanding.  The  standard  of  the  coterie — be  it 
"  evangelical,"  "  high  church,"  "  broad  church,"  or  what  you  please — is  not  the 
standard  «f  God  ;  and  to  measure  all  things  by  it  is  not  only  sinful,  but  stupid.  In 
contrast  to  this  Judaistic  clique,  who  saw  no  Christianity  except  under  their  own 
colours,  Paul's  standard  is  to  be  found  in  the  actual  working  of  God  throu;;h 
the  gospel.  He  would  have  said  with  Ignatius,  only  with  a  deeper  insight  into 
every  word,  "  where  Jesus  Christ  is,  there  is  the  Catholic  Church."  (J  Denney,  B.D.) 

Vers.  1.^-16.  We  will  not  boast  of  thing's  without  our  measure,  but  according  to 
the  measure  of  the  riile  which  Gcd  hath  distiTonted  to  us. — The  mission  field 
adnien.'i.ured  : — I.  The  field  irEAf-ur.ED  ot:t  foe  the  labours  of  the  preachers 
OF  the  gospel.     1.  The  world.     It  was  impossible  for  the  apostle,  with  all  his 


440  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  x. 

impulsive  zeal,  to  go  beyond  his  measure.    Not  that  the  world  had  been  left  without 
moral  assistance  from  revelation.     In  the  care  of  the  Father  of  the  spirits  of  all 
flesh,  all  nations  have  had  an  interest.     The  antediluvians  enjoyed  the  benefits  of 
all   the  revelations   which  were   made   in   that   first   age.     The  long  life   of   the 
patriarchs  secured  this.     In  the  truths  which  were  introduced  by  Noah  into  the 
new  world,  and  the  additional  revelations,  his  sons  were  sharers ;  and  that  the 
whole  might  have  been  preserved  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  many  of  them  still 
exist.     The  vocation  of  Abraham  was  intended  for  the  instruction  of  the  world 
(Heb.  xi.  10).      The  Jewish  institute  was  designed  for  the  benefit  of  the  world 
(1  Kings  viii.  41-43).     To  all  the  world  Christ  sent  His  disciples ;  and  to  a  great 
part  they  actually  went.     The  continuance  of  the  zeal  of  the  first  ages  would  have 
left  no  "  regions   beyond."     2.    Why,  then,  do   we   wonder   at  the  mysteries   of 
Providence,  in  leaving  so  many  of  our  race  to  hve  without  the  gospel  ?     God  has 
not  left  them,  but  they  have  been  left  by  their  more  highly  favoured  fellow-men. 
It  is  a  mystery,  not  of  Divine  reprobation,  but  of  human  unfeehngness.    The  Jewish 
and  Christian  Churches,  in  succession,  have  incurred  the  guilt  of  unfaithfulness. 
If  any  person  say  this  only  shifts  the  difficulty,  we  may  allow  it.     But  why  should 
we  single  this  out  as  a  peculiar  mystery  ?     Has  not  God  made  man  dependent  upon 
man  in  everything  ?     Christians  are  the  light  of  the  world ;  and  if  we  refuse  to 
hold  forth  the  word  of  life,  then  are  we  verily  guilty  concerning  our  brother.     II. 
The  meaks  by  which  those   laboues  were   directed.     1.    The  "  measure  of  the 
rule  "  refers  to  the  line  which  marked  out  the  racecourses,  or  that  which  was  used 
in  measuring  land.      The  apostles  were  appointed   to  places  by  Him  who  knew 
where  they  might  be  best  employed.     (1)  Sometimes  the  du-ection  was  supernatural, 
as  when  Peter  was  taught  by  a  vision  and  Paul  by  a  man  of  Macedonia.     Some- 
times the  Spirit  of  God  spoke  in  an  audible  voice  (Acts  viii.  29).     (2)  In  other 
cases — (a)   A  strong  impression   was  made   upon  the  mind,  as  when   Paul   was 
"pressed  in  the  spirit "  to  preach  Christ  in  Corinth,     (b)  They  were  directed  by 
what  appeared  the  most  effectual  means  of  promotmg  their  great  work.     Thus  Paul, 
in  one  of  his  journeys,  purposed  to  return  through  Macedonia,  and  oftentimes  to 
visit  Eome.     (c)    The  peculiar  moral  wretchedness  and  want  of  some  particular 
people  affected  them  (Acts  xvii.  16).     (d)  They  were  led  by  the  spirit  of  enterprise 
and  experiment,  and  concluded  from  their  success  that  the  line  had  been  stretched 
out.     2.  These  views  are  of  importance  from  their  connection  with  modern  efforts. 
Too  long  have  Christians  dozed  upon  the  pillow  of  lukewarmness,  waiting  to  be 
roused  to  action  by  a  miraculous  summons.     (1)  Our  duty  is  as  extensive  as  theirs. 
The  command,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,"  &c.,  has  never  been  repealed.     (2)  Have 
we  no  men  "  pressed  in  spirit  "  as  the  apostles  were  ?     What  about  those  Moravians 
who  went  into  the  West  Indies,  to  sell  themselves  as  slaves,  that  they  might  preach 
to  the  negroes  ?     Did  not  God  then  stretch  out  their  line  ?     What  about  Carey  and 
Dr.    Coke  ?      (3)  Did  the  first  preachers  meet  with  men  like   Gains,    zealous  to 
encourage  their  labours?     The  revival  of  this   disposition  in  the  present  day  is 
another  proof  that  our  line  is  extending.     Tens  of  thousands  are  ready  to  assist  the 
mission  woi'k  by  their  prayers  and  contributions.     (4)  Did  the  apostle  consider  the 
sight  of  the  superstitions  of  Athens  a  call  to  preach  Jesus  ?     The  circumstance  that 
the  state  of  the  heathen  world  is  brought  before  us  is  our  call  to  the  same  work. 
(5)  Did  the  apostles  see  in  opportunities  of  access  the  hand  of  God  stretching  out 
their  line  ?   By  what  authority  do  we  put  a  different  construction  upon  the  openings 
which  are  everywhere  presented  to  us  ?     Where  have  we  no  access  ?     Does  com- 
merce see  her  lines  extending  in  so  many  directions,  and  shall  we  be  so  blind  as 
not  to  see  that  she  marks  the  track  which  Christian  zeal  is  to  follow  ?     (6)  Did  the 
apostles   contemplate   their   successes  as  the  proof   that  God  had  directed   their 
progress    and   assigned   them   their    work?      Where    have    modern    missionaries 
laboured  without  substantial  proofs  of  this  kind  ?     HI.  The  compassionate  eegaed 
OF  the  apostle   for   those  nations  which   were  not   visited   by   the   light  of 
Christianity.     His  line  had  stretched  as  far  as  Corinth ;  and  he  now  looks  with 
anticipation  into  larger  fields.     And  why  ?    Because  he  knew  their  moral  condition 
and  subsequent  danger,  and  that  the  gospel  would  save  thousands  who  would  not 
be  saved  without  it.     This  is  the  case  in  regard  to  heathen  nations  now.     What 
they  were  in  the  apostolic  age  they  are  now,  and  they  ought  to  excite  equal  regards. 
They  are  regions  of — 1.  Darkness.     That  is  so  dense  that  the  plainest  morals  are 
confounded,  and  the  only  way  of  reconciliation  hidden.     2.  Vain,  inefficient  super- 
stitions.    Many  are  ridiculous,  but  they  have  been  laughed  at  too  long,   and  we 
ought  now  to  weep  over  them.     They  offer  sacrifices  which  leave  sin  unatoned ; 


CHAP.  XI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  441 

they  call  on  Baal,  but  he  hears  them  not;  they  purify  the  body,  but  the  polluted 
spirit  retains  all  its  foulness  (Isa.  xliv.  20).  Do  we  laugh  at  the  ravings  of  lunacy? 
Do  we  scoff  at  the  stumbles  of  the  blind  ?  Who,  then,  would  not  give  light  to  them 
that  sit  in  moral  darkness,  and  wisdom  to  those  who  have  no  spiritual  understand- 
ing ?  3.  Diabolical  dominion  (Eom.  i.  29-31).  4.  Misery.  "  Happy  is  the  people 
that  have  the  Lord  for  their  God."  Change  the  God  and  you  reverse  the  effect. 
IV.  The  m.«vner  in  which  the  apostle  connects  his  missionaby  entekpbises  with 
THE  co-opeeation  OF  CHRISTIAN  CHURCHES  (ver.  15).  1.  The  apostle  supposes  that 
the  Corinthians  were  equally  bound  with  him  to  the  duty  of  enlarging  the  sphere 
of  evangelical  labour.  We  collect  from  this  that  as  soon  as  a  church  is  established 
in  the  faith,  it  is  to  become  co-operative  in  exertions  to  spread  the  kingdom  of 
Christ.  As  soon  as  its  own  lamp  is  trimmed,  it  is  to  be  held  forth  to  direct  the 
3teps  of  others.  2.  But  by  what  means  can  this  enlargement  be  granted  by  you  ? 
(1)  By  your  friendly  and  affectionate  feelings  towards  Christian  missionaries.  The 
word  "  enlarged  "  also  signifies  to  extol,  to  praise.  The  missionary  spirit  ought  to 
be  held  in  high  esteem.  Can  we  more  effectually  damp  the  holy  ardour  by  which 
it  is  characterised  than  by  treating  it  with  lightness  and  coldness?  2.  By  con- 
sidering the  cause  your  own.  You  should  identify  yourselves  with  it.  3.  By  your 
prayers.  4.  By  your  counsels  and  contributions.  In  these  respects  the  first 
Christians  were  "  feUow-helpers  to  the  truth  "  ;  and  they  have  left  us  an  example. 
{R.  Watson.)  For  we  stretch  not  ourselves  beyond  our  measure. — The  true 
sphere  of  human  usefulness  and  the  source  of  human  glory : — I.  The  true  sphere 
or  HUMAN  usefulness.  1.  It  is  a  sphere  in  which  we  are  placed  by  Divine  appoint- 
ment. Paul  teaches  that  his  sphere  of  labour  at  Corinth  was  according  to  God's 
will  (ver.  14).  "  I  am  not  come  to  Corinth  merely  by  my  own  inclinations,  or  as  a 
matter  of  impulse  or  caprice,  or  as  an  intruder.  I  am  licensed  by  God  to  this 
sphere."  2.  The  consciousness  that  we  are  in  this  sphere  is  a  just  reason  for  exul- 
tation. "  Not  boasting  of  things  without  our  measure."  Paul's  opponents  boasted 
of  their  influence  in  the  Church  which  he  had  founded,  whereas  his  rejoicing  was 
that  he  was  doing  the  work  of  God  in  the  sphere  to  which  he  had  been  sent.  3.  It 
is  a  sphere  which  widens  with  our  usefulness.  The  increase  of  their  faith  would 
lead  to  an  enlargement  of  his  sphere  of  labour.  The  true  method  of  extending  the 
sphere  of  labour  to  which  we  have  been  sent  is  by  the  multiplication  of  our  con- 
verts. II.  The  true  source  of  human  exultation.  Paul  boasted — 1.  Not  in 
crediting  himself  with  the  labours  of  other  men.  He  did  not  "  boast  in  another 
man's  Une  (province)  of  things  made  ready  to  our  hand."  How  common  it  is  for 
men  to  credit  themselves  with  the  labours  of  others !  In  Uterature  there  are 
plagiarists,  in  scientific  discoveries  and  artistic  inventions  there  are  unjust  claimants, 
and  even  in  rehgion  one  minister  is  often  found  to  claim  the  good  that  others  have 
accomplished.  Paul  was  above  this.  The  genius  of  Christianity  condemns  this 
mean  and  miserable  dishonesty.  2.  Not  in  self-commendation.  "  For  not  he 
that  commendeth  himself  is  approved."  That  conscience  approves  of  our  conduct, 
though  at  aU  times  a  source  of  pleasure  is  not  a  true  source  of  exultation ;  for 
conscience  is  not  infallible.  3.  But  "in  the  Lord"  (ver.  17).  "  God  forbid  that  I 
should  glory  save  in  the  Cross."     (D.  Thomas,  D.D.) 


CHAPTEE  XI. 

Vers.  1-6.  Would  to  God  ye  could  bear  with  me  a  little  in  my  foVLj.— Self -vindi- 
cation : — The  next  two  chapters  are  entirely  occupied  with  the  boastings  of  an 
inspired  apostle ;  in  the  previous  chapters  we  find  him  refuting  separately  each 
charge,  tiU  at  last,  as  if  stung  and  worn  out  at  their  ingratitude,  he  pours  out,  un- 
reservedly, his  own  praises  in  self -vindication.  All  self-vindication,  against  even 
false  accusations,  is  painful ;  not  after  Christian  modesty,  yet  it  may  sometimes  be 
a  duty.  I.  The  excuses  St.  Paul  offered  for  this  mode  of  vindication.  1.  It 
was  not  merely  for  his  own  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  others  (vers.  2,  3).  Clearly 
this  was  a  valid  excuse.  To  refuse  to  vindicate  himself  under  the  circumstances 
would  have  been  false  modesty.  Notice  two  words  here — (1)  "Jealousy."  This 
was  not  envy  that  other  teachers  were  followed,  but  anxiety  lest  they  might  lead 
the  disciples  astray.     He  was  jealous  for  Christ's  sake,  not  his  own.     (2)  "  Sim- 


442  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xr. 

plicity."  Now  people  suppose  this  means  what  a  child  or  a  ploughman  can  under- 
stand :  but  in  this  sense  Paul  was  not  simple.  St.  Peter  says  there  are  things 
hard  to  be  understood  in  his  epistles.  We  often  hear  it  alleged  against  a  book  or  a. 
sermon  that  it  is  not  simple.  But  if  it  is  supposed  that  the  mysteries  of  God  can 
be  made  as  easy  of  comprehension  as  a  newspaper  article  or  a  novel,  we  say  that 
such  simplicity  can  only  be  attained  by  shallowness.  "  Simple  "  means  unmixed, 
or  unadulterated.  We  have  an  example  in  those  Judaisers  who  said,  "  Except  ye 
be  circumcised,  ye  cannot  be  saved  " :  they  did  not  deny  the  power  of  the  Cross : 
they  said  something  was  to  be  mixed  with  it.  2.  It  was  necessary.  Character  is 
an  exceedingly  delicate  thing,  that  of  a  Christian  man  especially  so.  It  is  true  no 
doubt,  to  a  certain  extent,  that  the  character  which  cannot  defend  itself  is  not  worth 
defending,  and  that  it  is  better  to  live  down  evil  reports.  But  if  a  character  is  never 
defended,  it  comes  to  be  considered  as  incapable  of  defence.  Besides,  an  uncontra- 
dicted slander  may  injure  our  influence.  And  therefore  St.  Paul  says  boldly,  "  I 
am  not  a  whit  behind  the  very  chiefest  of  the  apostles."  Some  cannot  understand 
this.  But  Christian  modesty  is  not  the  being  or  affecting  to  be  ignorant  of  what  we 
are.  If  a  man  has  genius,  he  knows  he  has  it.  If  a  man  is  falsely  charged  with 
theft,  there  is  no  vanity  in  his  indignantly  asserting  that  he  has  been  honest  all  his 
life  long.  Christian  modesty  consists  rather  in  this — in  having  before  us  a  sublime 
standard,  so  that  we  feel  how  far  we  are  from  attaining  to  that.  Thus  we  can 
understand  Paul  saying  that  he  is  "  not  behind  the  chiefest  of  the  apostles,"  and 
yet  that  he  is  "  the  chief  of  sinners."  II.  The  points  of  which  St.  Paul  boasted. 
1.  That  he  had  preached  the  essentials  of  the  gospel  (ver.  4).  His  matter  had  been 
true,  whatever  fault  they  might  have  found  with  his  manner.  St.  Paul  told  them 
that,  better  far  than  grace  of  language,  &c.,  was  the  fact  that  the  truth  he  had 
preached  was  the  essential  truth  of  the  gospel.  2.  His  disinterestedness  (ver.  7). 
St.  Paul  had  a  right  to  be  maintained  by  the  Church,  "  The  labourer  is  worthy  of 
his  hire."  And  he  had  taken  sustenance  from  other  churches,  but  he  would  not 
take  anything  from  the  Corinthians,  simply  because  he  desired  not  to  leave  a  single 
point  on  which  his  enemies  might  hang  an  accusation.  There  is  something 
exquisitely  touching  in  the  delicacy  of  the  raillery  with  which  he  asked  if  he  had 
committed  an  offence  in  so  doing.  He  asked  them  whether  they  were  ashamed  of 
a  man  of  toil.  Here  is  great  encouragement  for  those  who  labour ;  they  have  no 
need  to  be  ashamed  of  their  labour,  for  Christ  Himself  and  His  apostle  toiled  for 
their  own  support.  The  time  is  coming  when  mere  idleness  and  leisure  will  be  a. 
ground  for  boasting  no  more,  when  that  truth  wiU  come  out  in  its  entireness,  that 
it  is  the  law  of  our  humanity  that  all  should  work,  whether  with  the  brain  or  with 
the  hands,  and  when  it  will  be  seen  that  he  who  does  not  or  will  not  work,  the 
sooner  he  is  out  of  this  work-a-day  world  of  God's,  the  better.  3.  His  sufferings 
(vers.  23-28).  It  is  remarkable  that  St.  Paul  does  not  glory  in  what  he  had  done, 
but  in  what  he  had  borne  ;  he  does  not  speak  of  his  successes,  but  his  manifold  trials 
for  Christ.  4.  His  sympathy  (ver.  29).  This  power  of  entering  into  the  feelings  of 
every  heart  as  fully  as  if  he  himself  had  lived  the  life  of  that  heart,  was  a  peculiar 
characteristic  of  St.  Paul.  To  the  Jew  he  became  as  a  Jew,  &c.  Conclusion :  All 
these  St.  Paul  uses  as  evidences  of  his  apostolic  ministry,  and  they  afford  high  moral 
evidence  of  the  truth  of  Christianity.  It  gives  quite  a  thrill  of  delight  to  find  that 
this  earth  has  ever  produced  such  a  man  as  St.  Paul.  He  was  no  fanatic,  but  was 
calm,  sound,  and  wise.  And  if  he  beheved,  with  an  intellect  so  piercing,  so  clear, 
and  so  brilliant,  he  must  indeed  be  a  vain  man  who  will  venture  any  longer  to  doubt. 
(F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.)  For  I  am  jealous  over  you  with  godly  jealousy.^ 
Godly  jealousy  : — I.  Its  (Skounds  and  reasons.  1.  It  was  lest  their  minds  should 
be  corrupted  from  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ  (ver.  3).  Many,  like  the  Galatians, 
begin  in  the  Spirit,  and  end  in  the  flesh.  Professors  of  religion  are  evermore  in 
danger  of  being  tossed  to  and  fro,  &c.  (Eph.  iv.  14).  2.  It  was  lest  an  increasing 
lukewarmness  should  prepare  the  way  for  greater  departures  from  truth  and 
purity.  Persons  may  retain  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  and  yet  lose  the  spirit 
of  it.  3.  It  respected  the  outward  deportment,  as  well  as  the  dispositions  of 
the  mind.  Men  may  turn  grace  into  wantonness,  and  use  their  liberty  as  an 
occasion  to  the  flesh.  Corruption  is  not  so  mortified  in  the  best  of  men  as  to 
preclude  the  necessity  of  watchfulness  and  godly  jealousy.  4.  It  was  founded 
in  his  knowledge  of  the  depravity  of  human  nature.  He  himself  found  it  neces- 
sary to  keep  his  body  under,  &c. ;  and  the  same  principle  excites  his  jealousy  and 
fear  with  respect  to  others  (1  Cor.  ix.  27).  The  best  of  men  are  but  men  at 
■  the  best.     5.  It  was  derived  from  his  acquaintance  with  the  stratagems  and  the 


<!HAP.  XI.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  443 

strength  of  the  great  enemy.  He  himself  had  a  messenger  of  Satan  to  buffet  him  ; 
and  what  he  had  felt  himself,  made  him  fear  for  others  (ver.  3).  None  but  Jesus 
could  say,  The  prince  of  this  world  cometh,  and  findeth  nothing  in  Me.  6.  It  was 
justified  by  various  instances  of  defection  in  the  apostle's  time  (1  Cor.  x.  6).  7.  It 
was  augmented  by  the  apostle's  peculiar  relations  with  the  Church,  He  had 
espoused  them  as  a  chaste  virgin  to  Christ,  and  should  he  at  last  be  disappointed  in 
tlicm,  it  would  be  to  him  a  matter  of  inexpressible  grief,  and  to  them  of  shame  and 
dishonour  (1  Thess.  ii.  19,  iii.  8).  II.  Its  peculiar  properties.  1.  It  proceeded 
from  the  purest  motives,  from  a  sanctified  heart,  and  was  marked  with  sincerity  and 
truth.  He  who  was  jealous  over  others,  was  not  negligent  of  himself.  Many 
indulge  in  what  they  condemn  in  others,  and  by  making  a  virtue  of  their  fidelity, 
intend  it  as  a  substitute  for  all  other  virtues.  2.  It  was  expressed  not  with  rancour 
and  malice,  but  the  greatest  good-will.  The  apostle  had  learned  of  Him  who  was 
meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  did  not  indulge  his  own  prejudices  under  a  pretended 
zeal  for  religion.  3.  It  had  for  its  object  the  promotion  of  true  godliness.  He  was 
not  only  zealously  affected,  but  it  was  in  a  good  thing,  and  to  answer  the  best  of 
purposes.  (B.  Beddome,  M.A.)  Godly  jealousy  : — Jealousy  is  sensitive  aliveness 
to  any  abatement  or  transference  of  affection.  There  is  a  sense  in  which  God  Him- 
self is  said  to  be  jealous  over  His  people.  For  God  will  endure  no  rival.  And  the 
faithful  ambassador  may  be  allowed  to  indulge  his  Master's  feeling.  It  was  such  a 
sentiment  that  filled  the  heart  of  Paul  here.  Note — I.  The  work  of  a  faithful 
MINISTER.  There  is  a  delicacy  in  the  figure  employed,  viz.,  that  souls  who  are 
brought  into  covenant  with  God  in  Christ  are  betrothed  to  Him.  And  the  ministers 
of  Christ  are  represented  as  the  friend  of  the  Bridegroom,  who  transacts  between  the 
Bridegroom  and  His  future  bride,  and  bespeaks  her  and  betroths  her  to  the  Bride- 
groom against  the  nuptial  day.  We  have  a  beautiful  illustration  in  the  mission  of 
the  faithful  servant  of  Abraham.  This  is  the  minister's  highest  and  holiest  func- 
tion. II.  His  HOPE  AND  PURPOSE — "that  I  may  present  you  as  a  chaste  virgin  to 
Christ."  At  the  coming  of  Christ  to  have  a  goodly  company  of  saved  souls.  What 
an  expectation  past  all  that  our  poor  hearts  can  conceive !  That  those  whom  he 
has  sealed  with  the  seal  of  Christ  in  baptism  ;  that  those  whom  he  has  warned, 
rebuked,  exhorted  with  all  longsufi'ering,  may  be  preserved,  undefiled,  uncorrupted, 
from  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ ;  that  is  the  goal  to  which  he  must  ever  look. 
All  short  of  this  cannot  content  an  earnest  minister's  mind.  That  they  should 
respect  and  love  Him  ;  that  they  should  be  regular  in  frequenting  the  house  of  the 
Lord,  &c.  All  this  is  in  its  place  important ;  but  all  comes  short  of  his  desire  and 
prayer.  III.  His  consequent  duty.  To  watch  over  his  people  with  a  godly 
jealousy.  Not  with  an  unhallowed  or  unfriendly  jealousy ;  not  with  a  censorious 
and  a  suspicious  spirit.  It  is  not  the  prerogative  of  ministers  to  judge.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  is  for  them  to  have  all  longsuffering  and  charity — they  need  it  themselves, 
and  they  should  exercise  it  in  the  Church.  But  they  are  jealous  for  their  Master. 
And  if  they  see  any  who  profess  Christ's  name  falling  into  error  in  doctrine  or 
viciousness  in  life,  then  the  minister  ought  to  be  jealous  for  the  honour  of  Christ 
and  for  the  souls  of  his  people.  It  is  a  godly  jealousy ;  it  comes  from  God,  it  is 
unto  God.  The  man  who  is  jealous  for  his  own  party  and  sect,  alas,  for  him ! 
Surely  we  may  fear  lest  your  minds  should  be  corrupted  from  the  simplicity  that  is 
in  Christ !  How  many  have  corrupted  it  by  observances  that  the  gospel  requires 
not,  and  that  its  spirit  is  at  variance  with !  And  how  many  are  departing  from  the 
simplicity  of  their  trust  in  God's  holy  Word  as  their  only  foundation  of  faith,  and 
•Jesus  as  their  only  resting-place !  How  many  there  are,  too,  who  are  drawn  aside 
into  wordly  conformity  !  (if.  Stoicell,  31. A.)  I  liave  espoused  you  to  one  hus- 
l»and,  that  I  may  betroth  you  as  a  chaste  virgin  to  Christ. — The  souVs  espousal  to 
Christ: — I.  Ministers  are  entrusted  with  this  great  work.  1.  Consider  this 
match  betwixt  Christ  and  His  people.  (1)  The  first  degree  of  it  was  the  purpose  of 
it,  in  the  heart  of  God,  from  all  eternity.  (2)  Impediments  are  next  removed. 
■  Justice  says,  there  can  be  no  match  betwixt  God  and  guilty  man  till  I  be  satisfied. 
The  law  says,  they  are  mine,  and  I  will  not  part  with  them,  till  death  part  us. 
Truth  says,  God  Himself  made  this  marriage  betwixt  them  and  the  law,  and  there- 
fore they  cannot  be  married  to  another,  unless  first  death  dissolve  the  marriage. 
But  the  designed  Bridegi'oom  removes  these  impediments  by  His  obedience  to  the 
law,  and  by  His  death  in  our  nature  and  in  our  stead  (Gal.  ii.  20).  The  sinner  dies 
to  the  law  in  Christ,  and  the  law  dies  to  the  sinner  (Rom.  vii.  4).  And  so  the  parties 
being  thus  dead,  the  truth  of  God  has  nothing  to  object  against  the  purpose  of  this  new 
.marriage,     (o)  The  contract  is  written  and  ready  for  the  subscribing.     There  are 


444  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xi. 

two  things  in  the  contract — (a)  Christ's  consent  to  match  with  poor  sinners  (Eev- 
xxii.  17).  {h)  The  dowry  promised  to  the  bride  (Rom.  viii.  32).  A  large  mainten- 
ance and  a  good  house  (John  xiv.  3).  Yea,  the  contract  is  subscribed  by  the  Bride- 
groom and  His  Father  (Jer.  xxxi.  33).  The  contract  is  also  sealed.  "This  cup," 
saith  the  Bridegroom,  "is  the  new  testament  in  My  blood."  All  this  before  famous 
witnesses  (1  JohjQ  v.  7,  8).  The  whole  is  registered  in  this  Bible.  (4)  The  courting 
of  the  bride  in  order  to  gain  her  consent.  And  this  is  managed  in  two  places,  (a) 
Christ  comes  into  her  mother's  house,  to  the  public  ordinances,  and  there  He,  by 
His  ambassadors,  courteth  her  consent.  (6)  Christ  comes  into  the  chambers  of  the 
heart,  and  then  there  is  a  heart  conference  betwixt  Christ  and  the  soul,  without 
•which  the  former  cannot  prevail.  (5)  The  espousals.  The  soul  being  overcome, 
gives  its  consent  to  take  Christ  for  a  husband,  renouncing  all  others.  The  soul 
makes  choice  of  Christ.  With  the  whole  soul,  the  soul  makes  choice  of  a  whole 
Christ.  Makes  choice  of  Him  all,  for  all,  and  instead  of  all.  (6)  The  espousals  are 
in  this  life,  at  our  believing  the  marriage  is  consummated  in  glory  (Rev.  xix.  7). 
Now  there  is  a  time  betwixt  the  espousals  and  marriage,  {a)  This  time  is  for  the 
trial  of  the  bride.  The  old  lovers  will  come  back  again,  and  endeavour  to  recover 
her  affections  which  they  have  lost,  and  often  do  they  succeed.  (J»)  This  interval  is. 
that  the  bride  may  make  herself  ready  by  making  progress  in  sanctification.  2. 
What  hand  ministers  have  in  this  match.  (1)  They  are  proxies  for  the  Bridegroom, 
sent  as  Abraham's  servant,  to  seek  a  wife  for  their  Master's  Son  (chap.  v.  18-20). 
(2)  They  are  witnesses,  though  not  to  the  formal  consent,  yet  to  that  which  imports 
a  consent.  They  see  how  their  message  is  entertained.  (3)  They  are  the  attendants 
of  the  bride,  to  adorn  her  for  her  husband.  It  is  by  the  word  that  the  espoused  soul 
is  made  clean  and  fitted  for  Christ,  as  the  Greek  word  in  our  text  signifies.  (4) 
They  present  her  to  the  Bridegroom  at  the  last  day  (1  Thess.  ii.  19,  20).  3.  Why 
the  Lord  employs  men  in  this  great  and  honourable  work.  (1)  It  is  in  condescen- 
sion to  our  infirmities.  If  God  had  employed  angels,  how  could  we  have  looked 
upon  them  ?  (2)  It  is  very  agreeable  in  that  the  Divine  nature  is  united  with  the- 
human  in  Christ,  that  men  should  deal  with  men.  (3)  That  God  may  have  all  the 
glory,  n.  The  great  design  of  espousing  sinners  to  Christ  is  that  they  con- 
tinuing CHASTE   AND   FAITHFUL  MAT  AT  LAST  BE   MARRIED   TO   HiM.      1.    What   it  is   for 

the  espoused  to  keep  chaste.  (1)  They  must  never  be  called  by  another  name  than 
their  espoused  husband  (Heb.  x.  23).  (2)  They  must  never  go  back  to  their  former 
husband,  for  the  soul  that  is  really  espoused  to  Christ,  is  divorced  from  idols,  and 
lusts,  and  the  law  (Rom.  vii.  2).  (3)  Christ  must  always  have  their  hearts.  (4) 
They  must  cleave  to  Christ  over  all  the  world's  smiles  and  frowns.  They  must 
neither  be  bribed  nor  driven  from  Him  (Song  viii.  6,  7).  (5)  They  must  be  separated 
from  the  world  :  not  only  in  their  hearts,  but  in  their  practices  (Rev.  xiv.  4  ;  Rom. 
xii.  2).  (6)  They  must  be  sincere  and  upright.  Hypocrisy  would  spoil  all.  Our 
espoused  Husband  is  a  searcher  of  hearts.  2.  The  presenting  to  Christ  of  those  that 
keep  chaste.  (1)  The  time  of  it — it  will  be  at  the  great  day  (Matt.  xxv.  1-12).  (2) 
They,  and  they  only,  shall  be  presented.  They  that  depart  from  Christ  here  shall' 
be  made  to  depart  from  Him  there.  (3)  The  bride's  attendants.  Angels  that  were 
witnesses  to  her  espousals,  shall  also  be  witnesses  to  her  marriage.  Christ's  mini- 
sters shall  say,  "  here  are  we,  and  the  children  Thou  hast  given  us."  (4)  The  place 
where  the  marriage  shall  be  solemnised,  that  is  the  Bridegroom's  Father's  house, 
even  in  heaven.     (T.  Boston,  D.D.) 

Ver.  3.  But  I  fear,  lest  by  any  means,  as  the  serpent  beguiled  Eve  through  his 

Bubtilty,  so  your  minds  should  be  corrupted  from  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ. 

—  Dangerous   deceits: — I.    The   sources  of  man's  liability  to  yield  to  Satan's 

i:    T.tTRNCES.     1.    The  heart.      Many  of  our  strongest  moral  propensities   remain 

-covered  until  the  force  of  outward  circumstances  brings  them  into  action. 

s  knew  nothing  of  his  impatience;  Hazael  of  his  cruelty;  Hezekiah  of  his- 

;  • ;  yet  from  their  youth  each  one  of  these  had  been  nourishing  the  seeds  of; 

'V  evil  piopensities  in  their  hearts.  "  Search  me,  0  God!  and  know  my  ways,"' 
<vc.  "  The  htart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,"  &c.  2.  The  moral  darkness  which 
has  come  over  our  mental  and  moral  faculties.     True,  God  has  left  us  still  the 

f^tive  light  of  conscience,  but  even  on  this  pure  light  the  shadow  of  the  Fall 

-1 ;  and,  there  is  a  danger,  that  even  the  very  light  which  is  within  us  may 
ii  me  darkness.  There  is  nothing  which  more  helps  a  man  to  mistaken  views 
0.  Ills  own  condition  before  God,  than  a  corrupted  conscience.  And  then  the  effect 
for  evil  is  the  greater,  because  it  enables  a  man  to  sin  upon  a  plan,  to  ruin  his  owa. 


CHAP.  XI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  445 

soul  upon  a  system.  "  We  have  got  conscience  and  reason  on  our  side,  what  can 
God  have  given  these  hghts  to  us  for,  if  it  were  not  to  direct  us  the  way  He  would 
have  us  go  ?  "  The  answer,  God  has  given  us  two  lights — a  greater  light  to  rule 
the  conscience,  and  a  lesser  light  to  rule  the  will.  There  is  one  greater  light  to 
which  conscience  must  do  homage,  the  light  of  the  Word,  of  the  Spirit,  of  Christ's- 
blessed  example  ;  and  this  lesser  light  of  conscience,  if  it  borrow  not  its  flame  from 
this  sun  of  truth,  will  soon  become  corrupt  and  obscure.  Paul's  conscience  taught 
him  to  do  many  things  contrary  to  the  religion  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.     II.  The 

MEANS   BY   WHICH    THIS    CORRUPTING    PROCESS  IS  EFFECTED.       Satan  bcguilcs  US — 1.    By 

concealing  the  nature  and  eiJects  of  sin.  His  way  is  to  bid  us  look  at  the  fair  side 
of  temptation  ;  he  says  nothing  of  the  wormwood,  and  the  gall.  2.  By  leaving  us 
in  ignorance  of  the  magnetic  and  attractive  power  of  sin,  the  way  in  which  one  sin 
drags  another  after  it.  No,  the  man  is  made  to  think  that  he  can  stop  at  any 
point  he  likes.  3.  By  teaching  us  to  invent  excuses  for  our  own  conduct.  Such, 
e.g.,  as  the  habit  of  charging  our  ^^Jiult  upon  others.  He  taught  our  first  parents 
this  lesson.  And  most  of  our  excuses  are  as  hollow  as  that  of  Aaron  when  he  said, 
"  The  people  gave  me  this  gold,  and  I  cast  it  into  the  fire,  and  there  came  out  this 
calf."  Again,  are  we  conscious  that  as  Christians  we  are  living  a  low,  worldly 
life  ?  We  begin  to  excuse  ourselves  by  saying  we  were  not  blessed  with  godly 
parents  as  some  were,  our  earliest  influences  were  unfavourable,  and  we  find  it 
very  hard  to  turn  our  usurped  affections  into  a  new  channel  now.  And  so  with 
regard  to  our  religious  duties  and  exercises.  "I  would  be  more  frequent  in  prayer," 
a  man  will  say,  "  more  self-denying,  more  active  in  good  works,  but  the  cares 
of  a  family,  and  the  demands  of  business  interfere."  Do  not  doubt  that  this  is 
the  voice  of  the  arch-impostor.  4.  By  the  speciousness  of  a  religious  profession. 
Christianity  has  now  a  firm  footing  in  the  world,  and  a  man  endangers  his 
character  who  does  not  pay  to  it  the  homage  of  outward  respect.  Yet  this  homage 
has  caused  men  to  mistake  profession  for  practice,  the  name  for  the  deed,  the  poor 
skeleton  of  a  form  of  godliness  for  the  living  reality  of  its  power.  Conclusion : 
The  great  lesson  must  be  the  duty  of  diligent  trying  of  our  own  spirits,  a  frequent 
proving  of  our  own  work,  a  prayerful  and  habitual  inquiry  into  the  state  of  our  own 
souls  before  God.  The  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ — the  simplicity  of  His  doctrine, 
of  His  rule  of  life,  is  the  test  whereby  we  are  to  try  ourselves  whether  we  belong  to 
Christ  or  not.  (D.  Moore,  M.A.)  From  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ. — The 
simplicity  that  is  in  Christ : — The  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ  stands  here  contrasted 
with  the  subtilty  of  the  serpent :  and  the  instance  given  of  the  serpent's  subtilty 
illustrates  what  is  meant  by  the  simplicity  which  is  opposed  to  it.  In  that  first 
temptation,  all  on  the  part  of  God  was  abundantly  simple  ;  the  command  with  the 
warning  was  simplicity  itself.  On  the  other  hand,  the  subtilty  of  the  tempter  is 
apparent  in  the  complex  pleading  which  he  holds  with  Eve.  God  has  but  one 
argument  against  eating ;  Satan  has  many  for  it ;  and  there  is  no  surer  sign  of 
subtilty  than  the  giving  of  many  reasons  for  what  a  single  good  one  would  better 
justify  and  explain.  The  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ  may  be  discerned  in  every 
stage  and  department  of  His  great  salvation.  I.  In  His  own  finished  work  of 
BIGHTEOUSNESS  AND  ATONEMENT.  There  is  simplicity  in  Christ,  as  the  Lord  our 
righteousness,  as  the  servant  of  the  Father,  and  the  substitute,  surety,  and  saviour 
of  the  guilty.  It  was  in  this  character  that  He  came  into  the  world :  and  with 
entire  simplicity  did  He  sustain  it.  1.  That  there  is  nothing  here  that  transcends 
man's  finite  understanding,  and  baffles  his  restless  curiosity — we  are  far  from 
saying.  But  is  there  not  a  simplicity  in  it  that  comes  home  to  the  heart  of  a  poor 
despairing  sinner  ?  2.  But  it  is  the  policy  of  Satan  to  mar  it,  and  by  his  subtilty 
to  corrupt  your  minds  from  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ,  and  Him  crucified. 
Hence  the  endless  questions  he  has  contrived  to  raise  in  connection  with  it.  II. 
In  the  free  offer  of  the  gospel  as  connected  with  it.  1.  How  simple  in  its 
freeness  (Isa.  Iv.  1 ;  Eev.  xxii.  17).  How  near  does  it  bring  Christ !  (Rom.  x.  6-9). 
How  very  plain  as  well  as  pathetic  is  the  Lord's  pleading  with  sinners !  (chap.  v. 
20;  Isa.  i.  18).  How  explicit,  how  unequivocal,  are  His  assurances!  (Ezek.  xviii. 
32,  xxxiii.  11  ;  John  vi.  37).  How  clear  as  it  might  seem  beyond  any  sophistry  is 
the  declaration  of  the  Lord's  will  that  all  men  should  be  saved.  2.  Yet,  it  is  here 
especially  that  Satan  puts  forth  all  his  subtilty  to  beguile.  How  many  reasons 
for  doubt  and  unbelief  does  he  contrive  to  set  up  against  God's  one  reason  for 
believing.  Here  am  I — a  lost  sinner.  There  is  Christ,  a  living  Saviour.  It  may 
be,  Satan  tells  us,  that  you  are  not  elected ;  that  you  may  have  committed  the 
unpardonable  sin.     Or  perhaps  you  are  not  convinced  enough  of  your  sin,  or  sorry 


446  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xi. 

enough  for  it;    or  perhaps   you   are   not    repenting,    believing,    praying    aright. 
But  it  is   upon   no   may-be   that   the   blessed   Lord  invites  you  to  commit  your 
soul  to  Him.     He  has   but  one  word  to  you.     Let  no  subtilty  of  Satan  corrupt 
your   minds   from   the    simplicity   that   is   in   the  gospel  offer  of  a  free,  a   full, 
a  present  salvation.     HI.  In  the  completeness  of  believers  as  one  with  Jesus. 
1.  The  apostle  speaks  to  you  as  espoused  to  Christ ;    and  we  would  be  jealous 
over   you,  for    duplicity  now  on    your   part    towards    Him   is   nothing  short    of 
spiritual  adultery,  and  is  sadly  inconsistent  with  His  simplicity  towards  you.     And 
what,  the  apostle  adds  (ver.  4),  would  you  have?     Would  you  have  one  to  come 
to  you   with    another   Jesus,   another   Spirit,    another    gospel?     Are   ye   so   soon 
weary   of    the    homely    fare    of    the    Lord's    kingdom   that   ye   would   look   out 
for  new  and  foreign  dainties  ?     2.  The  serpent  beguiled  Eve  through  his  subtilty, 
causing  her  to  be  discontented  with  the  simple  profusion  of  Eden's  blessings  and 
the  simple  tenure  on  which  she  held  them.     And  the  like  spirit  of  discontent  he 
would  fain   cherish   in   you   in   regard  to  the  simplicity   that  is   in   Christ — the 
simplicity  of  a  rich  and  royal  liberality,  alike  in  His  gifts  and  in  His  manner  of 
giving.     How  simple  is  His  treatment  of  you,  that  are  His.     "  Ye  are  complete  in 
Him."     "  All  things  are  yours."     All  that  He  has  is  yours  upon  the  simple  footing 
of  your  abiding  in  Him.     IV.    In   His   guidance  of   you,  as  your  captain   and 
EX^vMPLE.     1.  It  is  a  guidance — (1)  According  to  the  free  spirit,  and  not  the  mere 
servile  letter  of  the  law.     (2)  Through  the  motive,  not  of  a  servile  dread  of  still 
impending  wrath,  but  of  love  to  Him  who  has  first  loved  us.     (3)  By  the  power  of 
that  Spirit  abiding  in  us,  who  worketh  in  us,  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  God's  good 
pleasure.     (4)  In  the  very  steps  of  Him  who  hath  left  us  an  example.     Surely 
there  is  great  simplicity  in  such  guidance  as  this.     2.  But  the  subtilty  of  Satan, 
how  manifold  is  it  in  this  department.     (1)  For  the  rule — oh  it  cannot  always  be 
the  strict  unbending  morahty  of  the  Ten  Commandments.     All  men  except  recluses 
know  that  allowances  must  be  made  in  social  hfe,  and  regard  must  be  had  to 
circumstances.     (2)  Then  the  motive  of  all  you  do  ought  doubtless  to  be  not  servile 
fear,  but  filial  love,  and  it  is  plain  that  this  motive  might  prompt  many  a  service 
and  sacrifice.      Still,  practically,  as  things  now  are,   it   is  a   great   matter   if   a 
Christian  keep  clear  of  what  is  positively  forbidden,  and  if  nothing  palpably  wrong 
can  be  established  against  him.     (3)  So  also  as  to  the  power,  it  is  admitted  vaguely 
and  generally,  that  you  have  a  promise  of  Divine  aid.     But  this,  alas !  does  not 
hinder  a  large  measure  of  apologetic  pleading  of  human  frailty.     (4)  And  when  we 
look  to  the  pattern,  how  aptly  does  Satan  teach  us  to  evade  the  obligation  of  a  full 
following  of  Christ,  by  suggesting  that  there  are  many  things  in  which  Christ, 
being  Divine,  must  be  admitted  to  be  inimitable.     V.    In   connection  with  His 
SECOND  COMING  AND  GLORIOUS  APPEARING.    1.  As  to  ah  that  is  essential  and  influential, 
it  would  seem  to  be  simple  enough.     The  Lord  cometh  as  our  Judge.     He  cometh 
as  our  exceeding  great  reward.     Thus  regarded,  it  is  practically  a  most  influential 
hope ;  influential  for  its  very  simplicity.      It  sets  you  upon  working,  watching, 
waiting  for  the  Lord.     How  simple  and  how  blessed  an  attitude !     2.  Yet  here 
Satan  has  been  expending  not  a  little  of  his  subtilty  throughout  all  the  ages  of  the 
Church's  history,  sometimes  hiding  the  doctrine,  at  other  times  complicating  and 
embarrassing  it  with  a  variety  of  questions,  scarcely,  if  at  all,  bearing  on  its  real, 
vital  and  practical  import.     (-R.  S.  Candlish,  D.D.)         The  simplicity   that  is  in 
Christ: — I.  The  simplicity.     The  word  signifies  " one-foldness."     It  has  manifold 
p.pplications.      It   is    opposed   to  what  is   difficult,   double,   compound,   cunning, 
deceitful ;  it  is  simple,  easy,  elementary,  guileless,  open.     Now,  in  Christ  we  have 
— 1.  Intellectual  simplicity.     The  gospel  is  intended  and  adapted  for  the  poor,  and 
for  the  children.     2.  Moral  simplicity.     The  principles  and  duties  which  it  enjoins 
are  simple  ;  and,  if  they  appear  complex,  they  may  be  reduced  to  simple  elements. 
All  the  details  of  gospel  morahty  grow  from  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God," 
etc.     3.  Spiritual  simplicity.     The  motives  and  the  means  of  holiness  are  simple  ; 
and,  whether  the  individual  or  the  community  concerned  be  learned  or  ignorant, 
the  same  truths  and  facts  supply  spiritual  nourishment.     This  simplicity  appears 
in — (1)  The  Saviour's  teaching.     The  parables  and  discourses  of  Jesus  are  clear 
and  intelligible.     (2)  The  way  of  salvation  is  plain.     (3)  The  gospel  call  is  clear, 
distinct,  unwavering.     (4)    The  life   of  faith   to  which   the   believer   is   called   is 
composed  of  many  stems  and  branches,  but  they  all  draw  their  nourishment  from 
one  common  root.     "  Looking  unto  Jesus."     II.  Corruption  of  this  simplicity. 
1.  Scientific,  philosophical,  metaphysical   speculations   imported  into    the   gospel 
tend  to  corrupt  the  mind  from  its  simplicity.     2.  The  moral  simplicity  that  is  in 


CHAP.  XI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  447 

Christ  may  be  corrupted  by  casuistical  questionings  and  scrupulosities  of  con- 
science. The  single  eye  may  become  distorted;  the  spirit  of  inquiry  may  be 
hypocritical.  3.  The  plan  of  salvation  may  be  lost  sight  of.  Another  gospel, 
another  Jesus,  may  be  substituted.  III.  The  cojipakison.  As  the  serpent  beguiled 
Eve.  1.  The  position  of  our  first  parents  was  simple,  and  easy  to  understand. 
"  Of  every  tree  of  the  garden  thou  mayest  freely  eat,"  &c.  What  could  be  plainer? 
Yet  they  were  beguiled.  (1)  Their  minds  were  diverted  from  the  one  simple  command. 
(2)  Doubts  were  started  as  to  its  meaning  and  purport.  (3)  The  Divine  goodness 
was  called  in  question  if  the  command  was  rightly  understood.  (4)  Fair  promises 
were  made  of  something  better.  (5)  All  this  was  done  by  gradual  steps,  cunningly 
and  skilfully.  2.  The  same  elements  of  temptation  which  beguiled  them  are  at 
work  to  beguile  us.  As  the  law  was  misinterpreted,  so  the  gospel  is  mystified,  and 
souls  are  ruined  thereby.  3.  It  is  Satan's  subtilty — cunning — that  we  have  most 
to  fear.  His  mode  of  attack.  He  works  ruin  in  such  a  way  as  to  appear  to  be 
doing  the  reverse.  He  undermines  our  position  while  professedly  raising  us 
higher,  "  He  deceiveth  the  whole  world  "  (Rev.  xii.  9).  4.  This  cunning  on  his 
part  is  not  to  be  met  by  counter  cunning  on  ours.  We  are  no  match  for  him  with 
such  weapons.  We  must  fall  back  upon  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ.  Gospel 
truths  are  true  still.  We  have  not  followed  cunningly  devised  fables.  (James 
Smith,  M.A.)  Simjjlicity  toward.i  Christ: — This  is  one  of  the  many  cases  in 
which  a  slight  alteration  makes  a  great  difference.  The  Authorised  Version  by  its 
reading  suggests  erroneously  that  the  "  simplicity "  is  something  belonging  to 
Christ ;  and  we  have  all  heard  the  use  of  the  phrase  as  expressive  of  what  is 
supposed  to  be  a  plain,  simple  gospel,  as  contrasted  with  man's  refinements.  But 
if  we  read  as  we  ought  to  do,  "  the  simplicity  that  is  towards  Christ,"  we  see  that 
what  the  apostle  is  thinking  about  is  not  a  quality  belonging  to  the  gospel  or  to  its 
Lord,  but  to  the  believer,  and  that  it  expresses  no  characteristic  of  the  Redeemer  or 
of  His  revelation,  but  something  about  the  way  in  which  we  ought  to  receive  and  to 
cleave  to  Him.  I.  Then  note  the  attitude  required.  The  English  words  simple 
and  simplicity,  like  their  Greek  equivalents,  embody  a  striking  figure.  Simple 
literally  means  without  a  fold,  and  the  noun  here  formed  from  it  means  con- 
sequently, if  we  may  coin  a  word  after  the  analogy  of  manifoldness,  singlefoldness. 
Hence  it  is  used  to  express  the  two  kindred  ideas  of  perfect  genuineness  or,  as  we 
say,  straightforwardness,  and  of  thoroughness  and  out-and-outness.  So  that  the 
two  ideas  that  are  conveyed  here  are  those  of  genuine  and  out-and-out  simple- 
minded  devotion.  He  would  have  them  to  be,  as  a  bride  ought  to  be,  wholly  filled 
with  the  love  and  confidence  of  Him  to  whom  he  presents  them.  The  phrase,  then, 
as  interpreted  by  the  emblem  that  stands  by  the  side  of  it,  suggests  these  three 
things.  1.  We  must  have  simple-hearted  love.  A  bride's  love  that  is  halved  is 
destroyed.  And  the  Christian  man's  heart  that  is  divided  is  empty  of  all  genuine 
love  to  the  Master.  He  requires  that  we  shall  love  Him  all  in  all,  or  not  at  all ; 
and  interprets  that  as  treason  which  is  not  out-and-out  surrender  and  consecration 
to  Him.  The  heart  need  not  be  emptied  of  other  affections.  The  central  diamond 
may  have  round  about  it  a  cluster  of  brilliants,  but  they  must  be  kept  in  subor- 
dination, small  and  encompassing.  And  so  our  lives  are  then  pure  and  blessed, 
not  when  the  love  of  Christ  chills  our  hearts  to  other  dear  ones,  but  warms  and 
purifies  our  loves  to  them  into  some  eiHuence  and  likeness  of  itself.  2.  A  single- 
minded  submission  to  Him  as  fountain  of  truth,  bringing  every  thought  into 
captivity  to  the  obedience  of  Christ,  is  another  part  of  the  simplicity  that  is  towards 
Christ.  Just  as,  in  regard  to  single-hearted  love,  there  is  no  impoverishing  of  the 
affections  because  He  claims  the  first-fruits  of  them  all,  so,  in  regard  of  this  single- 
minded  discipleship,  there  is  no  limiting  of  the  faculties,  excluding  of  Christians 
from  any  field  of  thought,  because  He  claims  to  be  "  first  and  last  and  midst  and 
without  end,"  the  only  teacher  whose  word  is  absolute  truth.  All  our  other 
thinking  ought  to  be  held  in  subordination  to  the  truths  that  He  reveals.  3. 
Single-eyed  consecration  of  the  practical  life  to  Him  is  another  part  of  this 
"  simplicity  that  is  towards  Christ."  Where  the  heart  is  single,  and  the  mind  filled 
with  His  thoughts  and  commandments  and  promises  and  revelations,  the  life  will, 
of  course,  yield  itself  to  be  directed  by  Him.  II.  This  singleness  and  thorough- 
ness IS  THE  ONLY  ATTITUDE  THAT   AT    ALL   CORRESPONDS   TO   WHAT   ChRIST  IS  TO  US,  AND 

what  we  SAY  WE  ARE  TO  HiM.  We  are  to  cleave  to  Christ  only  because  Christ  is 
enough.  God,  the  Jehovah  of  the  Old  Testament,  had  the  right  to  demand  all  the 
devotion  of  heart,  soul,  mind,  strength,  because  He  had  the  power  to  satisfy  and  to 
bless  all  the  faculties  that  were  consecrated  to  Him.     Jesus  Christ  has  no  right  to 


448  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [ch.\i>.  xr. 

ask  me  to  give  my  whole  self  to  Him  unless  He  has  given  His  whole  self  to  me  ; 
and  unless,  in  that  gift,  I  can  find  nourishment  and  strength,  and  the  supply  of 
every  craving  and  every  need.  If  our  mind  is  bowed  before  the  incarnate  truth  of 
God  we  shall  know  neither  the  unrest  of  resultless  search  nor  the  gloom  of  con- 
tinual doubt,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life  to  shine  upon  our  road.  HI. 
Note  the  blessedness  that  will  attend  such  out-and-out  and  genuine 
Cheistian  life.  The  true  misery  of  men  comes  because  they  do  not  know 
their  own  minds  nor  consistently  and  persistently  keep  to  one  course.  Dis- 
traction is  misery.  Unity  is  peace,  and  peace  is  strength,  and  unity  and 
peace  and  strength,  in  the  utter  devotion  of  myself  to  the  worthy  Christ,  are 
the  blessedness  of  earth,  the  predictions  and  foretastes  of  the  transports  of 
eternity.  "The  simplicity  that  is  towards  Christ"  is  the  beginning  of  the 
"rest  that  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God."  (A.  Maclaren,  D.D.} 
The  danger  and  evil  of  being  turned  away  from  the  simjjlicity  that  is  in  Christ : — 
The  gospel  is  supposed  by  many  to  be  something  very  easily  understood.  No  doubt 
its  leading  truths  are  comparatively  few  and  simple,  but  the  evil  heart  of  unbelief, 
our  natural  blindness,  and  the  efforts  of  the  adversary,  often  bring  it  about  that 
men  misunderstand  it,  pervert  it,  add  to  it,  or  detract  from  it.  Hence  Paul  expresses 
himself  in  the  language  of  anxiety,  "  I  fear."  And  if  so  the  evil  he  deprecates  must 
be  a  great  evil.  Note — I.  Satan's  temptation  of  Eve,  as  a  proof  of  his  subtiltt 
and  our  danger  (c/.  Gen.  iii.  1-6).  1.  His  subtilty  is  manifest  in  his  availing  himself 
of  the  circumstances  in  which  Eve  was  placed.  (1)  She  was  alone.  Had  Adam 
been  near  she  would  surely  have  consulted  him.  Satan's  success  manifestly  depended 
on  his  giving  no  opportunity  for  consulting  one  perhaps  possessed  of  more  vigour  of 
mind  and  judgment  than  herself.  Here  learn  that  in  times  of  temptation  we  should 
avail  ourselves  of  the  benefit  of  Christian  counsel.  (2)  She  was  in  the  situation 
where  temptation  was  most  likely  to  be  successful — near  the  forbidden  fruit.  She 
apparently  had  but  to  lift  the  eye,  and  the  object  of  temptation  was  before  her.  Had 
she  been  obliged  to  travel  to  a  distance,  there  might  have  been  time  for  deUberation ; 
but  being  upon  the  spot,  the  very  sight  of  the  forbidden  fruit  would  bring  new  feel- 
ings and  desires  into  action,  and  add  fuel  to  the  fire.  Let  us  learn  from  this  to  be 
especially  upon  our  guard  when  near  the  object  of  temptation.  2.  Satan's  subtilty 
is  manifest  in  the  way  in  which  he  assailed  her,  viz.,  by  the  serpent.  The  very  fact 
of  the  serpent's  speaking  must  have  awakened  no  ordinary  surprise  and  curiosity. 
Her  mind  could  not  be  in  a  calm  state.  And  the  remarkable  occurrence  might  only 
the  better  prepare  her  for  giving  credit  to  his  subsequent  statement.  And  does  not 
this  teach  us  that  Satan  is  ever  more  to  be  dreaded  when  he  speaks  to  us  through 
the  instrumentality  of  others.  Peter,  no  doubt,  thought  he  was  but  giving  utterance 
to  his  own  feelings  when  he  said,  "  Far  be  it  from  Thee,  Lord."  But  Christ's  words 
are,  "  Get  thee  behind  Me,  Satan,"  &c.  3.  The  subtilty  of  Satan  is  more  especially 
manifest  in  the  nature  of  the  temptation,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  is  conducted. 
(1)  The  first  step  of  the  temptation  is  laid  in  the  remark,  "  Yea,  hath  God  said  ye 
shall  not  eat  of  every  tree  of  the  garden  ?  "  (a)  Here  Satan's  effort  seems  to  be  to 
awaken  doubts  of  God's  goodness  and  truth.  " Is  it  so?  Can  it  be  that  God  hath 
made  this  restriction  ?  Can  He  have  created  the  fruit ;  given  you  appetites  and 
desires,  and  forbidden  you  to  indulge  them  ?  He  must  either  be  a  hard  master,  or 
you  must  be  labouring  under  some  strange  delusion."  This  is  the  way  in  which  he 
stiU  works.  Sometimes  he  will  work  through  the  burden  of  sin  pressing  upon  the 
conscience ;  sometimes  through  present  suffering,  or  our  natural  craving  after  things 
forbidden ;  and  if  he  can  but  awaken  doubt  or  suspicion,  a  separation  is  made  between 
the  creature  and  the  Creator.  The  creature  stands  helpless  and  alone,  and  the  after 
steps  are  comparatively  easy,  (b)  Look  now  to  the  results.  These  are  brought, 
before  us  in  the  answer  of  Eve.  From  the  extensive  nature  of  the  grant,  so  illus- 
trative of  His  goodness,  her  attention  is  turned  away.  A  separation  is  made  between 
Eve  and  God.  (2)  Satan  has  her  now  at  a  great  advantage.  "  And  the  serpent  said 
unto  the  woman,  ye  shall  not  surely  die."  Emboldened  by  success,  Satan  daringly 
sets  up  his  word  in  opposition  to  the  word  of  the  God  of  truth.  But  a  few  moments 
before  he  would  not  have  ventured  thus  to  accost  his  victim.  II.  The  evil  which 
the  apostle  fears  and  deprecates.  "Lest  your  minds  should  be  corrupted." 
1.  From  the  simple,  poor  gospel,  that  is  in  Christ.  Free  in  Christ  are  held 
forth  all  spiritual  blessings.  The  gospel — simple,  intelligible,  and  plainly  revealed. 
And  yet,  how  few  understand  it,  believe  it  !  The  apostle  had  preached  it  at 
Corinth,  and  yet  he  speaks  of  Christ  crucified  being  to  the  Jews  a  stumbling- 
block,  and  to  the  Greeks  foolishness.     Well  aware  of  the  importance  of  clear 


CH.VP.  XI.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  449 

and  realising  views  of   the  gospel,  Satan  is  ever  active  in  his  efforts  to  mislead, 
to  blind,  or  to  obscure  (chap.  iv.  3,  4).     Ah!    be  then  upon   your  guard.      Bear 
in  mind  that  you  have  such  an  adversary,  not  the  less  to  be  dreaded  because  unseen. 
2.  From  the  simple,  direct,  confiding  reliance  upon  Christ.     This  is  our  duty,  and 
it  is  our  interest.     But  obligatory  and  blessed  as  it  is  our  minds,  through  the  subtilty 
of  Satan,  are  very  apt  to  be  corrupted  or  turned  away  from  it.     He  will  suggest  that 
your  sins  have  been  too  many  and  that  the  sacrifices  that  you  will  have  to  make  are 
too  many  or  too  great.    3.  From  the  simple,  ruling  aim,  of  glorifying  God  in  Christ. 
{J.  Thomson.)         Simplicity  towards  Christ  (r.v.)  : — 1.  Simplicity,  here,  has  been 
supposed  to  describe  a  quality  belonging  to  Christ  or  the  gospel.     Hence  "  Give  us 
the  simple  gospel "  has  been  the  cry,  and  preachers  have  been  expected  to  reiterate 
commonplaces,  which  have  made  both  them  and  their  hearers  listless.     The  gospel 
is  simple,  but  it  is  also  deep,  and  they  will  best  appreciate  its  simplicity  who  have 
most  honestly  endeavoured  to  fathom  its  depth.     When  we  let  our  little  sounding 
lines  out,  and  find  that  they  do  not  reach  the  bottom,  we  begin  to  wonder  even 
more  at  the  transparency  of   the  clear  abyss.      2.   It  is  not  simplicity  "in"  but 
"  towards"  Christ  of  which  the  apostle  is  speaking.   Note — I.  The  attitude  towaeds 
Cheist  which  befits  the  Christian  relation  to  Him.     1.  The  word  has  had  a 
touch  of  contempt  associated  with  it.     It  is  a  somewhat  doubtful  compliment  to  say 
of  a  man  that  he  is  "  simple  minded."     All  noble  words,  as  indeed  ail  good  things 
tend  to  deteriorate  by  time  and  use.      It  means  to  be  "  without  a  fold,"  which  is,  in 
one  aspect,  to  be  transparently  honest  and  true,  and  in  another  to  be  out  and  out  of 
a  piece.     There  is  no  underside  of  the  cloth,  doubled  up  beneath,  running  in  the 
opposite  direction ;  but  all  tends  in  one  way.     A  man  with  no  under-currents,  no 
by-ends,  who  is  down  to  the  very  roots  what  he  looks,  and  all  whose  being  is  knit 
together  and  hurled  in  one  direction,  that  is  the  "  simple  "  man  whom  the  apostle 
means.     2.  The  attitude  which  corresponds  to  our  relation  to  Christ  as  bride  and 
Bridegroom  (ver.  2),  is  that  of — (1)  A  faith  which  looks  to  Him  exclusively  as — (a) 
The  source  of  salvation.     Paul  feared  that  the  Judaising  teachers  would  find  their 
.  way  into  this  church  and  teach  them  that  obedience  to  the  Jewish  law  was  a  con- 
dition of  salvation,  along  with  trust  in  Christ.     And  because  they  thus  shared  out 
the  work  of  salvation  between  Jesus  and  something  else,  Paul  regarded  them  as 
preaching  another  Jesus,  another  spirit,  and  another  gospel  (ver.  4).     That  particular 
error  is  long  dead  and  buried.     But  has  this  old  foe  not  got  a  new  face,  and  does 
not  it  live  amongst  us  as  really  as  it  lived  then  ?     I  think  it  does ;  in  the  grosser 
kind  of  ecclesiasticism  which  sticks  sacraments  and  a  church  in  front  of  the  Cross, 
and  in  the  definite  denial  that  Christ's  death  is  the  one  means  of  salvation,  and  in 
the  coarse,  common  wish  to  have  a  finger  in  the  pie  and  a  share  in  the  work  of 
saving  myself,  as  a  drowning  man  will  sometimes  half  drown  his  rescuer  by  trying 
to  use  his  own  limbs.     These  tendencies  that  Paul  fought  are  perennial  in  human 
nature.   And  we  have  to  be  on  our  guard  for  ever  against  them.   It  is  not  Christ  and 
anything  else.     Men  are  not  saved  by  a  syndicate.     "  Beside  Him  there  is  nO' 
Saviour."   You  go  into  a  Turkish  mosque  and  the  roof  is  held  up  by  a  forest  of  slim 
pillars.     You  go  into  a  cathedral  chapter-house,  and  there  is  one  strong  support  in 
the  centre.     The  one  is  an  emblem  of  the  Christless  multiplicity  of  vain  supports, 
the  other  of  the  eternal  sufficiency  of  the  one  pillar  on  which  the  whole  weight  of  a 
world's  salvation  rests,     {b)  The  sole  light  and  teacher  of  men  as  to  God,  them- 
selves, their  duty,  their  destinies  and  prospects.     In  this  day  of  confusions  let  us 
listen  for  the  voice  of  Christ  and  accept  all  which  comes  from  Him.    "  Lord,  to  whom 
shall  we  go?     Thou  only  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life."     (2)  An  exclusive  love 
which  He  demands  or  rather  permits  or  privileges.     It  is  the  joy  of  the  betrothed 
that  her  duty  is  to  keep  her  heart  clear  from  all  competing  affections.     But  it  is- 
none  the  less  her  duty  because  it  is  her  joy.     Not  that  we  are  to  love  nothing  but. 
Him,  but  we  are  to  love  all  things  else  in  Him.     Love  to  one  who  has  done  what, 
He  has  done  for  us  is  in  its  very  nature  exclusive.     The  centre  diamond  makes  the 
little  stones  set  round  it  all  the  more  lustrous.     Divided  love  incurs  the  condemna- 
tion that  falls  heavily  upon  the  head  of  the  faithless  bride.     (3)  Absolute  obedience. 
In  all  matters  His  command  is  my  law,  and,  as  surely  as  I  make  His  command  my 
law,  will  He  make  my  desire  His  motive.    "If  ye  love  Me  keep  My  commandments." 
"If  ye  ask  anything  in  My  name  I  will  do  it."     II.  The  solicitude  for  its  main- 
tenance.    1.  "Think  of  what  threatens  it.     1  say  nothing  about  the  ferment  of  opinion 
in  this  day,  for  one  man  that  is  swept  away  from  a  whole-hearted  faith  by  intellec- 
tual considerations,  there  are  a  dozen  from  whom  it  is  filched  without  their  know- 
ing it.    (1)  By  the  world.   Who  can  hear  the  low  voice  that  speaks  peace  and  wisdom 

29 


450  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xi. 

when  Niagara  is  roaring  past  his  ears  ?  But  it  is  possible  that  we  may  so  carry  into 
all  the  whirl  the  central  peace,  as  that  we  shall  not  be  disturbed  by  it ;  and  possible 
that  "whether  we  eat  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  we  do,  we  may  do  all  to  His  glory," 
so  that  we  can,  even  in  the  midst  of  our  daily  pressing  avocations  and  cares  be  keep- 
ing our  hearts  in  the  Heavens,  and  our  souls  in  touch  with  our  Lord.  (2)  By  our 
own  weaknesses,  waywardnesses,  senses,  passions,  desires.  All  these  have  a  counter- 
acting force,  which  needs  continual  watchfulness  in  order  to  be  neutralised.  No 
man  can  grasp  a  stay,  which  alone  keeps  him  from  being  immersed  in  the  waves 
with  uniform  tenacity,  unless  every  now  and  then  he  tightens  his  muscles.  And  no 
man  can  keep  himself  firmly  grasping  Christ  unless  by  conscious  effort  directed  to 
bettering  his  hold.  2.  If  there  be  dangers  around  and  within  us,  the  discipline  which 
we  have  to  pursue  to  secure  this  uniform  single-hearted  devotion  is  plain  enough. 
Let  us  be  vividly  conscious  of  the  peril ;  let  us  take  stock  of  ourselves  lest  creeping 
evil  may  be  encroaching  upon  us,  while  we  are  all  unaware ;  let  us  clearly  contem- 
plate the  possibility  of  an  indefinite  increase  in  the  closeness  and  thoroughness  of 
our  surrender  to  Him ;  let  us  find  time  or  make  time  for  the  patient,  habitual  con- 
templation of  the  great  facts  which  kindle  our  devotion ;  let  us,  too,  wait  with  prayer- 
ful patience  for  that  Divine  Spirit  who  will  knit  more  closely  to  our  Lord.  Alas, 
how  remiss  we  are  in  all  this.  3.  Half  and  half  religion  will  bring  no  praise  to 
Christ  or  profit  to  ourselves.  A  half-and-half  Christian  has  religion  enough  to  prick 
and  sting  him,  and  not  enough  to  impel  him  to  forsake  the  evil  which  yet  he  cannot 
comfortably  do.  If  we  are  to  be  Christian  men  at  all,  let  us  be  it  out  and  out.  Half- 
and-half  religion  is  no  religion.  "  One  foot  on  land,  and  one  on  sea.  To  one  thing 
constant  never !  "  That  is  the  type  of  thousands  of  professing  Christians.  "  I  fear 
lest  by  any  means  your  minds  be  corrupted  from  the  simplicity  that  is  towards  Christ." 
{A.  Maclaren,  D.D.)  And  no  marvel ;  for  Satan  himself  is  transformed  into  an 
angel  of  light. — Satan  Jiimself  transformed  into  aii  angel  of  light: — I.  The  way  of 

HIS  OPEItATION  UPON  THE  SOUL,  IN  CONVEYING   HIS   FALLACIES  IN  THE  MINDS  OF  MEN.       1. 

By  moving,  stirring,  and  sometimes  altering  the  humours  and  disposition  of  the 
body.  He  knows  that  there  is  no  grace  but  has  its  counterfeit  in  some  passion ;  and 
no  passion  of  the  mind,  but  moves  upon  the  wheel  of  some  humour  of  the  body.  So 
that  it  is  easy  for  him  to  refine  the  fire  of  a  choleric  humour  into  zeal,  and  raise  the 
operations  of  melancholy  to  the  semblance  of  humiliation.  2.  By  suggesting  the 
ideas  and  spiritual  pictures  of  things  to  the  imagination.  From  whence  it  is,  that 
poor  deluded  women  talk  much  of  sudden  joys  and  raptures,  &c.  Again,  some 
perhaps  have  had  a  text  cast  into  their  fancy,  e.g.,  Jer.  xlviii.  10,  whereupon  they 
presently  thought  themselves  commissioned,  by  an  extraordinary  call  from  heaven, 
to  cut  and  slay.  3.  By  an  actual  ingress  into  the  man  like  a  vicarious  soul.  And 
now  how  easy  must  it  be  for  this  spirit  to  cast  any  person  possessed  by  him  into  an 
ecstasy.  And  the  person  possessed  (Acts  xix.  16)  could  never  have  prevailed  over 
so  many  men,  had  he  not  had  something  in  him  stronger  than  man.  But  what 
needs  there  any  further  arguing  when  we  read  how  often  our  Saviour  cast  him  out 
of  men  ?  II.  The  grand  instances  in  which  the  devil,  undee  this  mask  of  light, 
HAS  imposed  upon  THE  CHRISTIAN  WORLD.  It  has  been  his  constant  method  to  ac- 
commodate his  impostures  to  the  prevailing  notions  of  each  particular  age.  1.  The 
ruling  principle  of  the  first  ages  of  the  church  was  zealous  devotion,  and  concern 
for  the  worship  of  one  only  God,  having  been  so  newly  converted  from  the  worship 
of  many.  Accordingly,  the  devil  sets  up  Arianism,  and  with  a  bold  stroke  strikes  at 
the  Godhead  of  the  Son  of  God.  2.  As  the  Arian  ages  had  chiefly  set  themselves  to 
take  away  our  Saviour's  divinity,  so  the  following  ages,  by  a  kind  of  contrary  stretch, 
were  no  less  intent  upon  paying  an  exorbitant  devotion  to  every  thing  belonging  to 
His  humanity.  For  from  hence  men  came  to  give  that  inordinate  veneration  to  the 
sacrament  of  Christ's  body  and  blood.  After  which,  with  great  industry,  they  got 
together  and  kept  all  relics,  which  any  way  represented  His  memory,  till  at  length 
they  even  adored  them.  This  superstition  extended  itself  to  Christ's  martyi-s ;  the 
memory  of  whom  they  celebrated  with  solemn  invocations  at  their  sepulchres.  And 
thus  by  degrees  paganism  came  to  be  christened  into  a  new  form  and  name.  Then 
mortification  was  (in  show  at  least)  advanced,  and  Satan  began  to  play  the  white 
devil,  by  prohibiting,  upon  pretence  of  higher  sacerdotal  purity,  the  marriage  of  the 
clergy,  forbidding  also  certain  sorts  of  meat,  and  enjoining  others :  as  likewise  im- 
posing many  corporal  severities,  for  the  recommending  of  all  which  to  men's  use, 
they  taught  them  that  these  practices  were  satisfactory  for  sin,  and  meritorious  of 
heaven.  3.  When  the  mist  of  ignorance  began  to  clear  up,  men  began  to  smell  out 
the  cheat.     But  then  again,  lest  so  sudden  and  mighty  a  light  might  baifle  all  his 


CHAP.  XI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  451 

projects,  he  began  wisely  to  light  up  his  candle,  too,  in  the  new  sect  of  Ignatius 
Loyola,  a  sect  composed  of  the  best  wits  and  ablest  heads.  And  by  this  course  he 
quickly  fought  the  protestants  at  their  own  weapons.  For  he  saw  well  enough  that 
it  was  learning  which  must  do  his  business,  when  ignorance  was  gi-own  out  of  fashion. 
So  having  long  imposed  upon  Christendom  by  popery,  and  at  length  finding  a  new 
light  sprung  in  upon  a  great  part  of  it,  he  thought  it  his  interest  to  trump  up  a  new 
scene  of  things,  and  so  correspondently  to  the  two  main  parts  of  religion,  specula- 
tive and  practical,  he  fell  upon  two  contrary  but  equally  destructive  extremes, 
Socinianism  and  enthusiasm.  III.  Some  principles  by  which  he  is  likely  to  repeat 
THE  same  che.\.ts.  And  these  are  eminently  three.  1.  The  stating  of  the  doctrine 
of  faith  and  free  grace  so  as  to  make  them  undermine  the  necessity  of  a  good  life. 
2.  The  opposing  the  power  of  godliness  irreconcileably  to  all  forms.  And  what  is 
this  but  in  another  instance  to  confront  subordinates,  and  to  destroy  the  body  because 
the  soul  can  subsist  without  it?  3.  The  ascribing  such  a  kingdom  to  Christ,  as  shall 
oppose  and  interfere  with  the  kingdoms  and  governments  of  the  world.  {R.  SoutJi, 
D.D.)  Satan  tramformed  into  an  angel  of  light : — Satan  was  once,  in  deed  and 
in  truth,  an  angel  of  light.  He  became  an  angel  of  dai'kness,  and  he  is  now  trans- 
formed into  an  angel  of  light  again ;  not  into  the  reality,  but  into  the  form  and 
semblance.  I.  Satan  appears  in  the  guise  of  an  angel  of  light.  In  such  a  guise 
it  was  that  he  presented  himself  to  our  first  mother.  Eve,  in  Paradise  (Gen.  iii.  4,  5). 
In  such  a  guise  it  was  that  he  assaulted  the  Son  of  Man  in  the  wilderness.  To  this 
encounter  he  brought  with  him  the  Word  of  God.  Fancy  not  that  every  one  who 
has  a  Bible  in  his  hand,  and  a  text  in  his  mouth,  is  therefore  taught  of  God.  The  devil 
will  quote  scripture  with  any  one  of  you.  Satan  ti-ansforms  himself  into  an  angel 
of  light  and  becomes  a  great  preacher  of — 1.  Philosophy.  And  so  contrives  to  mys- 
ticise  the  Word  of  God.  He  can  so  confound  principle  with  speculation,  and  argu- 
ment with  assumj)tion,  as  to  leave  you  in  doubt  between  the  simplest  elements  of  fact 
or  truth,  and  the  wildest  theories  of  imagination.  2.  Morality.  And  so  he  labours 
to  degrade  the  Scriptures :  to  take  away  the  spirit,  and  leave  nothing  but  the  letter ; 
a  formal  code  of  decency,  without  life.  3.  Expediency.  This  is  his  grand  bulwark 
of  defiance  against  the  etficacy  of  the  Word  of  God.  Here  the  world  can  find  a  reply 
to  any  appeal,  however  urgent;  an  evasion  of  any  duty,  however  solemn.  There  is 
always  something  to  be  urged,  in  answer  to  the  commands  of  God ;  some  plea  of 
necessity,  convenience,  &c.  4.  Eites  and  ceremonies.  The  world  is  always  pleased 
to  rest  in  outward  observances,  and  to  substitute  the  form  of  godliness  for  the  spirit. 
The  devil  knows  that  and  gives  them,  in  his  gospel,  a  full  supply.  5.  Austerities. 
This,  however,  is  one  of  those  refinements  in  the  gospel  of  Satan  which  he  promul- 
gates not  to  the  world  at  large,  but  reserves,  as  a  special  boon,  for  those  of  a  more 
morbid  temperament.  6.  Superstitions.  To  make  the  services  of  religion  irksome 
is  one  of  his  devices ;  to  make  them  ludicrous  is  another.  II.  The  marks  which 
denote  the  minister  of  the  gospel  or  Christ.  1.  He  hesitates  not  to  declare  the 
whole  counsel  of  God.  There  may  be  much  he  cannot  understand,  much  he  cannot 
reconcile ;  still  he  believes  all,  proclaims  all.  2.  Beyond  all  things  and  above  all 
things,  he  manifests  a  concern  for  souls  (2  Tim.  iv.  2).  3.  In  the  midst  of  all  his 
labours  he  casts  oS  the  confidence  of  the  flesh.  He  knows  that  Paul  may  plant,  and 
Apollos  water,  but  God  must  give  the  increase.  Conclusion :  1.  It  is  when  false 
apostles  are  transformed  into  angels  of  light  that  they  most  effectually  promote  the 
kingdom  of  darkness.  2.  There  is  a  transformation,  and  that,  too,  from  darkness 
to  light,  which  leaves  a  man  but  a  devil  at  the  last.  This  is  the  transformation  of 
the  head  and  not  of  the  heart,  and  gives  men  a  devil's  faith,  without  works ;  a  devil's 
zeal,  without  knowledge.  How  careful  should  we  be,  not  only  to  attain  a  trans- 
formation, but  the  right  and  true  conversion,  which  none  but  God  can  impart. 
(R.  Hall,  M.A.)  The  transformation  of  evil : — If  evil  were  as  frightful  in  its  aspect 
as  in  its  essence  we  should  "be  in  little  danger  from  it.  We  shrink  from  a  tiger, 
rattlesnake,  vulture,  &c.  But  just  as  the  Oriental  invests  destructive  beasts  with  a 
certain  glamour,  so  vice  attains  a  certain  glamour  in  our  eyes.  Note — I.  The  trans- 
figuration of  evil.  It  is  transfigured — 1.  By  imagination.  A  naturalist  writes 
concerning  "  The  beautiful  methods  of  killing  the  delicate  inhabitants  of  the  sea." 
What  beautiful  methods  there  are  for  killing  the  delicate  inhabitants  of  the  land. 
The  bard  robes  corruption  in  cloth  of  gold.  In  fiction  immoral  characters  are  often 
made  heroic  and  charming.  How  artfully  has  intemperance  been  metamoi-phosed 
into  delightful  shapes.  Bacchus  marches  accompanied  by  choicest  songs.  It  is  the 
same  with  war.  In  a  certain  village  we  saw  a  slaughter-house  cleverly  concealed 
by  evergreens :  and  the  slaughter-house  of  nations  has  been  similarly  hidden  by 


452  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xi. 

flowers  of  rhetoric.  Libertinism  is  often  made  to  glow  with  delusive  lustre.  In 
nature  we  see  sometimes  the  dirtiest  puddles  tinged  with  bits  of  rainbow :  oftener 
still  in  literature.  On  the  banks  of  the  Amazon  there  is  a  brilliant  spider  that 
spreads  itself  out  as  a  flower,  and  the  insects  lighting  upon  it  find  death.  So  in 
human  life.  2.  By  philosophy  which  may  mislead  us.  (1)  In  matters  of  faith  and 
worship.  There  is  a  philosophy  which  explains  the  gospel — («)  In  the  sense  of 
worldliness.  It  regards  Christianity  as  favourable  to  health,  temperance,  economy, 
&c.,  and  ignores  all  its  heavenliness.  (b)  In  the  sense  of  anti-nomianism.  Under 
the  pretence  of  honouring  Christ  it  transgresses  the  law  of  righteousness  which  He 
came  to  maintain,  (c)  In  the  sense  of  unbelief.  False  apostles  urge  their  theories 
as  doctrines  of  Christ  whilst  the  essentials  of  faith  are  lacking  in  those  theories.  In 
the  name  of  reason,  independence,  progress,  we  are  exhorted  to  conclusions  which 
make  the  Cross  of  Christ  of  none  effect.  Many  have  philosophised  about  the  gospel 
until  they  have  embraced  despair.  Eastern  travellers  are  mocked  by  splendid  mirages 
until  they  will  not  believe  in  the  real  oases  when  they  see  them.  And  we  may 
philosophise  about  the  church  until  we  find  ourselves  embracing  superstition.  The 
church  itself  may  become  a  siren  alluring  us  away  from  Him  who  is  the  sinners' 
peace  and  hope.  (2)  In  matters  of  conduct.  What  unsophisticated  men  regard 
with  simple  abhorrence  clever  reasoners  can  show  has  a  good  side  to  it.  Take  e.g. — 
(«)  Improvidence.  Mr.  Nisbet  says,  "  Indirectly  the  poor  man  who  brings  forth 
children  he  cannot  feed  is  a  pubUc  benefactor ;  he  renders  the  struggle  for  life  more 
acute,  and  by  that  means  stimulates  the  energies  of  his  race."  The  simple-minded 
feel  that  he  is  a  shameless  wretch,  (b)  Intemperance.  Mr.  Matthieu  Williams 
says  "  That  aU  human  beings  who  are  fit  to  survive  as  members  of  a  civilised 
community  will  avoid  intemperance,  whilst  those  who  are  incapable  of  self-restraint 
are  provided  with  a  happy  despatch  by  natural  alcohohc  selection,  provided  nobody 
interferes  with  their  deske  for  a  short  life  and  a  merry  one."  So  the  sot  is  an  un- 
conscious philosopher  1  (c)  Impurity.  Mr.  Sinclair  says,  "  Prostitutes  are  not  the 
worst,  but  generally  the  best  of  the  lower  classes ;  people  of  fine  physique,  who  cannot 
get  their  true  match  in  the  sphere  where  born,  but  must,  by  the  holiest  of  all  instincts, 
that  of  truth,  seek  upward  by  any  means."  (d)  War.  Powerful  writers  assure  us 
that  war  is  a  sacrifice  to  the  cause  of  progress,  as  wholesome  as  a  lightning  storm, 
a  school  of  vhtue.  (e)  And  not  content  with  affirming  that  certain  evils  are  necessary 
evils,  philosophy  declares  boldly  that  there  is  no  evil  at  all.  Good  and  evU  are  only 
different  degrees  of  the  same  thing.  3.  By  society.  The  practical  world  is  a  great 
transformation  scene  where  the  imp  often  appears  a  fairy,  and  the  beast,  beauty.  Acts 
of  revenge  are  vindicated  when  they  are  called ' '  affairs  of  honour  " ;  debt  is  innocency 
itself  when  known  as  "  pecuniary  obligation  "  ;  libertinism  is  purged  of  all  taint  when 
characterised  as  "  gay  life  " ;  the  most  brutal  gladiatorship  has  suffered  a  change 
into  something  rich  when  it  becomes  "the  noble  art  of  self-defence."  But  by  what- 
ever alias  evil  may  be  known  its  action  is  equally  ruinous.  The  arrow  is  not  the 
less  fatal  because  shot  from  ambush  or  winged  with  an  eagle's  feather.     11.  The 

PATH    OF    SAFETY   AMID   THESE    DANGEROUS   ILLUSIONS.       1.    Let   US    UOt   forgCt   that   the 

chief  danger  of  life  lies  in  this  moral  illusion.  It  is  often  hard  to  persuade  us  that 
there  is  any  such  danger  of  deception.  But  the  scientist  while  he  believes  his  eyes 
takes  great  pains  so  that  he  may  be  sure  he  sees  truly.  The  connoisseur  is  equally 
careful,  and  the  business  man,  knowing  the  trickery  in  his  province,  acts  warily.  And 
caution  is  particularly  needed  in  the  moral  world.  Satan  conceals  his  fell  purposes 
as  the  Greek  assassins  did  their  swords  in  myrtle  branches.  2.  Let  us  be  sincere 
in  soul.  Much  depends  on  integrity  of  purpose  in  life.  Under  all  deception  is  self- 
deception — a  secret  willingness  to  be  deceived  because  we  have  pleasure  in  unrighteous- 
ness and  purpose  to  follow  it.  An  adventurer  persuades  you  that  a  few  shares  at  a 
trifling  cost  will  make  you  a  millionaire ;  but  you  find  ere  long  that  you  have  been 
cruelly  deceived.  Will  the  public  pity  you  ?  No.  You  were  easily  blinded  because 
of  your  inordinate  desues.  3.  Let  us  respect  the  written  law.  The  Bible  is  a 
wonderful  book  for  destroying  the  glamour  of  sin.  It  makes  palpable^ — (1)  Its 
sophistry.  It  exposes  the  deceitfulness  of  the  heart,  and  pierces  the  maxims  by 
which  society  excuses  its  folly  and  vices.  (2)  Its  horror.  It  compels  the  transformed 
devil  to  return  to  his  true  shape.  (3)  Its  fruits.  Once  our  Master  encountered 
Satan  in  his  uttermost  transfiguration.  With  the  words  "  It  is  written,"  our  Lord 
pricked  one  gorgeous  bubble  after  another,  and  we  must  follow  His  example.  4. 
Let  us  constantly  see  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  bring  to  Him 
whatever  theory  or  thing  may  solicit  us.  In  His  light  we  shall  know  exactly  what 
is  true.     {W.  L.  Watkinson.) 


CHAP.  XI.]  II.  COEINTHIANS.  453 

Vers.  16-20.  I  say  again,  Let  no  man  think  me  a  fool ;  if  otherwise,  yet  as  a 
fool  receive  me. — St.  PauVs  character: — This  is  a  very  curious  and  somewhat 
perplexing  passage.  It  is  not  quite  what  we  should  expect  to  find  in  Scripture ; 
jet  it  is  a  most  suggestive  passage.  I.  Let  us  tkt  to  understand  both  its 
LANGUAGE  AND  ITS  TONE.  St.  Paul  is  evidently  very  much  hurt  by  the  treatment 
which  he  had  received.  The  Church  there  was  his  own  creation  ;  and,  accordingly, 
he  was  deeply  attached  to  it.  Now  he  finds  himself  the  object  of  unsparing 
criticism.  The  taunts  of  his  opponents,  however,  go  a  very  little  way  towards 
producing  the  tone  of  wounded  feeling  which  pervades  this  chapter.  What  grieved 
St.  Paul  was  that  the  Corinthians  were  being  seduced  from  their  allegiance  to  him- 
self, and  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ.  It  also  made  him  indignant.  Who  are 
these  men  that  his  Corinthians  should  transfer  their  loyalty  so  readily  from  him  to 
them?  What  are  their  claims,  compared  with  his?  Are  they  "Hebrews," 
*' IsraeUtes,"  "the  seed  of  Abraham,"  "ministers  of  Christ"?  He  is  more. 
There  was  something  too  of  scorn  and  wrong  in  Paul's  feeling.  "  Ye  suffer  fools 
gladly,  seeing  ye  yourselves  are  wise."  Of  course  you  wiU  cheerfully  put  up  with  me 
and  my  folly,  being  so  very  wise  yourselves.  It  is  little  or  nothing  that  I  ask  you 
to  put  up  with,  compared  with  what  you  put  up  with  from  these  new  teachers. 
You  let  them  tyi'annise  over  you  to  any  extent.  They  may  rob  you,  domineer  over 
you  ;  you  put  up  with  it  all :  so  wise  are  you  (ver.  20).  This,  of  course,  is  irony — 
half  playful,  half  serious.  But  the  playfulness  of  the  passage  bears  a  very  small 
proportion  to  the  intense  seriousness  of  it.  The  prevailing  tone  of  the  whole  is  an 
almost  passionate  seK-assertion,  wrung  from  him  almost  in  spite  of  himself,  and 
with  a  kind  of  scorn  of  himself  in  the  doing  of  it  ("  I  speak  foolishly ") — wrung 
from  him,  I  say,  by  grief,  and  indignation,  and  anxiety.  II.  Is  this,  or  is  this 
not,  the  tone  of  the  passage  ?  If  it  is,  what  are  we  to  think  of  it  and  the 
WRITER  ?  Is  he  to  be  less  to  us  than  he  has  been  ?  I  think  not.  Should 
we  not  all  feel  that  its  removal  would  be  a  real  loss?  1.  There  is  the  strong 
human  interest  of  the  passage.  It  is  a  revelation  of  character.  The  writer  lays 
himself  bare  to  us.  You  hear,  as  you  read,  the  very  pulsations  of  his  heart- 
pulsations  wild  and  feverish,  perhaps,  but  genuine,  honest,  manly,  true.  There 
are  no  conventionalities  and  etiquettes.  We  have  the  man  himself,  and  find  him 
one  of  like  feelings  with  ourselves.  He  can  be  wounded,  and  hurt,  and  sensitive, 
as  we  can  be.  Without  it  he  would  be  much  less  of  a  real  character  and  person 
to  us.  Now  this  is  an  immense  gain.  For  one  thing,  it  makes  all  his  letters 
much  more  real  and  forceful  to  us.  They  are  not  mere  pages  in  a  book,  however 
sacred.  They  are  the  words  of  a  man,  a  friend.  It  is  through  such  a  passage 
as  this  that  the  Epistles  of  St.  Paul  become  not  merely  theological  treatises,  but 
an  autobiography  of  the  writer.  They  present  us  with  a  photograph  of  himself. 
He  opens  more  than  his  mind ;  he  opens  his  heart  to  us.  2.  Cold  critics, 
analysing  St.  Paul's  character  as  it  unveils  itself  to  us  here,  wiU  find  plenty  of  fault 
■with  it.  They  will  say  that  he  is  too  sensitive ;  that  his  assertion  of  himself  is 
undignified  and  unworthy.  It  would  not  be  difficult  to  dispute  the  ground  with  such 
critics,  inch  by  inch,  were  it  worth  our  while  to  do  so.  Instead  of  doing  so,  let  us 
freely  concede  that  there  is  a  touch  of  human  infirmity  here.  Now  I  say  that  this 
very  weakness,  being  of  the  kind  it  is,  not  only  increases  the  attractiveness  of  Paul's 
character,  but  also  makes  it  more  powerful  for  good.  The  noble  metals,  gold  and 
silver,  require,  as  we  all  know,  some  alloy  of  baser  metal,  in  order  to  fit  them  for 
the  service  of  men.  And  it  seems  as  if  the  noblest  characters  required  some  alloy 
if  they  are  to  take  hold  of  other  minds,  and  exercise  upon  them  their  fuU  force  for 
good.  But  then  all  depends  upon  the  nature  of  this  alloy.  In  Cranmer's  case, 
what  gave  such  weight  to  his  martyrdom  was  the  natural  sinking  from  such  a 
horrible  death.  There  could  hardly  be  two  men  more  unlike  than  Cranmer  and  St. 
Paul.  But  in  St.  Paul,  too,  there  is  what  I  caU  this  dash  of  human  weakness. 
What  is  it  ?  We  feel  it  as  we  read  our  text,  without  being  able  to  define  it.  But 
whatever  it  be,  there  is  nothing  base  in  it, — nothing  mean,  coarse,  or  vulgar. 
It  just  makes  us  feel  that  there  is  a  point  of  contact  between  us  and  him.  It  is  a 
deep  descent  from  the  sinless  weakness  of  Christ  to  the  dash  of  human  infirmity 
which  we  find  in  St.  Paul.  And  what  a  descent  again  is  it  from  St.  Paul  to  our- 
selves !  With  him  it  is  but  a  dash  of  alloy,  making  the  noble  metal  all  the  more 
serviceable.  With  us  it  seems  as  if  we  were  all  alloy.  (D.  J.  Vaughan,  M.A.) 
For  ye  suffer,  if  a  man  bring  you  into  bondage. — A  picture  of  religious  importers  : 
— These  words  suggest  that  they  are — I.  Tyrannic.  "If  a  man  bring  you  into 
bondage."     The  reference  is   doubtless  to  the  false  teachers  of  ver.  13.    False 


454  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xi. 

teaching  always  makes  men  spiritual  serfs.  11.  Bapacious.  "  If  a  man  devour 
you."  Greed  is  their  inspiration.  III.  Crafty.  "  If  a  man  take  of  you."  The 
expression  "  of  you"  is  not  in  the  original.  The  idea  is,  if  a  man  takes  you  in 
and  entraps  you.  This  is  just  what  religious  impostors  do,  they  cajole  men, 
and  make  them  their  dupes.  IV.  Arrogant.  "  If  a  man  exalt  himself."  It  is 
characteristic  of  false  teachers  that  they  assume  great  superiority.  They  arrogate 
a  lordship  over  human  souls.  V.  Insolent.  "  If  a  man  smite  you  on  the  face." 
The  religious  impostor  has  no  respect  for  the  rights  and  dignities  of  man  as  man. 
With  his  absurd  dogmas  and  arrogancies  he  is  everlastingly  smiting  men  on  "  theii* 
face,"  on  their  reason,  their  consciences,  and  their  self-respect.     (D.  Thomas,  D.D.) 

Vers.  21-33.  I  speak  as  conceming  reproach,  as  though  we  had  been  weak. 
Howbeit  ...  I  am  bold  also. — PauVs  avoical  of  Ins  advantages  and  his  history  of  his 
trials : — I.  His  manly  avowal  of  his  distinguished  advant.\ges.     1.  His  superior 
character  (ver.  21).     2.  His  superior  ancestry  (ver.  22).     3.  His  superior  apostle- 
ship  (ver.  23).     II.  His  historic  sketch  of  his  extraordinary  trials.     The  trials 
here  sketched  indicate  several  things.     1.  The  mysteriousness  of  God's  procedure 
with  His  servants.     One  might  have  thought  that  the  man  inspired  with  supreme 
love  to  Him,  and  receiving  a  commission  from  Him,  involving  the  salvation  of  souls, 
would  have  made  his  way  clear,  safe,  and  even  pleasant.    The  more  important  the 
Divine  work  intrusted  to  a  man,  and  the  more  faithful  he  is  in  its  discharge,  the 
more  trials  will  embarrass  and  distract  him.     For  an  explanation  of  this  we  must 
await  the  great  explaijning  day.     2.  The  unconquerableness  of  Christly  love  in  the 
soul.     What  stimulated  Paul  to  embark  in,  and  what  bore  him  up  under  such  an 
enterprise  as  this  ?     The  answer  is,  "  The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  me."     3.  The 
indelibility  of  the  impressions  which  trials  produce.     They  had  long  since  transpired, 
but  they  were  fresh  in  Paul's  memory.     It  is  a  law  in  our  nature  that  our  trials 
make  a  deeper  impression  on  us  than  our  mercies.     Why  ?     Because  they  are  the 
exceptions,  not  the  rule.     4.  The  blessedness  which  the  memory  of  trials  rightly 
endured  produces.     In  Paul's  case — (1)  It  generated  sympathy  with  the  woes  of 
others  (ver.  29).     No  man  can  sympathise  with  the  trials  of  others,  unless  he  has 
passed  through  trials  himself.     (2)  It  inspired  the  soul  with  true  rejoicing  (ver.  30). 
(D.  Thomas,  D.D.)         In  labours  more  abundant. — Service  in  sorrow  .- — Look  at 
yon  miller  on  the  village  hill.     How  does  he  grind  his  grist?     Does  he  bargain  that 
he  will  only  grind  in  the  west  wind,  because  its  gales  are  so  full  of  health  ?     No, 
but  the  east  wind,  which  searches  joints  and  marrow,  makes  the  millstones  revolve, 
and   together  with  the  north  and  the  south  it  is  yoked  to  his  service.     Even  so 
should  it  be  with  you  who  are  true  workers  for  God  ;  all  your  ups  and  your  downs, 
your  successes  and  your  defeats,  should  be  turned  to  the  glory  of  God.     (C.  H. 
Spurgeon.)         The  trials  of  husij  life  : — Now,  from  many  causes,  "  from  the  temper 
of  the  day,  and  from  the  temper  of  our  nation,  the  being  busy  is  most  natural  to 
us  " ;  around  us  on  every  hand  men  and  women  are  largely  occupied,  toiling  for 
the  necessaries,  for  the  comforts,  or  for  the  luxuries  of  life.     The  more  men  have, 
the  more  they  seem  to  need,  and  so  that  desire.     Still,  to  be  busy  is  natural,  and  to 
be  busy  is  good  ;  slothfulness,  in  the  case  of  the  majority,  would  mean  poverty  or 
misery.     Honest  industry  stands  upon  the  footing  of  being  a  service  agreeable  to 
God.     Herein  lies  one  of  the  trials  of  this   life.     1.  In  proportion  as  a  person's 
work  is  great,  as  the  activity  of  busy  life  increases,  especially  if  that  activity  be 
attended    with    temporal    success,    then   increases   the   danger   of   this   God-ward 
aspect  being  lost   sight   of — the  work   comes  to  be  more   and  more   regarded,  as 
from  the  first  it  may  have  been  taken  up,  only  on  its  earthly  side.     So  much 
of  success  seems  to  be  dependent  on  the  individual  himself,  his  knowledge,  his 
energies,  his  foresight,  that  at  last  he  comes  to  say,  "  My  power  and  the  might  of 
my  hand  hath  gotten  me  this,"  forgetting  "  Who  it  is  that  gives  power  to  get  it." 
Then  mark  what  flows  from  this  forgetfulness  of  God,  or  this  failing  to  recognise 
life's  work  as  given  us  of  Him.     2.  Bestlessness  and  disquietude,  when  success  is 
denied :  pride  and  presumption  when  it  flows  in  full  tide.     The  present  are  days  of 
great  restlessness ;  disquietude  and  much  anxiety  are  too  common.     Oh !  it  is  sad 
to  see,   "  a  sight  which  makes  a  thinking  man  weep  at  any  time,  to  look  around 
him  anywhere,  and  see  how  Satan  and  the  world  are  befooling  souls  for  which 
Christ  died,  and  which  might  find  rest  in  Him."     3.  The  third  trial  to  which  busy 
life  is  exposed,  is  the  trial  of  procrastination,  the  putting  off  until  the  "convenient 
season  "  life's  higher  duties.     "  Business  "  in  these  days  seems  to  occupy  all  people's 
time,    and   nearly   all    their   thoughts.     It  thins  our  churches,   breeds  a  painful 


CHAP,  XI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  455 

irregularity  in  the  actions  of  the  truer  life  of  the  soul.  4.  Another  trial  which 
attends  busy  hfe  is  the  trial  of  steadfastness.  "  Business "  is  often  another 
name  for  the  world ;  and  what  a  world  is  this  with  which  we  have  to  do ! 
What  a  mixture  of  good  and  bad,  of  vice  and  virtue,  of  honesty  and  corruption ! 
And  when  the  Christian  has  to  face  all  this,  to  mix  daily  with  all  this,  to  act 
under  or  against  all  this,  how  terrible  must  be  the  strain  on  his  steadfastness, 
that  is,  his  walking  uprightly  before  God.  5.  The  last  trial  is  the  trial  of 
integrity :  that  trial,  I  mean,  which,  in  some  form  or  other,  comes  to  every  one 
— the  conflict  between  principle  and  our  interest.  Oh !  in  the  busy  life,  does  not 
this  conflict  rage  ?  Such  are  a  few,  a  very  few,  of  the  many  trials  of  busy  life. 
The  one  leading  thought  of  them  all,  is  this,  their  danger — unless  we  be  watchful 
— to  divert  the  soul  from  its  God.  Their  snare  is  to  leave  no  time,  or  to  leave 
no  inclination,  or  to  leave  no  power  for  high  and  holy  things.  But  this, 
remember,  through  the  abuse  of  them,  not  through  the  right  and  prayerful 
use.  K  God  has  given  us  our  work,  however  great,  we  must  do  it,  and  we  may  do 
it  unto  Him.     (C.  C.  Chamberlain,  M.A.) 

Ver.  26.  In  joumeyings  often. — The  Christian  away  from  home : — Paul  was  a, 
traveller.  His  journeyings  by  sea  and  land  formed  an  important  part  of  the  educating 
influences  that  formed  his  Christian  life.  Notice — I.  The  mental  stimulus 
GAINED.  Monotonous  toil  wears  us  out.  It  is  good  to  get  out  of  ruts,  to  look  on 
new  objects,  to  talk  about  new  subjects,  to  freshen  up  our  spirits.  It  is  good  to  get 
out  of  one's  home,  store,  city,  out  of  one's  country  even,  and  see  new  heavens 
and  a  new  earth,  though  for  a  little  while.  The  rust  and  the  dust  of  routine  life 
are  removed.  This  mental  stimulus  of  travel  is  threefold.  It  is  awakened  by 
anticipation,  it  is  intensified  by  actual  enjoyment,  and  it  continues  in  the  joy  of 
reminiscence.  11.  The  actual  presence  and  guidance  of  God  is  more  impres- 
sively FELT  "  IN  JOURNEYINGS  OFT."  It  has  been  truly  said  that  the  spectre  of 
uncertainty  haunts  the  cabin  of  every  departing  ship.  So  of  all  vehicles  and  modes 
of  travel.  Their  history  has  its  tragedies,  and  the  beginning  of  any  journey  should 
elicit  the  prayer,  "If  Thy  presence  go  not  with  me,  carry  me  not  up  hence." 
Sweetly  to  the  believer  comes  the  answer,  "  I  am  with  thee,  and  will  keep  thee  in 
all  places  whither  thou  goest,  and  will  bring  thee  again  into  this  land,  for  I  will  not 
leave  thee."  Is  thy  journey  by  the  sea  ?  The  sea  is  His.  Passing  through  the 
waters.  He  will  be  with  thee.  So  in  malarious  districts  or  in  heated  climes  the  same 
shelter  is  guaranteed.  Not  only  in  peril,  but  in  perplexity,  do  we  prove  the  truth  of 
these  pledges.  "  He  leadeth  me"  when  in  doubt  as  to  what  is  best  to  do,  saying, 
"  This  is  the  way,  walk  in  it."  We  enter  a  foreign  city  alone,  and  unacquainted 
with  the  language.  Such  exigencies  of  travel  are  educating.  An  uplift  is  gained 
by  the  trustful  soul  that  is  never  lost  (Job  xxxi.  32).  IH.  The  fellowship  of  saints 
IS  realised  abroad  as  it  can  never  be  in  the  familiar  intercourse  of  home.  How- 
Paul's  heart  did  leap  within  him  at  Appii  Forum !  Ten  miles  farther  on,  another  group, 
at  Three  Taverns,  welcome  him.  IV.  Absence  endears  the  localities,  friend- 
ships,  PRIVILEGES,   AND   EMPLOYMENTS    OF    H05IE.      V.    OuR    JOURNEYINGS     REJIIND     US. 

THAT  LIFE  ITSELF  IS  A  JOURNEY,  to  be  pursued  with  thoughtfulucss,  with  reference 
to  life's  great  ends  and  our  eternal  home.  (E.  P.  Thicing,  D.D.)  In  perils. — In. 
perils  of  water  : — It  required  courage  to  be  a  voyager  in  olden  times,  the  ships  were 
small  and  clumsy,  the  rocks  and  shores  so  poorly  defined ;  no  weather  "  proba- 
bilities," signals  or  lighthouses.  Yet  there  are  as  great  perils  now,  notwithstanding: 
our  sea-charts,  lighthouses,  ironclads,  storm-signals,  &c.  The  danger  arises  no\v- 
from  the  multiplicity  of  crafts.     Note — I.  The  responsibility  of  those  who  hold 

THE     LIVES,    OR     THE     PROPERTY,    OR     THE     SOULS     OF     MEN    IN    KEEPING.       1.    Captains, 

guards,  engineers,  architects,  have  very  great  responsibility,  and  God  will  hold  them 
to  account.  2.  Pastors  of  churches,  private  Christians  who  hold  in  their  hands  the 
souls  of  people,  had  better  obey  the  injunction :  Watch  !     U.  When  we  part  from 

OUR   FRIENDS,    REUNION  IS  UNCERT.UN.      III.    ElEGANT  SURROUNDINGS  ARE  NO  SECURITY. 

Iceberg,  and  storm,  and  darkness,  and  collision  can  see  no  difference  between 
magnificent  mail  steamship  and  whaler  with  rusty  bolts  and  greasy  deck.  Do  not 
think  that  brilliant  surroundings  will  keep  off  the  last  foe.  IV.  Some  Christians 
ARE  NEARER  TO  GLORY  THAN  THEY  THINK.  Some  of  you  are  Spending  your  last 
Sabbath,  singing  your  last  song,  giving  your  last  salutations.    V.  The  world  has 

NOT  YET  BEEN  PERSUADED  OF  THE  NONSENSE  OP  PRAYER.   VI.  ThE  IMPORTANCE  OF 

ALWAYS  BEiNO  READY  FOR  TRANSITION.  (T.  dc  Witt  Talmage,  D.D.)  In  perils 
in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness. — Environment: — Let  us  talk  a  little  about 


456  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xi. 

•what  is  known  as  envh'onment.     Men  are  apt  to  think  they  would  be  better  if 
their  circumstances,  their  surroundmgs  were  of  another  kind  and  quality.    They  do 
not  go  in  upon  themselves  and  say,  We  are  to  blame.     We  must  get  rid  of  that 
delusion  before  we  can  make  any  real  progress  in  life.     All  history  shows  us  that 
whatever  a  man's  environment  may  be  he  can  conquer  it ;  or  he  can  respond  to  it 
in  the  degree  in  which  it  is  Divine,  beautiful,  and  fascinating.    Where  did  man  first 
fall,  according  to  the  Biblical  history  ?     Was  it  in  some  narrow,  ill-Ughted  street  ? 
Was  it  in  some  swamp  or  wilderness  ?     It  was  possible  to  fall  in  Eden.     Therefore 
do  not  say  that  it  you  were  in  Eden  you  would  be  safe.     Men  say  that,  if  they  were 
only  in  the  city,  at  the  very  centre  of  civilisation,  if  they  had  the  security  of  social 
life  as  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  metropolis  of  any  country,  all  would  go  well.     The 
Apostle  Paul  answers  that  in  our  text,  "  In  perils  in  the  city."     You  thought  you 
■would  be  safe  in  the  city.     Here  is  Paul  in  all  kinds  of  cities,  classical,  advanced, 
thoughtful,  immoral ;  and  he  says  he  was  "  in  perils  in  the  city."     Men  think  that 
if  they  could  be  only  in  the  city,  in  the  metropolis,  where  there  is  an  abundance  of 
literature,  where  all  kinds  of   galleries  are  open  to  the  people — picture-galleries, 
museums,  art-repositories,  music  of  every  hue  and  range — then  they  would  have 
something  to  think  about,  and  to  engage  their  attention,  and  to  divide  at  least  the 
intensity  of  the  temptations  by  which  souls  are  besieged.     Paul  says,  let  us  repeat 
again  and  again,  "  In  perils  in  the  city."      The  city  grows  its  own  weeds ;    the 
city  opens  its  own  fountains  of  poison-water.     The  city  is  eating  out  the  best  life  of 
the  nation.     "  In  perils  in  the  city."     Yet  how  many  of  these  perils  do  we  make 
ourselves,  and  how  eagerly  do  we  avail  ourselves  of  many  an  open  door  that  invites 
us  to  enter  and  go  down  to  hell !     I  have  seen  this  in  the  city — namely,  young  men, 
certainly  not  five-and-twenty  years  of  age,  before  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  going 
into  public-houses.     Not  vagabonds,  but  men  who  were  evidently  going  to  some 
Mnd.  of  business  afterwards,  well-dressed  young  men.     What  would  you  say  about 
an  instance  of  that  kind,  except  that  it  means  ruin  ?     You  cannot  trifle  with  that 
state  of  affairs.     You  cannot  begin  a  little  reform  now  and  a  little  then.     You  must 
throw  your  enemy  now  !    "  In  perils  in  the  city."    What  a  temptation  there  is  there 
to  bet  and  gamble  and  trifle  with  other  people's  money  !     You  do  not  suppose  that  a 
young  man  makes  up  his  mind  to  be  a  thief.     In  many  instances  he  knows  that  he 
is  honest  in  pm-pose,  and  he  says  that,  if  he  can  only  succeed,  no  man  shall  lose  a 
penny  by  him  ;  he  will  only  back  his  own  judgment  against  some  other  man's 
judgment.     He  says,   "  What  harm  can  there  be  in  my  setting  up  my  sagacity 
against  the  sagacity  of  some  other  man  ?  "     You  cannot  be  fortunate  in  betting  and 
gambling.     Do  not  say  that  you  know  instances  in  which  men  have  made  tens  of 
thousands  of  pounds,  and  are  in  great  prosperity.     There  are  no  such  instances. 
They  may  have  all  the  pounds,  but  they  have  not  the  prosperity.     There  is  no 
prosperity  in  wickedness.     Do  not  think  you  can  trifle  with  the  spirit  of  evil  and 
succeed.     Resist  the  devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  thee.     Then  what  do  men  say  ? 
They  continue  in  this  fashion — namely.  If  I  could  only  get  away  from  the  city,  if  I 
could  get  into  the  country  somewhere,  if  I  could  get  into  some  quiet  place,  then 
all  would  be  well.     "  In  perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness  " — in  the 
solitude,  in  the  great  emptiness ;  as  much  peril  in  the  wilderness  as  there  is  in 
Cheapside ;  as  much  peril  in  the  desert  as  there  is  in  the  Stock  Exchange.    How 
often  in  passing  through  beautiful  places  have  we  said.  Surely  there  must  be  peace 
in  that  habitation  and  in  yonder  dwelling.     Go  where  you  will,  you  will  fi;nd  the 
devil  has  been  there  before  you.   There  are  great  perils  even  in  solitude :  in  fact,  it  is 
possible  that  solitude  may  be  the  greatest  peril  of  all.     It  is  the  voice  of  history  that 
the  devil  comes  to  men  individually,  and  not  to  them  in  crowds  only.     All  the  great 
tragedies  are  cormected  with  individual  instances.    Solitude  gives  us  a  false  standard 
of  self-judgment.     It  is  only  by  man  meeting  man,  comparing  himself  with  his 
fellow-men,  seeking  the  judgment  of  higher  minds  than  his  own,  that  he  becomes 
chastened  and  thus  ennobled  ;  rebuked,  and  thus  elevated.     Observe,  then,  that  cir- 
cumstances cannot  give  us  security.   You  thought  that,  when  you  made  ten  thousand 
pounds,  you  would  be  perfectly  secure.   No  man  ever  rested  content  with  ten  thousand 
pounds ;  there  was  always  another  sovereign  which  some  other  man  had  which  he 
■wanted ;  there  was  always  another  field  which,  if  he  obtained,  would  beautifully 
sphere  out  his  estate  ;  and  going  after  fields  is  like  going  after  the  horizon,  there  is 
always  "  another."     Do  not  imagine  that  if  you  were  rich  you  would  be  good.     Let 
no  man  be  discouraged  because  of  his  environment.   You  say.  What  can  a  young  man 
do  in  my  circumstances  ?    He  can  do  everything  through  Christ  strengthening  him. 
If  men  begin  to  sit  down  and  say.  What  can  i  do  with  only  five  shillings  a  week  ? 


CH-u-.  XI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  457 

what  can  I  do  with  only  a  workhouse  education  ?  what  can  I  do  with  people  such  as 
these  round  about  me  ?  they  will  never  come  to  anything.  A  man  must  not  look  at 
his  surroundings,  but  he  must  look  at  his  universe  and  at  God  enthroned  above  its 
riches  and  forces ;  and  he  must  say,  It  is  my  business  by  the  blessing  of  God  to  take 
hold  of  circumstances  and  twist  them  and  bind  them  and  round  them  into  a  garland 
or  a  diadem.     (J.  Farker,  D.D.) 

Vers.  27-29.  In  weariness. — The  2veariness  of  life  : — Weariness  means  to  wear  away 
the  nervous  sensibilities.  Paul  felt  this.  It  is  not  lassitude  which  comes  from  indiffe- 
rence, but  the  exhaustion  felt  by  the  earnest  and  faithful  soul.  Let  us  thank  God 
for  restorative  power.  In  nature  how  blessed  this  is !  So  with  giace  !  I.  Weari- 
ness   COMES    \^^TH    TEMPORARY    DISAPPOINTMENT    AND    DEFEAT.       God    haS    promised    tO 

perfect  that  which  concerneth  us,  but  the  way  of  perfection  is  just  the  way  which 
wearies  us.    We  are  disappointed  at  the  slow  progress.    And  we  are  human.    Think 
of  Kebekah ! — "  I  am  weary  of  my  Ufe  because  of  the  daughters  of  Heth."     The 
motherly  anxiety  was  at  work.    As  we  get  older  we  feel  "  Umitations  "  of  power. 
Disappointment  is  a  cloud,  and  we  wait  till  the  heavens  are  clear  and  the  all- 
reveaUng  light  comes  again !     But  we  are  defeated  too !     But  first  defeat  has  made 
many  a  true  general,  has  quickened  many  an  inventor,  hke  Watt,  Stephenson,  and 
Brunei.      Weariness  comes   to   student,  explorer,  missionary,  and  philanthropist 
saddened  with  ingratitude.     But  this  is  not  the  weariness  of   sin,  that  not  only 
exhausts,  but  destroys.    11.  Weariness  comes  with  self-discovert.     The  volcano 
tells  what  is  in  the  earth.     The  lightning  reveals  the  latent  electricity  in  the  air. 
Passions  and  lusts  reveal  terrible  possibilities  in  good  men.     David  said,  "  I  am 
weary  with  my  groaning,"  and  again,  "I  am  weary  of  my  crying."     Conflict  with 
sin  in  all  its  forms  is  weary  work.     1.  The  roots  are  so  hidden.     Like  some  garden 
weeds  have  roots  that  never  seem  uprooted,  long  white  threads  that  interlace  the 
earth  and  strangle  other  plants.     2.  The  battle  is  so  varied.    Like  Stanley's  passage 
of  the  Falls,  enemies  on  both  banks  and  on  the  island,  mid-stream.    3.  The  avenge- 
ments  are  so  real.     There  is  no  escaping  the  voice  !     Thou  art  the  man.     And  the 
soul  cannot  pretend  not  to  hear.    But  think  of  this  same  Paul.    "  Who  shall  dehver 
me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ?  "    The  answer  is — Christ.    More  than  conquerors ! 
III.  Weariness  comes  with  unbemef.     The  Greeks  had  an  underlying  sadness  in 
their  outwardly  beautiful  Ufe.   It  is  faith  which  gives  life  and  zest.    Thomas  Carlyle 
says,  "  All  epochs,  wherein  unbelief,  under  whatever  form   soever,  maintains  its 
sorry  victory,  should  they  ever  for  a  moment  glitter  with  a  sham  splendour,  vanish 
from  the  eyes  of  posterity ;  because  no  one  chooses  to  burden  himself  with  study  of 
the  unfruitful."     Men  must  be  weary  who  have  lost  faith.    1.  Round  of  same  duties 
without  a  goal.    2.  Growth  a  mockery  merging  into  weakness.    3.  Health  into  pain. 
Vision  into  dimness.     Thought  into  blank !     IV.  Weariness  comes  from  solitude. 
The  regiment  is  thinning  in  which  you  started.     You  have  seen  many  arms  of  the 
soldiers  "  dip  below  the  downs  "  into  the  valley.     You  are  beginning  in  a  human 
sense  to  feel  solitary.     The  Master  was  weary  in  sohtude:  "What,  could  ye  not 
watch  with  Me  one  hour  ?  "     So  was  Paul :  "  At  Athens  alone."    But  the  Christian 
is  never  alone.     "I  wiU  not  leave  you  comfortless.     I  will  come  to  you."     (IF.  31. 
Statliam.)       Beside  .  .  .  the  care  of  all  the  Churches. — Anxiety  of  the  Churches  : — 
The  word  "care"  is  "anxiety" — the  same  word  by  which  Christ  (Luke  viii.  4-15) 
designates  one  of  the  three  influences  by  which  the  good  seed  is  "  stifled."    St.  Paul 
speaks  here  of  it  in  the  list  of  sufferings  for  Christ's  sake.     That  anxiety  which  our 
Lord  reproved  (Matt.  vi.  25,  &c. ;  Luke  x.  41)  has  a  namesake  among  the  graces. 
St.  Paul,  who  says  (Philip,  iv.  6),  "Be   anxious  about  nothing,"  mentions   this 
without  apology  as  his  daily  experience.     Just  in  proportion  to  the  meanness  of 
the  one  is  the  dignity  of  the  other.     The  anxieties  which  choke  the  Word  are 
commonly  as  selfish  as  they  are  earthly ;  those  of  which  Paul  was  here  capable  are 
elevating,  and,  so  far  from  choking  the  Word,  grow  out  of  it.     Notice,  respecting 
this  care  of  all  the  Churches — I.  Its  unselfishness.     These  people  were  nothing  to 
him.     They  were  neither  kinsfolk,  neighbours,  nor  countrymen.     They  were  con- 
verts, but  his  idea  of  his  responsibility  towards  them  was  not  to  do  his  duty  and 
then  leave  it.     He  was  solicitous,  even  to  pain,  about  their  continuous  welfare.     II. 
Its  strictness.     1.     As  regards  his  government  of  the  Churches,  with  what  eager- 
ness both  of  authority  and  argument  does  he  throw  himself  into  questions  even  of 
dress!    (1  Cor.  xi.  3-16;  cf.  1  Tim.  ii.  13,  14).     In  our  ritual  controversies  we  are 
certain  that  he  would  have  laid  down,  as  it  is  now  thought  tyranny  to  do,  the  law 
of  obedience  (1  Cor.  xiv.  36).     2.  His  anxiety,  as  his  Epistles  show,  was  a  doctrinal 


458  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  xi, 

anxiety.     He  was  fighting  for  Christ,  and  therefore  was  peremptory  in  his  enforce- 
ment of  doctrine.     III.  Individual  (ver.  29).    True  he  made  the  world  his  province, 
but  he  took  a  personal  interest  in  his  converts.     See  how  he  deals  with  the  inces- 
tuous person.     He  never  suffered  the  supposed  interests  of  Churches  to  eclipse  the 
value  of  souls.    I  knew  an  archbishop  who  failed  not,  whatever  his  distance  or 
occupation,  to  write  at  certain  intervals  to  a  common  northern  townsman  whom  he 
had  reclaimed  from  intemperance  for  his  establishment  in  grace.     {Dean  Vaughan.) 
Who  is  weak,  and  I  am  not  weak  ?    Who  is  oflended,  and  I  bum  not  ? — Sympathy 
and  indignation : — I.  Theee  are  two  faults  which  alternate  in  human  ch.\racter 
— weakness   and   harshness.     1.  We   sometimes   find  a  person   who  is  extremely 
amiable,  one  invaluable  in  hours  of  distress,  to  whom  we  fly  in  sorrow.    And  yet 
in  this  character,  so  attractive  at  first  sight,  there  may  be  a  fatal  defect.     There 
may  be  a  want  of  strength — a  sympathy  not  only  with  the  erring,  which  is  right, 
but  with  the  error,  which  is  wrong.     2.  On  the  other  hand,  we  sometimes  see  a 
person  of  the  greatest  elevation  and  purity  of  character ;  we  hear  his  judgment  upon 
right  and  wrong ;  we  fancy  our  own  moral  tone  to  be  braced  by  his  principles  and 
example.     And  yet  here  too  there  may  be  something  fatally  wanting.     He  may  be 
harsh,  and  have  the  effect  of  driving  in  upon  itself,  but  not  of   correcting,  that 
which  is  sinful  in  another.     We  feel,  perhaps,  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to 
confess  a  fault  to  such  a  person ;  therefore  in  his  company  we  are  tempted  to  deceive 
him  if  not  ourselves,  and  that  which  is  evil  sinks  the  deeper  in  for  being  thus  driven 
from  the  surface.     II.  Turn  now,  and  see  a  character  which,  by  God's  grace, 
combined  both  these  virtues  and  avoided  both  these  faults.     1.  By  nature  it  was 
a  strong  character.     Those  whom  he  regarded  as  in  error  St.  Paul  once  persecuted 
to  the  death.    But,  as  soon  as  the  love  of  Christ  touched  his  heart,  without  losing 
one  particle  of  strength,  he  learned  to  add  to  it  tenderness.     Knowing  how  much  he 
had  been  forgiven,  he  knew  how  to  forgive.     2.  Now  therefore  his  language  is, 
"  Who  is  weak,  and  I  am  not  weak  ?  "    Who  is  inexperienced  or  unstable  in  the 
life  of  God,  Uving  powerless  in  a  perilous  world,  and  I  do  not  share  his  fears  and 
sympathise  with  him  to  the  full  from  the  depth  of  my  own  experience  ?     On  the 
other  hand,  "  Who  is  offended,  and  I  burn  not  ?  "     I  am  weak  with  the  weak,  but  I 
am  not  weak  towards  their  tempter.    Read  the  passage  in  the  first  Epistle,  in  which 
he  consigns  to  a  terrible  puishment  the  guilty  person,  and  then  read  the  passage  in 
the  second  Epistle,  in  which,  after  a  due  interval  of  exclusion,  he  bids  them  to 
receive  back  and  comfort  the  penitent  offender.     III.  The  lesson  for  ourselves. 
1.  Amongst  you  some  are  weak,  vigorous  in  body,  it  may  be,  quick  in  mind,  and 
yet  weak.     Some  of  you  feel  it,  and  accuse  yourselves  of  it:  "I  am  so  weak,  so 
unstable,  so  irresolute,  so  soon  shaken  from  my  purpose."     Now,  then,  St.  Paul 
tells  us  here  how  we  ought  to  deal  with  such  weakness.     He  became  weak  along 
with  it.     This  was  the  right  way,  he  meant,  to  deal  with  weakness,  to  descend,  as  it 
were,  to  its  level,  and,  in  the  very  act  of  doing  so,  to  help  to  raise  it  to  his  own. 
Do  I  recommend  laxity  of  treatment  ?     Far  from  it.     Sympathy  is  not  indulgence, 
for  sympathy  can  rebuke  severely,  and  severely  punish.     But  there  are  two  ways  of 
doing  everything ;  it  is  one  thing  to  rebuke  with  sorrow,  and  another  to  rebuke  or 
punish  in  coldness  or  in  apathy.     2.  "Who  is  offended,  and  I  burn  not?"     It  is 
the  tendency  of  long  carelessness,  whether  in  an  individual  or  in  a  community,  to 
blunt  the  edge  of  the  sense  of  sin.     It  is  said  of  advancing  age  that  its  tendency  is 
to  make  men  more  indulgent  and  less  sanguine.     Certainly  we  do  find  a  great  want 
in  ourselves  too  often  of  righteous  indignation.     A  strange  companion,  some  of  you 
may  be  saying,  to  that  spirit  of   sympathy  which  has  just  been  spoken  of!     St. 
Paul,  however,  did  not  think  so.     Now  indignation  is  a  dangerous  quality  to  foster 
towards  one  of  ourselves.     But  nevertheless  it  has  its  uses  in  the  Christian  scheme, 
and  the  loss  of  it  causes  a  terrible  injury  to  the  health  of  a  community,  if  not  of  an 
individual  man.     No  tongue  ever  uttered  words  of  such  consuming  indignation  as 
those  which  Christ  addressed  to  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees.     Would  to  God  there 
were  more  who  could  be  angry  and  sin  not  in  the  sight  and  hearing  of  some  kinds 
of  evill     It  is  the  loss  of  this  feeling  which  fills  the  courts  of  justice  with  records 
of  unmanly  aggressions  upon  the  confiding  and  the  feeble.    (Ihid.)        Sympathy : — 
Many-sidedness,  which  is  an  invariable  characteristic  of  all  really  great  men,  was 
indisputably  a  feature  in  St.  Paul.   No  doubt  it  has  risks  and  disadvantages.    There 
is  the  chance  of  shallowness.     It  is  often,  and  with  supreme  unfairness,  identified 
with  insincerity.     Capriciousness,   too,  is  imputed  to   these  large  and  sensitive 
natures,  because  we  cannot  always  find  them  in  the  same  mood.     Perhaps  that  one 
feature  of  nature  which  has  done  more  than  any  other  to  conciliate  the  affection  oi 


CHAP.  XI.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  459 

the  Church  is  sympathy.  Sympathy  is  feeling  with  others,  and  it  is  quite  a  distinct 
thing  from  feeling  for  them.  The  latter  is  more  of  a  quick  and  evanescent  senti- 
ment, good  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  not  often  going  far.  Sympathy  is  a  habit,  or 
temper  of  mind,  which  means  prayer  and  effort  and  sacrifice.  Let  us  first  select 
certain  types  of  circumstance  which  sympathy  springs  to  meet.  1.  First,  let  us  not 
forget  our  apostle's  precept,  "Eejoice  with  them  that  do  rejoice,"  and  not  be  so 
ignorant  as  to  suppose  that  men  do  not  value  sympathy  with  happiness,  though 
they  may  need  it  more  in  sorrow.  All  conditions  of  life,  as  well  as  all  classes  of 
men,  claim  and  appreciate  sympathy.  Our  ijord's  presence  at  the  marriage  feast 
at  Cana,  as  well  as  at  the  feast  at  Bethany  after  the  raising  of  His  friend  Lazarus, 
is  an  instance  in  point.  Disappointment  and  wounded  self-love  may  occasionally 
have  something  to  do  with  our  lack  of  sympathy  in  a  friend's  happiness,  but 
thoughtlessness  and  a  certain  lazy  selfishness  have  more.  2.  There  are  difficulties 
in  religion,  where  honest  and  even  reverent  souls  demand  sympathy  and  do  not 
always  get  it.  Nothing  so  tends  to  discourage,  or  harden,  or  anger  men  into  actual 
unbelief  as  a  cold,  harsh,  dogmatic  treatment  of  their  difiiculties.  Sympathy  here, 
indeed,  must  be  prudent  and  frank.  3.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add  how  needful 
and  blessed  in  hours  of  personal  sorrow  is  the  felt  sympathy  of  a  friend.  People 
who  don't  know  are  apt,  by  way  of  excusing  themselves  foi:  negligence,  to  allege 
that  sympathy  at  such  times  has  no  real  value.  Little  they  know  about  it.  Here, 
again,  we  must  premise  that  true  sympathy  has  nothing  morbid  or  softening  about 
it.  It  braces,  while  it  sighs ;  it  points  to  Christ,  instead  of  leaning  on  man.  If  it 
moans  tact  and  skill,  it  also  means  courage  and  power.  In  conclusion,  let  us  say 
other  things  about  sympathy.  No  doubt  there  are  some  people  in  whom  it  is  a  born 
instinct ;  so  to  speak,  it  is  neither  hard  for  them  nor  easy.  It  is  a  matter  of  course, 
for  it  is  a  part  of  themselves.  Yet,  even  in  them,  it  needs  educating  and  disciplining 
by  experience.  Then  let  us  be  careful  how,  with  the  best  meaning  possible,  we 
express  sympathy  with  troubles  and  losses  of  which  we  have  no  sort  of  personal 
knowledge,  thereby,  it  may  be,  making  our  kindly  intended  consolations  clumsy, 
ludricrous,  or  even  painful.  Let  us  leave  it  to  those  who  do  know  what  they  are 
doing,  and  so  avoid  the  danger  of  making  a  second  wound  in  our  attempt  to  heal 
the  first.  Once  more,  no  quality  of  the  soul,  when  it  is  genuine  and  ripe  and  wise, 
is  so  gratefully  accepted,  so  tenderly  cherished,  so  lavishly  repaid,  as  this  grace  of 
sympathy,  and  it  does  not  need  money,  talent,  cleverness — only  the  presence  of 
love.     The  love  of  God  and  the  love  of  man  react  upon  each  other.     (Bp.  Thorold.) 

Vers.  30-33.  If  I  must  needs  glory,  I  will  glory  of  mine  .  . .  infirmities. — Glorying 
in  infirmities  : — St.  Paul,  with  all  his  gifts  and  all  his  triumphs  as  an  apostle  of 
Christ,  led  a  life  of  constant  trial.  There  was  one  very  peculiar  trial  to  which  he 
was  subjected,  that  of  constant  disparagement.  Scarcely  had  he  planted  the  Church 
at  Corinth  than  another  came  after  him  to  mar  his  work.  One  or  two  obvious 
remarks  suggest  themselves.  I.  And  one  is  as  to  the  chakacter  of  the  Scrip- 
tures   GENERALLY,    IN    REFERENCE    TO    THEIR    DETAILS     OF     FACTS.      All    the    books    of 

Scriptures  are  of  what  is  called  an  incidental  character.  The  Gospels  were 
not  written  to  give  a  complete  life  of  Jesus.  And  in  like  manner  the  history 
in  the  Acts  was  not  written  to  give  a  complete  life  of  each  of  the  apostles,  not 
even  of  the  two  apostles  principally  spoken  of,  St.  Paul  and  St.  Peter.  In  each 
case  specimens  of  the  life  are  given,  enough  to  exemplify  the  character  and  the 
history  of  the  first  disciples,  by  illustrating  the  principles  on  which  a  Chistian  should 
act,  and  the  sort  of  help  and  support  from  above  which  he  may  look  for  in  so 
acting.     II.  Another  remark,  not  whoUy  unconnected  with  this,  is  as  to  the  style 

AND    general    character  OF    THIS    PARTicULAK   PASSAGE  AND  ITS  CONTEXT.       "  Yc    Suftcr 

fools  gladly,  seeing  ye  yourselves  are  wise."  It  is  what  we  call  ironical  language. 
And  there  is  very  much  of  this  tone  in  these  chapters.  I  would  beg  you  to  notice 
what  a  very  natural  person  St.  Paul  was ;  how  he  expressed  strongly  what  he 
strongly  felt ;  how  he  did  not  allow  a  misplaced  or  morbid  charity  to  keep  him 
from  exposing,  as  any  human  writer  would  seek  to  do,  the  fraudulent  designs  and 
underhand  practices  of  those  whose  influence  over  a  congregation  he  saw  to  be  full 
of  danger.     III.  But  I  most  draw  my  third  remark  from  the  text  itself,  and 

THUS  PREPARE  THE  WAT  FOR  ITS  BRIEF    CONCLUDING    ENFORCEMENT.       St.  Paul  SayS,  "  If 

I  must  needs  glory,  I  will  glory  in  the  things  which  concern  my  infirmities."  I  fear 
these  words  have  been  sometimes  much  misapplied.  People  have  spoken  of  glory- 
ing in  their  infirmities.  They  have  applied  the  words,  all  but  avowedly,  to  infir- 
mities of  temper   and  of   character,  as   though  it  gave   them  some  claim  to  the 


460  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xi. 

estimation  of  Christians  to  be  aware  of  their  own  liability  to  sudden  outbreaks  or 
habitual  unsoundness  of  prevailing  evil  within.  But  now  observe  the  three  things 
to  which  St.  Paul  applies  the  term  of  infirmity  or  weakness.  1.  The  first  of  these 
is  suffering — suffering  for  Christ's  sake,  suffering  of  a  most  painful  kind  and  a  most 
frequent  repetition — bodily  discomfort,  bodily  privation,  bodily  pain.  Such  was 
one  part  of  his  "  infirmity."  Suffering  reminded  him  of  his  human  nature,  of  his 
material  frame  not  yet  redeemed  by  resurrection.  2.  The  second  kind  of  infirmity 
is  denoted  in  these  words,  "  that  which  crowds  upon  me  daily,  the  anxiety  of  aU 
the  congregations."  A  keen  sense  of  responsibiUty  is  his  second  weakness.  He 
knew  so  much  in  himself,  he  had  seen  so  much  in  others,  of  the  malice  and  skill  of 
the  tempter,  that  when  he  was  absent  from  a  congregation,  and  more  especially 
from  a  young  congregation  busy  in  the  formation  or  in  the  charge  of  distant 
Churches,  he  was  distracted  with  painful  care,  and  even  faith  itself  was  not  enough 
sometimes  to  soothe  and  reassure  him.  He  called  this  anxiety  an  infirmity.  Per- 
haps, in  the  very  highest  view  of  all,  it  was  so.  Perhaps  he  ought  to  have  been 
able  to  trust  his  congregation  in  God's  hands  in  his  absence.  3.  There  was  a  third 
weakness,  growing  out  of  the  last  named,  and  that  was  the  weakness  of  a  most 
acute  sympathy.  "Who  is  weak,  and  I  am  not  weak?  Who  is  offended,  and  I 
burn  not  ?  "  That  is,  whenever  I  notice  or  hear  of  a  weakness  in  the  faith  of  any 
one,  such  a  weakness  as  exposes  him  to  the  risk  of  failing  in  his  Christian  course,  I 
have  a  sense  of  interest  and  concern  in  that  case  such  as  makes  me  a  very  par- 
taker in  its  anxieties.  I  cannot  get  rid  of  it  by  putting  it  from  me.  I  feel  that 
weakness  of  character  as  my  weakness ;  I  feel  that  weakness  of  faith  as  my  weak- 
ness. That  is  one  half  of  my  sympathy.  But  there  is,  along  with  this,  another 
feeling,  "who  is  offended?"  who  is  caused  to  stumble?  who  is  tempted  to  sin? 
and  I  am  not  on  fire  with  righteous  indignation  against  the  wickedness  which  is 
doing  this  work  upon  him?  Sympathy  with  the  tempted  is  also  indignation  against 
the  tempter.  Sympathy  has  two  offices.  Towards  the  offended  it  is  fellow  weak- 
ness ;  towards  the  offender  it  is  indignant  strength.  I  have  dwelt  upon  these  things 
for  the  sake  of  putting  very  seriously  before  you  the  contrast  between  St.  Paul's 
weaknesses  and  our  own.  Our  own  infirmities  are  of  a  kind  which  a  severer  judge 
than  we  are  of  ourselves  would  certainly  designate  by  the  plainer  names  of  defects, 
faults,  and  sins — indolence,  carelessness,  vanity,  a  desire  for  applause,  a  sensitive- 
ness to  other  men's  opinions  of  us.  Compared  with  such  things,  how  withering  to 
our  self-love  must  be  St.  Paul's  (so-called)  weaknesses  !  The  very  least  of  them  is 
a  virtue  beyond  our  highest  attainments.  Which  of  us  ever  suffered  anything  in 
Christ's  behalf  ?  Where  is  our  sense  of  responsibility  ? — our  anxiety  about  those 
committed  to  us?  4.  Finally,  I  would  give  a  wider  scope  to  the  language  of  the 
text,  and  urge  upon  each  one  the  duty  and  the  happiness  of  saying  to  himself  in  the 
words  of  St.  Paul,  "  If  I  must  needs  glory,  I  will  glory  in  those  things  which  con- 
cern," not  my  strength,  but  "  my  weakness,"  The  things  on  which  we  commonly 
pride  ourselves  are  our  advantages,  our  talents,  our  estimation  with  others,  our 
position  in  society,  the  pleasures  we  can  command,  or  the  wealth  we  have  accumu- 
lated. But  these  things,  by  their  very  nature,  are  the  possession  of  the  few. 
St.  Paul  tells  us  how  we  may  glory  safely,  how  we  may  glory  to  the  very  end. 
Glory,  he  says,  not  in  your  strength,  but  in  your  weakness.  Has  God  denied  to 
you  His  gift  of  health  ?  Has  He  seen  fit  by  His  providence  to  impair  any  one  of 
your  bodUy  organs— your  sight,  your  hearing,  your  enjoyment  of  taste,  or  your 
power  of  motion  ?  Or  have  you  been  treated  with  neglect  by  some  one  to  whom 
you  had  shown  only  kindness  ?  Has  the  poison  of  disappointment  entered  your 
heart  ?  It  is  just  in  these  very  things,  or  in  any  one  of  them,  that  St.  Paul  would 
have  you  glory.  For  God's  gifts  to  us  we  may  be  thankful,  but  it  is  in  His  depriva- 
tions alone  that  we  may  glory.  And  St.  Paul  tells  us  why  we  may  thus  glory  in 
our  disadvantages,  in  our  postponements,  in  our  losses,  in  our  bereavements.  He 
says  in  another  passage  of  this  same  Epistle,  "  Most  gladly  therefore  will  I  glory  in 
my  infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ  may  rest  (tabernacle)  upon  me."  And  he 
speaks  yet  again  in  the  same  spirit  "  of  bearing  about  in  the  body  the  dying  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,"  being  made  like  Him,  that  is,  in  His  humiliation  and  in  His  death  for 
us,  "that  the  life  also  of  Jesus,"  His  Uving  power  as  it  is  now  put  forth  in  His 
servants,  "  might  be  made  manifest  in  our  body."  It  is  the  dark  side  of  life  which 
brings  us  most  closely,  most  consciously  into  connection  with  the  supporting 
and  comforting  help  of  Christ  within.  {Dean  Vaughan.)  Enoweth  that  I  lie 
not. — The  happinesa  of  entire  truthfulness  of  heart : — What  a  glorious  appeal  is  this 
of  St.  Paul ;  the  very  spirit  of  holy  truth  breathes  in  it.    It  was  Suo.  appeal  which 


CHAF.  XI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  461 

none  but  an  entirely  honest  and  faithful  man  would  make  to  the  One  knowing  all 
things,  to  judge  the  single  truthfulness  of  his  whole  speech.  We  think,  at  first 
sight,  what  a  convincing,  triumphant  appeal  these  words  must  have  been  to  all  that 
heard  them.  But  as  we  dwell  upon  them  a  second  thought  rises  up  in  our  minds, 
"  what  a  comfort  and  stay  the  consciousness  of  this  must  have  been  to  him. 
who  could  honestly  say  so  much  to  himself."  What  ease  and  peace  and 
comfort,  yes,  and  what  power  and  vigour  as  well,  must  there  have  been  there. 
Look  only  at  the  other  side  of  the  case,  at  the  miserable  condition  of  the  untruthful, 
self-deceiving,  double-faced  heart.  Think  of  the  many  discomforts,  miseries  of  a> 
heart  that  does  not  mean  to  seek  the  truth  ;  think  how  such  a  heart  would  stand 
to  other  hearts  ;  think,  for  instance,  of  all  the  wretched,  uneasy  fear  of  being  found 
out.  I  do  not  mean  only  found  out  in  telling  lies,  but  in  all  the  deceitfulness,  the 
double  dealing  of  a  hollow,  insincere  heart.  How  can  there  be  any  groundwork  of 
real  and  abiding  affection  where  one  is  hiding  his  real  thoughts  from  the  other,  or 
not  even  acknowledging  to  himself  what  he  really  feels  ?  You  know  well  how  we 
draw  towards  the  open,  frank  man  who  seems  to  speak  from  the  heart.  Here, 
then,  is  the  first  discomfort  of  an  untruthful  heart,  that  it  is  estranged  from  those 
to  whom  it  ought  to  be  most  warmly  attached,  that  it  fears  those  it  ought  to  love. 
Is  this  all  ?  No,  nor  the  greater  part.  There  is  one  other  with  whom  a  man  may 
be  untruthful,  himself.  It  may  be  our  chief  life  occupation  to  carry  on  a  long 
deceit  of  ourselves,  sometimes  knowing  the  better  part  and  choosing  the  worse, 
sometimes  blindfolding  ourselves,  so  as  to  hinder  ourselves  from  seeing  what  is  the 
right  way.  Our  Lord  speaks  of  the  helplessness  of  a  house  divided  against  itself. 
How  can  that  be  otherwise,  when  a  man  is  actually  divided  against  himself,  and 
one  half  sets  itself  to  deceive  the  other  ?  Now,  I  ask,  can  there  be  any  real  peace  of 
truth  in  a  heart  so  divided  ?  Can  it  be  possible  for  such  a  heart  to  feel  comfortable  ? 
But  there  lies  deeper  mischief  still,  greater  discomfort  from  the  rule  of  untruthful- 
ness, insincerity,  deceit  in  the  heart.  God  is  the  king  of  the  conscience,  and  the 
rule  of  right  and  truth  is  the  law  of  His  kingdom.  Where,  then,  we  are  not  thinking 
and  living  by  rule,  where  we  are  dealing  untruthfully  with  ourselves,  we  must  be 
deaUng  also  untruthfully  with  God,  either  doing  what  we  like,  without  seeking  to 
know  His  will,  or,  which  is  perhaps  more  common,  seeking  to  find  a  loophole  in 
His  Word  through  which  we  can  creep  and  have  our  own  way,  heaping  up  all  sorts 
of  weak  excuses,  false  arguments,  pretences  of  many  kinds,  under  which  we 
smother  the  plain  meaning  of  the  known  Word  of  God,  "  handling  the  Word 
of  God  deceitfully,"  and  "changing  the  truth  of  God  into  a  lie."  Can  there  be 
any  comfort  in  this  forced  reign  of  untruth  ?  Can  there  be  any  ease  or  real 
peace  ?  Happy  the  man  who  escapes  all  this ;  happy  the  man  who,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  has  set  up  the  simple  law  of  truth  in  his  heart,  who  seeks  only 
the  truth,  "for  the  truth  shall  make  him  free,  and  freedom  will  be  happiness. 
He  has  but  one  rule,  to  deal  honestly  with  himself,  his  neighbour,  and  lus  God. 
If  he  is  open  with  God,  God  will  be  open  with  him,  and  the  everlasting  truth 
shall  be  his  stay  and  joy,  and  exceeding  great  reward.  (Archdeacon  Mildmay.) 
In  Damascus  the  governor  ,  .  .  kept  the  city  .  .  .  with  a  garrison,  desirous  to 
apprehend  me  :  and  through  a  window  in  a  basket  was  I  let  down. — The  escape  : 
— I.  That  the  eminently  good  ake  specially  exposed  to  dangeb.  1.  Because  of 
the  ability  which  they  display  in  destroying  evil  (ver.  22).  The  genius,  culture, 
sagacity,  and  resolution  of  Paul.  The  tallest  trees  are  most  exposed  to  the  tempest. 
Mountain  summits  rear  themselves  to  the  heights  where  lightnings  are  kindled  and 
thunderbolts  are  forged.  2.  Because  of  the  influence  which  they  exercise  The 
presence  of  Napoleon  electrified  his  troops.  The  leading  of  the  gifted  good  multi- 
plies the  power  of  Christians  in  general.  3.  Because  of  the  success  which  they 
realise.  The  conversion  of  Paul  was  a  revival.  "  Then  had  the  churches  rest 
throughout  all  Judea  and  GaUlee  and  Samaria,  and  were  edified ;  and  walking  in 
the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  in  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  were  multiplied." 
Luther  paralysed  the  papacy.  U.  That  the  eminently  good  ake  sometimes  ex- 
posed TO  very  formidable  dangers  (ver.  32).  The  governor  of  Damascus,  insti- 
gated by  the  Jews,  surrounded  the  city  with  soldiers  to  secure  the  apprehension  and 
assassination  of  Paul.  1.  The  danger  was  powerful  in  its  instrumentaUty.  Church 
and  State  combined  to  crush  Paul.  Antichrist  and  assassination  are  synonymous. 
2.  The  danger  was  skiKul  in  its  contrivance.  The  city  was  entirely  surrounded 
with  guards.  The  arrangement  seemed  admirably  suited  to  the  purpose — deUver- 
ance  was  hopeless.  Sagacity,  to  a  degree,  and  sin  have  been  linked  together  from 
the  days  of  Paradise  Lost.     Talent  has  been  prostituted  ever  and  everywhere.    3. 


462  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xi. 

The  danger  was  destructive  in  its  design.  "  To  kill  him."  If  the  teacher  is  slain 
the  truth  will  survive.  III.  That  the  eminently  good  abe  sometimes  vert 
SIMPLY  delivered  OUT  OF  DANGER  (vei.  3).  The  enemy  was  baffled  by  a  basket. 
1.  The  escape  was  novel  in  its  method.  "  And  through  a  window  in  a  basket  was 
I  let  down  by  the  wall."  Windows  have  often  done  service  to  the  faithful.  Baskets 
also  have  been  friends  in  need.  Necessity  was  the  mother  of  invention.  2.  It  was 
unexpected  in  its  adoption.  The  gates  of  the  city  were  watched.  They  had  not 
reckoned  upon  the  window  superseding  the  door.  3.  It  was  justifiable  in  its  prin- 
•ciple.  An  act  of  policy  is  right  if  principle  is  not  sacrificed.  4.  It  was  complete  in 
its  success.  •'  And  I  escaped  his  hands."  The  secret  disappearance  through  the 
window  was  a  momentary  retreat  which  led  to  endless  victories.  Every  man  is 
immortal  until  his  work  is  done.  Peter  delivered  from  prison.  Lessons  :  1.  The 
-value  of  a  true  worker  for  Christ.  Paul.  "  Ye  are  the  salt,"  &c.  "  Ye  are  the 
light,"  &o.  2.  The  world's  ignorance  of  its  best  friends.  It  has  invariably  perse- 
cuted the  truest  philanthropists.  3.  The  dependence  of  the  great  upon  inferiors. 
4.  The  ultimate  defeat  of  sin.  5.  The  over-ruling  power  of  Divine  Providence. 
{B.  D.  Johns.)  The  Damascene  Ethnarch;  foiled  designs: — 1.  His  name  is 
unknown  at  present.  Future  researches  may  reveal  it.  His  master,  Aretas  or 
Hareth,  was  Emir  of  Petra  and  father-in-law  of  Herod  the  Great.  When  the  latter 
turned  away  from  his  lawful  wife  and  took  Herodias,  Aretas,  to  avenge  the  insult, 
seized  Damascus,  and  placed  a  strong  man  over  the  city  and  its  garrison.  Paul 
may  have  met  this  governor,  and  have  spoken  as  plainly  to  him  as  afterwards  to 
Pelix.  He  certainly  proclaimed  the  gospel  with  power,  and  put  to  confusion  the 
Jews.  They  in  their  deadly  malignity  planned  to  get  rid  of  him,  and  seem  to  have 
■won  the  Ethnarch  over  to  their  plan.  By  the  way,  however,  in  which  the  account 
is  given,  we  should  infer  that  the  commandant  was  himself  the  subject  of  an 
unreasoning  prejudice.  He  had  a  fixed  purpose,  and  in  every  way  he  sought  to 
■carry  it  into  effect.  He  had  the  gateways  carefully  watched  by  day  and  night,  and 
intended  to  make  short  work  with  the  apostle.  A  bowstring  or  sword-slash  should 
quench  his  fiery  earnestness  and  cut  short  his  heretical  teachings.  2.  Paul  was 
evidently  in  great  danger,  and  he  knew  it.  He  must  remain  in  hiding  as  long  as 
possible.  This  would  be  trying  to  a  restless,  energetic  man  like  him.  He  musi 
attempt  something.  He  is  like  many  at  this  day  who  are  harassed  and  see  no 
opening.  Every  avenue  of  escape  from  temptation  seems  closed  on  the  one  hand. 
or  of  usefulness  on  the  other.  We  doubt  not  that  Paul  had  recourse  to  God  ir 
prayer.  He  would  act  as  well.  The  Christians  also  are  anxious.  One  friendly  U 
him  has  a  suggestion  to  make.  The  window  of  his  house  is  in  the  wall  of  defence 
and  he  can  borrow  a  basket  and  a  rope  from  a  neighbour.  Why  should  not  the 
apostle  escape  thereby  ?  Ah,  the  idea  is  a  good  one.  Thanks  many  are  expressed 
and  when  the  night  is  dark  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles  crouches  in  the  creak- 
ing basket,  and  is  lowered  down.  Possibly,  instead  of  a  wicker  basket,  something 
more  silent,  a  strong  net-like  basket  of  rope,  one  like  those  ofttimes  slung  over  the 
camels  with  fuel  or  food,  was  found.  2.  Paul  can  breathe  now.  The  period  of 
intense  anxiety  made  a  deep  impression  upon  him,  and  he  refers  to  it  as  one  of  the 
pivotal  points  in  his  life.  The  man  who  "  kept  the  city  "  could  not  keep  all  in  his 
power.     There  was  a  greater  than  himself  whom  he  had  not  taken  into  account. 

I.  God  can  always  find  a  way  of  escape  for  His  servants.  He  is  never 
baffled,  although  we  are  constantly.  His  help  comes  in  the  most  unexpected 
manner,  and  at  the  extremest  point  of  our  needs.  Thus  Peter  found  it  when  shut 
in  prison  and  the  gates  were  opened  by  the  angel.  Thus  Daniel  found  it  when  God 
shut  the  lions'  mouths.  Thus  Jeremiah  found  it  when  an  Ethiopian  eunuch  was 
moved  to  draw  him  up  out  of  the  miry  prison.  Thus  the  Israelites  found  it  when, 
the  foe  behind  and  the  sea  before,  they  cried  unto  God  and  received  the  command, 
"  Go  forward."  And  thus  many  of  God's  servants  have  found  deliverance — WycUf 
when  John  of  Gaunt  stood  by  him,  Luther  when  the  Elector  Frederick  shielded 
him.  Thus  God  has  His  window  and  basket  for  men  now  who  put  their  trust  in 
Him — one  that  will  just  fit  them.  He  knows  where  to  find  it  and  when  to  bring  it 
out.  Trust  Him.  An  old  basket  and  half-worn  rope  becomes  the  salvation  of  an 
apostle,  and  the  Cross  of  shame  and  torture  the  sign  of  the  redemption  of  the  world. 

II.  The  way  of  God's  deliverances  is  sometimes  humiliating  to  the  carnal 
NATURE.  We  can  imagine  that  when  Paul  first  looked  at  that  basket  he  would 
shrink  from  creeping  into  it.  Shall  he  who  had  sat  at  the  feet  of  GamaUel,  he  who 
■was  conscious  of  great  ability  to  rule,  have  to  submit  to  such  humiliation?     So  it 

I  may  seem  repugnant  to  some  to  be  saved  simply  by  faith  in  a  crucified  Saviour. 


CHAP.  XI.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  463 

We  like  not  to  be  reduced  to  depend  on  another.  We  have  no  objection  to  admire 
Christ,  to  attach  ourselves  to  Him  as  to  a  great  leader,  or  as  an  inspiriting  example 
of  self-sacrifice,  but  the  Cross  is  still  to  some  a  stumbling-block.     III.  When  a 

SPIBIT  ESCAPES  FROM  ITS  SLAVERY  TO  EVIL  HABITS  WE  CAN  IMAGINE  HOW  THE  ARCH- 
ENEMY OF  SOULS  WILL  GNASH  WITH  ANGER.  The  Ethnarch  was  foiled.  Herod  was 
foiled  when  the  wise  men  went  not  back  to  tell  where  the  Christ  was  born.  Phari- 
sees were  foiled  when  the  officers  they  sent  to  take  Christ  came  back  and  said, 
"  Never  man  spake  like  this  man."  The  forty  men  who  bound  themselves  under 
an  oath  not  to  eat  or  drink  until  they  had  killed  Paul  were  foiled  by  the  son  of 
Paul's  sister,  who  carried  the  report  to  the  Roman  officers  ;  and  the  governor  of 
Damascus  would  doubtless  rage  when  his  officers  said  that  Paul  had  escaped  and 
was  preaching  in  another  city.  "  Foiled,  foiled  by  that  Paul !  "  Thus  will  the  evil 
one  be  foiled  in  respect  to  those  who  trust  in  the  work  of  the  Crucified  One,  and 
humble  themselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God.  Thus,  too,  will  all  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  world  to  the  truth  of  God  be  foiled.  Attempts  to  suppress  God's  truth 
■will  eventually  only  lead  to  louder  praise  and  a  more  telling  triumph.  IV.  We  can 
IMAGINE  HOW  GREAT  WOULD  BE  THE  apostle's  GRATITUDE  ;  and  what  will  uot  be  the 
depth  of  our  thankfulness  when  we  find  we  have  been  for  ever  delivered  from  temp- 
tation and  sin  !  The  God  who  foUed  the  Ethnarch  and  set  Paul  free  can  deliver  us 
now  and  eternally.  (F.  Hastings.)  Humiliating  deliverance  (text,  and  Acts  ix. 
■24,  25) : — This  incident  is  mentioned  by  Paul  in  a  curious  manner.  He  appears  to 
he  about  to  give  a  history  (ver.  30)  of  "  the  things  that  concern  mine  infirmities." 
The  escape  is  thereupon  narrated  in  a  sharply  detailed  manner.  And  next  he  says, 
"  It  is  not  expedient  for  me  doubtless  (then)  to  glory."  It  was  a  ridiculous, 
humiliating  circumstance  ;  most  men  would  have  concealed  it.  Of  such  odd  things 
the  religion  of  Jesus  can  make  splendid  use.  I.  It  was  an  instance  of  peculiar 
DISCIPLINE.  That  there  was  something  in  Paul  requiring  to  be  thus  dealt  with  we 
may  be  certain — an  over-sensitiveness  that  might  occasionally  make  him  a  trouble 
to  himself  and  others  ;  a  deep-rooted  feeling  of  personal  dignity  and  Jewish  pride. 
In  such  ways  we  get  the  "  starch  "  taken  out  of  us.  Of  the  stiff  but  brittle  Phari- 
see God  was  making  a  keen  and  flexible  weapon.  Many  would  have  hesitated  to 
avail  themselves  of  such  a  means  of  escape.  It  tended  to  make  the  fugitive  ridicu- 
lous. It  might  even  be  considered  destructive  of  his  authority  and  usefulness. 
Anything  that  stands  in  the  way  of  God's  service  will  He  in  like  manner  remove. 
II.  It  was  a  test  of  the  faith  of  the  disciples.  There  are  many  who  cannot 
receive  the  truth  apart  from  extraneous  and  meretricious  recommendation.  Moral 
influence  is  with  them  inextricably  bound  up  with  personal  position  and  external 
dignity,  &c.  It  is  surprising  how  very  few  are  able  to  receive  the  truth  for  its  own 
worth.  Yet  a  humble  exterior  is  no  proof  of  real  lowering.  Splendour  may  cloak 
corruption  and  spiritual  death.  One  might  fancy  the  Damascene  Christians 
exclaiming  inwar^y,  "  Where  is  the  miracle,  the  sign  ?  "  So  here  Paul  banters  the 
Corinthians — I  am  a  fool,  "  bear  with  me."  With  men  God  ever  pursues  this 
separative  process,  dissolving  the  temporal  and  accidental  elements  from  the  essen- 
tial and  eternal  in  His  Word.  III.  It  was  a  specimen  of  the  irony  of  Divine 
Providence.  In  certain  historical  events  one  seems  to  detect  such  a  mood. 
Especially  in  the  more  critical  moments  in  the  history  of  nations,  churches,  &c., 
does  it  betray  itself.  The  means  of  checkmating  the  moves  of  the  adversary  of 
souls  are  reduced  to  a  minimum — a  ridiculous,  preposterous  circumstance,  but  it  is 
sufficient.  And  when  one  compares,  as  he  cannot  but  do,  the  huge  preparations 
and  complex  machinery  of  Satan,  with  the  simplicity  and  external  meanness  of 
the  Divine  instrumentality,  the  power  and  wisdom  of  God  stand  forth  the  more 
sheer  and  absolute.  Because  we  feel  the  battle  stern  and  long  and  difficult  we  find 
it  hard  to  conceive  of  it  being  otherwise  with  God  and  higher  intelligences.  But 
there  are  traces  of  contempt  for  Satan  in  the  Bible.  (A.  F.  Muir,  M.A.)  Paul 
in  a  basket  .-—Observe — I.  On  what  a  small  tenure  great  results  hang.  The 
ropemaker  had  no  idea  how  much  depended  on  the  strength  of  his  workmanship. 
How  if  that  rope  had  broken  and  the  apostolic  life  had  been  dashed  out  ?  On  that 
one  rope  how  much  depended !  So  it  has  been  ever  and  again.  What  ship  of 
many  thousand  tons  ever  had  so  important  a  personage  as  once  was  in  a  small  boat 
of  papyrus  on  the  Nile  ?  How  if  some  crocodile  had  crunched  it  ?  The  parsonage 
at  Epworth  took  fire,  and  seven  of  the  children  were  safe,  but  the  eighth  was  in  the 
consuming  building.  How  much  depended  on  that  ladder  of  peasant  shoulders  ask 
the  millions  of  Methodists  on  both  sides  the  sea,  ask  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
people  who  have  already  joined  their  founder.    An  English  vessel  put  in  at  Pitcairn 


464  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xr. 

Islaaid,  and  found  right  amid  the  surroundings  of  cannibalism  and  squalor  a  Chris- 
tian colony  with  schools  and  churches.  Where  did  it  come  from  ?  Missionaries 
had  never  landed  there.  Sixty  years  before  a  vessel  on  the  sea  was  in  disaster,  and 
a  sailor,  finding  that  he  could  save  nothing  else,  went  to  a  trunk  and  took  out  the 
Bible  which  his  mother  gave  him,  and  swam  ashore  with  the  book  between  his 
teeth.  That  book  was  read  and  re-read  until  the  heathen  were  evangelised.  There 
are  no  insignificances  in  our  Uves.  The  minutiae  make  up  the  magnitude.  If  you 
make  a  rope  make  it  stout,  for  you  do  not  know  how  much  may  depend  upon  your 
workmanship.  .  II.  Unrecognised  service.  Who  are  those  people  holding  that 
rope  ?  Who  tied  it  to  the  basket  ?  Who  steadied  the  apostle  as  he  stepped  in  ? 
Their  names  have  not  come  to  us,  and  yet  the  work  they  did  eclipses  all  that  was 
done  that  day  in  Damascus  and  the  round  world  over.  Are  there  not  unrecognised 
influences  at  work  in  your  life  ?  Is  there  not  a  cord  reaching  from  some  American, 
Scottish,  or  Irish,  or  English  home,  some  cord  of  influence  that  has  held  you  right 
when  you  would  have  gone  astray,  or  pulled  you  back  when  you  had  made  a* 
crooked  track  ?  It  may  be  a  rope  thirty  years  long,  three  thousand  miles  long,  and 
the  hands  may  have  gone  out  of  mortal  sight ;  but  they  held  the  rope  !  One  of  the 
glad  excitements  of  heaven  will  be  to  hunt  up  those  people  who  did  good  work  on 
earth  but  never  got  any  credit  for  it.  If  others  do  not  make  us  acquainted  with 
them  God  will  take  us  through.  Come,  let  us  go  around  and  look  at  the  circuit  of 
brilhant  thrones.  Why,  those  people  must  have  done  something  very  wonderful  on 
earth.  "  Who  art  thou,  mighty  one  of  heaven  ?  "  Answer  :  "  I  was  by  choice  the 
unmarried  daughter  that  stayed  at  home  to  take  care  of  father  and  mother  in  their 
old  days."  " Is  that  all ?  "  " That  is  all."  Pass  along.  "  Who  art  thou ?  "  "I 
was  for  thirty  years  an  invalid.  I  wrote  letters  of  condolence  to  those  whom  I 
thought  were  worse  off  than  I.  I  sometimes  was  well  enough  to  make  a  garment 
for  the  poor  family  on  the  back  lane."  "  Is  that  all  ?  "  "  That  is  all."  Pass 
further  along.  "Who  art  thou?"  "I  was  a  mother  who  brought  up  a  large 
family  of  children  for  God.  Some  of  them  are  Christian  mechanics,  some  are 
Christian  merchants,  some  are  Christian  wives."  "  Is  that  all  ?  "  "  That  is  all." 
Pass  along  a  httle  further.  "  Who  art  thou ? "  "I  had  a  Sabbath  school  class  on 
earth,  and  I  had  them  on  my  heart  until  they  all  came  into  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  now  I  am  waiting  for  them."  "Is  that  all?"  "That  is  all."  Pass  a  little 
further  along  the  circuit  of  thrones.  "  Who  art  thou,  mighty  one  of  heaven  ?  " 
"  In  time  of  bitter  persecution  I  owned  a  house  in  Damascus,  and  the  balcony 
reached  over  the  wall,  and  a  minister  who  preached  Christ  was  pursued,  and  I  hid 
him  away  from  the  assassins,  and  when  I  could  no  more  seclude  him  I  told  him  to 
fly  for  his  life,  and  in  a  basket  this  maltreated  one  was  let  down  over  the  wall,  and 
I  was  one  who  helped  hold  the  rope."  III.  Hencefohth  consider  nothing  unim- 
portant  THAT   you   are   CALLED   TO   DO,   IF   IT   BE   ONLY   TO   HOLD   A   ROPE.      A   Cuuard 

steamer  had  splendid  equipment,  but  in  putting  up  a  stove  in  the  pilot  house  a  nail 
was  driven  too  near  the  compass.  The  ship's  officer,  deceived  by  that  distracted 
compass,  put  the  ship  two  hundred  miles  off  the  right  course.  One  night  the  man 
on  the  look-out  shouted,  "Land,  ho!"  within  a  few  rods  of  demolition  on  Nan- 
tucket shoals.  A  sixpenny  nail  came  near  wrecking  a  Cunarder.  Small  ropes  hold 
great  destinies.  In  1871  a  minister  in  Boston  sat  by  his  table  writing.  He  could 
not  get  the  right  word,  and  he  put  his  hands  behind  his  head  and  tilted  back  the 
chair,  trying  to  recall  that  word,  when  the  ceiling  fell  and  crushed  the  desk  over 
which  a  moment  before  he  had  been  leaning.  A  missionary  in  Jamaica  was  kept 
by  the  light  of  an  insect  called  a  candle  fly  from  stepping  off  a  precipice  a  hundred 
feet.  F.  W.  Robertson  declared  that  he  was  brought  into  the  ministry  through  a 
train  of  circumstances  started  by  the  barking  of  a  dog.  If  the  wind  had  blown  one 
way  the  Spanish  Inquisition  would  have  been  estabUshed  in  England.  Nothing 
unimportant  in  your  life  or  mine.  Place  six  noughts  on  the  right  side  of  the  figure 
"  1,"  and  you  have  a  million.  Place  our  nothingness  on  the  right  side,  and  you 
have  augmentation  illimitable  ;  but  be  sure  you  are  on  the  right  side.  (T.  De  Witt 
Talmage,  D.D.) 


IHAP.  xn.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  465 


CHAPTER  xn. 

Veks.  1-10.  It  iB  not  expedient  for  me  doubtless  to  glory. — On  Paul  being  caught 
up  to  the  third  heaven  : — In  the  words  of  the  apostle,  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Colossians, 
I  call  upon  you,  "  If  ye  be  risen  with  Christ,  seek  those  things  that  are  above,  where 
Christ  sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of  God."  "  Set  your  affections  on  things  above, 
and  not  on  things  on  the  earth."  Yes,  to  such  an  exercise  of  the  affections  we  have 
constant  need  to  exhort  one  another.  Perhaps  we  know  too  little  of  the  glorious 
things  above  in  order  to  love  them  heartily.  First,  let  us  consider  the  event  itself ; 
secondly,  what  the  apostle  saw  in  heaven.  1.  Who  is  the  man  that  speaks  to  us  in 
our  text  ?  The  more  remarkable  the  things  are  which  any  one  relates,  the  more 
important  it  is  to  know  who  our  informant  is,  whether  he  deserves  credit.  Now, 
you  are  aware  that  the  speaker  on  this  occasion  is  no  fanciful  enthusiast,  no  mere 
sentimentalist.  He  is  a  man  who  in  numerous  passages  of  his  Epistles  zealously 
opposed  religious  delusions  and  a  false  spirituality,  and  strove  to  fix  both  himself 
and  the  Church  on  the  written,  firm,  prophetic  Word,  and  not  on  feelings,  visions, 
and  ecstasies.  Indeed,  we  may  say  of  him  that  a  calm  reflective  understanding 
predominated  in  him  more  than  in  any  other  of  the  apostles.  He  was  also  a  man 
of  learning.  It  cannot  be  imagined  for  one  moment  that  vainglory  and  self- 
exaltation  prompted  him  to  give  the  narrative  contained  in  our  text.  Oh  !  in  what 
a  light  do  we,  imperfect  Christians,  appear  when  placed  by  the  side  of  this  great 
apostle  1  We  who  are  used  to  experience  only  some  slight  measure  of  answer  to 
prayer  and  of  spiritual  elevation.  Only  think !  for  fourteen  years  he  kept  this 
matter  to  himself !  How  does  this  impress  on  it  the  stamp  of  truth !  Let  us  now 
consider  the  statements  of  the  apostle.  He  begins  with  saying,  "  It  is  not  expedient 
for  me,  doubtless,  to  glory."  Do  not  imagine  (he  means  to  say)  that  I  wish  to 
utter  this  for  my  own  glory.  "  I  knew  a  man  in  Christ,"  he  goes  on  to  say.  Paul 
speaks  of  himself  as  of  a  third  person.  In  looking  back  on  a  period  of  life  long 
since  passed,  a  person  feels  as  if  he  was  contemplating  another  and  not  himself. 
At  such  a  distance  a  person  judges  of  himself  with  more  freedom,  impartiality,  and 
truth.  Paul  calls  himself  "  a  man  in  Christ."  He  enjoyed  the  great  privilege  to 
lose  sight  of  his  own  personality,  and  only  to  view  himself  in  the  attire  of  his 
Surety.  He  had  a  special  reason  for  calling  himself  on  this  occasion  "  a  man  in 
Christ."  He  wishes  in  doing  so  to  meet  the  question  how  it  came  to  pass  that  he 
was  so  highly  honoured  ;  it  was  because  he  was  a  man  in  Christ  that  before  him 
the  gates  of  paradise  must  fly  open.  He  says,  "  I  was  caught  up  "  ;  according  to 
the  word  used  in  the  original,  I  was  forcibly  carried  away.  He  was  caught  up  from 
the  earth.  But  whither  ?  To  some  blessed  star,  from  whence,  as  Moses  viewed 
the  promised  land,  so  he  might  view  the  land  of  glory  glimmering  in  the  distance  ? 
Oh  no,  his  flight  went  further.  He  was  in  the  very  heart  of  this  land.  How  often 
in  the  dark  seasons  of  his  Uf e  had  he  looked  with  sighs  to  this  distant  region ! 
How  often  had  he  thought  that  he  would  willingly  resign  everything  on  earth  that 
only  a  fleeting  glance  might  be  allowed  him  through  the  impenetrable  veil  which 
covers  that  land  of  immortal  beauty !  There  he  stood.  The  tumult  of  the  world 
was  hushed  around  him.  Oh  what  a  life  in  those  serene  fields  of  light  and  love ! 
In  those  palmy  groves  of  everlasting  peace  what  forms,  what  visions,  what  tones  of 
praise !  2.  Was  Paul  then  literally  in  heaven  ?  Is  there,  in  fact,  a  world  of 
blessedness  behind  the  clouds  ?  Truly  I  think  that  Paul  was  not  the  first  to  inform 
us  of  that.  He  says,  "  He  was  caught  up  into  paradise,  and  heard  unspeakable 
words,  which  it  is  not  lawful  for  a  man  to  utter."  And  his  meaning  appears  to  be 
simply  this  :  what  he  had  heard  and  seen  during  this  visit  to  the  other  world  was 
of  such  a  peculiar  kind  that  it  was  absolutely  impossible  to  express  it  in  human 
language.  Oh  yes,  the  apostle  might  have  been  cordially  willing  to  have  painted 
before  our  eyes  an  image  of  that  blessed  world,  but  whence  could  he  take  the 
colours  for  the  painting  ?  Would  he  have  taken  something  from  the  light  of  the 
sun,  from  the  blooming  meadows  of  our  earthly  spring,  from  the  groves  and  solemn 
stillness  of  our  summer  mornings  ?  Alas !  he  would  only  have  dipped  his  pencil 
in  poor  dull  shades.  All  this  the  apostle  felt,  and  he  preferred  being  silent.  He 
might  have  been  willing  to  describe  to  us  how  the  saints  appeared.  Oh,  gladly 
would  he  have  told  us  in  what  glory  his  Lord  and  Saviour  there  appeared  to  him. 
But  what  could  he  say  ?  But  there  is  still  another  circumstance  which  perhaps 
gives  us  a  greater  idea  of  the  glory  of  what  Paul  heard  and  felt  in  the  third  heaven 

30 


466  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xii. 

than  even  his  silence — I  mean  the  ardent  longing  of  the  apostle  to  return  again  to 
the  blessedness  that  he  had  once  enjoyed.  But  his  wishes  could  not  be  taken  into 
consideration.  He  was  obliged  to  return  to  this  dark  earth  and  to  the  toilsome 
path  of  his  apostleship.  But  after  his  return  his  renunciation  of  the  world  and  its 
lusts  was  rendered  complete.  His  conversation  is  henceforth  in  heaven.  Paul 
knew  that  he  could  return  to  the  blessedness  he  had  beheld  by  no  other  path  than 
4eath.  Well,  be  it  so,  no  hour  was  more  longed  for  by  him  than  that.  What  the 
apostle  saw  on  this  occasion  we  certainly  cannot  see  in  the  same  way,  but  we  may 
still  behold  it  in  the  mirror  of  an  unimpeachable  testimony.  (F.  W.  Krummacher.) 
I  will  come  to  visions  and  revelations  of  tlie  Lord. — Paul's  vision : — How  did  St. 
Paul  come  to  speak  of  himself  under  the  personality  of  another?  1.  Natural  diffi- 
dence. For  the  more  refined  a  man  is  the  more  he  will  avoid  direct  mention  of 
himself.  All  along  he  has  been  forced  to  speak  of  self.  Fact  after  fact  was  wrung 
-out.  2.  St.  Paul  speaks  of  a  divided  experience  of  two  selves:  one  Paul  in  the 
third  heaven,  enjoying  the  beatific  vision;  another  on  earth,  buffeted  by  Satan. 
The  former  he  chose  rather  to  regard  as  the  Paul  that  was  to  be.  He  dwelt  on  the 
latter  as  the  actual  Paul,  lest  he  should  mistake  himself  in  the  midst  of  the 
heavenly  revelations.  Such  a  double  nature  is  in  us  all.  In  all  there  is  an  Adam 
and  a  Christ — an  ideal  and  a  real.  Witness  the  strange  discrepancy  often  between 
the  writings  of  the  poet  or  the  sermons  of  the  preacher  and  their  actual  hves.  And 
yet  in  this  there  is  no  necessary  hypocrisy,  for  the  one  represents  the  man's  aspira- 
tion, the  other  his  attainment.  But  the  apostle  felt  that  it  was  dangerous  to  be 
satisfied  with  mere  aspirations  and  fine  sayings,  and  therefore  he  chose  to  take  the 
lowest — the  actual  self — treating  the  highest  as,  for  the  time,  another  man  (ver.  5). 
Were  the  caterpillar  to  feel  within  himself  the  wings  that  are  to  be,  and  be  haunted 
■with  instinctive  forebodings  of  the  time  when  he  shall  hover  about  flowers  and 
meadows,  yet  the  wisdom  of  that  caterpillar  would  be  to  remember  his  present 
business  on  the  leaf,  lest,  losing  himself  in  dreams,  he  should  never  become  a 
■winged  insect  at  all.  I.  The  time  when  this  vision  took  place.  The  date  is 
vague — "  about  fourteen  years  ago."  Some  have  identified  it  with  that  recorded 
(Acts  ix.)  at  his  conversion.  But — 1.  The  words  in  that  transaction  were  not 
"  unlawful  to  utter."  They  are  three  times  recorded.  2.  There  was  no  doubt  as 
to  St.  Paul's  own  locality  in  that  vision.  So  far  from  being  exalted,  he  was  stricken 
to  the  ground.  3.  The  vision  was  of  an  humbling  character:  "Saul,  Saul,  why 
persecutest  thou  Me  ?  "  H.  Paul  had  known  many  such  visions  (ver.  7).  1.  This 
marks  out  the  man.  Indeed,  to  comprehend  the  visions  we  must  comprehend  the 
man.  For  God  does  not  reveal  His  mysteries  to  men  of  selfish  or  hard  or 
phlegmatic  temperaments,  but  to  those  of  spiritual  sensitiveness.  There  are 
physically  certain  sensitivenesses  to  sound  and  colour  that  qualify  men  to  become 
gifted  musicians  and  painters— so  spiritually  there  are  certain  susceptibilities,  and 
on  these  God  bestows  strange  gifts,  sights,  and  feelings  not  to  be  uttered  in  human 
language.  The  Jewish  temperament^its  fervour,  moral  sense,  veneration, 
indomitable  will,  adapted  it  to  be  the  organ  of  revelation.  2.  Now  all  this  was,  in 
its  fulness,  in  St.  Paul.  A  heart,  a  brain,  and  a  soul  of  fire ;  all  his  life  a 
suppressed  volcano ;  his  acts  "  living  things  with  hands  and  feet,"  his  words  "  half 
battles."  A  man,  consequently,  of  terrible  inward  conflicts  (read  Eom.  vii.).  You 
will  find  there  no  dull  metaphysics ;  aU  is  intensely  personal.  So,  too,  in  Acts  xvi. 
He  had  no  abstract  perception  of  Macedonia's  need  of  the  gospel.  To  his  soul  a 
man  of  Macedonia  cries,  "  Come  over  and  help  us."  Again  (Acts  xviii.),  a  message 
came  in  a  vision.  St.  Paul's  life  was  with  God,  his  very  dreams  were  of  God.  He 
saw  a  Form  which  others  did  not  see,  and  heard  a  Voice  which  others  could  not 
hear  (Acts  xxvii.  23).  3.  But  such  things  are  seen  and  heard  under  certain  condi- 
tions. Many  of  St.  Paul's 'visions  were  when  he  was — (1)  "Fasting."  "Fulness 
of  bread  "  and  abundance  of  idleness  are  not  the  conditions  in  which  we  can  see 
the  things  of  God.  (2)  In  the  midst  of  trial.  In  the  prison,  during  the  shipwreck, 
while  "  the  thorn  was  in  his  flesh."  4.  This  was  the  experience  of  Christ  HimseK. 
God  does  not  lavish  His  choicest  gifts,  but  reserves  them.  5.  Yet  though  inspira- 
tion is  granted  in  its  fulness  only  to  rare,  choice  spirits,  in  degree  it  belongs  to  all 
Christians.  There  have  been  moments,  surely,  in  our  experience,  when  the  vision 
of  God  was  clear.  They  were  not  moments  of  fulness  or  success.  In  some  season 
•of  desertion  you  have  in  solitary  longing  seen  the  sky-ladder  as  Jacob  saw  it,  or  in 
childish  purity — for  "  Heaven  lies  around  us  in  our  infancy" — heard  a  voice  as 
•Samuel  did ;  or  in  feebleness  of  health,  when  the  weight  of  the  bodily  frame  was 
taken  off.  Faith  brightened  her  eagle  eye,  and  saw  far  into  the  tranquil  things  of 


CHAP.  XII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  467 

death  ;  or  in  prayer  you  have  been  conscious  of  a  Hand  in  yours,  and  a  Voice,  and 
you  could  abnost  feel  the  Eternal  Breath  upon  your  brow.  III.  The  things  seen 
ARE  UNUTTERABLE.  1.  They  are  "unspeakable"  because  they  are  untranslatable 
into  language.  The  fruits  of  the  Spirit — love,  joy,  peace,  cfec. — how  can  these 
be  explained  in  words  ?  Our  feelings,  convictions,  aspirations,  devotions,  what 
sentences  of  earth  can  express  them  ?  In  Kev.  iv.  John  in  high  symbolic 
language  attempts,  but  inadequately,  to  shadow  forth  the  glory  which  his 
spirit  realised,  but  which  his  sense  saw  not.  For  heaven  is  not  scenery,  nor 
anything  appreciable  by  ear  or  eye;  heaven  is  God  felt.  2.  They  are  "not 
lawful  for  a  man  to  utter."  Christian  modesty  forbids.  There  are  trans- 
figuration moments,  bridal  hours  of  the  soul,  and  not  easily  forgiven  are  those 
who  would  utter  the  secrets  of  its  high  intercourse  with  its  Lord.  You  cannot 
discuss  such  subjects  without  vulgarising  them.  God  dwells  in  the  thick  dark- 
ness. Silence  knows  more  of  Him  than  speech.  His  name  is  secret,  therefore 
beware  how  you  profane  His  stillness.  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that 
fear  Him.  To  each  of  His  servants  He  giveth  "  a  white  stone,  and  in  the  stone  a 
new  name  written,  which  no  man  knoweth  save  he  that  receiveth  it."  (F.  W. 
Robertson,  M.A.)  St.  Paul's  rapture  and  thorn  in  the  flesh  : — Paul  probably 
refers  to  the  "  trance,"  or  vision,  of  Acts  xxii.  I.  Some  explanation  of  this 
KEMARKABLE  PASSAGE.  1.  The  nature  of  the  vision.  It  was  in  a  state  in  which  the 
mental  faculties,  apart  from  the  senses,  are  so  engrossed  by  certain  objects  as  to 
render  the  mind  incapable  of  attending  to  any  other.  Such  raptures  were  one  of 
the  ancient  modes  of  inspiration.  God  spake  to  Moses,  David,  and  the  prophets  in 
visions,  and  their  return  in  the  days  of  the  apostles  served  to  evince  the  identity  of 
the  two  dispensations  in  their  origin  and  authority.  2.  The  special  communica- 
tions made  Ln  this  vision.  If  the  "  third  heaven  "  is  the  place  where  God  imme- 
diately resides,  we  are  sure  that  "  paradise  "  is  the  same,  from  the  promise  to  the 
penitent  malefactor.  There  Paul  "  heard  unspeakable  words,"  &c.  Doubtless  the 
inhabitants  of  heaven  conceive  of  objects  in  a  manner  as  superior  to  our  modes  of 
conception  as  are  the  objects  themselves  to  those  of  earth.  How,  then,  could  tbey 
communicate  their  conceptions  to  beings  of  our  limited  and  dull  faculties  !  In  like 
manner  the  apostle  on  his  return  to  his  former  state  would  find  an  insurmountable 
impediment  to  the  communications  of  what  he  had  seen  and  heard.  But  though 
not  to  be  described  in  the  language  of  sense,  it  would  appear  from  the  effect  left  on 
his  mind  that  the  revelation  was  of  the  most  exhilarating  nature  ;  a  tone  had  been 
given  to  his  character,  and  a  new  and  seraphic  passion  had  been  kindled  in  his  soul. 
He  felt  for  ever  afterwards  as  a  man  to  whom  heaven  was  not  altogether  future. 
3.  The  affliction  with  which  he  was  immediately  visited.  U.  The  general 
instruction  which  it  furnishes.  Note — 1.  The  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  in 
those  severe  afflictions  with  which  even  eminent  saints  may  be  visited.  2.  The 
Divine  nature  of  Christ,  and  His  immediate  presidency  over  the  affairs  of  the 
whole  Church.  This  Divine  Saviour  is  particularly  employed  about  the  mission  of 
His  servants,  their  qualifications  for  office,  their  trials,  supports,  and  deliverance. 
Hence  the  propriety  of  direct  address  to  Him  in  critical  circumstances,  while,  in 
the  ordinary  cpurse  of  affairs,  the  ultimate  object  of  address  is  the  Almighty 
Father.  3.  The  existence  of  paradise  and  a  third  heaven  as  the  receptacle 
of  the  souls  of  believers.  What  ground,  then,  for  the  notion  of  a  sleepy 
condition  of  the  soul  after  death  ?     (J.  Leif child,  D.D.) 

Ver.  2.  I  knew  a  man  in  Christ. — Seven  blessings  of  being  "  in  Christ  " : — I.  De- 
liverance  FROM   THE   DEADLY   CURSE   WHICH   SIN   ENTAILS   (Rom.  viii.    1).      In   Noah's 

ark  there  was  no  deluge ;  in  Christ  Jesus  there  is  no  condemnation.  II.  Ever- 
lasting LEFE.  Of  this  Christ  is  the  single  source.  Paul  addresses  the  Church  at 
Eome  as  "alive  unto  God  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  The  Master  said,  "  Because  I 
live  ye  shall  live  also."  "  It  is  not  I,"  said  Paul,  "  but  Christ  that  liveth  in  me."  If 
the  nurseryman  inserts  the  graft  of  a  golden  pippin  into  an  apple  tree,  that  graft 
might  say  truly,  It  is  not  I  that  hve,  but  the  whole  tree  liveth  in  me.  So  Divine  a 
thing  is  this  life  that  it  is  described  as — HI.  A  new  creation.  This  word  "  new  " 
signifies  also  what  is  fresh,  and  unimpaired,  and  unworn,  like  a  bright  garment 
from  its  maker's  hand.  How  imperative  is  it  that  we  keep  this  unspotted  by  the 
world !  Not  for  ornament  merely  is  it  given,  but  for  use.  TV.  Acceptance  in  the 
Beloved.  If  we  are  received  into  favour,  it  is  solely  for  Christ's  sake.  V.  Peace 
(PhU.  iv.  7).  VI.  Fulness  of  spiritual  supply  (Col.  ii.  10).  "  Ye  are  filled  fuE 
in  Christ."    Why  need  I  hunger  when  in  my  father's  house  and  in  my  Saviour'a 


468  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xii. 

heart  are  such  wealth  beyond  a  whole  universe  to  drain  ?  VII.  Triumph.  "  Thanks 
be  unto  God  who  always  causeth  us  to  triumph  in  Christ !  "  This  is  the  believer's 
battle-cry  and  paean  of  victory.  Jesus  gives  the  victory,  and  will  bring  us  oii  more 
than  conquerors.  (T.  L.  Cuyler,  D.D.)  I  forbeax,  lest  any  man  should  think  of 
me  above  that  which  he  seeth  me  to  be. — Visible  character,  not  private  vision,  the 
Christian  mark  : — That  we  may  reach  the  apostle's  meaning  here  it  is  needful  to 
look  at  what  he  writes  immediately  before  our  text.  The  favour  which  certain  false 
teachers  had  met  with  in  the  Church  at  Corinth  had  compelled  Paul,  out  of  regard 
for  the  safety  of  the  believers  there,  to  remind  them,  by  direct  assertion,  of  his  own 
superior  claim.  Such  seK-assertion  was  not  agreeable  to  his  own  feelings.  Yet  his 
was  not  the  self-assertion  of  vainglory.  First  and  last  he  gives  God  the  praise.  He 
rejoices  not,  nor  glories,  in  his  strength,  but  in  his  infirmities  ;  for  it  is  through  his 
human  infirmities  that  Divine  grace  and  power  become  more  clearly  manifest.  These 
very  weaknesses  are  turned  to  highest  account.  As  a  ground  of  glorying  and  of  claim 
to  their  regard,  he  might  urge  the  "  visions  and  revelations  of  the  Lord  "  with 
which  he  had  been  favoured,  but  he  forbears.  Meantime,  we  must  note  the  fact  of 
these  visions  and  revelations.  They  point  to  intimate  spiritual  communications — 
openings,  so  to  speak,  into  the  higher  sphere  of  God's  thought  and  presence,  so 
bright  as  to  cast  into  the  shade,  for  the  time  being,  all  consciousness  connected  with 
the  lower  sphere  of  bodily  existence.  Any  philosophy,  or  way  of  conceiving  of 
things,  which  throws  doubt  on  the  spiritual  contact  of  God  with  man,  is  fatal  to 
spiritual  life  and  growth.  For  such  a  way  of  thinking  involves  a  partial  dethrone- 
ment of  the  universal  God.  Never  in  any  age  of  the  world  does  He  shut  Himself  off 
from  contact  with  His  children.  In  dealing  with  claims  to  spiritual  enlightenment 
and  influence,  it  behoves  us  to  consider  them  cautiously.  And  even  when  we  feel 
sure  of  them  it  becomes  us  to  be  modest  in  the  assertion  thereof.  If  others  assert 
such  claims  on  their  own  behalf,  we  are  in  nowise  bound  either  to  admit  or  deny 
them.  No  man  is  authorised  to  demand  from  others  respect  for  such  claims  except 
in  so  far  as  he  can  support  them  by  outward  evidence.  It  becomes  us,  then,  to  for- 
bear as  the  Apostle  Paul  did.  "  Visions  and  revelations  from  the  Lord  "  we  may  have 
— rapt  and  ecstatic  states  of  mind — sweet  and  strengthening  hours  of  devout  medi- 
tation and  prayer ;  but  of  these  it  becomes  us  not  to  speak  in  the  way  of  mere  asser- 
tion as  ground  of  boasting  or  superiority.  From  whatever  point  we  approach  the 
matter  we  find  that  the  last  test  of  true  religion  is  to  be  found  in  its  manifestation 
in  character  and  life.  "  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them,"  said  Jesus.  This  is 
the  Christian  mark.  AU  divinely  inspired  prophets  and  apostles  speak  in  the  same 
strain.  If  the  word  revealed  within  is  as  the  candle  of  the  Lord  shining  there, 
lighting  up  truth,  justice,  and  love  clearly  to  our  apprehension,  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  such  a  light  has  not  been  given  for  private  and  selfish  use.  If  this  be 
forgotten,  the  light  within  becomes  darkness.  The  ambition  which  seeks  the  regard 
of  others  beyond  that  which  its  actual  merits  justify  is  the  sure  token  of  spiritual 
poverty  and  vanity.  "  I  forbear,"  says  the  great  apostle,  "  lest  any  man  should 
think  of  me  above  which  he  seeth  me  to  be."  And  so  let  every  man  forbear  from 
boastful  reference  to  his  superior  illumination  and  cherish  that  wholesome  fear  that 
he  should  be  judged  worthy  beyond  the  measure  which  his  actual  life  testifies.  For 
to  this  end  was  such  vision  given — that  its  light  should  shine  by  its  good  works,  and 
God  our  heavenly  Father  be  glorified  in  the  lives  of  His  faithful  children.  {John 
Cordner.) 

Vers.  7-11.  And  lest  I  should  be  exalted  above  measure  .  .  .  there  was  given 
me  a  thorn  in  the  flesh. — St.  PauVs  thorn  in  thejlesh  : — 1.  These  verses  treat  of 
Christian  trials  under  the  figure  of  a  thorn  in  the  flesh.  We  should  inquire 
not  what  the  thorn  was,  but  why  it  was  sent.  Some  trials  are  evidently  not  of  the 
nature  of  a  thorn.  1.  A  thorn  is  a  small,  invisible  cause  of  suffering ;  some  secret 
trouble.  2.  St.  Paul's  thorn  was  something  evil,  for  he  calls  it  a  messenger  of 
Satan.  Pain  can  be  blessed  to  us,  but  it  is  not  in  itself  a  blessed  thing.  Now  the 
Bible  calls  these  things  evUs,  to  be  got  rid  of  if  possible.  God  does  not  command  St. 
Paul  to  think  the  throb  of  his  thorn  enjoyable.  3.  A  thorn  causes  unvarying,  inces- 
sant pain  :  to  forget  it  is  impossible.  It  seems  perversely  to  come  in  contact  with 
every  obstacle.  And  some  sorrows  are  for  ever  smarting ;  some  blot  on  our  birth,  or 
some  domestic  incongruity  which  the  man  may  forget  at  his  labour  ;  but  the  time 
comes  when  he  must  go  home,  and  there  is  the  thorn  awaiting  him.  II.  The 
SPIRITUAL  USES  OF  THIS  EXPERIENCE.  1.  To  make  US  humble.  "  Lest  I  should  be 
exalted  above  measure."    It  is  strange  that  pride  is  felt  for  those  things  over 


CHAP.  XII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  469 

which  we  have  the  least  control,  and  to  which  we  have  the  least  right.  In  the 
school  the  vain  boy  is  not  he  who  has  amassed  knowledge  by  hard  toil,  but  he  whose 
genius  is  often  made  an  excuse  for  idleness.  Hereditary  rank,  over  which  we  have 
no  control,  and  which  demands  that  we  should  be  more  noble  than  other  men,  is 
often  the  cause  of  pride.  He  is  not  usually  proud  of  wealth  who  has  toiled  for  it, 
but  rather  he  who  has  won  it  by  a  lucky  speculation.  The  real  hard  worker  is 
seldom  proud  ;  he  has  known  so  much  of  his  ignorance,  his  weakness,  in  the  hard 
work  of  acquiring.  So  in  things  spiritual.  The  proud  man  is  he  who  dreams  and 
lives  in  the  third  heaven,  and  is  too  grand  to  have  to  do  with  this  low  earth,  and 
who  substitutes  his  frames  and  fine  feelings  for  good  works.  Now  to  bring  all  this 
down  God  sends  thorns.  Bitter  penury  will  guard  a  man  from  extravagance  ;  and 
great  reverses  from  reckless  speculation  will  often  bring  to  experience  the  meanness 
of  debt.  There  is  no  better  humiliator  than  constant  physical  pain.  By  the  con- 
stitution of  our  planet  there  are  peculiar  trials  to  our  physical  frame  ;  in  the  tem- 
perate zone,  biting  frosts  and  cold ;  in  the  warmer  climate,  the  serpent  and  the 
constant  fever ;  everywhere  there  is  the  thorn  in  the  flesh.  2.  To  teach  us  spiritual 
dependence.  Liberty  is  one  thing — -independence  another  ;  a  man  is  free,  politically, 
whose  rightful  energies  are  not  cramped  by  the  selfish,  unjust  claims  of  another. 
A  man  is  independent,  politically,  when  he  is  free  from  every  tie  that  binds  man  to 
man.  One  is  national  blessedness,  the  other  is  national  anarchy.  Liberty  makes 
you  loyal  to  the  grand  law,  "  I  ought"  ;  independence  subjects  you  to  the  evil  law, 
*'  I  will."  So  also  religious  freedom  emancipates  a  man  from  every  hindrance 
which  prevents  his  right  action.  Every  Christian  ought  to  be  a  free  man,  but  no 
Christian  is  or  ought  to  be  independent.  "  Look  not  every  man  on  his  own  things, 
but  on  the  things  of  others."  "  Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens."  "All  things  are 
lawful  to  me,  but  all  things  are  not  expedient,"  &c.  Is  that  independence  ?  There 
is  no  independence  on  earth  ;  we  are  all  dependent  on  the  breath  of  God.  Trial  soon 
forces  us  to  feel  this.  As  well  might  the  clouds  that  surround  the  setting  sun,  tinged 
with  gold  and  vermUion,  boast  that  they  shine  by  their  o\vn  light.  So  when  we 
know  ourselves  aright  we  shall  feel  that  we  are  strengthless  and  must  depend  entirely 
on  His  all-sufficient  grace.  (F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.)  The  thorn  in  the  flesh  : — I. 
The  apostle's  trial.  "  Thei-e  was  given  to  me,"  says  he,  "  a  thorn  in  the  flesh,  the 
messenger  of  Satan  to  buffet  me."  1.  Observe,  he  traces  the  dispensation  to  its 
appointment,  "  There  was  given  to  me."  Affliction  cometh  not  forth  of  the  dust, 
neither  doth  trouble  spring  out  of  the  ground."  "  I  was  dumb,"  says  David,  "  and 
opened  not  my  mouth,  because  Thou  didst  it."  "  It  is  the  Lord,  let  Him  do  what 
seemeth  Him  good."  2.  Observe  further,  that  although  St.  Paul  looks  upon  his 
trial  as  proceeding  from  God,  he  still  denominates  it  the  messenger  of  Satan.  Does 
this  appear  strange  ?  The  bitter  draught  was  only  administered  by  Satan ;  it  was 
prescribed  by  God.  God  appointed  the  evil,  and  Satan,  by  His  permission,  inflicted 
it.  This  is  all  that  the  devil  can  do.  II.  But  let  us  inquire  into  the  design  of  the 
apostle's  affliction.  As  our  heavenly  Father  gives  every  trial,  so  He  has  some 
object  in  view  in  giving  them.  "  He  doth  not,"  says  the  prophet  Jeremiah,  "  afflict 
willingly  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men."  The  Physician  frequently,  however, 
sends  trials  not  to  heal  our  spiritual  maladies  but  to  prevent  them.  "  0  Lord, 
Thou  hast  searched  me  and  known  me ;  Thou  understandest  my  thoughts  afar  off." 
God  does  not,  therefore,  require  that  sin  should  manifest  itself  in  the  outward  con- 
duct in  order  to  attract  His  notice ;  He  beholds  its  secret  risings  in  the  heart ;  and 
often  before  the  storm  arises  He  drives  us  to  a  place  of  refuge.  IH.  The  apostle's 
CONDUCT  under  HIS  TRIAL.  He  did  not  give  way  to  fretfulness  or  become  sullen  and 
dejected ;  he  did  not  begin  to  quarrel  with  God,  to  charge  Him  foolishly,  to  murmur 
at  His  dealings,  or  to  insinuate  that  the  same  end  might  have  been  attained  by  less 
severe  means.  Three  things  are  deserving  of  notice  in  this  prayer  of  the  apostle. 
1.  The  subject  of  it.  He  prayed  that  his  affliction  might  be  removed.  To  be  patient 
and  submissive  under  afflictive  dispensations  is  plainly  a  Christian  duty.  But  prayer 
for  the  removal  of  our  trials  is  not  inconsistent  with  submission  under  them.  2. 
And  observe  how  he  prayed — (1)  Earnestly.  "I  besought  the  Lord."  His  was  not 
a  cold  and  lifeless  prayer,  the  prayer  of  the  formalist  who  is  indifferent  about  its 
success.  (2)  Perseveringly.  He  besought  the  Lord  thrice.  He  humbly  resolved, 
like  Jacob,  to  wrestle  till  he  prevailed.  He  continued  to  knock  tUl  the  door  was 
opened.  3.  Observe,  further,  to  whom  the  apostle  prayed.  It  was  to  Jesus  Christ. 
This  is  evident,  for  St.  Paul  distinctly  regards  the  answer  as  having  come  from  the 
Saviour :  "  Most  gladly  therefore  will  I  rather  glory  in  my  infirmities  that  the  power  of 
Christ  may  rest  upon  me."   And  to  whom  should  we  fly  in  the  hour  of  trial  but  to  the 


470  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xn. 

same  almighty  Saviour,  who  "  took  our  infirmities  and  bare  our  sicknesses"  ?  He 
can  enter  into  all  the  trials  of  His  people.  "  We  have  not  an  High  Priest  which 
cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  but  was  in  all  points  tempted 
like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin."  IV.  The  next  point  for  our  consideration  is,  the 
ANSWER  RECEIVED  BY  THE  APOSTLE.  "  And  He  Said  unto  me,  My  grace  is  sufficient 
for  thee,  for  My  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness."  As  our  prayers  are  not  always 
answered  when  we  expect,  so  neither  are  they  at  aU  times  answered  in  the  way  that 
we  look  for.  Was  it  not  the  same  thing  to  him  whether  his  burden  were  removed 
or  whether  strength  were  given  to  sustain  him  under  it  ?  Nay,  was  it  not  infinitely 
better  for  him  that  the  gold  should  remain  in  the  furnace  since  it  was  promised  that 
the  fire  should  not  destroy  or  injure  but  only  refine  it?  V.  Notice  in  the  last 
place  HIS  PIOUS  resolution:  "Most  gladly  therefore  will  I  rather  glory  in  my 
infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ  may  rest  upon  me."  Earnestly  as  he  had  be- 
fore desired  the  removal  of  his  trial  he  desires  it  no  longer.  {W.  Cardall,  B.A.) 
The  "  tJwrri  in  the  fiesh,"  or  soul  schooling  : — These  words  teach  us — I.  That  thk 

EXERCISE  or  SPIRITUAL  DISCIPLINE  IS  EXPEDIENT  FOR  THE  BEST  OF  MEN.       Paul  required 

it.  "  Lest  I  should  be  exalted,"  &c.  1.  Pride  is  a  great  spiritual  evil.  (1)  Most 
inimical  to  soul-progress.  "  Pride  goeth  before  destruction,"  &c.  (2)  Most  offensive 
to  God.  "  He  resisteth  the  proud,"  &c.  2.  Good  men  have  sometimes  great 
temptations  to  pride.  II.  That  the  mode  of  spiritual  discipline  is  sometimes 
VERY  painful.  Paul  was  visited  with  a  "thorn  in  the  flesh."  What  the  thorn  was 
is  a  question  for  speculation ;  the  idea  is  plain.  Note — 1.  That  suffering  stands 
connected  with  Satan.  The  great  original  sinner  is  the  father  of  suffering.  2. 
That  both  suffering  and  Satan  are  under  the  direction  of  God.  He  makes  them 
subserve  the  discipline  of  His  people,  the  good  of  the  universe,  and  the  glory  of 
His  name.  HI.  That  the  means  of  spiritual  discipline  are  sometimes  misundeb- 
stood.     Paul  prays  to  be  delivered  from  that  which  was  sent  for  his  good.     Note — 

1.  The  ignorance  which  sometimes  marks  our  prayers.  We  often,  it  is  to  be  feared, 
pray  against  our  own  interests  like  a  patient  seeking  the  removal  of  a  medicine 
which  alone  could  restore  him.  Do  you  pray  for  the  recovery  of  a  child  ?  Should 
that  child  grow  up  to  manhood  he  might  perhaps  break  your  heart ;  spread  vice  and 
misery  through  the  entire  circle  of  his  life.  There  are  some  blessings  which  are 
positively  promised  by  God,  such  as  pardon,  &c.,  for  which  we  may  pray  not 
only  "  thrice,"  but  incessantly ;  and  there  are  others  which  we  may  esteem  desir- 
able, but  which  are  not  promised.     These  we  must  seek  in  submission  to  His  will. 

2.  The  kindness  of  God  in  not  always  answering  our  prayers.  He  knows  what  is 
best.  He  deals  with  us  as  a  wise  and  merciful  Father.  IV.  That  the  supports 
under  spiritual  discipline  are  abundant.  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee,"  <fec. 
Observe — 1.  The  nature  of  this  support.  What  matters  the  weight  of  the  burden 
if  the  "  strength  "  is  equal  to  bear  it  with  ease  !  "  As  thy  day  so  shall  thy  strength 
be."  2.  The  principle  of  the  support — "Grace."  It  comes  not  from  merit.  3. 
The  influence  of  this  support.  "  Most  gladly  therefore,"  &c.  (D.  Thomas,  D.D.) 
The  thorn  in  the  flesh : — I.  Discipline  (ver.  7).  1.  It  was  painful  in  its  nature.  2. 
It  was  Satanic  in  its  agency — "  The  messenger  of  Satan  sent  to  buffet  me."  The 
devil  has  been  the  opponent  of  the  good  in  all  ages.  Adam.  David.  Peter.  Good 
out  of  evil.  3.  It  was  counteracting  in  its  influence — "  Lest  I  should  be  exalted 
above  measure."  Counteraction  a  great  principle  in  the  economy  of  God.  In  the 
moral  realm — "  goodness  and  severity  "  of  God.  Man  is  prone  to  the  excesses  of 
despair  and  pride.  Paul's  old  sin  was  self.  The  "  besetting  sin  "  before  conversion 
threatens  to  reassume  its  old  power  after  conversion.  The  balloon  requires  the 
weight  of  sandbags.  Paul  learnt  the  lesson  of  humility.  He  speaks  of  himself 
as  one  "  not  worthy  to  be  called  an  apostle  "  ;  "  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints  "  ; 
"  the  chief  of  sinners."  "  Only  two  safe  places  for  the  believer,"  says  an  old 
preacher,  "  the  dust  and  heaven,  and  of  the  two,  the  dust  is  the  safer ;  for  the 
angels  fell  from  heaven,  but  no  one  was  ever  known  to  fall  from  the  dust."  One 
way  from  the  vaUey  of  humility — upward,  and  that  ends  in  eternal  honour.  II. 
Prayer  (ver.  8).  1.  The  prayer  was  Divine  in  its  object — "the  Lord."  Throne 
of  grace  the  best  resort  in  trouble.  Men  are  foolish  to  attempt  to  carry  their  own 
burdens.     2.  The  prayer  was  earnest  in  its  spirit — "  I  besought  the  Lord  thrice." 

3.  It  was  ignorant  in  its  request — "  That  it  might  depart  from  me."  The  "  thorn" 
was  not  pleasant,  but  it  was  profitable.  Trials  are  blessings  in  disguise.  Zigzag  is 
often  better  than  straight — though  not  so  easy.  Trials  bring  triumph,  and  losses 
gaiQ.  A  forest  in  Germany  was  consumed  by  fire,  but  underneath  a  precious  vein 
of  silver  was  discovered.    III.  Support  (ver.  9).    1.  Its  nature — "  My  strength." 


CHAP.  XII.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  471 

Conscious  weakness  is  God's  instrumentality.  Thus  there  is  not  the  shadow  of  a 
doubt  who  the  real  worker  is.  God,  not  man,  to  have  the  glory.  "Moses'  rod" 
used  to  divide  the  Red  Sea.  A  cannon  in  itself  is  a  lifeless  piece  of  iron ;  but 
when  loaded  with  ball  and  powder  and  the  spark  applied,  the  ball  becomes  a 
thunderbolt,  and  the  powder  a  flash  of  lightning,  then  the  fortress  comes  crashing 
in  ruins  to  the  ground.  2.  Its  principle — "  My  grace."  Trials  of  grace  are 
supports  of  grace.  3.  Its  effect  (ver.  10).  "  Rejoice  in  tribulation."  Tunnel  leads 
to  the  terminus.  Why  should  we  complain  and  despair?  Let  us  remember  the 
Master,  whose  brow  was  pierced  with  a  crown  of  thorns.  {B.  D.  JoJim.)  St. 
PauVs  thorn  in  the  fiesh : — I.  Signal  manifestations  of  Divine  favour  are  apt 
TO  BEGET  SPIRITUAL  PRIDE.  It  was  after  he  had  been  signally  honoured  that  Haman 
began  to  boast.  In  like  manner,  it  was  after  Paul  had  witnessed  the  glory  of 
heaven  that  he  was  in  danger  of  being  elevated  "  above  measure."     II.  Affliction 

IS    INTENDED    TO  PREVENT    AS   WELL    AS   TO   RECOVER — "  Lcst    I    should    be,"   &C.       The 

prophet  Hosea,  when  speaking  of  the  infatuated  inclination  of  Israel  to  wander 
from  the  Lord,  tells  us  that  God  detei'mined  to  hedge  her  way  with  thorns,  and 
make  a  wall  about  her,  that  she  shall  not  find  her  paths.  And  in  this  is  the 
goodness  of  God,  as  well  as  His  severity,  made  manifest.     III.  God  overrules  the 

IMMEDIATE  ACTIONS  OF  SaT.AN  FOR  HiS  OWN  GLORY  AND  GOOD  OF  HiS  PEOPLE.       Our   text 

tells  US  of  Satan  casting  out  Satan.  St.  Paul  was  preserved  from  spiritual  pride  by  a 
"  messenger  of  Satan."  IV.  Pride  is  an  object  of  God's  utter  aversion.  {J.  F. 
S.  Gordon,  M. A.)  PduVs  titorn  in  the  flesh : — 1.  We  have  an  apostle  in  danger. 
2.  We  have  Christ  using  means  to  protect  His  servant.  3.  We  have  the  wonderful 
effect  of  the  means  which  Christ  used.  The  danger  was  a  real  one.  This  thorn  in 
the  flesh  was  no  needless  pain.  Given  by  God,  it  could  never  have  come  without 
necessity.  It  was  a  real  spiritual  danger  which  confronted  St.  Paul.  But  how? 
St.  Paul  tells  us  that  the  danger  was  lest  he  should  be  exalted  above  measure,  lest 
his  spiritual  joy  at  the  revelations  should  pass  into  spiritual  pride.  It  is  un- 
doubtedly strange  that  revelations  from  God  should  expose  His  servants  to  such 
danger.  Some  say  that  it  is  impossible  that  it  should  be  so  ;  that  spiritual  light 
could  never  be  a  danger,  or  at  least  not  in  the  case  of  such  a  man  as  St.  Paul. 
St.  Paul  knew  better ;  he  knew  that  whatever  lifts  a  man  above  his  fellows  is  in 
danger  of  lifting  him  too  far,  exalting  him  above  measure.  The  lesson  here  is  that 
even  God's  best  gifts  may  expose  to  danger.  Illustrations  of  this  may  be  seen 
every  day  in  modern  life,  and  the  preacher  cited  the  case  of  a  man  who  had  been 
God's  instrument  in  the  salvation  of  many  souls  whose  own  soul  was  damaged  by  it. 
He  learned  to  boast  of  his  power  and  fell,  and  died  an  awful  death.  St.  Paul  knew 
his  peril,  and,  what  is  more,  he  acknowledged  it.  The  means  employed  to  protect 
St.  Paul  was  a  gift  from  God,  though  a  messenger  of  Satan.  We  see  that  it  came 
from  God  by  reason  of  the  aim  for  which  it  was  sent.  Here,  then,  we  have  the 
wary  eye  of  the  Great  Shepherd  on  the  watch  for  the  good  of  His  servant.  This 
"  thorn  in  the  flesh  "  was  an  abiding  pain.  Three  times  had  the  apostle  prayed  for 
its  removal.  At  the  same  time  it  was  something  which  could  be  removed,  or  why 
the  prayer  ?  St.  Paul  obtains  a  completely  new  view  of  life.  The  one  thorn  has 
explained  to  him  all  forms  of  suffering,  and  now  he  takes  pleasure  in  them. 
Though  some  of  his  afflictions  came  by  bad  men,  he  recognises  them  as  a  gift  of 
God;  and  this  thorn,  a  messenger  of  Satan  to  buffet  him,  is  transformed  into  a 
minister  of  heaven.  Many  seem  handicapped  in  their  life-work  by  pain  and 
suffering  in  themselves  and  others.  Take  the  case  of  a  young  man  whose  sick 
mother  seemed  to  be  a  burden  to  his  every  effort.  In  the  light  of  the  text 
we  see  that  that  sickness  may  be,  instead  of  a  burden,  the  very  ballast  the 
young  man  needs  to  ensure  his  safety.  {J.  A.  Beet,  D.D.)  The  temjjtation  of 
St.  Paul  : — I.  The  temptation  of  Paul.  1.  This  was  probably  some  physical 
infirmity,  and  if  it  did  not  obstruct  him  in  his  ministerial  labours,  it  i-endered  them 
difficult  and  distressing.  He  was  like  a  workman  whose  hand  was  smarting  from 
a  festering  wound,  or  like  a  traveller  with  a  foot  lacerated  and  lamed.  And  his 
affliction  was  aggravated  by  the  advantage  Satan  took  of  it.  The  Lord  put  in  the 
thorn,  and  for  gracious  purposes ;  but  Satan  endeavoured  to  defeat  those  purposes 
by  turning  the  thorn  into  a  temptation.  And  so  Satan  may  make  our  afflictions  as 
well  as  our  blessings  snares  to  us  or  poisons,  instead  of  medicines  and  blessings. 
And  the  apostle  represents  it  as  striking  and  bruising  him,  and  thus  felt  disgraced. 
2.  And  how  many  of  us  can  feelingly  place  ourselves  in  St.  Paul's  situation  !  We 
have  had  thorns  in  our  flesh,  shameful  marks  which  the  world  has  seen.  Some- 
times we  are  ready  to  say  when  suffering  under  any  of  these,  "Were  we  really  the 


472  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xii. 


servants  of  Christ,  it  would  not  be  thus  with  us,"  and  a  scoffing  world  may  say  the 
same  ;  but  here  is  one  of  the  most  beloved,  honoured,  of  all  the  Lord's  servants  in 
the  same  situation  as  we.  And  the  Bible  and  Church  history  show  that  it  has  been 
the  lot  of  the  holiest  men.  11.  Its  design.  "Lest  I  should  be  exalted."  These 
words  show  us — 1.  That  the  Lord  foresees  any  spiritual  danger  that  is  coming 
on  us.  2.  That  the  Lord  often  graciously  guards  against  the  danger  He 
foresees.  He  sends  us  affliction  sometimes,  not  to  chasten  us  for  having  fallen 
into  sin,  or  to  recover  us  out  of  it,  but  to  keep  us  out  of  it.  3.  That 
the  Lord  sometimes  keeps  off  evil  from  us  by  Satan's  efforts  to  bring  us 
into  evil ;  He  overrules  temptation  by  temptation.  We  shall  never  know 
how  much  we  are  indebted  to  Satan  till  we  are  safe  in  heaven,  and  look  back 
there  on  all  the  perilous  way  which  has  led  us  to  it.  4.  How  offensive  sin  is 
in  the  sight  of  God  !  He  will  afflict  the  servant  He  loves,  rather  than  allow  him  to 
fall  into  it.  5.  What  a  load  of  suffering  the  mere  tendency  to  pride  within  our 
souls  may  bring  on  us  !  6.  What  danger  we  are  all  in  of  yielding  to  this  hateful  and 
tormenting  sin.  HI.  Paul's  conduct  under  it  (ver.  8).  One  end  why  the  Lord 
sends  us  temptation  is  to  quicken  us  to  prayer.  When  all  is  smooth  the  spirit  of 
prayer  too  often  declines.  Here,  too,  is  a  practical  carrying  out  of  the  truth  on 
which  this  apostle  is  so  often  dwelling — the  ability  and  willingness  of  Christ  to 
sympathise  with  us  when  suffering  and  to  help  us.  IV.  The  eesult.  1.  A  virtual 
denial  of  his  request.  Twice  he  prays — no  answer  comes.  Here  then  was  a  death- 
blow to  all  Paul's  hopes  of  relief.  It  was  like  telling  him  that  he  must  carry  his 
thorn  down  to  the  grave.  But  this  is  the  way  in  which  the  Lord  often  answers  His 
praying  people.  We  know  not  what  to  pray  for  as  we  ought.  We  give  way  to 
sense  and  feeling.  But  though  we  may  not  know  what  to  ask,  the  Lord  well  knows 
what  to  give.  Hence  He  sifts  our  prayers  before  He  answers  them,  sees  whether 
>they  correspond  with  our  necessities  and  His  purposes.  Instead  of  giving  us  relief 
He  gives  us  strength  ;  He  leaves  the  burden  on  us  heavy  as  ever,  but  He  places  His 
everlasting  arm  underneath  us,  and  causes  it  so  to  bear  us  up,  that  we  hardly  feel 
our  burden.  2.  A  complete  change  in  the  view  he  took  of  his  affliction.  Before 
he  regarded  it  as  an  evil  to  be,  if  possible,  got  rid  of ;  but  now,  observe,  he  has  learnt 
to  "  glory  "  in  it  and  "  take  pleasure  "  in  it.  "  My  infirmities  bring  glory  to  Christ, 
then  let  me  keep  them."  (C.  Bradley,  M.A.)  The  thorn  in  the  flesh  : — Apply  this 
to — I.  Temporal  circumstances.  1.  If  we  examine  closely  the  lot  even  of  those  who 
seem  the  most  signally  favoured  of  fortune,  we  shall  perceive  that  their  happiness 
is  not  fuU-orbed.  Something  is  wanting.  He  is  rich,  but  a  stranger,  it  may  be, 
shaU  inherit  all  that  he  has.  He  is  famous  in  the  world,  but  has  no  joy  at  his 
domestic  hearth.  A  noble  career  opens  to  him,  but  health  fails.  Fortune  seems  to 
give  everything,  but  yet  in  a  strange  irony  withholds  the  one  thing  which  would 
make  all  the  rest  to  have  any  true  value.  This,  of  course,  is  still  more  observable 
with  the  many  who  are  not  so  favoured  ;  everywhere  there  is  some  good  thing  with- 
held or  some  sad  thing  added,  some  "  thorn  in  the  flesh."  It  is  sometimes  evident 
to  all  the  world,  in  other  cases  only  the  sufferer  himself  knows.  2.  How  easy  it  is 
to  grow  impatient  under  a  discipline  such  as  this — at  first  to  ask  that  it  might  be 
removed,  and  then  if,  as  it  seems,  we  are  not  heard,  to  fret  and  murmur.  Very 
often  a  man  is  the  more  irritated  because  there  is  nothing  romantic  or  heroic  about 
it.  Alas !  we  do  not  know  that  such  messengers  as  these  to  humble  us  are  a  most 
important  part  of  the  discipline  of  our  lives.  It  takes  very  little  to  puff  up  these 
vain  hearts  of  ours.  The  "  thorn  in  the  flesh,"  that  is  the  appointed  means  to  keep 
us  low.  II.  Spiritual  life.  There  is  perhaps  nothing  which  so  much  disappoints 
the  young  and  earnest  Christian  as  the  slow  progress  which  he  makes  in  holiness, 
and  his  exposure  to  temptations  of  the  lowest,  the  meanest  kind.  He  had  hoped 
that  he  was  to  travel  on  from  one  height  of  Christian  attainment  to  another  without 
hindrance.  He,  too,  having  been  in  his  third  heaven,  counts  that  he  shall  never 
come  down  from  it,  or  at  any  rate  does  not  expect  that  henceforth  he  shall  be  liable 
to  the  everyday  vulgar  temptations  which  he  sees  to  be  besetting  so  many  round 
him.  Soon,  however,  he  learns  his  mistake.  God  has  provided  some  better  thing, 
not  release  from  temptation,  but  victory  in  and  over  temptation.  {Abp.  Trench.) 
The  thorn  in  the  flesh : — Many  desire  to  gaze  on  the  secret  lives  of  eminent 
personages.  For  once  we  are  able  to  gratify  curiosity,  and  yet  minister  to  edifica- 
tion. We  are  plainly  taught  how  mistaken  we  are  when  we  set  eminent  saints 
upon  a  platform  by  themselves,  as  though  they  were  a  class  of  superhuman  beings. 
Paul  enjoyed  more  revelations  than  we  have,  but  then  he  had  a  corresponding  thorn 
in  the  llesh.     He  was  a  good  man,  but  he  was  only  a  man.     Note — I.  A  danger  to 


CHAP,  xii.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  473 

■which  the  apostle  was  exposed — "  Lest  I  should  be  exalted  above  measure."  1.  It  was 
natural  that  he  should  stand  in  danger  of  this.  When  God  lifts  us  up  we  may  lift 
up  ourselves,  and  then  we  fall  into  serious  mischief.  How  many  among  us 
could  bear  to  receive  such  revelations  as  Paul  had  ?  Now,  if  Paul  was  in  this 
danger,  so  holy,  humble,  wise,  and  experienced ;  if  so  massive  a  pillar  trembles, 
what  peril  surrounds  poor  reeds  shaken  of  the  wind !  Observe  that  in  Paul's 
case  the  temptation  was  not  one  which  operates  in  the  common,  coarse  way.  It 
was  that  he  should  say  within  his  own  soul,  "  I  have  seen  as  others  have  not.  I  am 
the  favourite  of  heaven."  2.  Now,  although  in  Paul's  particular  form  of  it,  this 
temptation  may  not  be  common,  yet  in  some  shape  it  waylays  the  best  of 
Christians.  (1)  Every  man  loves  the  commendation  of  his  fellow-men.  It  is  vain 
for  us  to  boast  of  not  caring  about  it ;  we  do  care  about  it,  and  our  duty  is  to  keep 
that  propensity  in  check.  (2)  There  are  some  men  in  whom  self -consciousness  is 
so  strong,  that  it  will  come  up  in  the  form  of  being  very  easily  annoyed  because  they 
are  overlooked,  or  in  being  easily  irritated  because  they  fancy  that  somebody  is 
opposing  them.  (3)  Others  who,  because  they  have  more  real  spiritual  knowledge, 
and  a  deeper  inward  experience  when  they  hear  the  prattle  of  young  beginners,  or 
the  blunders  of  saints,  cannot  help  saying  to  themselves,  "  Thank  God,  I  do  know 
better  than  that."  They  have  probably  also  been  successful  in  sacred  work,  a 
legitimate  source  of  rejoicing,  but  a  temptation  to  boastfulness.  Among  the 
flowers  of  gratitude  will  grow  the  hemlock  of  pride.  3.  None  of  the  things  we  have 
spoken  of  are  justifiable  grounds  for  boasting.  What  if  a  believer  should  have 
received  more  Divine  illuminations  than  his  fellow  ?  Did  not  the  Lord  give  them 
to  him  ?  There  are  two  beggars  in  the  street ;  I  give  one  a  shilling  and  the  other 
a  penny ;  shall  the  man  who  obtains  the  shilling  be  proud,  and  glory  over  his 
companion  ?  Generally  the  loudest  boasting  is  excited  by  accidental  circumstances. 
4.  It  is  dangerous  for  a  Christian  to  be  exalted  above  measure,  for  if  he  be — (1) 
He  will  rob  God  of  His  glory,  and  this  is  a  high  crime  and  misdemeanour.  (2)  It 
is  equally  evil  to  the  Church.  Had  Paul  been  lifted  up  he  would  have  become  the 
leader  of  a  sect ;  the  rival  rather  than  the  servant  of  Jesus.  (3)  It  would  have  been 
bad  for  ungodly  sinners,  for  proud  preachers  win  not  men's  hearts.  He  who  is  exalted 
in  himself  will  never  exalt  the  Saviour.  (4)  It  would  have  been  worst  of  all  for  the 
apostle  himself,  for  pride  goeth  before  destruction,  and  a  haughty  spirit  before  a 
fall.  n.  The  preventative.  1.  Note  every  word  here.  (1)  "  There  was  given 
to  me."  He  reckoned  his  great  trial  to  be  a  gift.  You  have  not  one  single  article 
that  is  a  better  token  of  Divine  love  to  you  than  your  daily  cross.  (2)  "  A  thorn." 
A  thorn  is — (a)  But  a  little  thing,  and  indicates  a  painful  but  not  a  killing  trial. 
(6)  Yet  it  is  almost  a  secret  thing,  not  very  apparent  to  any  one  but  the  sufferer,  (c)  A 
commonplace  thing,  such  as  might  grow  in  any  field  and  fall  to  any  man's  lot — 
nothing  to  make  a  man  remarkable,  (d)  One  of  the  most  wretched  intruders  that 
can  molest  our  foot  or  hand.  Those  pains  which  are  despised  because  they  are 
seldom  fatal,  are  frequently  the  source  of  the  most  intense  anguish — toothache, 
headache,  earache,  what  greater  miseries  are  known  to  mortals  ?  (3)  "  In  the 
flesh."  The  evil  had  an  intimate  connection  with  his  body.  Each  expositor  seems 
to  have  selected  that  particular  thorn  which  had  pierced  his  own  bosom.  The 
apostle  did  not  tell  us  what  it  was,  perhaps  that  we  may  every  one  feel  that  he  had 
sympathy  with  us — that  ours  is  no  new  grief.  (4)  "The  messenger  of  Satan." 
Not  Satan,  but  one  of  Satan's  eiTand  boys.  An  encounter  with  Satan  might  not 
have  humbled  him.  It  is  a  grand  thing  to  fight  Satan  face  to  face  and  foot  to  foot ; 
but  to  be  beset  by  a  mere  lackey  of  hell,  to  be  tormented  by  so  mean  an  adversary,  this 
was  galling  to  the  last  degree,  and  therefore  all  the  better  for  the  purpose  for  which 
it  was  sent.  (5)  To  buffet,  i.e.,  to  cuff  him.  Not  to  fight  with  him  with  the  sword  ; 
that  is  manly,  soldierly  work  ;  but  to  buffet  him  as  pedagogues  box  the  ears  of  boys. 
2.  This  preventative  was  well  adapted  to  work  out  its  design,  for  assuredly  it  would 
recall  the  apostle  from  ecstacies.  He  said  once,  "Whether  in  the  body,  or  whether 
out  of  the  body,  I  cannot  tell "  ;  but  the  thorn  in  the  flesh  settled  that  question.  He 
had  dreamed,  perhaps,  that  he  was  growing  very  angelic,  but  now  he  feels  intensely 
human.  This  made  him  feel  that  he  was — (1)  A  weak  man,  for  he  had  to  do  battle 
with  base  temptations  that  seemed  not  worth  fighting  with.  (2)  A  man  in  danger, 
and  needed  to  fly  to  God  for  refuge.  3.  From  all  this  I  gather — (1)  That  the  worst 
trial  may  be  the  best  possession  ;  that  the  messenger  of  Satan  may  be  as  good  as  a 
guardian  angel.  (2)  That  the  worst  and  deepest  experience  may  only  be  the 
needful  complement  of  the  highest  and  the  noblest ;  it  may  be  necessary  that  if  we 
Hre  lifted  up  we  should  be  cast  down.     (3)  That  we  must  never  envy  other  saints. 


474  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xii. 

If  we  meet  with  a  brother  whom  (Grod  blesses,  let  us  not  conclude  that  his  pathway 
is  all  smooth.  His  roses  have  their  thorns,  his  bees  their  stings.  III.  The 
IMMEDIATE  EFFECT  OF  THIS  THOKN  UPON  Paul.  1.  It  drovc  him  to  his  knees.  Any- 
thing is  a  blessing  which  makes  us  pray.  2.  In  this  way  Paul  was  kept  from  being 
proud.  The  revelation  now  seemed  forgotten.  A  man  does  not  want  to  tell  pretty 
stories  when  shai-p  pains  are  goading  him.  3.  Paul  continued  to  pray,  till  at  last 
he  received  for  an  answer,  not  the  removal  of  the  thorn,  but  the  assurance,  "My 
grace  is  sufficient  for  thee."  God  will  always  honour  our  prayers,  and  sometimes 
it  is  a  golden  answer  to  deny  us  our  request,  and  give  us  the  very  opposite  of  what 
we  seek.  4.  The  result  was  that  the  grace  given  him  enabled  him  to  bear  the 
thorn,  and  to  glory  that  he  was  permitted  so  to  suifer.  Wish  not  to  change  your 
estate.  Your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  best.  IV.  The  permanent  result.  1.  It 
kept  him  humble  always.  Fourteen  years  rolled  away,  and  the  apostle  never  told 
anybody  that  he  had  been  caught  up  into  the  third  heaven.  When  he  did  tell  it,  it 
was  dragged  out  of  him.  2.  It  is  no  small  matter  when  God  sends  a  thorn  in  the 
flesh  and  it  answers  its  end,  for  in  some  cases  it  does  not.  We  have  known  some 
whom  poverty  has  made  envious,  whom  sickness  has  rendered  petulant,  whom 
personal  infirmity  has  rendered  rebellious  against  God.  Let  us  labour  against  this, 
and  if  God  has  been  pleased  to  put  a  fetter  upon  us  in  any  shape,  let  us  ask  Him 
not  to  allow  us  to  make  this  the  occasion  for  fresh  folly,  but,  on  the  contrary,  to 
bear  the  rod  and  learn  its  lessons.  Conclusion  :  1.  What  a  happy  people  God's 
people  ought  to  be,  when  a  curse  becomes  to  them  a  blessing !  If  the  thorn 
be  a  blessing,  what  must  the  blessing  itself  be  ?  2.  What  a  sad  thing  it 
must  be  not  to  be  a  believer  in  Christ,  because  thorns  we  shall  have  if 
we  are  not  in  Christ,  but  those  thorns  will  not  be  blessings  to  us.  I  understand 
drinking  bitter  medicine,  if  it  is  to  make  me  well ;  but  who  would  drink  wormwood 
and  gall  with  no  good  result  to  follow  ?  3.  Remember  that  he  who  sent  Paul 
thorns  for  his  good  once  wore  a  thorn-crown  Himself  for  the  salvation  of  sinners  ; 
and  if  you  will  trust  Him  you  shall  be  saved  from  the  thorn  of  unforgiven  sin,  the 
fear  of  the  wrath  to  come.  (C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  The  thorn  in  the  flesh  : — The 
attempt  to  determine  the  exact  nature  of  Paul's  trial  is  like  the  attempt  to  ascertain 
the  species  of  the  lily  Christ  alluded  to  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  Scientific 
determination  of  the  plant  may  be  interesting  to  the  botanist,  but  the  lesson  of  trust 
in  Providence  can  be  learnt  equally  well  from  the  daisy  or  violet.  So  here,  many 
of  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to,  can  effect  the  same  moral  discipline  produced  by 
Paul's  special  affliction,  if  borne  in  the  same  spirit.  There  are,  however,  two 
figures  applied  to  it  in  this  passage,  which  partially  characterise  it.  It  was  "a 
thorn  in  the  flesh."  Not  a  crushing  stroke,  but  a  protracted  trouble,  that  seemed 
like  a  thorn  that  had  buried  itself  below  the  skin,  and  caused  a  constant  sense  of 
irritation.  It  is  also  termed  "  a  messenger  of  Satan  "  sent  to  "  buffet  "  him.  This 
expression  recognises  the  frequent  connection  there  is  between  suffering  and  moral 
evil.  What  is  of  more  importance  than  a  knowledge  of  the  specific  nature  of  "  the 
thorn,"  is  that  Paul  felt  it  was  designed  to  produce  spiritual  results  in  his  character. 
That  Paul  was  a  man  of  high  spirit  we  gather  from  several  incidents  in  his  history ; 
we  also  know  that  he  was  a  man  of  fine  sensibilities,  and  the  combination  of  these 
two  qualities  form  a  temperament  very  apt  to  run  into  pride.  It  was  not  excessive 
self-esteem  of  the  ordinary  sort  that  constituted  his  special  danger,  but  self-esteem 
in  its  most  dangerous  form  of  spiritual  pride ;  exaltation  above  measure  on  account 
of  the  abundance  of  the  revelations.  Eeligious  ecstacy  is  a  gift  rather  than  an 
acquirement,  and  those  whose  temperament  leads  to  it  are  liable  to  plume  them- 
selves on  this  account  on  a  supposed  superiority  to  their  fellow-Christians.  As  he 
could  soar,  while  others  had  to  remain  on  the  level,  he  might  be  tempted  to  under- 
estimate them  and  to  overestimate  himself.  Whenever  such  feelings  arose,  there  was 
the  sharp  pang  of  the  thorn  to  recall  him  to  himself,  and  remind  him  that  he 
shared  the  infirmities  of  humanity.  For  just  such  a  purpose  does  God  frequently 
send  a  permanent  trial.  An  excessive  valuation  of  self  is  brought  down  by 
repeated  failures  in  life,  which  remind  us  how  narrow  are  the  limits  of  human 
power.  It  was  not  at  first  that  Paul  comprehended  the  real  meaning  of  his  thorn 
in  the  flesh.  His  first  impulse  was  to  get  rid  of  it,  and  he  prayed  to  the  Lord  for  its 
removal.  Christianity  never  teaches  us  to  value  pain  for  its  own  sake,  never 
represents  it  as  good  in  itself.  That  is  the  idea  of  Indian  fakirs  or  mediaeval  monks. 
Don't  press  the  thorn  into  the  fiesh ;  extract  and  throw  it  away  if  it  is  possible  ;  but 
if  all  efforts  are  unavailing,  then  submit  to  it  as  to  the  will  of  God.  {W.  Bird.) 
The  thorn  in  the  flesh: — Note — I.  Paul's  danger.     "  Lest  I  should  be  exalted,"  &c. 


CHAP,  xn.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  475 

He  was  in  danger  of  being  raised  too  high — 1.  For  his  usefulness  as  a  minister. 
Paul  had  to  do  with  poor  mortals  upon  earth — what  was  the  language  of  paradise 
to  them  ?  But  when  he  spoke  to  them  of  thorns,  and  prayer,  and  sustaining  grace, 
he  was  on  their  level.  2.  For  his  present  condition  as  a  Christian.  Peter  on  the 
Mount  of  Transfiguration  exclaimed,  "  Master,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here,"  &c ; 
but  he  "  knew  not  what  he  said."  What  would  have  become  of  his  wife  and  family? 
As  the  Saviour  does  not  pray  that  His  followers  should  be  taken  out  of  the  world  by 
death,  so  neither  does  He  draw  them  out  of  it  by  religion.  3.  As  a  favourite  of 
Heaven.  Christians  are  not  like  the  Holy  One  of  God.  Owing  to  the  sin  that 
dwelleth  in  us,  we  are  in  danger  from  everything  around  us ;  and  therefore  must 
walk  circumspectly,  and  watch  and  pray.  II.  His  preservation.  "  There  was 
given  to  me  a  thorn,"  &c.  All  creatures  are  in  the  Lord's  hand,  and  under  His 
control ;  He  gave  Joseph  favour  in  the  sight  of  the  jailer ;  brought  Elijah  food  by 
ravens ;  and  sent  Paul  safety  by  Satan  himself !  Paul  does  not  say,  "  Because  I 
was  exalted  above  measure,"  but  "  lest  I  should  be."  Affliction  is  designed  to 
prevent  as  well  as  to  recover.  You  were  not  vain  and  worldly — but  God  saw  a  train 
of  circumstances  which  would  flatter  you  into  self-importance.  He  therefore 
determined  to  prevent  the  evil ;  and  it  is  commonly  said.  Prevention  is  better  than 
<5ure.  III.  His  prayer.  Prayer  is  the  refuge  of  the  afflicted,  and  cannot  be  offered 
in  vain  ;  its  very  exercise  brings  succour.  How  does  your  affliction  operate  ?  Does 
it  lead  you  to  quarrel  with  instruments,  or  to  commit  your  cause  unto  God  ?  A 
man  under  sanctified  affliction  will  "  continue  instant  in  prayer."  Thus  Paul 
besought  the  Lord  thrice.  The  prayer  of  faith  is  always  heard,  but  not  always 
immediately  answered.  The  reason  is  not  that  God  is  wanting  in  kindness,  but 
that  He  exercises  His  kindness  wisely.  We  are  Uke  children ;  we  wish  to  gather 
the  fruit  while  it  is  yet  unripe.  But  He  pulls  back  our  impatient  hand.  The  time 
of  delay  is  often  peculiarly  trying.  But  "  he  that  believeth  maketh  not  haste." 
IV.  His  answer.  1.  The  answer  does  not  apparently  correspond  with  the  petition. 
Paul  prayed  to  have  the  thorn  removed :  to  this  God  says  nothing,  but  assures  him 
of  something  unspeakably  better.  With  regard  to  temporal  things  we  cannot  be  too 
general  in  our  prayers,  or  refer  ourselves  too  much  to  the  pleasure  of  God.  For  our 
prayers,  like  ourselves,  are  imperfect ;  nature  sometimes  speaks,  without  our  being 
aware  of  it,  in  the  tone  of  grace.  Hence  God  sometimes  denies  a  request  entirely  ; 
at  other  times  He  separates  the  good  from  the  evil,  and  grants  us  a  part ;  while 
frequently  He  answers  byway  of  exchange.  If  a  child  was  to  ask  of  a  father  a  fish, 
and  he  should  give  him  a  serpent,  we  should  be  shocked.  But  suppose  the  child, 
by  reason  of  his  ignorance,  should  ask  for  a  serpent  instead  of  a  fish  ;  we  should 
then  admire  the  father  if  he  refused  what  he  asked  and  gave  him  what  he  did  not 
ask.  Our  Heavenly  Father  always  gives  according  to  what  we  ought  to  ask.  2. 
The  answer  is  yet  blessed  and  glorious.  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee !  " 
Sufficient  for  what?  Write  all  thy  wants  underneath.  Sufficient  for — (1)  Thy 
work,  which  often  discourages  thee.  "As  thy  day,  so  shall  thy  strength  be."  (2) 
Thy  warfare,  which  often  alarms  thee.  But  "  more  are  they  that  are  for  thee  than 
they  that  are  against  thee."  (3)  Thy  affliction,  which  often  depresses  thee.  But 
•"  When  thou  passeth  through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee."  It  is  sufficient — (a) 
To  sanctify  your  afflictions,  (b)  To  render  them  supportable;  yea,  to  enable  you  to 
"  glory  in  tribulation  also."  (W.  Jay.)  The  thorn  in  the  flesh  : — This  has  been  a 
thorn  in  the  pulpit  expositions  of  all  the  Christian  ages.  By  carefully  concealing  it 
Paul  has  made  all  that  want  to  be  wise  above  what  is  written  uneasy  to  find  it  out. 
But  it  cannot  be  of  much  use  to  us  to  know  what  it  was,  since  the  man  who  suffered 
from  it  did  not  care  to  tell  us,  and  if  we  could  know  that  it  was  a  defect  in  his  eyes, 
or  his  speech,  or  a  pain  in  his  head,  or  the  want  of  a  foot  to  his  stature,  that 
particular  thorn  would  fasten  us  down  to  a  particular  experience,  and  we  should 
lose  the  great  general  lesson.  Note — I.  The  thorn  in  the  flesh  of  our  common 
humanity.  1.  We  cannot  fail  to  see  it  in  the  greatest  and  noblest  lives.  It  may  be 
a  mean  thing,  like  Byron's  club-foot,  or  as  great  a  thing  as  Dante's  worship  of 
Beatrice,  or  a  great  vice,  like  that  which  held  Coleridge  and  De  Quincey,  or  only  like 
the  dyspepsia  that  darkened  the  vision  of  Carlyle.  In  David  it  was  a  great  sin  ;  in 
Peter  it  was  the  memory  of  that  morning,  when  he  turned  his  back  on  the  noblest 
friend  that  ever  a  man  had;  in  Luther  it  was  a  blackness  of  darkness,  defying  both 
physicians  and  philosophy;  in  Wesley  it  was  a  home  without  love,  and  a  wife 
insane  with  jealousy,  wihh  an  old  love  that  was  never  permitted  to  bloom.  We  need 
not  be  anxious  about  Paul's  mystery ;  some  of  these  things  hurt  him,  and  made  the 
poor  manhood  of  him  quiver.     I  was  ta.lking  with  a  gentleman  who  knows  inti- 


476  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xn. 

mately  one  of  our  greatest  living  Americans  ;  and  I  said  he  must  be  one  of  the 
happiest  of  men.  "  There  is  that  in  his  Ufe,"  my  friend  said,  "  you  do  not  see,  and 
very  few  are  aware  of.  I  knew  him  a  long  time  before  I  guessed  it :  it  is  a  pain, 
that  he  carries  about  with  him  like  his  shadow ;  not  a  bodily,  but  a  mental  pain, 
which  he  will  carry  with  him  to  his  grave."  2.  And  what  the  thorn  is  to  these  men 
in  their  great  estate  it  may  be  to  us  in  ours.  (1)  We  feel  the  pain  of  personal 
defect,  and  very  naturally,  because  the  standard  of  physical  beauty  and  perfection 
can  no  more  be  altered  than  the  standard  of  geometry.  We  admire  physical 
perfection.  We  notice  and  pity  defects.  To  those  who  endure  them  they  are  a. 
thorn  in  the  flesh,  bringing  keen  suffering  and  morbid  brooding.  I  never  blamed 
Byron  for  feeling  as  he  did  about  his  foot.  The  blame  lay  in  his  never  summoning 
to  the  maimed  part  the  strength  that  is  made  perfect  in  weakness.  (2)  Paul's 
thorn  may  have  been  a  defect  in  his  utterance.  What  a  thorn  it  is  to  many  that 
they  can  never  adequately  express  their  thought !  "  You  will  find  him  to  be  a  great 
lumbering  waggon,  loaded  with  ingots  of  gold,"  Eobert  Hall  said  of  John  Foster  in 
recommending  him  to  a  church,  "  and  I  hope  you  know  gold  when  you  see  it,  or 
else  he  will  never  do  for  you."  They  called  him,  and  he  failed,  as  he  had  failed 
elsewhere.  (3)  Nothing  but  Paul's  saintliness  has  saved  him  from  the  guess  that 
his  thorn  was  some  bad  passion  or  appetite.  Very  sore  is  this  pain,  and  very 
common.  Children  are  sometimes  born  with  appetites  fatally  strong.  Old  Dr. 
Mason  used  to  say,  as  much  grace  as  would  make  John  a  saint,  would  barely  keep 
Peter  from  knocking  a  man  down.  I  heard  a  man  say  once,  that  for  eight-and- 
twenty  years  the  soul  within  him  had  to  stand,  like  an  unsleeping  sentinel,  guarding 
his  appetite  for  strong  drink.  11.  What  can  we  do  about  it?  We  can  make  the 
best  of  it,  or  the  worst  of  it.  If  I  find  myself,  e.g.,  in  early  life  in  the  possession  of 
a  passion  that  is  rapidly  growing  into  a  curse,  I  can  submit  to  its  dictate  -without 
a  struggle,  or  I  can  stand  up  and  fight  it.  There  may  be  manliness  where  there  i» 
little  grace.  I  can  be  so  manly  in  bearing  my  burden  that  my  silence  shall  be 
golden.  "Did  I  break  down?  was  I  unmanned?"  a  great  man  said  when  the 
thorn  in  the  flesh  had  hurt  him  so  terribly  that  he  lost  his  consciousness.  He  felt 
he  must  be  a  man  even  then.  IH.  What  can  come  of  the  thoen  if  we  find  out 
Paul's  way  of  dealing  with  it.  He  bore  his  trouble  man  fashion,  as  well  as  he 
could ;  but  then  found  himself  unable  to  win  much  of  a  victory.  The  pain  was- 
there  still,  and  he  felt  as  if  he  would  have  to  give  way  at  last,  and  go  down.  So,  in 
the  simple  old  fashion,  he  took  the  matter  into  the  Supreme  Court,  and  said,  "  I 
want  this  thorn  removed  ;  I  can  bear  it  no  longer."  But  the  Judge  said,  "  No,  it 
must  stay.  To  take  it  away  would  be  to  destroy  the  grace  to  which  it  points.  I 
will  not  take  the  bane,  but  I  will  give  you  another  blessing."  Lately,  when  I 
crossed  Suspension  Bridge,  I  got  talking  with  a  gentleman  about  the  crystallisation 
of  iron.  We  agreed  that  every  train  which  crossed  the  bridge  did  something  to 
disintegrate  the  iron  particles  and  break  the  bridge  down,  and  that  if  this  process: 
could  go  on  long  enough,  there  would  be  a  last  train,  which  would  shoot  right  down 
into  the  guh.  But  long  before  this  could  come  to  pass  all  these  strands  and  cables 
would  be  made  over  again  in  the  fire  and  under  the  hammer,  and  come  out  as 
strong  and  good  as  ever.  To  take  them  out  and  then  let  them  lie  at  rest  on  the 
banks  would  be  no  sort  of  use.  The  iron-masters  would  say,  "  That  would  make; 
the  strands  eternally  unfit  for  their  purpose  ;  the  hammer  and  fire  can  make  them 
better  and  stronger  than  ever."  Is  not  this  also  the  law  of  life,  that  the  fineness 
and  strength  essential  to  our  best  being,  and  to  make  us  do  our  best  work,  come  by 
the  thorn  in  the  flesh,  which  may  act  in  us  as  the  fire  acts  in  the  iron,  welding  the^ 
fibre  afresh,  and  creating  the  whole  anew  (as  the  apostle  would  say)  unto  good 
works  ?  {R.  Collyer,  D.D.)  Rejoicing  at  the  misfortunes  of  others : — We  have  all 
known  people  who  had  no  greater  enjoyment  than  to  see  an  acquaintance  taken 
down.  The  misfortune  of  a  neighbour  was  a  real  blessing  to  these  miserable 
creatures,  and  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  but  that  among  people  who  knew  St.  Paul 
there  would  be  a  man  here  and  there  envious  of  the  great  apostle's  gifts  and  useful- 
ness, who  would  chuckle  over  the  thorn  in  the  flesh,  who  in  his  heart  would  rejoice 
at  the  suffering  it  caused  the  apostle.  Yet  who  would  not  venture  to  express  his 
secret  exultation,  but  would  go  about  saying,  "  Oh,  that  Saul  of  Tarsus  needs  it 
all.  Very  conceited  man ;  do  him  a  great  deal  of  good.  It  will  take  him  down ; 
teach  him  sense ;  and  he  needs  very  much  to  be  taught  that !  "  Cannot  you 
imagine  how  the  envious,  malicious,  tattling  gossips  at  Corinth  would  go  about 
from  house  to  house  saying  that  kind  of  thing  ?  Now,  let  none  of  us  here  give  way  ta 
this  wicked  and  contemptible  fashion  of  thinking  and  talking     [A.  K.  H.  Boyd,  D.D.). 


CHAP.  XII.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  477 

Lest  I  should  be  exalted  above  measure. — Pride  and  its  antidote  : — I.  The  d.^ngeb 
TO  WHICH  THE  APOSTLE  FELT  HIMSELF  EXPOSED,  is  that  of  being  "  exalted  overmuch," 
or  lifted  up  by  pride.  In  one  aspect  of  the  case  it  seems  that  of  all  mere  men  St.  Paul 
was  the  least  liiely  to  "  fall  into  this  snare  of  the  devil."  He  was  not  accustomed  t» 
"boast  of  things  without  measure"  (chap.  x.  12,  13).  "I  have  learned,  in  whatso- 
ever estate  I  am,  therewith  to  be  content,"  &c.  (Phil.  iv.  11-13).  The  life  he  lived,, 
the  suffering  he  bore,  and  the  shame  and  reproach  that  were  cast  upon  him,  are  not 
the  things  which  generally  cause  men  to  be  "puffed  up."  But,  in  another  aspect, 
it  is  easy  to  discover  in  the  apostle  a  disposition  to  "think  of  himself  more  highly 
than  he  ought  to  think."  His  spirit,  though  patient,  serene,  and  humble,  when 
under  the  influence  of  God's  grace,  was  naturally  proud  and  ambitious.  His 
training,  too,  had  fostered  this  spirit.  His  educational  attainments  were  in  no  way 
despicable.  And  further,  if  we  think  of  the  manner  in  which  some  churches 
received  him — as  "  an  angel  from  heaven  "  ;  the  profound  respect  in  which  he  was 
held  by  some  of  his  fellow-Christians,  so  that  "  if  it  had  been  possible,  they  would 
have  plucked  out  their  very  eyes,  and  given  them  to  him  "  ;  his  equality  with  the 
chiefest  of  the  apostles,  and  his  almost  unparalleled  success  in  preaching  the  gospel, 
we  shall  have  little  difficulty  in  conceiving  how  Paul  would  be  liable  to  regard 
himself  as  superior  to  most  men  of  his  day.  This  danger  arose  not  from  either  of 
the  things  we  have  already  named,  as  likely  to  produce  self-glory,  but  from  the 
abundance  of  the  revelations  God  had  given  to  him.  And  is  it  not  so  with 
ourselves  ?  Our  greatest  successes  are  our  greatest  temptations.  Failure  humbles 
us.  II.  God's  design  in  giving  Paul  "  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  "  was  to  teach 
HIM  A  LESSON  OF  HUMILITY.  Humility  is  the  antithesis  of  pride,  and  it  is  also  its 
antidote.  It  is  a  gi'ace  of  the  gospel  of  the  choicest  quahty,  and  its  cultivation  is 
obligatory  on  aU  Christians.  And  yet  humility  is  so  repugnant  to  human  nature,  is 
a  virtue  so  difficult  of  practice,  that  it  seldom  occupies  its  proper  place,  even  in  the 
heart  of  renewed  man.  Hence  God  has  to  humble  us  oftentimes  by  some  painful 
trial.  (T.  Txirner.)  Affliction  an  antidote  to  temptation : — I.  The  design  of  the 
TEMPTATION.  The  design  of  this  temptation  was  to  subdue  the  risings  of  spiritual 
pride,  to  which  the  apostle,  from  his  peculiar  circumstances,  was  peculiarly  liable. 
No  one  will  understand  me  as  saying  that  this  was  the  design  of  the  tempter. 
Respecting  him,  as  of  Sennacherib  of  old,  it  might  be  remarked,  "  Howbeit  he 
meaneth  not  so,  neither  doth  his  heart  think  so ;  but  it  is  in  his  heart  to  destroy 
and  cut  off."  There  is  no  recorded  incident  which  conveys  such  a  significant 
intimation  of  the  utter  depravity  of  the  heart  of  man  as  the  one  under  considera- 
tion. Here  was  a  servant  and  apostle  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  made  a  new  creature 
in  Christ  Jesus,  and  living  under  the  constant  operation  of  the  indwelling  Spirit ; 
yet  with  so  much  of  remaining  corruption,  that  an  extraordinary  measure  of  Divine 
favour  would  have  provoked  the  pride  and  naughtiness  of  his  heart  but  for  the 
gracious  provision  made  to  counteract  the  danger.  It  teaches  us  that  human 
nature,  fallen  nature,  is  the  same  under  all  circumstances.  Subject  it  to  what 
process  you  choose — put  it  into  what  alembic  you  may — translate  it,  if  you  will,  in 
a  chariot  of  fire  into  the  third  heaven — yet  until  that  wondrous  hour  arrives,  when 
we  shall  aU  be  changed,  and  this  corruptible  shall  put  on  incorruption,  it  will  remain 
corrupt  to  the  last.  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  it  requires  an  equal  amount  of 
attainment  and  privilege  to  incur  an  equal  liability  to  the  suggestions  of  the  evil 
one.  Alas !  which  of  us  does  not  know  that  it  needs  no  elevation  into  the  third 
heaven  to  exalt  us  above  measure  ?  A  little  knowledge  soon  puffeth  up.  II.  To 
INVESTIGATE  ITS  NATURE.  1.  A  thom ;  2.  The  messenger  of  Satan ;  and— 3. 
Designed  and  calculated  to  buffet  the  apostle's  spirit.  In  the  text  he  characterises 
this  temptation  as  "a  messenger  of  Satan."  And  here  the  remark  seems  extorted. 
How  few  there  are  who  realise  the  active  agency  of  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the 
air  in  the  same  sense  and  to  the  same  extent  as  did  Christ  and  His  apostles — now 
sowing  tares  in  the  Church — now  sifting  the  apostles — now  entering  into  Judas — 
now  assaulting  the  Son  of  God  HimseU !  But  this  is  not  the  particular  feature  in 
his  work  of  evil  which  the  text  suggests.  He  is  represented  as  interfering  (doubtless 
by  sufferance  of  the  Most  High)  with  the  daily  providences,  and  outward  circum- 
stances, and  bodily  condition  of  our  life.  III.  What  was  his  eesouece  in  this  time 
of  need  ?  See  wherein  consists  the  real  benefit  of  sanctified  affliction.  It  sends  you 
to  your  knees.  IV.  Let  us  now  notice  the  answer  given  to  the  apostle's  prayer. 
V.  Such  was  the  apostle's  case,  and  his  after-estimate  of  the  whole  dispensa- 
tion was  to  that  effect.  "  Blessed  thorn  which  occasions  the  power  of  Christ  to 
rest  upon  me !  "     Infinite  strength  sheltering  perfect  weakness.     How  grand,  how 


478  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xir. 

comforting,  how  transporting  the  idea !  God  protecting  a  worm  of  the  earth ;  nay, 
and  strengthening  it  with  might.  Let  me  suggest  this  brief  exhortation  in  conclu- 
sion. 1.  Adore  the  gracious  providence  and  consummate  skill  of  the  Most  High  in 
thus  from  seeming  evil  still  educing  good.  Thus  the  Lord  leads  captivity  captive, 
and  Satan  himself  is  in  a  manner  transformed  into  an  angel  of  light.  2.  Lastly, 
learn  to  form  a  proper  estimate  of  your  afflictions,  and  to  believe  that,  painful  as  it 
may  be,  the  thorn  which  mortifies  your  pride,  sends  you  to  the  throne  of  grace, 
and   issues   in  praise,  must  be  an  unspeakable   blessing.      (C.  F.  Childe,  M.A.) 

Vers.  8,  9.  For  this  thing  I  besought  the  Lord  thrice. — Christian  trial  and 
imgranted  prayer :  — If  it  is  useful  to  consider  prayers  granted  for  encouragement, 
it  is  also  desirable  to  reflect  on  prayers  not  granted  for  instruction.  We  delight  to 
pass  in  review  Abraham,  Hezekiah,  &c.  But  it  must  not  be  forgotten  there  are 
opposite  cases  that  represent  in  shade,  as  the  others  in  light,  the  will  and  mercy  of 
God.  Was  it  not  so  with  Moses,  beseeching  the  Lord  to  cancel  His  prohibition ; 
with  David,  as  he  pleaded  for  the  life  of  his  child ;  with  Jeremiah,  as  he  says, 
"  When  I  cry  He  shutteth  out  my  prayer  "  ?     I.  God,  while  blessing  His  servants, 

OFTEN  DOES  NOT  WITHHOLD  FROM  THEM   PAINFUL  SDFFEMNGS.       A  Very  Striking  aCCOUnt 

of  special  favour  is  related.  Heaven  seemed  unveiled.  But  now,  in  connection 
with  this  experience,  "  a  thorn  in  the  flesh"  was  appointed,  to  be  a  memorial,  as 
the  halting  on  the  thigh  to  Jacob,  of  what  he  had  passed  through.  This  shadows 
forth  the  frequent  dealings  of  God  with  His  people.  To  some  strong  assurance, 
peculiar  intimacy,  are  allowed.  Exceptional  experiences  are  related  by  Mr.  Flavel 
and  Mr.  Tennant.  But  the  cup  of  trial  has  often  been  put  into  the  hands  of  such. 
Remember  E.  Baxter,  through  fifty  long  years,  worn  with  a  painful  malady,  writing 
his  books  often  in  agony  lying  on  the  ground  ;  R.  Hall,  a  martyr  through  his  life 
to  torturing  pain  ;  Dr.  Payson,  a  sufferer  from  habitual  weakness ;  the  eminent  Jay 
grieving  over  godlessness  in  his  family.  So  in  the  rank  and  file  of  Christian  life. 
In  all  sunshine  there  are  shadows,  and,  hke  Job,  men  ask,  under  the  mystery 
of  Providence,  Why.  Always  feel,  however,  "  It  is  the  Lord,"  not  in  anger,  but 
love.  II.  Prayer  is  the  resource  of  the  soul  in  trial.  The  apostle  did  not 
submit  without  an  effort  to  obtain  the  removal  of  his  suffering.  Christianity  is  not 
stoicism.  Ours  is  to  be — 1.  The  prayer  of  faith.  A  real,  not  imaginary,  audience 
with  God.  2.  The  prayer  of  earnestness.  The  little  child  often  a  pattern,  and  in 
this  earnestness  not  soon  baffled,  but  expecting,  hoping,  desiring,  waiting.  3.  The 
prayer  of  submission,  not  of  presumption.  Paul  besought,  did  not  dictate.  III. 
Prayer,  though  not  granted  in  our,  is  answered  in  God's  way.  1.  Often  by 
revealing  the  purpose  of  the  trial.  "  Lest  I  should  be  exalted."  If  we  could  see 
what  would  develop  in  our  character  apart  from  trial  we  should  better  understand. 
An  artist,  standing  on  scaffold.  Was  painting  the  dome  of  a  cathedral ;  stepped  back 
to  see  the  effect,  unconsciously  was  going  too  far — in  a  moment  would  have  fallen, 
but  a  friend  dashed  a  brush  with  colour  against  his  work.  He  darted  forward  and 
was  saved.  To  save  us  from  backward  and  perilous  steps  God  often  appears  to 
deal  severely.  2.  By  giving  ability  to  bear  our  trial — My  grace  sufficient.  What  a 
conscious  rest  we  have  in  God  when  with  all  griefs  and  cares  we  commit  ourselves 
to  Him.  Like  S.  Rutherford  we  can  say,  "  I  rest  myself  on  the  bosom  of  Omnipo- 
tence." 3.  By  sanctifying  the  experience  of  the  trial  and  making  it  a  means  of 
advantage.  The  apostle  found  the  bane  a  blessing.  Conclusion :  1.  It  is 
important  sometimes  to  record  even  our  failures.  Some  may  be  kept  from 
despondency.  2.  God,  by  His  Divine  alchemy,  can  always  bring  good  out 
of  evil.  3.  God  glorifies  Himself  in  His  people  when  He  comforts  them. 
{G.    McMichael,   B.A.)  Strength    in   weakness  : — This  page   in    the    autobio- 

graphy of  the  apostle  shows  us  that  he,  too,  belonged  to  the  great  army  of 
martyrs.  The  original  word  seems  to  mean,  not  a  tiny  bit  of  thorn,  but  one  of 
those  hideous  stakes  on  which  the  cruel  punishment  of  impalement  used  to  be 
intlicted.  Note — I.  The  instinctive  shrinking  from  that  which  tortured  the 
FLESH,  WHICH  TAKES  REFUGE  IN  PRAYER.  1.  Paul's  petitions  are  the  echo  of  Geth- 
semane ;  but  He  that  prayed  in  Gethsemane  was  He  to  whom  Paul  addressed  his 
prayer.  2.  Notice  how  this  thought  of  prayer  helps  to  lead  us  deep  into  its  most 
blessed  characteristics.  It  is  only  the  telling  Christ  what  is  in  our  hearts.  If  we 
realised  this — questions  as  to  what  it  was  permissible  or  not  to  pray  for  would  be 
irrelevant.  If  anything  is  big  enough  to  interest  me  it  is  not  too  small  to  be  spoken 
about  to  Him.  If  I  am  to  talk  to  Christ  about  everything  that  concerns  me,  am  I 
to  keep  my  thumb  upon  that  great  department  and  be  silent  about  it?-    That  is 


CHAP.  XII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  479 

■why  our  prayers  are  often  so  unreal.  Our  hearts  are  full  of  some  small  matter  of 
daily  interest,  and  when  we  kneel  down  not  a  word  about  it  comes  to  our  lips.  Can 
that  be  right?  The  diii'erence  between  the  different  objects  of  prayer  is  to  be  found 
in  remembering  that  there  are  two  sets  of  things  to  be  prayed  about,  and  over  one 
set  must  ever  be  wi-itten,  "If  it  be  Thy  will,"  and  over  the  other  it  need 
not  be  written.  We  know  about  the  latter  that  "  if  we  ask  anything  accord- 
ing to  His  will.  He  heareth  us."  But  about  the  former  we  can  only  say, 
"Not  my  will,  but  Thine  be  done."  With  that  deep  in  our  hearts,  let  us  take 
everything  into  His  presence,  thorns  and  stakes,  pin-pricks  and  wounds  out  of 
which  the  life-blood  is  ebbing,  and  be  sure  that  we  take  none  of  them  in  vain. 
II.  The  insight  into  the  source  of  strength  for,  and  the  purpose  of,  the 
THORN  that  could  NOT  BE  TAKEN  AWAY.  1.  The  auswcr  is,  in  form  and  in  sub- 
stance, a  gentle  refusal  of  the  form  of  the  petition,  but  it  is  more  than  a  granting 
of  its  essence.  There  are  two  ways  of  lightening  a  burden,  one  is  diminishing  its 
weight,  the  other  is  increasing  the  strength  of  the  shoulder  that  bears  it.  And  the 
latter  is  God's  way  of  dealing  with  us.  2.  The  answer  is  no  communication  of 
anything  fresh,  but  it  is  the  opening  of  the  man's  eyes  to  see  that  already  he  has 
all  that  he  needs.  "My  grace"  (which  thou  hast  now)  "is  sufficient  for  thee." 
If  troubled  Christian  men  would  learn  and  use  what  tney  have  they  would  less 
often  beseech  Him  with  vain  petitions  to  take  away  their  blessings  which  are  the 
thorns  in  the  flesh.  3.  How  modestly  the  Master  speaks  about  what  He  gives  ! 
"Sufficient"?  Yes;  but  the  overplus  is  "exceeding  abundant."  "Two  hundred 
pennyworth  of  bread  is  not  sufficient  that  every  one  may  take  a  little,"  says  Sense. 
Omnipotence  says,  "Bring  the  few  small  loaves  and  fishes  unto  Me";  and  Faith 
dispensed  them  amongst  the  crowd;  and  Experience  "gathered  up  of  the  frag- 
ments that  remained  "  more  than  there  had  been  when  the  multiplication  began. 
So  the  grace  utilised  increases  ;  the  gift  grows  as  it  is  employed.  "Unto  him  that 
hath  shall  be  given."  4.  The  other  part  of  this  great  answer  unveiled  the  purpose 
of  the  sorrow,  even  as  the  former  part  had  disclosed  the  strength  to  bear  it.  "  My 
strength  is  made  perfect " — that  is,  of  course,  "  perfect  in  its  manifestation  or 
operations,  for  it  is  perfect  in  itself  already  " — "  in  weakness."  God  works  with 
broken  reeds.  If  a  man  conceits  himself  to  be  an  iron  pillar,  God  can  do  nothing 
with  or  by  him.  His  strength  loves  to  work  in  weakness,  only  the  weakness  must  be 
conscious,  and  the  conscious  weakness  must  have  passed  into  conscious  dependence. 
There,  then,  you  get  the  law  for  the  Church  and  individual  lives.  Strength  that 
conceits  itself  to  be  such  is  weakness ;  weakness  that  knows  itself  to  be  such  is  strength. 
So  when  we  know  ourselves  weak,  we  have  taken  the  first  step  to  strength  ;  just  as, 
when  we  know  ourselves  sinners,  we  have  taken  the  first  step  to  righteousness. 
All  our  hollownesses  are  met  with  His  fulness  that  fits  into  them.     III.  The  calm, 

FINAL     acquiescence     IN     THE     LOVING     NECESSITY     OF     CONTINUED     SORROW.         "  Most 

gladly,  therefore,"  &c.  (ver.  9).  The  will  is  entirely  harmonised  with  Christ's.  He 
is  more  than  submissive,  he  gladly  glories  in  his  infirmity  in  order  that  the  power  of 
Christ  may  "  spread  a  tabernacle  over"  him.  "  It  is  good  for  me  that  I  have  been 
afflicted,"  said  the  old  prophet.  Paul  sounds  a  higher  note.  Far  better  is  it  that 
the  sting  of  our  sorrow  should  be  taken  away,  by  our  having  learned  what  it  is  for, 
and  having  bowed  to  it,  than  that  it  should  be  taken  away  by  the  external  removal 
which  we  sometimes  long  for.  And  if  we  would  only  interpret  events  in  the 
spirit  of  this  great  text,  we  should  less  frequently  wonder  and  weep  over  the 
so-called  insoluble  mysteries  of  the  sorrows  of  ourselves  or  of  other  men. 
They  are  all  intended  to  make  it  more  easy  for  us  to  realise  our  utter  hanging 
upon  Him,  and  so  to  open  our  hearts  to  receive  more  fully  the  quickening 
influences  of  His  all-sufficing  grace.  Here,  then,  is  a  lesson  for  those  who 
have  to  carry  some  cross,  knowing  they  must  carry  it  throughout  life.  It  will 
be  wreathed  with  flowers  if  you  accept  it.  {A.  Maclaren,  D.D.)  And  He  said 
■unto  me,  My  grace  is  sufScient  for  thee. — Grace  sufficient : — We  may  take 
this  comforting  promise  to  ourselves  and  apply  it — I.  To  such  of  our  trials 
AS,  LIKE  St.  Paul's,  are  secret.  You  may  be  called  to  endure  chastenings 
from  God's  hand  which  no  one  but  yourselves  can  know  or  appreciate.  Perhaps 
your  affliction  also  exposes  you  to  misconception  from  your  fellow-men,  who 
condemn  your  conduct  as  eccentric  and  unchristian,  when  if  they  knew  the  reason 
of  it  they  would  compassionate  rather  than  censure.  Eli  condemned  Hannah  as  a 
drunkard,  when  he  afterwards  discovered  that  she  was  praying  in  a  sorrowful 
spirit.  Christ  can  understand  your  case,  and  His  "  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee." 
II.  To  those  trials  WHICH  ABE  MORE  OPEN.     Take,  e.g.,  one  of  the  most  common 


480  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xn. 

of  our  earthly  troubles,  that  caused  by  the  voice  of  calumny.  You  may  be  con- 
scious that  you  are  innocent,  and  it  is  all  very  well  to  talk  of  superiority  to  calumny. 
When  Christ  was  called  a  gluttonous  man  and  a  wine-bibber,  a  Samaritan  and  a 
devil,  and  crucified  as  a  malefactor,  He  did  not  wrap  Himself  up  in  His  conscious 
innocence  and  look  with  perfect  indifference  upon  the  malignant  assaults  of  His 
enemies.  It  was  one  of  the  severest  parts  of  His  earthly  trials.  And  here  is  our 
hope,  viz.,  that  the  Saviour,  who  has  Himself  known  the  trial,  wiU  make  His 
"  grace  sufficient  for  us."  There  is  one  Friend  whom  the  slanderer  cannot  alienate. 
No  falsehood  breathed  against  any  man  ever  injured  him  in  the  estimation  of 
Jesus,  but,  on  the  contrary,  made  him  more  peculiarly  the  object  of  the  Saviour's 
care.  HI.  Fob  the  duties  of  the  Chbistian  life.  How  arduous  those  duties 
are!  And  many  have  drawn  back  from  them.  "My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee,"  is 
not  a  promise  for  those  who  neglect  duty,  but  for  those  who  engage  in  it.  The  fullest 
stream  cannot  move  the  wheel  till  the  water  gate  is  raised,  but  then  when  that  is  done, 
it  comes  down  steadily  upon  it,  and  as  each  turn  makes  place  for  more,  another 
gushing  flood  comes  down  and  turns  it  again,  and  keeps  it  ever  moving.  So  is  it 
in  our  duties.  Let  us  engage  in  them,  let  us  remove  the  obstacles,  let  us  draw  up 
the  gate,  and  then  it  is  Christ's  part  to  send  down  grace  to  keep  the  machinery  of 
the  spiritual  life  in  constant  motion.  It  is  the  absurdest  thing  to  shrink  from 
duties  because  of  our  weakness,  when  the  almighty  power  of  Jesus  is  pledged  to  be 
present  with  us.  IV.  To  all  that  tet  lies  before  us,  of  tbial  and  obedience. 
We  can  fancy  many  dreadful  evils  in  the  coming  future.  We  have,  at  least,  one 
great  trial  to  endure,  the  severing  of  friends  from  us  by  death,  and  our  own  last 
conflict  with  the  great  enemy.  (W.  H.  Lewis,  D.D.)  The  moral  'power  of  Chris- 
tianity : — A  human  life  is  a  problem  of  forces.  Powers  from  all  worlds  are  met 
on  this  earth  and  contend  for  the  mastery  over  us.  Influences  from  all  the  ages 
flow  in  the  veins  of  humanity  and  oeat  in  the  heart  of  each  new-born  child.  It  is 
a  question  of  forces— physical,  moral,  spiritual — what  shall  become  of  every  one  of 
us.  Our  whole  scientific  conception  of  things  is  formed  now  in  equations  of  force. 
The  earth  quivers  to  its  centre  to  the  influences  of  the  stars.  Elemental  forces- 
hold  each  other  in  firm  embrace  in  the  great  mountains  and  in  the  ancient  order  of 
the  heavens.  It  is  with  the  primal  and  eternal  forces  that  we  have  to  do  even  in 
the  quietest  of  things.  Human  history,  no  less  than  the  physical  processes  of 
nature,  is  a  ceaseless  transformation  and  conservation  of  energy.  Human  destiny 
is  a  problem  of  forces.  This  dynamical  conception  of  history,  this  view  of  every 
human  life  as  a  drama  of  supernal  powers,  presents  a  most  fascinating  study  of 
events  and  characters  and  destinies.  Not  only  in  the  few  great  lives,  but  in  the 
passion  and  action  of  every  soul,  universal  powers  contend  for  the  supremacy,  and 
the  issues  of  eternal  life  or  death  are  the  results  of  the  conflict.  When  we  think 
thus  of  each  life  from  earliest  childhood  as  a  problem  of  forces,  powers  from  every- 
whither contending  for  the  mastery  in  it,  and  eternal  life  or  death  being  its  moral 
victory  or  defeat,  nothing  that  touches  and  influences,  nothing  that  may  help  or 
hurt  the  soul  in  this  great  conflict  of  its  destiny,  can  seem  indifferent  to  us.  The 
question  of  its  triumph  or  its  shame,  its  virtue  or  its  loss,  will  become  a  question  of 
motive  and  of  motive-power :  in  the  power  of  what  motives  can  the  victory  of 
spirit  be  gained?  What  motive-power  is  sufficient  to  reduce  all  the  conflicting 
forces  that  work  upon  us  and  in  us  to  one  harmonious,  happy,  and  everlasting  life  ? 
Now,  our  Christian  faith  has  a  clear  answer  to  give  to  this  question  concerning  the 
sufficient  motive-power  of  a  life.  When  the  Apostle  Paul  preached  at  Athens  or 
Kome  there  was  one  question  which  he  might  have  asked  the  philosophers,  to 
which  he  would  have  received  evasive  and  very  unsatisfactory  replies,  viz..  How 
can  a  bad  man  become  a  good  man  ?  How  can  a  virtuous  man  overcome  all  evil  ? 
Some  one  at  Athens  or  Eome  might  have  quoted  Aristotle  to  him,  and  answered. 
The  good  can  become  better  by  the  practice  of  virtue ;  and  as  for  the  bad,  the  State 
must  look  after  them  by  the  exercise  of  force.  Or  some  one  might  have  quoted 
Plato  to  the  apostle,  and  said.  The  way  of  virtue  is  the  way  of  contemplation  ;  lift 
your  eyes  to  the  eternal  ideas,  behold  their  beauty — an  answer  which  might  be 
serviceable  to  the  few  wise  souls,  but  which  would  have  no  meaning  for  those  bom 
blind,  without  spiritual  eyes  clarified  for  the  vision  of  supernal  truths.  But  St. 
Paul  carried  with  him  in  his  new  Christian  experience  an  answer  concerning  the 
moral  motive-power  of  a  true  life,  such  as  all  the  books  of  the  ancients  did  not 
contain.  Let  us  consider  how  he  had  reached  that  answer,  and  what  his  Christian 
solution  of  life  as  a  problem  of  forces  was.  He  had  reached  it  through  two  courses 
of  experience.      First,  he  had  tried  the  best  method  which  he  knew  of  making 


CHAP.  XII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  4S1 

himself  a  master  of  all  virtue,  and  he  felt  that  he  had  miserably  failed.  He  had 
succeeded  well  enough  according  to  the  moral  standards  of  his  neighbours  and 
friends,  but  in  his  own  sober  judgment  of  himseK  he  had  failed  to  reach  the  one 
object  of  his  moral  ambition,  and  to  become  a  perfect  master  of  righteousness.  He 
had  tried  to  live  by  rule,  and  he  had  found  that  to  be  a  very  unsatisfactory  method 
of  virtue.  Then,  having  failed  to  hve  perfectly  by  rule,  he  had  been  taught  by  a. 
vision  of  the  Lord  another  method  of  life — the  method  of  faith  and  love.  The 
new  Christian  motive  lifts  him  up  and  leads  him  on.  And  his  Epistles  ring  with  a 
consciousness  of  power.  Among  the  most  frequently-repeated  words  in  these 
Epistles  of  the  great  apostle  is  this  word  "  power."  St.  John  has  three  characteristic 
words,  denoting  his  pure,  fair,  Christian  conception  of  what  we  shall  be— the  words 
light,  life,  love.  St.  Paul  also  has  three  words,  oft-recurring,  which  disclose  his 
new  Christian  consciousness  of  redemption — grace,  faith,  power — in  demonstration 
of  the  Spirit  and  of  power,  the  power  of  the  resurrection,  the  power  of  Christ. 
Who  is  this  one  man  to  claim  discovery  of  the  secret  of  a  supernal  power  for  life 
and  over  death  ?  Who  is  this  man  who  claims  to  succeed  where  all  our  philoso- 
phies fail  ?  What  impossible  motive-power  of  life  is  this  of  which  the  converted 
Jew  boasts?  St.  Paul's  answer,  however,  concerning  the  sufficient  motive-power 
for  life,  others  around  him  began  to  try,  and  they  succeeded  by  it.  It  has  been 
verified  in  men's  experience  thousands  of  times,  and  under  most  widely  differing 
conditions  of  life.  A  modern  unbeliever,  who  thinks  that  the  only  hope  for  making 
men  better  is  through  good  breeding  scientifically  carried  out,  admits  that  the  Chris- 
tian motive  has  power  over  certain  high  and  rare  spirits,  but  it  does  not  much  in- 
fluence, he  thinks,  the  generality  of  people.  But  an  unbeUever  in  the  second  century 
raised  precisely  the  opposite  objection  against  the  new  Christian  faith,  and  complained 
that  the  Chi'istian  converts  were  made  from  the  wool-dressers,  and  the  cobblers,  and 
the  ignorant  masses.  If  we  put  the  two  objections  together,  the  ancient  and  the 
modern,  they  render  this  just  tribute  to  the  power  of  the  gospel,  that  it  appeals  to 
the  humblest  and  the  worst,  while  it  also  has  a  nobler  inspiration  for  the  rarest 
spirits.  Such  being  the  incontestable  fact,  we  may  proceed  next  to  consider  what 
this  moral  motive-power  is  which  St.  Paul  carried  within  him  to  Rome.  Our  text 
puts  the  whole  matter  in  the  simplest  form — the  strength  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
His  power  resting  on  the  disciple.  We  are  not,  perhaps,  accustomed  to  think  of 
the  life  of  Jesus  as  the  strong  life ;  yet  it  was  the  life  of  strength.  We  think  of 
Him  as  the  merciful  One,  who  went  about  doing  good  ;  we  think  of  Him  as  the 
Man  of  Sorrows.  Gentleness,  patience,  self-denying,  suffering,  submission— these 
are  the  pre-eminent  Christian  virtues ;  and  Christ-likeness  means  seK-forgetfulness. 
Yet  the  brave,  great-hearted  apostle  seems  to  have  been  wonderfully  impressed 
with  the  strength  of  the  Christ.  The  power  of  Jesus  commanded  him.  The 
despised  Nazarene,  he  discovers,  was  Lord.  The  Crucified  One,  he  sees,  is  Emperor 
of  all  worlds.  St.  Paul  receives  the  Spirit  of  Christ  as  the  Spirit  of  power.  From 
beginning  to  end  Jesus'  life  was  characterised  by  these  three  distinguishing  moral 
marks  of  the  highest  human  power — perfect  self-poise,  instantaneous  decision,  sure 
and  unbroken  purpose.  Estimated  by  such  tests  of  power,  the  life  of  the  Son  of 
man  was  the  strongest  life  ever  commissioned  of  the  Eternal  upon  this  earth. 
First,  it  is  as  the  personal  influence  of  Jesus.  That  is  to-day  the  strongest  thing  in 
the  world.  There  is  no  greater  force  under  the  stars  than  the  personal  influence  of 
the  Christ.  The  generations  cannot  pass  from  the  spell  of  it.  There  is  no  type  of 
virtue  which  has  not  been  strengthened  by  it,  no  grace  of  character  that  has  not 
been  enhanced  by  it.  The  personal  example  of  the  Christ  is  the  kingly  and 
commanding  power  of  modern  history.  Secondly,  in  this  power  of  Jesus,  of  which 
St.  Paul  was  profoundly  conscious,  is  contained  great  material  of  truth  for 
character  and  conduct.  The  truths  which  the  gospel  presents  are  truths  which  are 
directly  convertible  into  character ;  they  easily  break  into  the  pure  flame  of  conse- 
crated spirit.  AH  truths  have  some  relations,  direct  or  indirect,  to  conduct ;  but 
these  Christian  truths  are  pre-eminently  truths  to  be  done  ;  they  are  rich  in 
material  for  motive.  This  is  the  value  of  the  Christian  doctrines ;  they  are 
materials  for  life.  The  doctrines  of  the  Epistles  branch  at  once  into  the  practical 
precepts  of  the  Epistles :  the  truths  of  the  gospel  bear  the  fruits  of  righteousness. 
If  in  our  trials,  temptations,  anxieties,  responsibilities,  or  bereavements,  we  wish  to 
find  truths  that  shall  keep  our  hearts  always  young,  and  impart  to  us  an  exhaust- 
less  spiritual  strength,  we  must  open  our  Bibles,  and  let  these  words  of  inspiration 
renew  our  courage,  calm  our  spirits,  set  our  daily  duties  to  celestial  music,  impart 
to  us  in  the  midst  of  the  conflicts  of  the  world  something  of  the  strength  of  Jesus 

31 


482  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xii. 

and  the  peace  of  the  Eternal.  Thirdly,  the  power  of  Jesus,  which  an  apostle 
prayed  might  rest  upon  him,  was  not  only  the  influence  of  the  remembered  hfe 
of  the  Lord,  nor  was  it  wholly  the  strength  to  be  gained  by  assimilating  the  truths 
of  the  gospel ;  it  was  also  the  living  power  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ.  The  motive  to  aU 
goodness  in  the  hves  of  believers,  and  the  power  of  the  perseverance  of  the  saints, 
is  to  be  the  influences  with  the  soul  of  the  ascended  Lord  and  the  working  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  who  uses  all  the  Christian  revelation  of  God  as  the  means  and  channel 
of  the  redemptive  power  of  God's  love  on  earth.  What,  then,  do  we  see  ?  What  do 
we  find?  Everywhere  around  us — yes,  and  within  us — a  conflict  of  forces,  good  and 
evil ;  and  the  eternal  destinies  waiting  the  issues  of  this  combat  of  our  mortality. 
{Newman  Smyth.)  The  poiver  of  Divine  grace : — The  close  connection  between  a 
■  sincere  recognition  of  all  that  is  implied  in  the  sin  of  the  world  and  an  appreciation 
of  the  reality  of  grace,  has  been  clearly  shown  in  the  history  of  error.  It  held 
together  the  two  denials  which  characterised  the  Pelagian  heresy  of  the  fifth 
century.  For  it  has  been  truly  said  that  "  it  was  only  by  ignoring  the  great  over- 
throw that  Pelagius  could  dispense  with  the  great  restorative  force."  He  had  to 
say  "we  have  no  inborn  sin"  in  order  that  he  might  say  "we  need  no  inward 
grace."  And  at  all  times  there  is  no  more  certain  way  to  drain  the  life  out  of  our 
religion,  and  to  quench  all  brightness  in  the  things  of  faith,  than  to  trifle  with 
the  idea  of  sin — to  mitigate  the  verdict  of  conscience  in  regard  to  it,  to  try  to 
explain  it  away,  or  to  make  ourselves  easy  in  its  presence.  We  disguise  from 
ourselves  the  gravity  of  the  disease,  and  then  the  remedy  seems  disproportionate 
and  unnecessary.  But  when  the  conscience  is  unsophisticated  and  outspoken ; 
when  we  do  justice  in  our  thoughts  to  the  power  and  tyranny  of  sin ;  then  we  feel 
that  nothing  save  a  real  and  living  energy  could  cope  with  such  a  misery ;  that 
grace  must  be  a  reality  if  it  is  to  deal  with  the  sin  of  the  world.  And  grace  is 
indeed  most  real.  It  is  an  energy  at  least  as  true,  as  traceable  in  the  large  course 
of  human  history  as  any  influence  that  we  can  find  there.  But  before  we  try  to 
see  its  work  it  is  necessary  that  we  should  know  what  grace  means  in  Christian 
thought  and  teaching.  "  Grace,"  writes  Dr.  Mozley,  "  is  power.  That  power 
whereby  God  works  in  nature  is  called  power.  That  power  whereby  He  works  in 
the  wills  of  His  reasonable  creatures  is  called  grace."  Again,  in  Dr.  Bright's 
words,  "  Grace  is  a  force  in  the  spiritual  order,  not  simply  God's  unmerited  kind- 
ness in  the  abstract,  but  such  kindness  in  action  as  a  movement  of  His  Spirit  within 
the  soul,  resulting  from  the  Incarnation,  and  imparting  to  the  will  and  the  aiJec- 
tions  a  new  capacity  of  obedience  and  of  love."  And  yet  once  more.  Dr.  Liddon 
writes,  "  Grace  is  not  simply  kindly  feeling  on  the  part  of  God,  but  a  positive  boon 
conferred  on  man.  Grace  is  a  real  and  active  force  :  it  is  the  power  that  worketh 
in  us,  illuminating  the  intellect,  warming  the  heart,  strengthening  the  will  of 
redeemed  humanity.  It  is  the  might  of  the  everlasting  Spirit,  renovating  man  by 
uniting  him,  whether  immediately  or  through  the  sacraments,  to  the  sacred  Man- 
hood of  the  Word  Incarnate."  Such  is  grace  as  a  Christian  thinks  of  it  and  lives 
by  it.  It  is  the  work,  the  presence  of  God  the  Holy  Ghost  in  us,  bringing  to  us  all 
that  our  Saviour  died  and  rose  again  to  win  for  us.  But  here  we  are  moving  upon 
ground  which  may  be  resolutely  denied  to  us.  The  doctrine  of  grace  is  as  little 
congenial  to  natural  reason,  or  to  a  superficial  view  of  human  life,  as  is  the  doctrine 
of  the  Fall.  But  here  too,  I  believe,  a  deeper  and  more  appreciative  study  of  the 
facts  betrays  the  working  of  some  power,  for  which  it  is  very  ditficult  to  account  by 
any  merely  natural  estimate.  As  the  truth  of  original  sin  is  at  once  the  most 
obscure  and  the  most  illuminating  of  mysteries  ;  as  all  the  phenomenon  of  sinful 
history  forces  us  back  to  that  imperceptible  point,  where  by  one  man  sin  entered 
into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin  :  so  may  grace  be  said  to  be  at  once  the  most 
inscrutable  and  the  most  certain  of  all  the  forces  that  enter  into  the  course  of  life. 
The  wind  bloweth  where  it  hsteth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst 
not  tell  whence  it  cometh  and  whither  it  goeth ;  but  as  the  great  trees  sway  like 
reeds,  as  the  clouds  scud  across  the  sky,  as  the  ship  leaps  forward  over  the  waves 
and  strains  towards  the  haven,  you  do  not  doubt  the  reality  of  the  force  that  is 
astir.  And  grace,  the  great  energy  in  the  spiritual  order  ;  grace,  the  Almighty 
Power  of  God  in  the  wills  of  His  reasonable  creatures,  has  its  phenomena,  its 
effects,  at  least  as  real,  as  difficult  to  deny  or  to  explain  away — though  not  so 
diflicult  to  ignore — as  such  tokens  of  the  viewless  wind.  Alciphron,  the  minute 
philosopher  of  Bishop  Berkeley's  dialogue,  the  witty  and  freethinking  gentleman  of 
his  day,  assails  Christianity  from  this  very  ground.  Grace,  he  trulv  says,  is  the 
main  point  in  the  Christian  dispensation;  but  then  he  complains  thua :  "At  the 


CHAP.  XII.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  483 

request  of  a  philosophical  friend,  I  did  cast  an  eye  on  the  writings  he  showed  me  of 
some  divines,  and  talked  with  others  on  this  subject,  but  after  all  I  had  read  or 
heard  could  make  nothing  of  it,  having  always  found  whenever  I  laid  aside  the 
word  grace  and  looked  into  my  own  mind  a  perfect  vacuity  or  privation  of  all 
ideas."  And  he  adds  with  ingenuous  self-confidence  :  "  As  I  am  apt  to  think  men's 
minds  and  faculties  are  made  much  alike,  I  suspect  that  other  men,  if  they  examine 
what  they  call  grace  with  exactness  and  indifference,  would  agree  with  me  that 
there  was  nothing  in  it  but  an  empty  name."  Alciphron  is  opposed  by  Euphanor 
with  an  argument  which  is  quite  sufficient  for  its  purpose.  He  is  invited  to  con- 
template force  as  he  had  contemplated  grace,  "  itself  in  its  own  precise  idea," 
excluding  the  consideration  of  its  subject  and  effects ;  and  here,  too,  he  is  compelled 
to  discover  the  same  mental  vacuity  and  privation ;  he  closes  his  eyes  and  muses 
a  few  minutes,  and  declares  that  he  can  make  nothing  of  it : — and  so  his  conten- 
tion, if  it  has  any  value,  would  involve  the  denial  of  force  as  well  as  grace ;  and 
for  this  he  is  not  prepared.  But  what  strange  narrowness  of  horizon ;  what  failure 
of  sympathy  and  imagination  ;  what  readiness  to  be  soon  contented  with  one's  own 
account  of  one's  own  fragment  of  the  world — is  shown  when  Alciphron  or  any  one 
else  can  think  that  there  is  nothing  to  be  found  or  studied  where  Christians  speak 
of  grace ;  that  "  a  perfect  vacuity  and  privation  of  ideas  "  is  a  philosophic  state 
of  mind  in  regard  to  it ;  that  it  can  be  dismissed  with  scorn  or  compassion  as 
a  mere  empty  name.  For  grace  is  not  offered  for  attention  and  consideration  as  a. 
mere  subjective  phenomenon,  simply  an  experience  of  the  inner  life,  supported  by  a 
bare  assertion,  incapable  of  tests  and  evidence ;  no,  it  has  its  facts  to  point  to, 
its  results  written  in  the  history  of  men  and  patent  in  their  daily  life ;  its  achieve- 
ments, accredited  to  it  by  those  who  were  cei-tainly  nearest  to  the  occurrences, 
achievements  hardly  to  be  explained  away,  and  never  to  be  ignored  by  any  mind 
that  claims  the  temper  of  philosophy.  The  effects  assigned  to  grace  in  life  and 
history  are  as  serious  and  distinct,  as  necessarily  to  be  recognised  and  dealt  with, 
as  the  effects  of  force,  or  sin,  or  passion.  Take  but  one  great  instance  out  of 
history.  When  the  power,  the  dignity,  the  character  of  Rome  was  breaking  up ; 
when  poets  and  historians  had  seen  and  spoken  out  the  plain  truth  that  society  was 
sinking  down  and  down,  from  bad  to  worse  ;  when  all  the  principles  of  national  or 
individual  greatness  seemed  discredited  and  confused,  when  vice  in  naked  shame- 
lessness  was  seizing  upon  tract  after  tract  of  human  life — then  suddenly  the  whole 
drift  of  moral  history,  the  whole  aspect  of  the  fight  was  changed.  A  new  force 
appeared  upon  the  scene.  "  It  seems  to  me,"  says  the  Dean  of  St.  Paul's,  "  that 
the  exultation  apparent  in  early  Christian  literature,  beginning  with  the  Apostolic 
Epistles,  at  the  prospect  now  at  length  disclosed,  within  the  bounds  of  a  sober 
hope,  of  a  great  moral  revolution  in  human  life,  that  the  rapturous  confidence 
which  pervades  these  Christian  ages,  that  at  last  the  routine  of  vice  and  sin  has 
met  its  match,  that  a  new  and  astonishing  possibility  has  come  within  view,  that 
men,  not  here  and  there,  but  on  a  large  scale,  might  attain  to  that  hitherto  hope- 
less thing  to  the  multitudes, — goodness, — is  one  of  the  most  singular  and  solemn 
things  in  history."  "  The  monotony  of  deepening  debasement,"  "  the  spell  and 
custom  of  evil  "  was  broken  now,  and  "  an  awful  rejoicing  transport  filled  the  souls 
of  men  as  they  saw  that  there  was  the  chance,  more  than  the  chance,  the  plain 
fore-running  signs,  of  human  nature  becoming  here,  what  none  had  ever  dared 
it  would  become,  morally  better."  That  was  a  real  achievement,  if  anything  in 
history  is  real.  Such  is  the  unanimous  witness  of  all  those  through  whose  lives 
and  labour  God  wrought  that  mighty  work,  and  renewed  the  face  of  the  earth. 
That  rallying  of  all  hope,  that  surprising  reassertion  of  goodness  against  the 
confident  tyranny  of  evil,  was  the  work  of  grace.  Grace  was  the  power  that  came 
in  and  turned  the  issue  of  the  fight,  the  tide  of  human  history.  His  grace  is 
sufficient  for  us ;  His  grace  which  day  by  day  does  change  the  hearts  and  lives  of 
man ;  His  grace  which  gives  the  poor  their  wondrous  patience  and  simplicity  and 
trust;  His  grace  which  can  uphold  a  patient,  self-distrustful  woman  through  the 
dreariest  and  most  revolting  tasks  of  charity  and  compassion ;  His  grace  which 
holds  His  servants'  wills  resolute  and  unflagging  through  the  utmost  stress  of 
overwork  and  suffering,  on  in  the  very  hours  of  sickness,  on  into  the  very  face  of 
death ;  His  grace  which  changes  pride  to  penitence  and  humility,  which  wins  the 
sensual  to  chastity,  the  intemperate  to  self-control,  the  hard  and  thankless  to  the 
brightness  of  a  gentle  life.  His  grace  which  everywhere,  in  the  stillness  where 
He  loves  to  work,  is  disentangling  the  souls  of  men  from  the  clinging  hindrances  of 
sin,  repairing,  bit  by  bit,  the  ruin  of  our  fall,  renewing  to  all  and  more  than  all  its 


484  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  xn. 

primal  beauty,  that  image  and  likeness  of  Almighty  God,  in  which  at  the  first  He 
fashioned  man  to  be  the  lord,  the  priest,  the  prophet  of  the  world.  So  is  His  grace 
ever  working,  striving  round  about  us :  so  is  it  ever  ready  to  work  and  strive  and 
win,  be  sure,  in  each  of  us.  No  aim  is  too  high,  no  task  too  great,  no  sin  too 
strong,  no  trial  too  hard  for  those  who  patiently  and  humbly  rest  upon  God's 
grace:  who  wait  on  HLm  that  He  may  renew  their  strength.  (Dean  Paget,'D.D.) 
My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee : — I.  There  is  grace  always  promised  to  the  people 
of  God  in  their  necessities,  but  not  gkace  mobe  than  is  needed  for  the  occasion 
THAT  CALLS  IT  FORTH.  God  does  Hot  fliiig  the  gifts  of  His  grace  carelessly  from  His 
throne  without  reference  to  the  special  circumstances  or  need  of  His  people. 
Strength  is  imparted  accurately  meted  out  to  the  emergency.  Were  grace  imparted 
more  than  sufdcient  for  the  present  need  it  would  be  positively  injurious.  If,  after 
overcoming  the  trial  of  to-day,  the  Christian  had  still  a  store  in  hand  that  might 
suffice  for  to-morrow,  he  would  feel  as  if  absolved  from  the  necessity  of  prayer  and 
watchfulness  for  the  future.  God  knows  too  well  "our  proneness  to  self -righteous- 
ness to  give  the  temptation  to  independence ;  He  knows  too  well  how  inclined  men 
are  to  security  and  sloth,  to  lay  in  their  way  this  inducement  to  inactivity.  Yet 
how  many  are  there,  even  of  the  children  of  God,  who  murmur  against  such  an 
arrangement,  and  passionately  long  for  such  a  store  of  grace  as  shall  exempt  them 
from  the  feeling  of  present  weakness,  and  set  them  at  ease  on  the  score  of  coming 
danger  !  There  is  a  striking  analogy  in  this  respect  between  the  deahngs  of  God  in 
His  providence  and  the  dealings  of  God  in  His  grace.  The  petition  in  the  Lord's 
prayer,  "  Give  us  day  by  day  our  daily  bread  "  (Luke  xi.  3),  sufficiently  points  out 
the  limits  of  a  Christian's  duty  and  expectations  in  regard  to  his  worldly  portion. 
And  just  as  the  man  who  gathers  perishable  wealth  is  often  seen  strivmg  to  be 
rich,  that  he  may  at  last  say  to  himself,  "  Soul,  take  thine  ease :  thou  hast  much 
goods  laid  up  for  many  years  "  ;  so,  in  like  manner,  the  Christian,  in  the  midst  of 
his  weakness  and  fears,  is  often  seen  eager  for  such  a  measure  of  grace  and  strength 
as  may  not  only  meet  the  present  difficulty,  but  set  his  soul  at  ease  as  regards 
future  trouble  or  temptation.  But  it  may  not  be.  Your  life  in  this  world  must  be 
a  life  of  constant,  childhke,  entire  dependence  on  God.  II.  There  is  grace  promised 
to  the  believer  in  every  season  of  trial,  but  not  grace  before  it  is  needed.  Both 
in  regard  to  the  measure  of  grace  communicated  to  His  people,  and  in  regard  to 
the  time  when  it  is  imparted,  God  would  distinctly  teach  us  that  He  keeps  the 
matter  in  His  own  hand.  God  gives  grace  to  His  people  in  their  necessities,  but 
not  until  the  necessity  occurs.  And  why  is  the  grace  thus  delayed  until  the  hour 
when  it  is  required,  and  not  imparted  beforehand  to  sustain  the  soul  in  the  prospect, 
as  well  as  in  the  experience,  of  the  conflict?  Just  because  "it  is  good  that  a  man 
should  both  hope  and  quietly  wait  for  the  salvation  of  his  God  "  (Lam.  iii.  26). 
What  shall  we  say  to  such  a  burdened  and  trembling  disciple  ?  We  would  say.  It 
is  not  right  to  compare  your  present  spiritual  state  with  your  future  or  possible 
trials  in  the  months  or  years  that  are  to  come.  The  grace  that  God  has  given  you 
to-day  is  intended  for  the  duties  of  to-day ;  and  it  is  sufficient  for  them.  If  the 
duties  that  are  allotted  for  you  in  the  future,  or  the  temptations  that  shall  assail 
you,  are  harder  to  meet  than  the  present,  then  you  may  rest  assured  that  a  larger 
measure  of  strength  than  you  now  enjoy  will  be  imparted.  And  yet,  how  many 
are  there  of  the  children  of  God,  weak  in  faith  and  faint  in  hope,  who  disquiet 
themselves  in  vain,  and  draw  their  souls  into  trouble  by  such  unwise  anticipations 
of  the  future  as  these !  III.  There  is  grace  promised  to  the  people  of  God  in  their 
necessities,  and  grace  not  less  than  is  needed.  The  dying  man,  though  weak 
and  worn,  has  found  in  that  hour  provision  against  all  its  trials.  Like  the 
patriarch  of  old,  he  has  gathered  up  his  feet  into  the  bed,  ready,  yea  eager,  to  be 
away.     (Jas.   Bannerman,   D.D.)         Sufficient  grace : — I.    Observe  that  the  text 

guards   us   AGAINST    AN    OVER-ANXIOUS   ANTICIPATION   OF    THE   FUTURE.       H.    But    again, 

the  text  OFFERS  us  grace  in  proportion  to  our  need.  This  most  precious 
promise  is  extended  to  all  who  are  willing  to  receive  it.  There  are  many  aspects 
in  which  this  offer  claims  our  attention.  1.  It  is  universal  in  its  range.  There  is 
no  case  which  it  does  not  meet.  However  varied  men's  circumstances,  there  is 
something  here  quite  adequate  to  all  their  variety.  One  dreads  poverty ;  another 
fears  the  temptations  of  prosperity.  2.  And*t  is  judicious  in  its  purport.  It  is 
intended  not  to  gratify  our  wishes,  which  are  often  foolish,  but  to  meet  the  real 
exigencies  of  our  case.  We  should  like  to  choose  blessings  for  ourselves,  or  at 
least  to  know  what  they  are  to  be.  Yet  we  are  never  so  likely  to  err  as  when  we 
are  surest  of  ourselves.     How  often  we  see  men  behaving  differently  in  changed 


CHAP.  XII.]  II.  COEINTHIANS.  485 

conditions  of  life  from  their  intended  conduct  1  3.  This  is  an  offer,  further,  very 
tender  in  its  compassion.  It  is  rich  in  mercy  of  the  most  considerate  kind.  4. 
Then  how  rich  are  the  blessings  which  are  thus  secured !  No  day,  however  dreaded, 
is  without  its  gracious  promise  to  the  ear  of  faith.  III.  If,  then,  these  things  are 
true,  WE  MtrsT  use  God's  grace  in  the  doing  of  our  daily  work.  Only  in  so 
far  as  we  are  strong  in  the  Lord  now,  are  we  at  liberty  to  expect  His  strength  for 
the  future.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  far  more  in  this  text  to  encourage  than  to 
reprove.  It  bids  us  not  be  disheartened  with  the  vastness  of  the  soul's  salvation. 
We  must  not  think  that  all  that  is  implied  in  that  expression  can  be  at  once 
accomplished.  The  story  of  the  discontented  pendulum  cannot  be  too  often 
repeated  even  to  grown-up  people.  The  pendulum  began  to  reflect  how  often  it 
had  swung  in  the  hour,  and  then,  multiplying  its  strokes  by  the  hours  of  the  day, 
and  these  again  by  the  days  in  the  week,  and  these  finally  by  the  weeks  in  the  year, 
it  came  to  see  how  very  often  it  would  have  to  move  backwards  and  forwards  in 
one  year ;  and  overwhelmed  with  the  thought,  it  suddenly  stopped.  It  began  to 
swing  again,  only  when  reminded  that,  after  all,  it  was  never  required  to  move 
oftener  than  once  a  second,  and  that  it  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  future.  That 
assurance  we  all  need  to  lay  to  heart.  It  is  to  our  present  duty,  and  to  it  only, 
that  such  a  text  as  this  summons  us.  The  Divine  plan  of  strengthening  us  is  by 
degrees.  It  forms  habits  of  trustfulness  and  submission  and  activity.  Put  away 
from  you  all  unreasonable  expectations  of  getting  more  from  God's  grace  than  is 
sufficient  for  you,  and  do  not  wonder  if  you  get  it  only  as  you  need  it.  Were  a 
youth  to  reckon  up  the  number  of  mental  efforts  he  must  put  forth  to  master  any 
branch  of  knowledge,  would  he  not  despair?  Had  the  IsraeUtes  known  of  all  their 
wanderings,  would  they  have  come  out  of  Egypt  ?  God's  gi-ace  does  its  work  in 
every  Christian  from  day  to  day.  (A.  MacEwen,  D.D.)  The  sufficient  grace  of 
God  : — I.  What  a  need  there  is  for  any  true  life  that  it  should  have  some 

CONCEPTION    OF    ITSELF   WITHIN   WHICH   ALL    ITS    SPECIAL   ACTIVITIES   SHOULD   MOVE    AND 

DO  THEIR  WORK.  What  the  skin  is  to  the  human  body,  holding  all  the  parts  of  the 
inner  machinery  compactly  to  their  work  ;  what  the  simple  constitution  is  to  a 
highly-elaborated  state,  enveloping  all  its  functions — such  to  the  manifold  actions 
of  a  man  is  some  great  simple  conception  of  life,  surrounding  all  details,  giving 
them  unity,  simplicity,  effectiveness.  The  degree  in  which  the  life  is  immediately 
and  consciously  aware  of  its  enveloping  conception  may  vary  very  much  indeed. 
Some  would  have  to  stop  and  re-collect  their  consciousness  before  they  could  give 
you  a  clear  statement  of  it.  Nevertheless  the  dignity,  beauty,  usefulness  of  human 
lives  seem  to  depend  on  it.  Here  is  a  man  all  scintillating  with  brightness :  every 
act  he  does,  every  word  he  says,  is  a  single,  separate  point  of  electricity,  shining 
the  more  brilliantly  just  because  of  its  isolation.  Here  is  another  man  of  far  less 
brilliancy ;  his  electricity  does  not  sparkle  at  brilliant  points,  but  it  lives  unseen 
and  powerful  through  everything  he  does  and  is.  Now  it  is  to  the  second  man,  not 
to  the  first,  the  world  must  look  for  good  and  constant  power.  11.  Note  the 
SPECIAL  conception  OF  LIFE  WHICH  IS  IN  THE  TEXT.  That  man's  life  is  to  have 
abundant  supply  for  aU  it  needs,  and  yet  all  this  abundance  is  not  to  come  by  or  in 
itseK,  because  the  human  life  itself  is  part  and  parcel  of  the  Divine  Kfe.  1.  This 
conception  excludes  two  ideas — the  first,  that  there  is  no  sufficiency  for  man  ;  the 
second,  that  man  carries  his  sufficiency  within  himself.  How  these  two  ideas 
divide  among  themselves  the  hearts  of  men !  The  timid,  tired,  discouraged  men 
say,  "Human  life  a  predestined  failure:  full  of  wants  for  which  there  is  no 
supply,  of  questions  for  which  there  is  no  answer."  The  self-confident,  self- 
trustful  say,  "  Man  is  satisfied  in  himself.  Let  him  but  put  forth  all  his 
powers  and  he  shall  supply  aU  his  own  needs  and  answer  all  his  own 
questions."  And  then  God  says,  "Nay,  both  are  wrong;  you  must  be  satisfied, 
but  you  must  be  satisfied  in  Me ;  you  must  have  sufficiency,  but  My  grace  must 
be  s..fficient  for  you."  2.  Now  man  cannot  rest  in  the  settled  conviction  of  in- 
sufficiency. He  has  a  deep  and  true  conviction  that  he  has  no  power  or  need  for 
which  there  is  not  a  correspondent  supply  somewhere  within  reach,  e.g.,  his 
power  of  adoring  love  brings  him  assurance  that  there  is  a  being  worthy  of  such 
love.  Then,  on  the  other  hand,  that  man  shall  find  humanity  sufficient  for  his 
powers  and  needs  is  made  everlastingly  impossible  by  the  strange  fact  to  which  all 
the  history  of  man  bears  witness,  that  man,  though  himself  finite,  demands  infinity 
to  deal  with  and  to  rest  upon.  That  fact  is  the  perpetual  witness  that  man  is  the 
child  of  God.  The  child  may  be  reminded  of  his  limitations,  and  yet  he  always 
mounts  up  to  claim  the  largeness  of  his  father's  life  for  himself.     You  never  can 


486  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap,  xir^ 

rule  lines  around  the  realm  of  knowledge  and  say  to  man,  "That  is  the  limit  of 
what  you  possibly  can  know."  He  will  rub  out  your  lines,  and  choose  those  very 
things  to  exercise  his  knowing  faculty  upon.  What  man  ever  truly  loves  and  sets 
a  limit  to  the  loveliness  of  that  which  he  is  loving  ?  Who  that  with  the  best  human 
ambition  is  seeking  after  character  can  fix  himself  a  goal  and  say,  "  That  is  as- 
good  as  it  is  possible  for  me,  a  man,  to  be  "  ?  There  comes  no  real  content  until, 
behind  all  the  patterns  which  hold  themselves  up  to  him,  at  last  he  hears  the  voice 
far  out  beyond  them  all  calling  to  him,  "  Be  ye  perfect  as  your  Father  in  heaven  is. 
perfect."  Then  the  finite  has  heard  the  voice  of  the  infinite  to  which  it  belongs, 
to  which  it  always  will  respond,  and  straightway  it  settles  down  to  its  endless 
journey  and  goes  on  content.     III.  It  is  in  views  like  these  that  i  find  my 

ASSURANCE     IN    THESE    DAYS    OF    DOUBT    ABOUT    THE     NATURE    AND    DESTINY    OF    MAN.       If 

man  is  God's  child,  then  man  cannot  permanently  be  atheistic.  This  poor  man 
or  that  may  be  an  atheist,  perhaps ;  this  child  or  that  may  disown  or  deny  hi& 
father ;  but  the  world-child,  man,  to  him  the  sense  that  he  was  not  made  for 
insufficiency,  and  the  sense  that  he  is  not  sufficient  for  himself,  will  always  bring 
him  back  from  his  darkest  and  remotest  wanderings,  and  set  him  where  he  will 
hear  the  voice  which  alone  can  completely  and  finally  satisfy  him,  saying,  "My 
grace  is  sufficient  for  thee."     IV.  And  now,  if  this  is  where  the  soul  of  man  must 

BEST,  let  us    see  WHAT    IS   THE    REST   WHICH    MAN's    SOUL    WILL    FIND    HERE  ;    what  will 

it  be  for  a  man  when  the  secret  and  power  of  his  life  is  that  he  is  resting  on  the 
sufficiency  of  the  grace  of  God  ?  1.  This  grace  of  God  must  be  a  perpetual  element 
in  which  our  life  abides,  and  not  an  occasional  assistant  called  in  to  meet  special 
emergencies.  I  say  to  one  man,  "Who  is  your  sufficiency?  On  whom  do  you 
rely  for  help?  "  and  his  reply  is,  "  God  "  ;  and  it  sounds  exactly  as  if  he  thought 
that  God  was  a  man  in  the  next  house,  some  one  at  hand  when  wanted.  I  ask 
another  man  the  same  questions,  and  he  answers,  "  God  "  ;  and  it  sounds  as  if  the 
sunlight  talked  about  the  sun,  as  if  the  stream  talked  of  the  spring,  as  if  the  blood 
talked  of  the  heart,  as  if  the  plant  talked  of  the  ground,  as  if  the  mountain  talked 
of  the  gravitation  that  lived  in  every  particle  of  it  and  held  it  in  its  everlasting^ 
seat ;  nay,  as  if  the  child  talked  of  his  father  "  in  Vi'hom  he  lived  and  moved  and 
had  his  being."  2.  Take  special  instances.  (1)  Here  is  our  bewilderment  about 
truth.  One  doubter,  when  his  hard  question  comes,  says  with  a  ready  confidence, 
"  I  will  go  and  ask  God,"  and  carries  off  his  problem  to  the  Bible,  to  the  closet,  as 
if  he  went  to  consult  an  oracle,  and  as  if,  when  he  had  got,  or  failed  to  get,  an 
answer,  he  would  leave  the  oracle  and  come  back  and  live  on  his  own  resources, 
until  another  hard  question  should  come  up.  I  do  not  say  that  that  is  wholly  bad ; 
but  surely  there  is  something  better.  Another  doubter  meets  his  puzzling  question 
with,  "  God  knows  the  explanation  and  the  answer.  I  do  not  know  that  God  will 
tell  me  what  the  answer  is.  Perhaps  He  will,  perhaps  He  will  not ;  but  He 
knows."  (2)  And  so  it  is  with  regard  to  activity  and  efficiency.  One  man  says, 
"  Here  is  a  great  work  to  be  done ;  God  will  give  me  the  strength  to  do  it  "  ;  and 
so  when  it  is  done  he  is  most  apt  to  call  it  his  work.  Another  man  says,  "Here  is 
this  work  to  be  done ;  God  shall  do  it,  and  if  He  will  use  me  for  any  part  of  it, 
here  I  am.  I  shall  rejoice  as  the  tool  rejoices  in  the  artist's  hand."  When  that 
work  is  finished,  the  workman  looks  with  wonder  at  his  own  achievement,  and 
cries,  "  What  hath  God  wrought !  "  (3)  Again,  one  sufferer  cries,  "  Lord,  make 
me  strong  "  ;  another  sufferer  cries,  "  Lord,  let  me  rest  upon  Thy  strength."  3. 
Always  there  are  these  two  kinds  of  men.  The  scene  in  the  valley  of  Elah  is 
always  finding  its  repetition.  David  and  Goliath  are  perpetual :  proud,  self- 
rehant,  self-sufficient  strength  on  the  one  side  ;  and  on  the  other  the  slight  Judean 
youth,  with  nothing  but  a  sling  and  stone,  with  his  memories  of  struggles  in  which 
he  has  had  no  strength  but  the  strength  of  God,  and  has  conquered,  with  no  boast, 
nothing  but  a  prayer  upon  his  lips.  Goliath  may  thank  his  gods  for  his  great 
muscles ;  but  it  is  a  strength  which  has  been  so  completely  handed  over  to  him 
that  he  now  thinks  of  it,  boasts  of  it,  uses  it  as  his.  David's  strength  lies  back  of 
him  in  God,  and  only  flows  down  from  God  through  him  as  his  hand  needs  it  for 
the  twisting  of  the  sling  that  is  to  hurl  the  stone.  4.  It  is  sad  to  see  even  Christian 
men  and  times  fall  into  the  old  delusion.  The  Christian  Church  seems  to  have 
been  far  too  often  asking  of  God  that  He  should  put  His  power  and  His  wisdom  into 
her,  and  make  it  hers ;  far  too  seldom  that  He  should  draw  her  life  so  close  to  His 
that  His  wisdom  and  power,  kept  still  in  Himself,  should  be  hers  because  it  is  His.    V. 

I  FIND  IN  ALL  THE  LIFE  OF  JeSUS  THE  PERFECT  ILLUSTRATION  AND  ELUCIDATION  OF  ALL  I 

HAVE  BEEN  SAYING.     1.  He  nevcT  treated  His  life  as  if  it  were  a  temporary  deposit  of 


CHAP.  XII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  487 

the  Divine  life  on  the  earth,  cut  off  and  independent  of  its  source ;  he  always  treated 
it  as  if  it  lived  by  its  association  with  the  Father's  Ufe,  on  which  it  rested.  Jesus 
was  always  full  of  the  child-consciousness  ;  He  always  kept  His  life  open  that  the 
Father's  life  might  flow  through  it.  "  Not  My  will,  but  Thy  will,  0  My  Father  " ; 
that  was  the  triumph  of  the  Garden.  "  My  God,  My  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken 
Me?"  that  was  the  agony  of  the  Cross.  2.  What  Jesus  wanted  for  Himself  He 
wants  for  His  disciples.  Not  self -completeness.  When  He  calls  us  to  be  His,  He 
sees  no  day  in  which,  having  trained  our  characters  and  developed  our  strength, 
He  shall  send  us  out  as  you  dismiss  in  the  morning  from  your  door  the  traveller 
whom  you  have  kept  all  night,  and  fed  and  strengthened  and  rescued  from  fatigue, 
and  filled  with  self-respect.  isTo  such  day  is  to  come  for  ever.  And  with  that  in 
our  minds  how  much  that  seemed  mysterious  grows  plain  to  us  !  If  He  is  moving 
our  life  up  close  to  His,  henceforth  to  be  a  part  of  His,  what  wonder  is  it  if,  in 
order  that  that  union  may  be  most  complete.  He  has  to  break  down  the  walls 
which  would  be  separations  between  Him  and  us.  The  going  down  of  the  walls 
between  our  house  and  our  friend's  house  would  be  music  to  us,  for  it  would  be 
making  the  two  houses  one.  The  going  down  of  the  walls  between  our  life  and  our 
Lord's  life,  though  it  consisted  of  the  failure  of  our  dearest  theories  and  the  dis- 
appointment of  our  dearest  plans,  that  too  would  be  music  to  us  if  through  the 
breach  we  saw  the  hope  that  henceforth  our  life  was  to  be  one  with  His  life,  and 
all  His  was  to  be  ours  too.  3.  And  how  clear,  with  this  truth  before  us,  would 
appear  the  duty  that  we  had  to  do,  the  help  that  we  had  to  give  to  any  brother's 
soul.  Not  to  make  him  believe  our  doctriue ;  but  to  bring  him  to  our  God.  Not 
to  answer  all  his  hard  questions  ;  but  to  put  him  where  he  could  see  that  the 
answer  to  them  all  is  in  God.  Not  to  make  him  my  convert,  my  disciple  ;  but  to 
persuade  him  to  let  Christ  make  him  God's  child.  (Bp.  Phillips  Bruoks.)  On 
the  nature  and  efficacy  of  Divine  grace  : — I.  The  grace  of  Christ  is  indispensably 
NECESSARY  TO  SALVATION.     H.  The  gracc  of  Christ,  as  necessary  to  salvation,  is 

PLACED   WITHIN    THE    REACH    OF    EVERY   MAN.      III.    ThE    MEANS,    BY   WHICH    THE    GRACE 

OF  God  is  to  be  obtained,  are  distinctly  revealed  to  us.  IV.  I  propose  to  set 
before  you  the  tests  and  proofs  by  which  the  effectual  acquisition  of  Divine 
GRACE  is  ascertained.  A  tree  is  known  by  its  fruits.  V.  The  grace  of  Christ  is 
all-sufficient.  1.  Divine  grace  is  sufficient  to  supply  strength  to  withstand 
temptation.  2.  The  grace  of  Christ  is  sutiicient  to  enable  His  servants  to  perform 
efficaciously  unto  His  glory  the  undertakings  with  which  He  entrusts  them.  3. 
The  grace  of  Christ  is  sufficient  to  give  comfort  under  afflictions,  and  to  convert 
them  into  means  of  improvement  in  faith  and  holiness.  4.  The  grace  of  Christ  is 
sufficient  for  salvation.  1.  I  would  in  the  first  place  address  myself  to  those 
persons  who  have  hitherto  neglected  or  despised  the  grace  of  God.  2.  To  those 
among  you  who  have  laboured  to  obtain  the  grace  of  Christ,  and  to  apply  ta 
its  proper  object  the  strength  which  is  granted  from  above,  meditations  on 
the  nature  and  the  efficacy  of  the  promised  gift  of  the  Spirit  of  God  are 
perhaps  not  less  important  than  to  the  careless  or  the  hardened  sinner. 
Grieve  not  then  the  Holy   Spirit   of   God.      (T.    Gishorne,   M.A.)  Sufficiency^ 

of  grace  : — "  And  He  said."  The  Greek  tense  here,  by  a  beautiful  dehcacj 
of  the  language,  signifies  "  He  has  said !  He  is  saying  it  now !  "  That  one 
assurance  was  vocal  for  every  day  of  Paul's  life,  and  over  every  step  of  his  heaven- 
ward road.  So  that  by  the  very  principle  of  the  text  it  becomes  ours.  Let  us 
describe  some  of  our  necessities,  showing  how  they  may  all  be  met  and  fully  supplied 
by  the  Saviour's  all-sufficient  grace.     I.  Sometimes  there  is  a  great  conscious  neei> 

JUST   AT  THE    BEGINNING    OF   A    CHRISTIAN  CAREER.       "  The   Lord    knOWCth,"    UOt    Only 

"them  that  are  His,"  but  also  those  who  are  becoming  His.  And  amid  all  the  changes 
and  uncertainties  of  such  a  time.  He  holds  in  nearness,  and  offers  sufficient  grace. 
II.  Think  of  the  transition  as  made.  After  the  fervours  of  the  first  love  are  some- 
what abated,  and  after  the  sweet  freshness  has  passed  from  the  actings  of  the  new- 
born soul — then  comes  a  coldness  and  a  pause.  The  young  soul,  new  to  the  ways 
of  grace,  is  in  danger  of  falling  into  a  practical  unbelief.  "  Is  it  so  soon  thus  with, 
me,  while  I  have  yet  so  far  to  travel,  and  so  much  to  do  ?  Ah,  what  must  I  do  in 
such  a  strait  as  this  ?  Were  it  not  better  to  return  as  best  I  may  with  the  burden  of 
this  disappointment  into  the  world  again  ?  Better  profess  nothing  than  profess  and 
fail."  And  that  feeling  would  not  be  at  all  unreasonable  on  the  naturahstic  view  of 
human  life.  Israel  in  the  wilderness  reasoned  well  from  their  own  point  of  view. 
Egypt  was  far  better  than  the  wilderness  as  a  place  to  live  in  ;  and  if  they  had  been 
out  in  that  wilderness  on  some  chance  journey,  the  murmurers  would  have  been 


488  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xu. 

the  wise  men,  and  Moses  and  Aaron  the  foolish  ones.  But  what  is  that  small  white 
thing  on  the  ground  every  morning?  How  comes  that  hard  rock  to  yield  the 
gushing  stream  ?  Who  is  lighting  up  that  pillar  of  fire  for  the  night  ?  Whence 
comes  that  rich  glory  which  shines  above  the  door  of  the  tabernacle  ?  Ah,  how  do 
these  things  change  the  wilderness  state  !  Even  so,  we  say  to  every  young  dis- 
couraged soul,  if  the  Lord  has  brought  you  out  of  Egypt,  and  left  you  in  the 
wilderness;  if  He  has  just  come  down  to  convert  you  and  then  gone  up  again  to 
heaven,  leaving  you  to  plod  earth's  weary  way  alone — why,  then  you  may  as  well 
go  back  to  Egypt.  But  how  is  the  whole  case  changed,  when  you  hear  the  text 
sounding  over  your  present  Ufe  I  "  The  Lord  is  saying  now,  My  grace  is  sufficient 
for  thee."  The  reference  is  not  to  a  dead  grace  which  was  sufficient,  but  to  a  living 
grace  which  is.     "  As  thy  day,  so  shall  thy  strength  be."     HI.  A  little  fakthek 

ON  WE  MEET  WITH  ONE  ON  WHOM  WHEN  HE  OUGHT  TO  BE  FEELING  THE  FULL  POWERS  OF 
SPIRITUAL  MANHOOD,  THERE  HAS   COME  A  CHILLING  AND  WEAKENING   CHANGE.       Like  Job, 

he  takes  up  his  parable  and  says,  "  Oh  that  I  were  as  in  months  past,  as  in  the  days 
when  God  preserved  me ! "  &c.  And  this  change  has  come  he  knows  not  how.  Not  by 
any  known  declensions.  Not  by  any  wilful  sins.  You  are  omitting  no  social  duty ; 
you  are  still  bowing  the  knee  in  prayer ;  but  the  sweet  experiences  are  gone.  Now 
there  may  be  many  ways  of  recovery.  You  might,  for  example,  search  out  that 
secret  sin  which  has  been  working  at  the  roots  of  your  Ufe.  Or,  conscious  that 
you  have  been  too  ready  to  yield  your  whole  nature  to  the  mood  of  the  moment,  you 
might  lift  yourself  by  a  purely  intellectual  effort  above  too  much  dependence  on 
your  own  ever-varying  feelings.  Or,  you  might,  under  the  conviction  that  all  has 
gone  wrong,  seek  for  a  second  conversion — a  thing  which  many  Christian  men 
greatly  need.  But  quicker  and  better  way  is  the  way  of  the  text.  Take  fast  hold 
of  that,  and  the  roots  of  your  faith  will  grip  the  soil  again  ;  and  through  all  the 
inner  channels  of  your  life  the  nourishing  stream  will  flow ;  and  your  "  leaf  "  will 
grow  green  ;  and  your  fruit  will  colour  and  ripen  to  its  "  season."    IV.  Another 

STAI'JDS  OUT  STRONG  AND  DARK   TO    OUR    VIEW,  AS  IF   THE  SHADOW   OF   A   COMING  CALAMITY 

liAY  OVER  HIS  LIFE.  He  has  run  well,  and  is  not  without  hope  that  he  may  run 
again.  Meantime  he  can  hardly  stir.  Within  him  are  the  stragglings  of  a  tempted 
soul.  He  would  flee,  but  he  cannot.  He  must  go  through  or  fall,  unless  God  shall 
make  a  way  of  escape.  And  you  hear  him  ask,  "  What  shall  I  do  ?  How  shall 
safety  and  deUverance  come  to  me  here?  "  They  will  come  out  of  the  text.  Other- 
wise God's  providence  would  be  stronger  than  His  grace.  He  would  be  leading 
men  into  states  and  perils  from  which  He  would  know  there  could  be  no  deliver- 
ance. When  a  temptation  comes  purely  in  God's  providence,  it  will  very  often  be 
found  that  "with  the  temptation  "  comes  the  way  of  escape.  God  is  faithful.  Call 
upon  Him,  and  He  will  deliver  thee.  V.  See  how  the  softening  shadow  of  the 
TEXT  will  come  OVER  THE  SOUL  THAT  IS  IN  TROUBLE.  But  what  picture  shall  we  take 
from  among  the  children  and  the  scenes  of  sorrow  ?  Shall  we  take  the  man  with 
the  sunny  face,  the  helpful  hand,  who  yet  at  times  has  a  sorrow  like  death  weighing 
on  his  heart ;  or  the  physical  sufferer  ;  or  the  widow  ?  We  had  better  not  select. 
Let  every  sufferer  hear  for  himself ;  then  let  him  apply  the  sure  word  of  promise ; 
then  let  him  carry  it  home  to  all  whom  it  may  concern,  as  the  word  of  a  God  who 
cannot  lie.  Conclusion  :  1.  "  For  thee."  If  you  lose  the  personal  application,  you 
lose  all.  This  text  is  not  for  a  world,  but  for  a  man.  ''  Sufficient  for  thee,"  young 
pilgrim,  wearied  runner,  tempted  spirit,  &c.  2.  "For  thee."  It  is  for  thee  now  to 
change  the  pronoun  and  say,  with  a  wondering  grateful  heart,  "  To-day,  and  every 
day,  from  this  time  forth,  and  even  for  evermore,  His  grace  is  sufficient  for  me." 
(A.  Raleigh,  D.D.)  Grace  equal  to  our  need: — Whenever  the   Lord  sets  His 

servants  to  do  extraordinary  work  He  always  gives  them  extraordinary  strength  ;  or 
if  He  puts  them  to  unusual  suffering  He  gives  them  unusual  patience.  When  we 
enter  upon  war  with  some  petty  New  Zealand  chief,  our  troops  expect  to  have 
their  charges  defrayed,  and  accordingly  we  pay  them  gold  by  thousands,  as  their 
expenses  may  require ;  but  when  an  army  marches  against  a  grim  monarch,  in  an 
unknown  country,  who  has  insulted  the  British  flag,  we  pay,  as  we  know  to  our 
cost,  not  by  thousands  but  by  millions.  And  thus  if  God  calls  us  to  common  and 
ordinary  trials,  He  will  defray  the  charges  of  our  warfare  by  thousands ;  but  if  He 
commands  us  to  an  unusual  struggle  with  some  tremendous  foe,  He  will  discharge 
the  liabilities  of  our  war  by  miJlions,  according  to  the  riches  of  His  grace  which  He 
has  abounded  to  us  through  Christ  Jesus.  (C.H.  Spurgeon.)  Grace,  secret  of : — 
Some  living  creatures  maintain  their  hold  by  foot  or  body  on  fiat  surfaces  by  a 
method  that  seems  like  magic,  and  with  a  tenacity  that  amazes  the  observer.    A  fly 


CHAP.  XII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  489 

marching  at  ease  with  feet  uppei'most  on  a  plastered  ceiling,  and  a  mollusc  sticking 
to  the  smooth  water- worn  surface  of  a  basaltic  rock,  while  the  long  swell  of  the 
Atlantic  at  every  pulse  sends  a  huge  white  billow  roaring  and  hissing  and  cracking 
and  crunching  over  it,  are  objects  of  wonder  to  the  onlooker.  That  apparently 
supernatural  solidity  is  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world.  It  is  emptiness  that 
imparts  so  much  strength  to  these  feeble  creatures.  A  vacuum,  on  the  one  side 
within  a  web-foot,  and  on  the  other  within  the  shell,  is  the  secret  of  their  power. 
By  dint  of  that  emptiness  in  itself  the  creature  quietly  and  easily  cUngs  to  the  wall 
or  the  rock,  so  making  all  the  strength  of  the  wall  or  rock  its  own.  By  its  emptiness 
it  is  held  fast ;  the  moment  it  becomes  full  it  drops  off.  Ah  I  it  is  the  self -emptiness 
of  a  humble,  trustful  soul  that  makes  the  Redeemer's  strength  his  own,  and  so 
keeps  him  safe  in  an  evil  world.     (IV.  Arnot,  D.D.)  Strengthening  words  from 

the  Saviour's  lips : — 1.  Paul,  when  buffeted  by  the  messenger  of  Satan,  addressed 
his  prayer  to  Christ,  which  is  a  proof  of  our  Lord's  divinity ;  and  Christ  was  a  fit 
object  for  such  a  prayer,  because  He  has  endured  the  like  temptation,  and  knows 
how  to  succour  them  that  are  tempted.  Moreover,  He  has  come  to  earth  to  destroy 
the  works  of  the  devU,  and  it  was  by  His  name  that  devils  were  expelled  after  He  ■ 
had  risen.  2.  This  prayer  was  not  only  addressed  to,  but  was  like  the  prayer  of 
Jesus  in  Gethsemane.  I  see  the  Lord  Jesus  reflected  in  Paul,  and  hear  the  three- 
times  repeated  prayer,  mark  the  cup  standing  unremoved,  and  see  the  strength 
imparted  in  the  midst  of  weakness.  3.  Our  text  fell  from  the  lips  of.  Christ 
Himself,  and  when  Jesus  speaks  a  special  charm  surrounds  each  syllable.  4.  The 
exact  sense  of  the  Greek  it  is  not  easy  to  translate.  The  apostle  does  not  merely  tell 
us  that  his  Lord  said  these  words  to  him  fourteen  years  ago.  Their  echoes  were 
stiU  sounding  through  his  soul.  "  He  has  been  saying  to  me,  '  My  strength  is 
sufficient  for  thee.' "  The  words,  not  merely  for  the  time  reconciled  him  to  his 
particular  trouble,  but  cheered  him  for  all  the  rest  of  his  life.  In  the  next  we  notice 
— I.  Grace  all-sufficient.  1.  Taking  the  word  grace  to  mean  favour,  the  passage 
runs — Do  not  ask  to  be  rid  of  your  trouble.  My  favour  is  enough  for  thee ;  or, 
as  Hodge  reads  it,  "  My  love."  If  thou  hast  little  else  that  thou  desirest,  yet  surely 
this  is  enough.  2.  Throw  the  stress  on  the  first  word,  "  My,"  i.e.,  Jesus.  There- 
fore it  is  mediatorial  grace,  the  grace  given  to  Christ  as  the  covenant  Head  of  His 
people.  It  is  the  head  speaking  to  the  member,  and  declaring  that  its  grace  is 
enough  for  the  whole  body.  "  It  pleased  the  Father  that  in  Him  should  all  fulness 
dwell,"  and  of  His  fulness  have  all  we  received,  and  grace  for  grace.  3.  Put  the 
stress  in  the  centre.  "  Is  sufficient."  (1)  It  is  now  sufficient.  It  is  easy  to  believe 
in  grace  for  the  past  and  the  future,  but  to  rest  in  it  for  the  immediate  necessity  is 
true  faith.  (2)  This  sufficiency  is  declared  without  any  limiting  words,  and  there- 
fore Christ's  grace  is  sufficient  to  uphold,  strengthen,  comfort  thee,  sufficient  to 
make  thy  trouble  useful  to  thee,  to  enable  thee  to  triumph  over  it,  to  bring  thee  out 
of  ten  thousand  like  it,  and  to  bring  thee  home  to  heaven.  Whatever  would  be  good 
for  thee,  Christ's  grace  is  sufficient  to  bestow ;  whatever  would  harm  thee.  His  grace 
is  sufficient  to  avert ;  whatever  thou  desirest.  His  grace  is  sufficient  to  give  thee  if 
it  be  good  for  thee ;  whatever  thou  wouldst  avoid.  His  grace  can  shield  thee  from 
it  if  so  His  wisdom  shall  dictate.  4.  Lay  the  emphasis  upon  the  first  and  the  last 
words:  "My  .  .  .  thee."  Surely  the  grace  of  such  a  one  as  my  Lord  Jesus  is 
sufficient  for  so  insignificant  a  being  as  I  am.  Put  one  mouse  down  in  all  the 
granaries  of  Egypt  when  they  were  fullest  after  seven  years  of  plenty,  and  imaQ:ine 
that  one  mouse  complaining  that  it  might  die  of  famine.  Lnagine  a  man  standing 
on  a  mountain,  and  saying,  "I  breathe  so  many  cubic  feet  of  air  in  a  year  ;  I  am 
afraid  that  I  shall  ultimately  inhale  all  the  oxygen  which  surrounds  the  globe." 
Does  it  not  make  unbelief  ridiculous  ?  II.  Strength  perfected.  Remember  that 
it  was  so  with  Christ.  He  was  strong  as  to  His  Deity ;  but  His  strength  as  Mediator 
was  made  perfect  through  suffering.  His  strength  to  save  His  people  would  never 
have  been  perfected  if  He  had  not  taken  upon  Himself  the  weakness  of  human 
nature.  This  is  the  strength  which  is  made  perfect  in  weakness.  1.  The  power  of 
Jesus  can  only  be  perfectly  revealed  in  His  people  by  keeping  them,  and  sustaining 
them  when  they  are  in  trouble.  Who  knows  the  perfection  of  the  strength  of  God 
till  he  sees  how  God  can  make  poor  puny  creatures  strong  ?  When  you  see  a  man 
of  God  brought  into  poverty,  and  yet  never  repining  ;  when  you  hear  his  character 
assaUed  by  slander,  and  yet  he  stands  unmoved  like  a  rock — then  the  strength  of 
God  is  made  perfect  in  the  midst  of  weakness.  It  was  when  tiny  creatures  made 
Pharaoh  tremble  that  his  magicians  said,  "  This  is  the  finger  of  God."  2.  God's 
strength  is  made  perfect  to  the  saint's  own  apprehension  when  he  is  weak.    If  you 


490  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xil. 

have  prospered  in  business,  and  enjoyed  good  health  all  your  Uves,  you  do  notkno\T 
much  about  the  strength  of  God.     You  may  have  read  about  it  in  books ;  you  may 
have  seen  it  in  others ;  but  a  grain  of  experience  is  worth  a  pound  of  observation,, 
and  you  can  only  get  knowledge  of  the  power  of  God  by  an  experimental  acquaint- 
ance with  your  own  weakness,  and  you  will  not  be  hkely  to  get  that  except  as  you 
are  led  along  the  thorny  way  which  most  of  God's  saints  have  to  travel.     Great 
tribulation  brings  out  the  great  strength  of  God.     3.  The  term  "  made  perfect "  also 
means  achieves  its  purpose.      God  has  not  done  for  us  what  He  means  to  do  except 
we  have  felt  our  own  strengthlessness.     The  strength  of  God  is  never  perfected  till. 
our  weakness  is  perfected.    When  our  weakness  is  thoroughly  felt,  then  the  strength 
of  God  has  done  its  work  in  us.     4.  The  strength  of  God  is  most  perfected  or  most 
glorified  by  its  using  our  strengthlessness.      Imagine  that  Christianity  had  been 
forced  upon  men  with  the  stern  arguments  which  Mahomet  placed  in  the  hands  of 
his  first  disciples,  the  glory  would  have  redounded  to  human  courage  and  not  to  the 
love  of  God.     But  when  we  know  that  twelve  humble  fishennen  overthrew  colossal 
systems  of  error  and  set  up  the  Cross  of  Christ  in  their  place,  we  adoringly  exclaim,. 
"  This  is  the  finger  of  God."     And  so  when  the  Lord  took  a  consecrated  cobbler  and 
sent  him  to  Hindostan,  whatever  work  was  done  by  William  Carey  was  evidently^ 
seen  to  be  of  the  Lord.     5.  All  history  shows  that  the  great  strength  of  God  has 
always  been  displayed  and  perpetuated  in  human  weakness.     What  made  Christ  so 
strong  ?     Was  it  not  that  He  condescended  to  be  so  weak  ?     And  how  did  He  win 
His  victory  ?    By  His  patience,  by  His  suffering.     How  has  the  Church  ever  been 
strong  ?     What  has  brought  forth  the  strength  of  God  so  that  it  has  been  undeniably 
manifest,  and  consequently  operative  upon  mankind  ?     Has  it  been  the  strength  of 
the  Church  ?     No,  but  its  weakness,  for  when  men  have  seen  behevers  suffer  and 
die,  it  is  then  that  they  have  beheld  the  strength  of  God  in  His  people.     The  weak- 
ness of  the  martyr  as  he  suffered  revealed  the  strength  of  God  in  him,  which  held 
him  fast  to  his  principles  while  he  was  gradually  consumed  by  the  cruel  flames, 
Quentin  Matsys  had  to  make  a  well-cover  in  iron  one  morning.  His  fellow- workmen 
were  jealous,  and  therefore  they  took  from  him  the  proper  tools,  and  yet  with  his 
hammer  he  produced  a  matchless  work  of  art.     So  the  Lord  with  instruments  which 
lend  Him  no  aid,  but  rather  hinder  Him,  doeth  greater  works  of  grace  to  His  own 
glory  and  honour.     HI.  Powek  indwelling.     The  word  "dwell"  means  to  taber- 
nacle.    "  Just  as  the  Shekinah  light  dwelt  in  the  tent  in  the  wilderness,  so  I  glory 
to  be  a  poor  frail  tent,  that  the  Shekinah  of  Jesus  may  dvvell  in  my  soul."     1.  Paul 
puts  the  power  of  Christ  in  opposition  to  his  own,  because  if  he  is  not  weak,  then  he 
has  strength  of  his  own  ;  if  then  what  he  does  is  done  by  his  own  strength,  there  is 
no  room  for  Christ's  ;  but  if  his  own  power  be  gone  there  is  space  for  the  power  of 
Christ.     2.  But  what  is  the  power  of  Christ  ?     (1)  The  power  of  grace.     (2)  Christly 
power  :  the  kind  of  power  which  is  conspicuous  in  the  life  of  Jesus.     The  power  of 
Alexander  was  a  power  to  command  men,  and  insphe  them  with  courage  for  great 
enterprises.     The  power  of  Demosthenes  was  the  power  of  eloquence,  the  power  to- 
stu:  the  patriotic  Greeks.     Love  and  patience  were  Christ's  power,  and  even  now 
these  subdue  the  hearts  of  men,  and  make  Jesus  the  sufferer  to  be  Jesus  the  King. 
(3)  It  was  a  part  of  the  "  all  power  "  which  our  Lord  declared  was  given  unto  Him 
in  heaven  and  in  earth ;  "  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  aU  nations."     Paul  desired, 
to  have  that  power  tabernacling  in  himseK,  for  he  knew  that  if  he  had  to  "go  and 
teach  all  nations"  he  would  have  to  suffer  in  so  doing,  and  so  he  takes  the  suffering 
cheerfully,  that  he  might  have  the  power.     (C  H.  Spurgeon.)         Courage: — This 
saying  has  a  paradoxical  sound,  but  many  paradoxes  hide  a  deep  and  true  meaning. 
Let  us  see  what  meaning  is  latent  in  this  declaration  of  Paul.     There  are  two 
theories  of  moral  force ;  one  we  will  call  the  Pagan  theory,  the  other  the  Christian 
theory.     Paganism  says :  "  The  secret  of  power  is  in  self-confidence,  self-esteem, 
self-reliance.     Believe  in  yourself,  then  others  will  beUeve  in  you.     Speak  boldly, 
confidently,  with  assurance,  and  you  will  convince  and  persuade.     Assume  that  you 
know,  and  you  will  have  the  credit  of  knowing.     The  race  is  to  the  swift,  and  the 
battle  to  the  strong.     God  is  on  the  side  of  the  heaviest  battalions.     The  men  who 
have  self-confidence  carry  everything  before  them.     He  who  claims  the  most  will 
get  the  most.     Confidence  carries   everything  before  it ;  it  gives  success  to  the- 
lawyer,  merchant,  physician,  clergyman,  politician.     It  is  an  element  in  all  popu- 
larity."    Thus  speaks  the  Pagan  theory  of  force,  and  there  is  much  truth  in  it ;  for 
if  there  had  not  been  some  truth  in  Paganism,  it  would  not  have  lasted  as  long  as 
it  has.     This  Pagan  doctrine  still  rules,  and  passes  for  wisdom.     The  Christian 
theory  of  moral  force  is  opposite  to  this.    It  says :  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  belongs-- 


XJHAP.  xn.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  491 

to  the  poor  in  spirit.  He  who  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased ;  he  that  humbleth 
himself  shall  be  exalted."  Jesus,  on  all  occasions,  emphasised  this  law.  Even  in 
so  small  a  matter  as  the  point  of  precedence  at  a  feast.  He  called  the  disciples' 
attention  to  the  fact  that  those  who  pushed  forward  to  the  best  places  were  requested 
to  retire,  and  that  those  who  took  the  lowest  places  were  invited  to  go  up  higher. 
I  suppose  all  will  admit  that  the  Christian  theory  is  the  most  sound  as  regards 
knowledge.  The  first  condition  of  learning  anything  is  to  confess  our  ignorance. 
In  seeking  truth,  said  Socrates,  we  must  begin  by  admitting  our  ignorance.  In 
seeking  goodness,  said  Jesus,  we  must  begin  by  admitting  our  sinfulness.  The 
work  of  Socrates,  as  he  himself  describes  it,  was  to  make  men  understand  how 
little  they  knew.  By  his  keen  questions  he  brought  one  after  another  of  the  young 
men  of  Athens  to  admit  that  he  really  was  totally  ignorant  of  what  he  professed  to 
•understand.  And,  in  fact,  one  of  the  chief  obstacles  to  knowledge  is  our  fear  of 
being  thought  ignorant.  Weakness  is  often  strength,  and  strength  only  weakness. 
A  human  infant  is  the  weakest  of  living  creatures.  It  is  unable  to  help  itself, 
and  therefore  it  is  strong  in  the  help  of  others.  Its  cry  calls  to  its  aid  the  tenderest 
and  most  watchful  care.  The  same  principle  is  often  seen  in  national  affairs. 
Consider  the  case  of  the  Ottoman  Empire.  At  one  time  it  was  so  strong  that  it 
seriously  threatened  the  safety  of  all  Europe.  It  brought  together  vast  armies  of 
the  bravest  soldiers  from  Egypt,  Persia,  Hungary,  and  Asia  Minor.  Proud  and 
defiant,  they  prepared  to  march  through  Vienna  to  Eome.  But  their  pride  went 
before  destruction.  Their  terrible  strength  gave  them  such  arrogant  confidence  that 
thoy  were  destroyed.  Now  Turkey  is  weak  ;  weaker  than  any  of  the  great  nations 
of  Europe.  But  because  she  is  so  weak  that  no  one  fears  her,  the  nations  of  Europe 
protect  her.  They  prevent  Russia,  whose  strength  they  fear,  from  taking  Con- 
stantinople from  the  Turks,  whose  weakness  they  know.  In  like  manner  the 
weakness  of  Denmark,  Belgium,  Switzerland,  have  given  them  safety  amid  the 
revolutions  of  Europe.  In  all  practical  matters,  only  he  who  sees  the  difficulties  of 
his  task  is  prepared  to  overcome  them.  The  merchant  knows  how  hard  it  is  to 
acquire  a  great  estate  ;  the  scholar  knows  what  long  and  laborious  days  must  be 
spent  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge.  No  man  is  fitted  to  be  a  reformer  who  has  not 
infinite  resources  of  patience  and  inexhaustible  supplies  of  hope.  Then  he  will 
trust,  not  in  himself,  but  in  the  principle  he  advocates,  and  out  of  weakness  he  will 
be  made  strong.  There  is  a  power  in  the  silent  appeal  of  weakness  to  strength. 
When  Alexander,  in  his  amazing  conquests,  had  overcome  Persia,  he  came  to  the 
tomb  of  Cyrus,  which  to-day  is  still  to  be  seen.  On  that  tomb  he  read  the  inscrip- 
tion, "  0  man  !  whosoever  thou  art,  and  whencesoever  thou  comest  (for  eome  thou 
wilt),  I  am  Cyrus,  the  founder  of  the  Persian  empire.  Envy  me  not  the  little  earth 
that  covers  my  body."  Alexander  was  much  moved  by  these  words,  and  gave 
orders  that  this  tomb  should  be  respected.  The  weakness  of  the  grave  was  stronger 
than  the  armies  of  the  Persian  king  to  prevent  the  desecration  of  the  tomb  of  Cyrus. 
But  though  the  knowledge  of  evil  is  necessary  to  make  us  cautious  and  prudent,  it 
is  the  sight  of  the  good  which  gives  us  courage  and  energy  to  attack  the  evil.  The 
inspiration  which  gives  us  power  does  not  come  from  that  habit  of  mind  which 
dwells  on  evil,  but  on  the  opposite  habit  which  loves  to  look  at  good.  Everything 
great,  noble,  generous,  and  brave  comes  from  keeping  in  sight  this  heavenly  ideal, 
this  supreme  glory  and  beauty  which  descends  from  God  into  all  hearts  that  trust 
Him.  The  great  danger,  therefore,  is  of  being  discouraged  by  dwelling  exclusively 
or  mainly  on  the  dark  side  of  the  world  ;  for  this  ends  in  despondency,  apathy,  and 
moral  indifference.  To  work  without  hope  is  discouraging.  We  need  the  sense  of 
progress  to  cheer  and  sustain  us.  To  go  round  and  round  in  a  treadmill  of  mere 
drudgery  takes  our  spirit  out  of  us.  Therefore  we  need  a  deeper  and  larger  hope. 
We  need  to  have  faith  in  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual  progress ;  in  the  growth  of 
the  soul ;  in  the  unfolding  of  its  higher  powers,  its  larger  faculties.  When  we  have 
this  sense  of  spiritual  progress,  we  can  bear  outward  disappointments  more  easily, 
sure  that  pain  and  sorrow  may  work  for  our  highest  good.  But  suppose  we  have 
no  such  sense  of  spiritual  progress ;  that  we  do  not  seem  to  be  growing  wiser  or 
better  as  the  years  pass  by ;  that  we  often  find  ourselves,  in  some  respects,  worse 
than  we  were  ;  that  our  conscience  is  not  as  sensitive,  our  purpose  to  do  right  not 
as  fixed,  our  aim  not  as  high.  This  is  the  most  discouraging  fact  of  all.  I  suppose 
that  this  is  the  very  time  when  faith  in  Christ  comes  to  our  help.  When  we  find 
nothing  in  ourselves  on  which  to  lean,  Christ  teaches  us  to  lean  more  entirely  on 
the  pardoning  grace  of  God  and  God's  spiritual  help.  The  meaning  of  the 
gospel  of   Jesus  is  this :  that  He   does  not   come  as  a   physician   to   those   who 


492  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xn. 

are  whole,   but  to  those  who   are   sick.      He  comes  to  the  poor  in   spirit ;   to 
the  spiritually  poor ;    to  those  who   find  Uttle  in  themselves  in  which  to  trust. 
Jesus  comes  to  us  all  to  say,  "Do  not  be  discouraged.     Never  be  discouraged." 
Though  evil  may  abound,  and  the  love  of  many  grow  cold,  though  we  see  no  way 
out  of  surrounding  difficulties,  though  even  our  brethren  discourage  our  heart  by 
their  gloomy  forebodings,  and  abandon  the  good  cause,  leaving  us  alone,  still,  let 
us  never  be  discouraged.     The  Lord  reigns.     Chance  does  not  reign.    Bad  men  do 
not  reign.    He  reigns  who  for  ever  educes  lasting  good  out  of  transient  evil.     It  is 
this  perfect  trust  in  a  Divine  Providence  that  gives  us  new  power,  and  prevents  us 
from  being  discouraged.     Do  not  be  discouraged  about  public  affairs.     In  this 
country  we  have  the  least  reason  to  fear ;  for  experience  here  shows  us  that,  in  the 
long  run,  things  come  right.     Courage  can  here  overcome  the  worst  dangers.     Do 
not  be  discouraged  because  there  seems  so  much  to  be  done.     If  there  is    a  great 
deal  given  us  to  do,  there  is  plenty  of  time  given  us  wherein  to  do  it.     Do  not  be 
discouraged  in  doing  good.    It  may  often  seem  as  if  you  accomplished  very  Uttle, 
as  if,  with  all  your  efforts,  you  cannot  effectually  help  those  whom  you  wish  to 
serve.     When  you  lift  them  up,  they  fall  again.     But  I  believe  we  have,  not  merely 
to  help  ourselves,  but  to  help  each  other.    We  may  often  make  mistakes.    We  may 
sometimes  do  harm.     But  the  greatest  mistake  of  all  would  be  to  stand  aloof  from 
human  sorrow.    Best  of  all  blessings  is  that  human  love,  that  generous  sympathy 
which  puts  itself  in  the  place  of  the  sufferer,  and  gives  him  the  comfort  of  knowing 
that  he  is  not  alone  in  the  world,  not  forgotten  by  his  fellow-men.     The  good  of 
this  is  never  lost.     And  let  us  not  be  discouraged  by  the  amount  of  suffering,  sin, 
and  crime  which  we  see  around  us.     If  the  vast  majority  of  men  did  not  tell  the 
truth,  keep  their  promises,  hold  fast  to  honesty,  society  would  dissolve  and  become 
a  heap  of  sand.    Be  not  discouraged,  then,  because  you  see  and  hear  so  much  of 
what  is  evil  in  the  world,  but  be  sure  that  the  good  is  much  more  widespread  and 
more  powerful.     Thus  we  see  that  we  cannot  live  without  courage,  and  that  courage 
comes  to  us  from  faith  in  things  unseen  and  eternal.     Courage  comes  to  us  from 
faith  in  an  infinite  Providence  guiding  aU  things  aright,  and  making  aU  things  work 
together  for  good.     Courage  comes  from  knowing  that  when  we  stand  by  what  is 
true  and  right,  all  the  great  powers  of  the  universe  are  working  with  us.  {J.  F.  Clarke.) 
Man's  extremity,  God's  opportunity  : — I.  It  is  Cheist  who  says  these  wokds.     It 
is  the  "  strength,"  therefore,  of  a  man — of  One  who  knows  weakness,  and  has  been 
through  weakness.    This  at  once  gives  a  reality  to  the  promise,  and  makes  it  practical. 
Jesus,  who  had  "  strength  "  given  to  Him,  says  it.     There  is  the  same  propriety 
and  adaptation  as  when  He  says,  "  My  peace  " — the  peace  you  see  Me  have — the 
peace  I  carry — "I  give  unto  you."     Then  think  of  what  "strength"  Jesus  had 
upon  this  earth  to  resist  sin — to  labour  in  those  mighty  works — to  endure  the 
reproaches,  the  unkindnesses,  the  treachery,  the  Cross,  and  then  read  these  words. 
II.   What  is  it  to    "  make    perfect  "  ?      1.  It   means,  "  My  strength   finds  its 
occasion  and  opportunity  to  w  rk  itself  out,  to  consummate  itself  in  weakness." 
Man's  impotence   invites   and  gives  scope  for  the  opportunity  to   display  God's 
omnipotence.     So  God  is  strong  for  us  just  in  proportion  as  we  are  helpless.     He 
cannot  and  wiU  not  act  where  there  is  self-sufficiency.    The  ground  is  pre-occupied. 
You  have  only  to  be  "  weak  "  enough,  to  put  out  self  enough,  and  give  God  range 
enough,  then,  if  you  will  only  believe  it,  as  necessarily  as  nature  always  fills  up  her 
vacuums,  God  will  come  in  to  supply  all  your  lack,  and  "  His  strength  will  be  made 
perfect  in  your  weakness."     2.  All  history  and  all  experience  bear  their  testimony 
to  this  truth.     The  "  weak"  ones  have  done  all  the  work,  and  "  the  lame  take  the 
prey."     What  ai-m  slew  the  greatest  giant  on  record  ?    A  stripling's.    Who  changed 
the  moral  character  of  the  whole  world,  and  established  a  system  which  has  out- 
lived and  outgrown  all  the  empires  of  earth  ?     A  few  ordinary  unlettered  fishermen. 
Or,  say,  when  have  you  done  your  best  works  ?     In  what  frame  of  mind  were  you 
when  you  performed  the  things  on  which  you  now  look  back  with  the  greatest 
satisfaction?     The  lowliest.     3.  Here  is  the  comfort  to  our  ministry.     God  does 
His  own  work  in  the  way  in  which  He  may  best  magnify  Himself.     Therefore  He 
does  not  employ  "the  angels,"  which  "excel  in  strength,"  but  the  most  unlikely  of 
sinful  men  (1  Cor.  i.  26-31).  There  is  much  ministerial  work  in  the  Church  which  seems 
to  do  great  things ;  but  that  of  which  the  effect  is  deep  and  abiding  is  almost  always, 
that  of  which,  at  the  time,  there  was  little  praise,  and  no  celebrity.    III.  Inferences. 
1.  Every  one  ought  to  have  in  hand  something  which  they  feel  to  be  quite  beyond 
them,  and  therefore  comjpels  them  to  cast  themselves  on  the  broad  undertaking  of 
God.     2.  Whatever  is  strong  in  you,  whatever  you  may  call  your  talent,  always. 


CHAP,  xn]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  493 

recognise  it  as  something  in  you,  but  not  of  you.  3.  Never  be  afraid  of  any  work 
which  is  clearly  duty.  Your  capital  may  be  nothing ;  but  your  resources  are  infinite. 
4.  Wherever  you  find  yourself  fail  in  anything,  you  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  go 
down  a  Utile  lower,  and  make  yourseh  less.  Think  more  of  emptying  than  of 
filUng.  To  fiU,  is  God's  part ;  to  empty,  yours.  (J.  Vaughan,  M.A.)  Most 
gladly,  therefore,  will  I  rather  glory  in  my  infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ 
may  rest  upon  me. — The  quietness  of  true  power : — Men  are  often  deceived  about 
power.  Sometimes  the  man  who  appears  strong  is  delicate,  because  his  heart  is 
weak.  The  bravado  is  generally  a  coward.  We  are  tempted  to  admire  power,  after 
the  type  of  Caesar  and  Napoleon.  But  the  gospel  gives  us  a  new  revelation  of 
what  power  is.  It  elevates  our  idea  of  the  power  of  God,  to  begin  with.  Jove 
came  down  with  his  thunder  from  the  old  Olympian  HiUs,  and  departed.  Christ 
gave  a  manifestation  of  God's  power  in  gentleness.  Quiet  power  is — I.  Constbcctivb 
POWER.  There  is  the  power  of  the  cannon  and  the  power  of  the  trowel ;  the 
sculptor's  power  and  the  mitrailleuse  power !  So  it  is  in  life  I  There  is  destructive 
power ;  you  can  blast  the  reputation ;  you  can  inflame  the  passions  of  the  mob. 
Yes,  and  there  is  an  iconoclasm  that  destroys  the  temples  of  lust.  John  the  Baptist 
did  a  great  work  in  blasting  the  citadel  of  evil ;  but  Christ  came  and  took  the  Uving 
stones,  and  built  a  temple.  But  then  it  is  quiet,  slow  I  There  is  no  sound  of 
hammer ;  and  the  true  power  of  the  gospel  is  in  that  quiet  influence  which,  day  by 
day,  comes  upon  your  heart  and  life,  and  so  distils  as  the  dew.  II.  A  wise  poweb. 
Everything  depends  upon  adaptation.  A  sentence  may  save  a  soul ;  a  word  fitly 
spoken  may  never  be  forgotten.  How  many  people  are  strong,  but  wrong  !  How 
much  more  would  they  have  done  if  they  had  been  quiet !  "  Christ  the  power  of 
God "  ;  let  me  add,  "  Christ  the  wisdom  of  God."  Take  His  parables.  The 
humblest  peasant  in  Judaea  could  understand  them.  Take  His  warnings.  How 
quiet  they  are !  Take  His  tender,  delicate,  refined  way  of  handling  guilt.  There 
is  no  rude  touch  there,  m.  A  beautiful  power.  Such  a  power  is  that  which 
we  exercise  at  home.  The  sceptre  is  full  of  jewels  that  are  rich  in  loveliness,  held 
in  a  mother's  hands.  Oh,  how  beautiful  is  the  power  of  God !  It  is  the  power  of 
grace.  Quietness  is  power,  and  we  admire  it  in  every  sphere.  There  is  no  power 
in  dress  that  is  loud  and  full  of  glaring  colours.  When  all  the  young  guests  have 
gone  into  the  room,  the  one  in  the  muslin  dress  with  a  summer  rose  wins  the 
supremacy  of  glory.  So  it  is  in  speech.  It  is  only  over  very  uneducated  minds 
that  language  full  of  coarse  colour  has  a  charm.  The  beauty  of  truth  needs  no 
adornment  !  So  in  highest  things  we  see  power  always  aUied  with  beauty  in 
rehgion.  IV.  Christ-like  power.  AU  power  is  given  to  Christ.  Yet  it  seems  as 
if  it  broke  upon  the  world  without  men  knowing  it !  There  was  no  earthquake,  no 
storm  1  So  it  is  now  with  the  Christian  man  coming  into  a  house ;  there  is  nothing 
startling  about  it  1  So  it  is  where  Christian  woman  wields  her  might  of  influence. 
It  is  not  the  notes  of  exclamation  which  make  a  powerful  writing  or  a  powerful 
life  !  "  In  quietness  and  confidence  shaU  be  your  strength."  The  hves  that  have 
exercised  the  most  potent  influence  have  been  the  "  silent  rivers  "  that  never  broke 
over  the  boulders  and  the  rocks !  Not  the  Mississippi  or  Missouri,  the  Niger  or  the 
Nile !  not  Abana  or  Pharpar  have  exercised  the  most  influence  in  history — but  the 
little  Jordan !  V.  Lasting.  The  noisy  little  decanter  bubbles  and  chokes  in  its 
throat,  makes  a  noise,  and  is  empty  ;  the  stream  flows  on  and  on.  I  have  been  at 
Dolgelly,  and  have  gone  out  a  few  miles,  after  a  storm,  to  see  the  majesty  of  the 
waters ;  and  I  remember  how  grand  appeared  the  torrent,  and  how  beautiful  the 
colour  in  the  waterfall.  Other  guests,  however,  went  two  days  afterwards,  and 
found  it  just  a  little  trickle.  All  its  power  was  spent.  So  it  often  is  in  life.  There 
is  your  very  fast  and  furious  friend,  the  man  boiling  over  with  adjectives ;  and 
there  is  the  less  demonstrative,  quiet,  steady  friendship.  VI.  Terrible  power. 
The  Word  of  God  is  quick  and  powerful.  I  preach  the  retribution  of  conscience 
and  memory,  an  absent  God,  and  an  avenger  within ;  and  that  is  a  punishment 
greater  than  you  can  bear.  VH.  The  Spirit's  powee.  "Ye  shall  receive  power 
after  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you."     (W.  M.  Statham.) 

Ver.  10.  Therefore  I  take  pleasure  in  infirmities  ...  for  Christ's  sake. — The 

use  of  injirmities  : — "  Some  of  the  arable  land  along  the  shore  on  the  south-east 
coast  of  Sutherland  is  almost  covered  with  shore  stones,  from  the  size  of  a  turkey's 
egg  to  eight  pounds  weight.  Several  experiments  have  been  made  to  collect  these 
off  the  land,  expecting  a  better  crop ;  but  in  every  case  the  land  proved  less 
productive  by  removing  them  ;  and  on  some  small  spots  of  land  it  was  found  so 


494  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTBATOR.  [chap,  xn 

evident,  that  they  were  spread  on  the  land  again,  to  ensure  their  usual  crop  of  oats 
or  pease."  We  would  fain  be  rid  of  all  our  infirmities  which,  to  our  superficial 
conceptions,  appear  to  be  great  hindrances  to  our  usefulness,  and  yet  it  is  most 
questionable  if  we  should  bring  forth  any  fruit  unto  God  without  them.  Much 
rather,  therefore,  will  I  glory  in  infirmities  that  the  power  of  Christ  may  rest  upon 
me.  (C  H.  Spurgeon.)  The  sanctifying  power  of  sorrow  : — "  For  Christ's  sake," 
that  is  the  main  point :  the  apostle  took  pleasure  in  pain,  not  as  pain,  but  for 
Christ's  sake.  In  itself  sorrow  is  not  sanctifying.  It  is  Uke  fire,  whose  effect 
depends  upon  the  substance  with  which  it  comes  in  contact.  Fire  melts  wax, 
inflames  straw,  and  hardens  clay.  So  it  is  only  in  afflictions  borne  for  Christ's 
sake,  that  is,  in  Christ's  name,  and  with  Christ's  spirit,  that  we  can  rejoice. 
Forasmuch  as  Christ  hath  suifered  in  the  flesh,  arm  yourself  likewise  with  the 
same  mind.  The  Cross  alone  extracts  life  out  of  pain  ;  without  this  it  is  death- 
giving.  (F.  W.  Robertson,  M.A.)  For  when  I  aan  weak,  then  am  I  strong. — 
Weakness  a  source  of  strength  : — I.  Paul's  weakness.  That  is  a  quality  which  we 
are  not  accustomed  to  associate  with  the  apostle,  knowing  what  we  do  of  his 
labours ;  but  when  we  go  deeper  we  discover  that  one  of  the  most  distinctive 
preparations  for  the  work  which  he  accomplished  was  his  feebleness.  Wherein, 
then,  did  it  consist  ?  1.  It  was  not  intellectual.  Even  his  vilest  detractors  could 
not  deny  his  mental  superiority.  2.  It  was  not  moral.  There  was  no  vacillation 
about  him.  3.  It  was  physical.  Paul  had  to  contend  with  some  distressing  bodily 
infirmity.  II.  The  connection  of  Paul's  weakness  with  his  strength.  1.  There 
was  a  strength  in  his  weakness.  In  the  Divine  administration  there  is  a  wonderful 
law  of  compensation.  2.  There  was  strength  as  the  result  of  his  weakness. 
(1)  The  consciousness  of  his  own  weakness  led  him  to  cast  himself  unreservedly 
upon  the  Divine  help.  (2)  But  looking  toward  man,  the  result  of  this  weakness 
was  in  Paul  a  great  outflow  of  tenderness.  One  cannot  read  his  letters  without 
feeling  the  heart-beat  of  his  sympathy.  3.  But  there  was,  also,  strength  sur- 
mounting his  weakness.  In  spite  of  his  infirmity,  he  laboured  on  just  as  though 
he  had  nothing  of  the  kind  about  him.  He  was  impelled  to  do  this.  (1)  By 
his  faith.  Men  as  they  looked  on  Dante  when  he  walked  the  streets  after  he  had 
written  his  "  Inferno,"  and  marked  the  intensity  of  his  earnest  face,  said  one 
to  another,  "  See  the  man  who  has  been  in  hell."  The  apostle  moved  in  the 
midst  of  unseen  realities.  (2)  By  gratitude.  Never  was  consecration  more 
thorough  than  his.  He  felt  that  he  owed  everything  to  Jesus,  and  to  Jesus  he 
yielded  all.  Conclusion  :  1.  Here  is  a  use  of  explanation.  You  wonder,  perhaps, 
why  you  have  such  feebleness.  When  you  see  others  with  robust  frames  and 
unbroken  health,  you  are  apt  to  say,  "  Ah,  if  I  had  but  their  strength  how  much 
more  might  I  do  for  my  Saviour ! "  But  you  are  mistaken.  If  you  had  their 
strength  you  might  not  really  be  so  strong  as  you  are  now.  2.  A  use  of  consolation. 
You  wish  to  work  for  the  Lord,  and  think  you  can  do  nothing  because  of  your 
feebleness.  Then  see  in  Paul's  life  how  much  can  be  accomplished,  weakness 
notwithstanding.  Nor  is  he  a  solitary  instance.  Think  of  Calvin  and  his  irritable 
temper  and  a  fragile  and  diseased  body.  3.  A  use  of  direction.  We  can  overcome 
our  weakness  only  through  a  faith  and  a  consecration  like  Paul's.  The  one  answer 
that  will  avail  to  the  cry  "  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things "  ?  is  this :  "  My 
sufticiency  is  of  God."  "  Out  of  Saul,  what  has  made  Paul  ? "  Faith.  {W.  M. 
Taylor,  D.D.)  Strength  in  weakness  : — Note — I.  This  general  law  apart  rsoM 
ITS  religious  bearings.  1.  Weakness  is  sometimes  perfected  in  strength.  Its 
greatest  manifestations  are  constantly  seen  in  those  whom  the  world  deems  the 
strongest.  A  strong  man  is  likely  to  be  a  self-reliant  man,  and  such  a  man  is 
morally  certain  to  display  some  weakness.  A  man,  again,  who  is  consciously 
strong  at  some  point,  is  likely  to  think  that  his  strength  at  that  point  will  make  up 
for  his  carelessness  at  other  points.  For  instance,  you  often  see  men  of  great 
intellect  who  are  morally  weak  and  loose,  and  who  count  on  their  intellectual 
strength  to  cover  their  moral  deficiency.  The  man  who  is  financially  strong  is  now 
and  then  tempted  to  believe  that  money  can  carry  him  over  the  lack  of  courtesy 
or  consideration  for  others.  The  strong  men  of  the  Bible  are  also  its  weak  men. 
Abraham's  falsehood,  Noah's  excess,  Jacob's  worldliness,  Moses'  unhallowed  zeal, 
Elijah's  faithless  despair,  David's  lust  and  murder,  Solomon's  luxuriousness  and 
sensuality — al!  tell  the  same  story  which  we  read  in  the  biographies  of  the  scholars, 
statesmen,  monarchs,  and  generals  of  later  times.  2.  On  the  other  hand,  strength 
is  perfected  in  weakness.  Let  an  ignorant  but  conceited  man  go  to  a  foreign  city. 
He  says,  "  A  guide  is  a  nuisance,  and  I  will  have  none  of  them.     I  will  find  out 


CHAP.  XII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  495 

the  objects  of  interest  for  myself."  And  so  he  goes  blundering  along,  exposing 
himself  to  insult  and  even  to  danger,  wasting  hours  in  his  search  for  a  palace  or 
an  art-gallery — a  sorry  exhibition  of  weakness.  Another  man  goes  into  the  same 
city,  quite  as  ignorant,  but  follows  a  trustworthy  and  intelligent  guide.  He  gains 
new  ideas,  while  the  strong  man,  so  independent  of  help,  is  standing  at  street 
•corners  and  painfully  studying  his  guide-book.  When  they  return  home,  the  man 
who  was  weak  enough  to  accept  guidance  is  the  stronger  man  in  knowledge.  Can 
you  imagine  any  object  more  weak  and  helpless  than  a  blind  child,  and  yet  what 
^a  strength  it  wins  from  that  very  weakness  !  Out  of  weakness  the  child  is  made 
strong.  And  then  there  is  the  familiar  fact  of  the  increased  power  imparted  to 
touch  and  ear  by  the  very  infirmity.  Then,  again,  the  consciousness  of  infirmity 
often  makes  its  subject  so  cautious  that  he  really  accomplishes  more  than  another 
who  is  free  from  infirmity.  The  man  whose  health  and  strength  are  exuberant,  is 
hkely  to  be  careless  of  them ;  while  he  who  rarely  knows  what  it  is  to  be  without 
an  aching  head  or  a  feverish  pulse,  therefore  works  by  rule  and  economises 
minutes  and  brings  discipline  to  bear  on  rebellious  nerves  and  muscles.  It  is  this 
power  of  self-mastery  wrought  out  through  weakness,  which  gives  such  power  over 
other  minds  and  hearts.  II.  The  truth  on  its  religious  side.  1.  Keal  strength 
comes  only  out  of  that  weakness  which,  distrustful  of  itself,  gives  itself  up  to 
God.  (1)  Take  the  case  of  Paul.  Here  is  a  man  beset  with  various  infirmities. 
And  yet  at  this  distance  we  can  see  that  that  very  weakness  of  Paul  was  his 
strength.  For  it  gave  God's  power  its  full  opportunity.  It  is  a  strange  gift  that 
we  have  of  preventing  God  from  doing  for  us  all  that  He  would.  God  often  sees 
fit  to  use  the  very  elements  you  and  I  would  throw  away.  We  do  not  count  weak- 
ness among  the  factors  of  success.  The  world  is  at  a  loss  what  to  do  with  it ;  but 
when  God  takes  hold  of  weakness  it  becomes  another  thing  and  works  under 
•another  law.  So  then  Paul,  having  abandoned  the  idea  of  doing  anything  by 
himself,  God  took  this  weakness  and  wrought  out  victory  for  Christ's  cause  and  for 
Paul  by  means  of  it.  (a)  Take  the  impression  which  the  character  and  history  of 
Paul  make  on  your  own  minds.  You  know  something  of  the  power  which  Luke's 
Tecord  of  his  life  and  labours  exerts  in  stimulating  Christian  zeal  and  in  educating 
character.  Do  not  all  these  things  get  a  stronger  hold  on  you  through  the  very 
•sympathy  which  the  apostle's  sufferings  call  out?  Did  not  his  very  infirmities 
endear  him  to  the  churches  in  his  own  day  ?  Had  not  these  somewhat  to  do  with 
■the  liberal  supplies  from  Philippi,  and  with  the  heart-breaking  sorrow  of  the 
Ephesian  elders  at  Miletus  ?  {b)  After  all  that  we  read  of  Paul,  we  rise  from  his 
story  and  from  his  writings  with  a  stronger  impression  of  Christ  than  of  him. 
The  radiance  of  the  light  eclipses  the  wonder  of  the  lamp.  That  is  as  Paul  would 
liave  had  it.  (2)  Or  go  farther  back.  Christ  called  Peter  a  rock ;  and  yet  at  that 
stage  Peter  reminds  us  rather  of  those  rocks  which  one  meets  with  in  clay-soil 
regions,  which  crumble  at  the  touch,  and  are,  least  of  all  stones,  fit  for  foundations. 
Peter,  blustering,  forward,  boastful,  with  a  great  deal  of  strength  of  his  own,  which 
crumbled  into  weakness  at  the  first  touch  of  danger — and  yet — "  On  this  rock  will 
1  build  My  Church,"  &c.  The  Church  which  began  under  the  ministry  of  weak 
Peter  is  surely  no  feeble  factor  in  to-day's  society  :  but  the  Peter  of  Pentecost  was 
not  the  Peter  of  Gethsemane.  Between  these  two  he  had  learned  a  great  deal 
about  the  weakness  of  human  strength  and  the  strength  which  God  makes  perfect 
in  human  weakness.  The  consequence  is  that  whereas  in  Gethsemane  Peter 
asserts  himself,  at  Pentecost  he  asserts  Jesus.  Where  he  asserts  himself  the 
issue  is  a  coward  and  a  traitor.  Where  he  passes  out  of  sight  behind  Jesus,  he  is 
the  hero  of  the  infant  Church,  whom  we  love  and  honour.  2.  The  text  is  no 
encouragement  to  cherish  weakness.  The  object  of  Christian  training  is  to  make 
men  strong :  and  Paul  can  do  all  things,  but  only  through  Christ  that  strengtheneth 
him.  How  beautifully  the  context  brings  out  this  thought !  What  was  the  ark  of 
ihe  covenant  ?  Nothing  but  a  simple  box  overlaid  with  gold,  such  a  thing  as  any 
skilful  workman  could  make.  And  yet,  when  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  Israel's 
enemies,  the  priest  declared  "the  glory  is  departed  from  Israel."  What  gave  it 
■this  importance  and  meaning  ?  It  was  that  which  rested  upon  it — the  glory  which 
made  its  resting-place  the  holiest  spot  in  the  world.  And  so,  when  the  power  of 
Christ  rests  upon  a  life,  all  its  commonplace,  its  weakness,  are  transfigured,  and 
the  weak  things  of  the  world  confound  the  things  which  are  mighty.  Thus  it  comes 
■to  pass  that  out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings  God  ordains  strength.  3.  The 
truth  of  the  text  is  wider  than  some  of  us  have  been  wont  to  think.  It  asserts  not 
•only  that  God  will  assist  our  weakness,  but  that  He  will  make  our  weakness  itself 


496  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xn. 

an  element  of  strength.  We  are,  naturally,  like  one  who  carries  round  with  him 
a  rough  precious-stone,  ignorant  of  its  value,  and  ready  to  throw  it  away  or  to 
part  with  it  for  a  trifle.  This  thing,  weakness,  we  should  be  glad  to  throw  away. 
Christ  comes  hke  a  skilful  lapidary  and  shows  us  its  value.  I  remember  a  little 
church  among  the  mountains,  which  sprang  up  through  the  labours  of  a  man  the 
best  of  whose  life  was  spent  in  trouble — a  church  founded  among  a  population 
little  better  than  heathen ;  and  in  the  church  building  there  was  framed  and  hung 
up  a  magnificent  rough  agate  which  he  had  picked  up  somewhere  among  the  hills, 
with  the  inscription,  "  Aiid  such  were  some  of  you."  And  that  stone  teUs  the 
story  of  our  text — the  story  of  the  Church  on  earth ;  a  weak,  erring  church,  its 
leaders  stained  and  scarred  with  human  infirmity,  yet  with  a  line  of  victory  and 
spiritual  power  running  through  it  like  a  track  of  fire :  rough  stones  hewn  out  of 
the  mountains,  carved  into  poUshed  pillars  in  the  temple  of  the  Lord.  (If.  R, 
Vincent,  D.D.) 

Vers.  11-21.    I  am  become  a  fool  in  glorifying ;  ye  have  compelled  me. — Paul's 
state  of  mind  concerning  his  connection  with  the  Church  at  Corinth  : — I.  In  the 
PAST.     1.  He  remembers  the  ill-treatment  which  forced  him  to  speak  with  apparent 
boastfulness  of  himself  (ver.  11).     The  words  are  partly  ironical,  partly  speak  of 
an  impatient  consciousness,  that  what  he  had  been  saying  would  seem  to  give 
colour  to  the  opprobrious  epithets  that  had  been  flung  at  him.     2.  He  remembers 
the  work  which  he  had  done  amongst  them,  and  which  raised  him  above  all  the 
apostles  (ver.  21).     Paul  possessed  supernatural  power,  and  wrought  supernatural 
results.     This  they  could  not  deny  (1  Cor.  ii.  4).     Can  a  man  who  was  conscious  of 
such  power  as  this  be  charged  with  egotism  in  proclaiming  it  in  the  presence  of  his 
detractors?     Does  he  become  "a  fool  in  glorying"?     3.  He  remembers  that  for 
his  labours  amongst  them  he  had  not  sought  any  temporal  assistance  (ver.  13), 
Probably  it  had  been  insinuated  that  Paul  cared  less  for  the  churches  at  Corinth 
than  for  those  at  Macedonia,  because  he  had  maintained  his  independence  and 
sought  no  gifts.    H.  Prospectively.     Here  are — 1.  Loving  resolves  (ver.  14).     He 
resolves  that  he  would  not  be  burdensome  to  them,  but  pursue  the  same  inde- 
pendency and  act  as  a  father  laying  up  for  them,  not  they  for  him,  &c.     And  all 
this,  whether  they  love  him  or  not.     What  noble  generosity  breathes  in  all  these 
resolves  !     2.  Painful  memories  (ver.  16).     This,  again,  is  ironical.     You  say  that 
although  I  made  no  demand  on  your  purses  for  myself,  that  I  did  want  a  collec- 
tion for  the  "  saints,"  and  that  out  of  that  I  would  craftily  take  what  I  wanted. 
He  seems  to  fling  back  upon  them  their  accusation  of  his  being  crafty,  and  catching 
them  "with  guile  "  (vers.  17,  18).     Neither  Titus,  &c.,  nor  he  had  ever  sponged  on 
them,  but  had  maintained  their  high  independency.     In  saying  this,  he  deprecates 
the  idea  that  hfe  was  amenable  to  them  for  his  conduct,  but  to  God  onh^  (ver.  19). 
3.  Anxious  apprehensions  (ver.  20).     His  tender  nature  seemed  to  shrink  at  the 
supposition  of  the  old  evUs  still  rampant  there  (ver.  21).     The  great  thing  to  be 
dreaded  is  sin.     It  is  the  "  abominable  thing,"  the  soul  destroyer  of  humanity. 
Conclusion :  1.  Do  not  judge  any  minister  by  the  opinions  of  his  brethren.    Paul 
was  the  best  of  men ;  but  in  the  opinion  of  his  brethren  he  was  the  worst.     2.  Do 
not  cease  in  your  endeavours  to  benefit  men  because  they  calumniate  you.     The 
worst  men  require  your  services  most,  the  "  whole  need  not  a  physician."     3.  Do 
not  sponge  on  your  congregation.     Do  not  seek  theirs,  but  them.     4.  Do  not  cower 
before  anything  but  sin.     (I).  Thomas,  D.D.)        Though  I  be  nothing. — A  sermon 
upon  one  iwthing  by  another  nothing  : — 1.  The  Divine  discipline  had  succeeded  well 
with  Paul.     There  was  danger  of  his  being  exalted  above  measure,  and  therefore 
there  was  given  him  a  thorn,  &c.     His  humility  comes  out  in  the  incident  before 
us.     He  was  compelled  to  defend  himself,  and  in  the  midst  of  strong  expressions  of 
self-assertion,  every  one  of  them  severely  truthful,  his  true  humility  is  manifest. 
2.  Although  Paul  was  undoubtedly  humble,  yet  there  is  not  a  particle  of  cant  in 
any  of  his  expressions.    There  is  no  humility  in  such  self-depreciation  as  would  lead 
you  to  deny  what  God  has  wrought  in  or  by  you  :  that  might  be  wilful  falsehood. 
Mock  humility  creeps  around  us,  but  every  honest  man  loathes  it,  and  God  loathes 
it  too.     Now,  the  apostle  says  that  he  is  not  a  whit  behind  the  very  chief  of  the 
apostles,  &c.,  and  yet  for  all  that  he  finishes  his  detail  of  experience  by  saying, 
"  Though  I  be  nothing."     I.  This  was  othek  men's  estimate  of  him.     You  may 
be  starting  the  Christian  life  full  of  zeal ;  but  you  dwell  among  a  people  who  count 
you  hot-headed  and  self-conceited,  and  do  their  best  to  thwart  you.     Be  comforted, 
for  if  Paul  heard  that,  in  the  judgment  of  many,  his  personal  presence  was  weak^ 


CHAP.  XII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  497 

&c.,  you  need  not  wonder  if  the  like  thing  happens  to  you.     The  case  is  harder 
with  older  servants  of  God.     After  a  long  life  of  usefulness  the  churches  often 
forget  all  that  a  man  was  and  did  in  his  vigorous  times,  and  now  they  treat  him 
with  indifference.     You  must  not  marvel.     The  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  when  he 
was  "  such  an  one  as  Paul  the  aged,"  knew  that  to  many  he  was  nothing.     Paul 
was  nothing — 1.  In  the  estimation  of  hatred.     His  Jewish  brethren,  when  he  was 
an   advocate   of  their  principles,  thought  him  some  great  one ;   when   he  went 
over  to  the  hated  sect  he  was  nothing.      Such  is,  in  a  measure,  the  case  when 
men  become   thoroughly   followers   of   Jesus.     If    a  scientific  man   is   of    infidel 
principles  he  is  cried  up  as  an  eminent  thinker ;  but  should  he  be  a  Christian,  he 
is  antiquated  and  narrow.     2.  In  the  valuation  of  envy.     There  arose  even  in  the 
Church  certain  brethren  who  loved  pre-eminence,  and  found  the  apostle  already  in 
the  highest  place.     They  strove  to  rise  by  pulling  him  down.     It  is  an  unfortunate 
thing  for  some  men,  Lf  they  love  their  own  ease,  that  they  have  risen  to  conspicuous 
usefulness,  for  in  a  middle  place  they  might  have  been  allowed  to  be  something, 
but  jealousy  is  now  resolved  to  rate  them  at  nothing.     3.  To  those  who  desired 
that  Christianity  should  make  a  fair  show  in  the  flesh.    Certain  brethren  had  thought 
to  adorn  the  doctrine  of  Christ  with  human  wisdom.     Our  apostle  abhorred  this. 
"  We  use,"  saith  he,  "  great  plainness  of  speech,"  and  therefore  they  retaliated  by 
declaring  that  he  was  not  a  man  of  great  mind — that,  in  fact,  he  was  nothing. 
Other  teachers  arose  who  took  the  way  of  tradition  and  ritualism.     To  which  Paul 
replied,  "If  ye  be  circumcised,  Christ  shall  profit  you  nothing.     By  the  deeds  of 
the  law  shall  no  flesh  be  justified."     Straightway  the  High  Churchmen  discovered 
that  Paul  was  nothing.      II.  His  own  estimate  of  himsele.      1.  This  is  a  very 
great  correction  upon  his  original  estimate  of  himself.     2.  This  corrected  estimate 
resulted  from  the  enlightenment  which  he  received  at  his  conversion.     What  a 
flood  of  light  does  the  Lord  pour  in  upon  a  man's  soul  when  He  brings  him  to 
Himself !    Then  great  Saul  dwarfed  into  little  Paul,  and  the  learned  rabbi  shrivelled 
into  a  poor  brother,  who  was  glad  to  learn  from  humble  Ananias.     3.  The  force  of 
that  estimate  had  increased  by  a  growing  belief   in  the  doctrine  of   grace.      In 
proportion  as  he  learned  the  fulness,  freeness,  richness,  and  sovereignty  of  Divine 
grace  did  he  see,  side  by  side  with  it,  the  nakedness,  the  filthiness,  the  nothingness 
of  man,  and  so  he  who  could  best  glory  in  the  grace  of  God  thought  less  and  less  of 
himself.     4.  His  own  internal  experience  had  very  much  helped  him  to  feel  that  he 
was  nothing,  for  he  had  experienced  great  spiritual  struggles.     "  Oh  wretched  man 
that  I  am  !  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ?  "     5.  When  the 
apostle  said  this  he  meant  that  he  was — (1)  Nothing  in  comparison  with  his  Lord. 
(2)  Nothing  to  boast  of.     Albeit  he  had  been  a  faithful  sufferer  for  Christ,  that  he 
had  preached  the  gospel  in  the  regions  beyond.     If  we  rise  very  near  to  God,  and 
conquer  open  sin,  we  shall  still  have  to  look  within,  and  say,  "I  am  nothing." 
Boasting  is  a  sure  sign  of  failure.     Gilded  wood  may  float,  but  an  ingot  of  gold 
win  sink.     (3)  Nothing  to  trust  in.     I  am  strong  in  the  Lord  when  He  strengthens 
me,  but  I  am  as  weak  as  an  infant  without  His  aid.     "  In  me,  that  is,  in  my  flesh, 
there  dwelleth  no  good  thing."     (4)  Nothing  worth  considering.     "If  there  is  any 
good  thing  for  me  to  do,  I  never  calculate  whether  I  shaU  be  a  loser  by  it  or  a 
gainer,  for  I  am  not  worth  taking  into  the  account.     If  Christ's  kingdom  wiU  but 
come,  it  does  not  matter  whether  Paul  lives  or  dies."     Christ's  kingdom  wiU  go  on 
without  me.     Conclusion — 1.  May  we  all  be  made  by  Divine  grace  to  say  "  Though 
I  be  nothing."     (1)  It  wiU  prevent  pride.     It  wUl  prevent  our  being  mortified. 
because  notice  is  not  taken  of  us.     No  man  will  look  for  honour  among  his  fellows 
when  he  owns  that  he  is  nothing.    ^2)  It  will  also  prevent  severe  censures  of  others. 
We  are  aU  very  handy  at  picking  noles  in  our  brethren's  coats ;  but  when  we  are 
nothing  we  shall  draw  back  our  hand.     I  wish  that  those  who  criticise  ministers 
would  think  of  this.     (3)  It  will  help  us  to  avoid  all  self-seeking.     A  man  who 
feels  himseK  to  be  nothing  will  be  easily  contented.     (4)  It  will  inspire  gratitude. 
"  Though  I  be  nothing,  yet  infinite  grace  is  mine."     2.  When  the  apostle  says, 
"  Though  I  be  nothing,"  that  word  shows  that  there  was  a  fact  in  the  background. 
(1)  He  had  been  caught  up  into  the  third  heaven,  and  had   enjoyed   a   special 
revelation  of    Christ.      We,  too,  have  been  very  near  the  Beloved,  and  He  has 
manifested  Himself  to  us  as  He  does  not  unto  the  world.     All  this  you  know,  and 
I  also  know  it,  "  though  I  be  nothing."     (2)  "  The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for 
us,  whereof  we  are  glad,"  by  enabling  us  to  serve  His  cause.     This  we  are  right 
glad  of,  though  we  heartily  add,  "  though  I  be  nothing."     (3)  We  can  also  believ- 
ingly  say,  "  though  I  be  nothing,"  yet  the  Spirit  of  God  dwells  in  me.     (C.  H. 
Spurgeon.) 

32 


498  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xn. 

Vers.  12-15.  Truly  the  signs  of  an  apostle  were  wrought  among  you. — The  signt 
of  an  apostle  are  frequently  referred  to  by  Paul,  and  are  of  various  kinds.  By  far 
the  most  important  and  frequently  insisted  on  is  success  in  evangelistic  work.  He 
who  converts  men  and  founds  churches  has  the  supreme  and  final  attestation  of 
apostleship  (1  Cor.  ix.  2  ;  2  Cor.  iii.  1-3).  In  this  passage  Calvin  makes  patience  a 
sign.  Patience  is  certainly  a  characteristic  Christian  vu'tue,  and  it  is  magnfieently 
exercised  in  the  apostolic  life,  but  it  is  not  peculiarly  apostoUc.  Patience,  here — 
"  every  kind  of  Christian  patience,"  rather — brings  before  our  minds  the  conditions 
under  which  Paul  did  his  apostoUc  work.  Discouragements  of  every  description, 
bad  health,  suspicion,  dislike,  contempt,  moral  apathy  and  moral  licence — the 
weight  of  all  these  pressed  upon  him  heavily,  but  he  bore  up  under  them,  and  did 
not  suffer  them  to  break  his  spirit  or  to  arrest  his  labours.  His  endurance  was  a 
match  for  them  all,  and  the  power  of  Christ  that  was  in  him  broke  forth  in  spite 
of  them  in  apostolic  signs.  There  were  conversions,  in  the  first  place ;  but  there 
were  also  miracles,  viewed  under  three  different  aspects.  1.  "  Signs,"  as  addressed 
to  man's  intelligence,  and  conveying  a  spiritual  meaning.  2.  Wonders,  as  giving 
a  shock  to  feeUng,  and  moving  nature  in  those  depths  which  sleep  through  common 
experience.  3.  Powers,  as  arguing  in  him  who  works  them  a  more  than  human 
efficiency.  But  no  doubt  the  main  character  they  bore  in  the  apostle's  mind  was 
that  of  charismata— gifts  of  grace,  which  God  ministered  to  the  Church  by  His 
Spirit.  It  is  natural  for  an  unbeliever  to  misunderstand  even  N.T.  miracles, 
because  he  wishes  to  conceive  of  them,  as  it  were,  in  vacuo,  or  in  relation  to  the 
laws  of  nature ;  in  the  N.T.  itself  they  are  conceived  in  relation  to  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Even  Jesus  is  said  in  the  Gospels  to  have  cast  out  devils  by  the  Spirit  of 
God  ;  and  when  Paul  wrought  "  signs  and  wonders  and  powers,"  it  was  in  carrying 
out  his  apostolic  work,  graced  by  the  same  Spirit.  What  things  he  had  done  at 
Corinth  we  have  no  means  of  knowing ;  but  the  Corinthians  knew,  and  they  knew 
that  these  things  had  no  arbitrary  or  accidental  character,  but  were  the  tokens  of 
an  apostle.  (J.  Denney,  B.D.)  What  is  it  wherein  ye  were  inferior  to  other 
Churches,  except  it  be  that  I  myself  was  not  burdensome  to  you  ? — Burdensomeness : 
What  the  word  signifies  is  evident,  for  it  was  what  the  apostle  steadily  declined  to 
do — viz.,  live  at  the  expense  of  the  Corinthians.  Now  there  are  in  all  languages 
many  ways  of  expressing  this  idea,  mostly  more  or  less  uncomplimentary.  It  is 
likely  that  the  apostle  would  in  this  place  have  used  one  of  the  more  disparaging 
expressions,  for  evidently  there  is  a  good  deal  of  restrained  sarcasm  and  scorn  of 
mercenary  motives  in  this  part  of  his  letter.  Yet  the  word  does  not  at  first  sight 
appear  to  have  much  point,  for  it  is  generally  translated  "  render  numb  "  or  "  make 
torpid"  (c/.  Gen.  xxxii.  25,  LXX.),  and  is  a  verb  formed  from  vapKrj,  the  name  of 
a  kind  of  torpedo  which  has  a  reputation  for  numbing  the  hand  that  touches  it. 
But  I  venture  to  go  back  to  the  fish  itself,  and  to  suggest  that  the  popular  use  of 
the  word  was  a  somewhat  different  one.  Was  not  the  torpedo  supposed  to  attach 
itself  by  suction  to  some  creature  of  larger  growth,  and  to  make  use  of  it  for  its 
own  support  ?  Whether  it  does  so  is  of  comparatively  small  concern,  for  neither 
then  nor  now  has  popular  language  had  much  regard  for  the  facts  of  natural 
history.  I  strongly  suspect  that  the  idea  really  embodied  in  the  word  is  that 
vulgarly  expressed  by  our  own  phrase,  "  to  sponge  upon."  I  can  only  guess  that 
this  latter  phrase  borrows  its  meaning  from  the  real  or  supposed  parasitic  habits  of 
the  sponge  as  a  living  creature.  If  it  be  so,  then  there  would  be  a  singular 
resemblance  in  history  and  meaning  between  the  two  expressions,  each  borrowed 
by  a  seafaring  people  from  the  apparent  habits  of  a  marine  animal,  and  applied 
with  some  contempt  to  the  conduct  of  unworthy  men.  At  any  rate,  it  does  not 
seem  to  me  at  all  unlikely  that  the  apostle  would  have  used  such  an  expression  as 
"  sponging  upon  "  here.  He  was  never  careful  of  the  elegance  of  his  language 
when  he  wished  it  to  be  forcible,  and  in  this  Epistle  especially  he  makes  no  attempt  to 
be  dignified.  Evidently  he  had  in  his  mind  the  very  words  and  phrases  which  his 
vulgar  detractors  at  Corinth  had  used  concerning  him.  They  had  reached  him  in 
no  mild  dilutions,  and  he  made  no  pretence  of  not  feeling  their  point.  They  had 
accused  him,  as  I  think,  of  having  "  sponged  upon"  other  Churches,  while,  with  a 
truly  natural  inconsistency,  they  did  not  conceal  their  vexation  at  his  refusal  to  put 
himself  under  any  obligation  to  them.  Wonderful  is  the  lofty  earnestness  with 
which  he  deals  with  these  vulgar  topics,  gilding  the  muddy  levels  with  the  glow 
and  sparkle  of  his  own  ardent  charity.  But  I  think  he  did  not  hesitate  to  repeat 
their  own  slang.  He  had  not  "sponged  upon"  them,  it  was  true,  and  did 
not  intend  to  sponge  upon  them,  however  often  he  came  to  them.     (R.  Winter- 


CHAP.  XII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  499" 

botham,  M.A.,  B.Sc,  LL.B.)      I  seek  not  yours,  but  you. — The  property  right  we  are  to 
get  in  souls  : — It  is  our  common  way,  as  well  as  delusion,  to  be  desiring  what  men 
have,  and  not  the  men  themselves,  to  get  a  property,  if  possible,  out  of  their  property, 
and  not  to  create  the  same  by  our  own  iradustry.     The  manner  of  our  great  aijostle  is 
exactly  contrary.     The  value  one  man  has  to  another  ;  or,  what  is  the  same,  the 
real  interest  of  property  which  a  true  disciple  has,  or  may  have,  in  the  souls  of 
other  men.     I  propose  to  show  the  real  value  of  one  soul,  or  man,  to  another.     I 
suppose  there  may  be  some  who  had  never  such  a  thought  occur  to  them  in  their 
lives.    We  have  so  many  public  wars  and  private  quarrels,  so  many  rivalries,  that  it 
becomes  a  great  part  of  our  life  to  keep  off  or,  if  possible,  to  keep  under,  one  aliother. 
Furthermore,  we  get  accustomed  to  the  idea  that  there  is  no  property  but  legal 
property — no  property  right,  therefore,  in  a  man  to  be  thought  of,  save  the  owner- 
ship that  makes  him  a  slave.     Whereas  the  dearest,  broadest  properties  we  have 
are  not  legal.     The  wife  does  not  legally  own  her  husband,  though  she  says,  with 
how  much  meaning,  "  He  is  mine."     No  man  legally  owns  his  friend,  or  the  land- 
scapes, or  the  ranges  of  the  sea.     Putting  aside,  then,  all  such  false  impressions,  I 
now  undertake  to  show  that  one  man  has  to  another  a  value  more  real  than  gold, 
or  lands,  or  any  legal  property  of  the  world  can  have.     And  I  open  the  argument 
here  by  calling  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  God  so  evidently  means  to  make 
every  community  valuable  to  every  other  and — so  far,  at  least — every  man  to  every 
other.     We  see  this  on  a  magnificent  scale  in  the  article  of  commerce.     Here  we 
find  the  nations  all  at  work  for  each  other.     Your  breakfast  is  gotten  up  for  you, 
as  it  were,  by  the  whole  world,  and  so  far  you  possess  the  world.     The  same,  again, 
is  true  of  all  the  arts,  professions,  trades  and  grades  of  employment  in  a  given 
community.     They  are  at  work  for  each  other  in  ways  of  concurrent  service.     All 
injustice,  wiong,  and  fraud  excluded,  they  so  far  own  each  other.     Their  industries 
and  gifts  are  all  so  many  complementary  contributions.     And   again,  what  we 
discover  in  these  mere  economic  relations  is  the  type  of  a  mutual  interest  and 
ownership  in  qualities  that  are  personal.     The  very  idea  of  society  and  the  social 
nature  is  that  we  shall  be  a  want  and  a  gift  of  enjoyment  one  to  another.     We 
possess,  in  short,  society,  and  society  is  universal  ownership.     To  see  what  reality 
there  is  in  this,  you  have  only  to  imagine  how  desolate  and  how  truly  insupport- 
able your  life  would  be  in  a  state  of  complete  solitude  or  absolutely  sole  existence.. 
Not  that  you  want  merely  to  receive  outward  conveniences ;  you  want  society  of 
soul,  to  speak  and  be  spoken  to,  to  play  out  feeling  and  have  it  played  back  by 
some  answering  nature.     You  wade  the  rivers,  and  creep  through  the  forests,  and 
climb  the  hills,  looking  for  you  know  not  what,  resting  nowhere,  sighing  and  groan- 
ing everywhere.     What  we  call  society,  in  this  manner,  is  the  usufruct  we  have  of 
each  other,  and  has  a  property  value  as  truly  as  the  food  that  suppUes  our  bodies. 
Again,  what  interest  every  soul  may  have,  or  what  property  get,  in  other  souls  will 
be  seen  stUl  more  affectingly  in  the  fact  that,  bittered  as  we  are  by  selfishness, 
almost  everything  we  do  looks,  in  some  way,  to  the  approbation,  or  favouring 
opinion,  or  inspliation  of  others.     We  dress,  we  build,  we  cultivate  our  bestow- 
ments  generally  with  a  view  to  the  impressions  or  opinions  of  others.     I  have 
lingered  thus  in  the  domain   of   the   natural  life  because  the  illustrations  here 
furnished  are  so  impressive.     Let  us  enter  now  the  field  of  Christian  love  and  duty, 
and  carry  our  argument  up  into  the  higher  relations  here  existing.     If  selfishness 
even  finds  so  great  value  in  the  sentiments,  opinions,  homages  of  other  men,  how 
shall  it  be  with  goodness  and  benefaction  ?     Here  it  is  that  we  come  out  into  the 
great  apostle's  field,  where  he  says,  "  Not  yours,  but  you."     "  It  is  not,"  he  would 
say,  "  what  you  can  give  me  or  withhold  from  me,  but  it  is  what  I  can  do  to  you, 
and  be  in  you,  and  make  you  to  be — to  raise  you  up  out  of  sin  into  purity  and 
liberty  and  truth,  to  fill  you  with  the  Ught  of  God  and  His  peace,  to  make  you  like 
God.     This  is  my  reward,  which,  if   I  may  get,  I  want   no   other.     For  this  I 
journey,  and  preach,  and  write."     He  makes  them  in  this  manner  a  property  to 
himself.     Let  us  look  a  httle  into  this  matter  of  property.     How  does  a  man,  for 
example,  come  to  be  acknowledged  as  the  owner  of  a  piece  of  land  and  to  say  to 
himself,  "  It  is  mine  "  ?     The  general  answer  given  to  this  question  is  that  we  get 
a  property  in  things  by  putting  our  industry  into  them,  in  ways  of  use,  culture, 
and  improvement.     This  makes  our  title.     Just  so  when  a  Christian  benefactor 
enters  good  into  a  soul ;  when  he  takes  it  away  from  the  wildness  and  disorder  of 
nature  by  the  prayers  and  faithful  labours  he  expends  upon  it,  the  necessary  result  is 
that  he  gets  a  property  in  it,  feels  it  to  be  his,  values  it  as  being  his.     Neither  is  it 
anything  to  say  that  he  gets,  in  this  manner,  no  exclusive  title  to  it,  therefore  no. 


500  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xii. 

property  at  all.     No  kind  of  property  is  exclusive.     God  is  still  concurrent  owner 
of  all  the  lands  we  hold  in  fee.     The  State  is  so  far  owner.     So  a  man  may  get 
ownership  in  his  neighbour  and  his  poor  brother,  and  the  State  may  have  owner- 
ship in  both,  and  God  a  higher  ownership  in  all.     And  the  ownership  in  all  cases 
is  only  the  more  real  because  it  is  not  exclusive.    And  how  great  and  blessed  a 
property  it  is  to  him  we  can  only  see  by  a  careful  computation  of  the  values  by 
which  he  measures  it.     First,  as  he  has  come  to  look  himself  on  the  eternal  in 
everything,  he  has  a  clear  perception   of   souls  as  being  the  most    real    of    all 
existences— more  real  than  lands  and  gold,  and  a  vastly  higher  property.     Next, 
finding  this  or  that  human  spirit  or  soul  in  a  condition  of  darkness  and  disease 
and  fatal  damage,  he  begins  forthwith  to  find  an  object  in  it,  and  an  inspiring  hope 
to  be  realised  in  its  necessity.     He  takes  it  thus  upon  himself,  hovers  round  it  in 
love,  and  prayer,  and  gracious  words,  and  more  gracious  example,  to  regain  it  to 
truth  and  to  God.     For  if  it  be  a  matter  so  inspiring  to  a  Newton  that  he  may  put 
into  other  minds  the  right  scientific  conception  of  fight  or  of  the  stars,  how  much 
greater  and  higher  the  interest  a  good  soul  has  in  imparting  to  another  goodness, 
the  element  of  its  own  Divine  peace  and  well-being.     Then  again,  as  we  get  a 
property  in  other  men  by  the  power  we  exert  in  them,  how  much  greater  the 
property  obtained  by  that  kind  of  power  which  is  supernaturally,  transformingly 
beneficent,  that  which  subdues  enmity,  illuminates  darkness,  fructifies  sterility, 
changes  discord  to  harmony,  and  raises  a  spirit  in  ruin  up  to  be  a  temple  of  God's 
indwelling  life.     What  a  thought,  indeed,  is  this  for  a  Christian  disciple  to  enter- 
tain, that  he  may  exalt  the  consciousness  of  a  human  soul  or  spirit  for  ever,  and 
live  in  it  for  ever  as  a  causality  of  joy  and  beauty.    Furthermore,  when  one  has 
gained   another   to   a   holy  life,  there   is   a  most   dear,  everlasting   relationship 
established  between  them.     Hence,  also,  it  is  that  the  Scriptures  of  God's  truth 
are  so  much  in  the  commendation  of  this  heavenly  property.    If  we  go  after  fame, 
they  tell  us  that  the  name  of  the  wicked  shall  rot.     If  we  go  after  riches  and  cover 
ourselves  with  the  outward  splendours  of  fortune,  they  tell  us  that  we  must  go  out 
of  life  as  poor  as  any,  for  that,  having  brought  nothing  material  into  the  world,  we 
can  carry  nothing  material  out.     And  then  they  add,  do  the  works  of  love  and 
truth,  and  these  shall  go  with  you.     He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise.     If  thy  brother 
sin  against  thee,  gain,  if  possible,  thy  brother.    Just  here,  in  fact,  wiU  be  opened  to 
your  now  purified  love  the  discovery  of  this  great  truth,  viz.,  that  there  is  indeed  no 
real  property  at  all  but  spuit-property,  or  property  in  spirit — a  possession,  that  is,  by 
each  soul  of  what  he  has  added  to  the  moral  universe  of  the  good.     All  values  here 
become  social,  values  of  truth,  and  feeling,  and  worship,  and  conscious  affinity 
with  God.     And  this  is  heaven,  the  state  of  mutual  ownership  and  everlasting 
usufruct,  prepared  in  all  God's  righteous  populations  by  what  they  have  righteously 
done.      Accepting  now  the  solid  and  sublimely  practical  truth  thus    carefuUy 
expounded,  the  salvation  of  men  is  seen  to  be  a  work  that  ought  to  engage  every 
Christian,  and  a  work  that  to  be  fitly  done  must  be  heartily  and  energetically  done. 
To  this  end  consider  well  that  you  are  set  to  gain  a  property  in  every  man  you 
save.     In  some  dearest,  truest  sense  he  is  to  be  yours  for  ever,  to  own  you  as  his 
benefactor,  and  to  be  your  crown  of  rejoicing,  having  your  life  entered  into  and  work- 
ing through  his  for  ever.     Consider,  also,  how  this  double-acting  property  relation 
holds  good,  even  between  Christ  and  His  people.     "  Not  yours,  but  you  "  is  the 
principle  that  brings  Him  into  the  world.     (H.  Bttshnell,  D.D.)        Not  yours,  but 
you : — Men  are  usually  quick  to  suspect  others  of  the  vices  to  which  they  themselves 
are  prone.     It  is  very  hard  for  one  who  never  does  anything  but  with  an  eye  to 
what  he  can  make  out  of  it  to  believe  that  there  are  other  people  actuated  by  higher 
motives.     So  Paul  had  over  and  over  again  to  meet  the  hateful  charge  of  making 
money  out  of  his  apostleship.     Where  did  Paul  learn  this  passionate  desire  to 
possess  these  people,  and  this  entire  suppression  of  self  in  the  desire  ?     It  was  a 
spark  from  a  sacred  fire,  a  drop  from  an  infinite  ocean,  an  echo  of  a  Divine  voice. 
I.  So,  then,  first  of  all  I  remark,  Chkist  desikes  peesonal  surrender.     "  I  seek 
not  yours,  but  you,"  is  the  very  mother-tongue  of  love ;  but  upon  our  lips,  even 
when  our  love  is  purest,  there  is  a  tinge  of  selfishness  blending  with  it,  and  very 
often  the  desire  for  another's  love  is  as  purely  selfish  as  the  desire  for  any  material 
good.     And  that  is  the  only  kind  of  life  that  is  blessed ;  the  only  true  nobleness 
and  beauty  and  power  are  measured  by  and  accurately  correspond  with  the  com- 
pleteness of  our  surrender  of  ourselves  to  Jesus  Christ.     As  long  as  the  earth  was 
thought  to  be  the  centre  of  the  planetary  system  there  was  nothing  but  confusion 
in  the  heavens.     Shift  the  centre  to  the  sun,  and  all  becomes  order  and  beauty. 


CHAP,  xii.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  501 

The  root  of  sin  and  the  mother  of  death  is  making  myself  my  own  law  and  Lord  ; 
the  germ  of  righteousness  and  the  first  pulsations  of  life  lie  in  yielding  ourselves 
to  God  in  Christ,  because  He  has  yielded  Himself  unto  us.     And  be  sure  of  this, 
that  no  such  giving  of  myself  away  in  the  sweet  reciprocities  of  a  higher  than  human 
affection  is  possible,  in  the  general  and  on  the  large  scale,  if  you  evacuate  from  the 
gospel  the  great  truth,  "  He  loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  for  me."     H.    Chbist 
SEEKS  person.Uj  sebvice.     "  I  scck  .  .  .  you  "  ;  not  only  for  My  love,  but  for  My 
tools,  for  My  instruments  in  carrying  out  the  purposes  for  which  I  died,  and  estab- 
lishing My  dominion  in  the  world.     I  cannot  imagine  a  man  who  in  any  deep 
sense  has  realised  his  obligations  to  that  Saviour,  and  in  any  real  sense  has  made 
the  great  act  of  self-renunciation  and  crowned  Christ  as  his  Lord,  living  for  the 
rest  of  his  life,  as  so  many  professing  Christians  do,  dumb  and  idle  in  so  far  as 
work  for  the  Master  is  concerned.     It  is  no  use  to  flog,  flog,  flog  at  idle  Christians, 
and  try  to  make  them  work.     There  is  only  one  thing  that  will  set  them  to  work, 
and  that  is  that  they  shall  live  nearer  their  Master,  and  find  out  more  of  what 
they  owe  to  Him.     This  surrender  of  ourselves  for  direct  Christian  service  is  the 
only  solution  of  the  problem  of  how  to  win  the  world  for  Jesus  Christ.     Pro- 
fessionals cannot  do  it.     This  direct  service  cannot  be  escaped  or  commuted  by  a 
money  payment.     In  the  old  days  a  man  used  to  escape  serving  in  the  militia  if  he 
found  a  substitute  and  paid  for  him.     There  are  a  great  many  good  Christian 
people  that   seem   to   think   that   Christ's   army   is  recruited   on   that  principle. 
But  it  is  a  mistake.     •'  I  seek  you,  not  yours."     HI.  Christ  seeks  us  and  ours. 
Not  you  without  yours,  still  less  yours  without  you.      Consecration  of  self  is 
extremely   imperfect  which   does   not    include   the    consecration   of    possessions, 
and,  conversely,  consecration  of  possessions  which   does  not   flow  from   and   is 
not  accompanied   by  the   consecration   of    self    is    nought.     If,   then,   the    great 
law  of  self-surrender  is  to  run  through  the  whole  Christian  life,  that  law,  as  applied 
to  our  dealing  with  what  we  own,  prescribes  three  things.     The  first  is  stewardship, 
not  ownership,  and  that  all  round  the  circumference  of  our  possessions.     Again, 
the  law  of  self-surrender,  in  its  application  to  all  that  we  have,  involves  the  con- 
tinual reference  to  Jesus  Christ  in  our  disposition  of  these  our  possessions.     Again, 
the  law  of  self-surrender,  in  its  application  to  our  possessions,  implies  that  there 
shall  be  an  element  of  sacrifice  in  our  use  of  these,  whether  they  be  possessions  of 
intellect,  of   acquirement,  of   influence,  of  position,  or  of  material  wealth.     The 
law  of  help  is  sacrifice.     So  let  us  all  get  near  to  that  great  central  fire  till  it  melts 
our  hearts.     Let  the  love  which  is  our  hope  be  our  pattern.     {A.  Maclaren,  D.D.) 
Property  in  souls : — 1.  The  instinct  of  acquisition  is  a  primordial  element  of  human 
nature  that  ought  to  be  gratified.     Not  to  acquire  property  of  some  kind  or  other 
is  to  be  a  pauper,  a  parasite,  a  leech.     We  all  are  born  poor,  though  sons,  it  may 
be,  of  a  Croesus ;  but,  unless  we  die  rich,  life  is  a  failure.     By  pulling  at  the  oar 
we  gain  muscle  ;  by  the  sail  or  the  engine  we  subdue  the  sea ;  and  by  intellectual 
and   spiritual   mastery   of    forces   we   make   higher  possessions   really  ours.      2. 
Christianity  appeals  to  this  instinct.     The  Master  tells  us  it  is  His  good  pleasure 
to  give  us  the  kingdom.     Lord  Bacon  wanted  all  knowledge  ;  Alexander  wanted 
other  worlds  to  conquer.     So  would  I  desire  a  title-deed  to  heaven — nay,  more,  be 
able  rightfully  to  say  to  God,  "  Thou  art  mine  !  "    I  will  not  consent  to  be  a 
pauper ;   possession  alone  can  gratify  my  aspiration  for  property.     I.    What  is 
PROPERTY,  AND  HOW  CAN  XT  BE  RIGHTFULLY  OURS  ?    Property  is  my  other  self ;  it  is 
that  into  which  I  put  my  spirit,  life,  toil,  culture,  and  affection.     Thus  it  acquires 
a  value,  as  it  represents  all  these.    Christ  sees  the  travail  of  His  soul,  and  is  satisfied 
in  the  redemption  of  this  world.     The  universe  is  God's.     He  has  put  Himself  into 
it,  His  wisdom,  power,  and  love.     The  Church  is  Christ's ;  He  has  put  Himself  into 
it.     So  that  is  mine  into  which  I  put  myself,  whatever  may  be  the  legal  view  of  it. 
Let  us  try  the  key  to  different  locks.     Look  at — 1.  Material  wealth.     The  millions 
which  a  gambler  wins  are  not  really  his  property.     Reckless  speculation  does  not 
create  wealth.     Inheritance  is  not  real  property  till  I  make  it  mine.     Caleb  gave 
away  Hebron,  but  the  sons  of  Anak  were  to  be  dispossessed.     A  rich  man  leaves 
property.     It  is  merely  "  addendum  "  till  the  son  puts  his  impress  of  thought  and 
enterprise  upon  it ;  otherwise  it  is  a  mere  income,  as  is  the  cheese  on  which  the 
mouse  nibbles  in  the  granary.     The  name  of  the  originator  sticks  to  an  invention, 
or  to  whatever  has  creative  art  in  it,  though  the  man  be  dead.    We  say,  Morse's 
Telegraph,  Fairbank's  Scales,  Raphael's  Madonna.     2.  Art.     I  build  and  furnish  a 
house.     Paintings  are  hung  up ;  but  I  know  nothing  of  art,  and  cannot  get  into 
the  creations  of  a  Claude  or  a  Titian.     My  neighbour  studies  them,  feasts  on  them. 


602  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xn. 

for  they  represent  and  reflect  his  beautiful  soul.     The  pictures  are   really  his.. 
3.  Literature.     I  buy  a  book,  but  cannot  understand  it.     My  neighbour  borrows, 
reads,  understands,  and  appropriates  it.     He  returns  it — no,  only  the  leather,  paper, 
and  ink,  for  the  thoughts,  spirits,  and  life  are  his.     Thus  all  theology,  philosophy,, 
and  history  come  to  be  my  own.     II.  But  it  is  in  human  souls  that  the  thought 
OF  the  text  is  realised.     It  is  our  privilege  to  have  property  in  another,  to  call 
them  ours.     We  may  even  say  of  Christ,  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  of  the  Father, 
"  Thou  art  mine  !  "     When  we  are  one  with  Him  in  fellowship  and  love,  we  live  in 
Him  and  He  in  us.     But  look  at  the  three  ways  of  securing  property  in  human 
souls.     1.   By  friendship.     I  open  my  heart  and  let  another  in.     He  opens  his 
heart  and  lets  me  in.     Some  hearts  we  cannot  enter  ;    they  are  mean,  coarse, 
unclean,  uncharitable.     We  should  not  be  tolerated  could  we  force  our  way  in. 
But  when  we  come  to  our  own,  to  those  who  respond  to  our  tastes,  desires,  and 
plans,  how  enriching  and  exalting  is  the  mutual  ownership  enjoyed  !     2.  By  educa- 
tion.    A  true  teacher  is  a  king ;  he  gets  property  in  souls.     Dr.  Arnold  put  his  soul 
into  his  pupils,  and  to-day  the  broadened  thought  of  England  is,  in  part,  a  result 
of  his  work.     3.  By  redemption.     This  is  the  Via  Sacra  of  our  Lord.     Into  the  lost 
soul,  the  unclean,  the  poor,  the  dead  He  went  with  purity,  riches,  and  life.     So 
Paul  could  say  that  he  was  ready  to  give  his  own  soul  to  those  who  in  the  gospel  were 
dear  unto  him.    Yet  Paul  could  truly  say, "  I  seek  not  yours,  but  you."    His  converts 
were  his  children,  begotten  in  the  gospel.  He  won  them,  not  by  imparting  truth  merely, 
but  by  giving  his  very  life.    (C  B.  Crane,  D.D.)       The  children  ought  not  to  lay  up 
for  the  parents,  but  the  parents  for  the  children. — Parents  and  children : — Note — 
I.  The  way  in  which  this  dictate  of  natuee  is  seconded  by  the  example  of  Goi> 
•  in  His  dealings  with  His  family.     He  is  as  a  parent  providing  for  his  children. 
Behold  Him  as  the  God  of  providence.    He  is  the  great  housekeeper  of  the  universe. 
But  it  is  more  important  still  to  consider  God  as  the  God  of  grace,  for  here  you  will 
see  in  a  more  striking  manner  how  God  the  Father  has  laid  up  for  His  children, 
and  not  they  for  Him,  that  He  is  the  giver  and  they  the  receivers  from  first  to  last 
(Ezek.  xvi.  8,  &c.).     Thus  God  has  provided  washing,  clothing,  ornaments,  and 
food  for  all  the  members  of  His  family.     Moreover,  God  not  only  provides  present 
maintenance,  but  a  future  inheritance  for  His  children.     U.  The  duty  of  parents 
with  respect  to  their  children.     They  are  bound  to  make  temporal  provision 
for  them.     Even  the  beasts  of  the  field,  the  monsters  of  the  sea,  provide  for  their 
young.    But  we  are  least  likely  to  err  on  this  point.     Oh,  that  our  concern  about 
it  were  always  regulated  with  a  view  to  the  spiritual  interests  of  our  children  and 
to  the  glory  of  God  !     But  how  many  are  there  who  neglect  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
their  children,  like  the  folly  of  a  man  who  would  expend  much  in  decorating  and 
adorning  a  house  which  was  ready  to  crumble  and  fall  into  ruin,  while  he  neglected 
one  which  was  substantial  and  likely  to  last  for  many  generations.    {H.  Verschoyle, 
A.B.)        And  I  will  very  gladly  spend  and  he  spent  for  you. — Self-devotion: — I. 
Spending  one's  self.     The  ministry  is  a  work.     Its  duties,  if  faithfully  discharged, 
require  great  skill  and  ability.     Paul  was  laboriously  employed  in  preaching  and 
travelling  by  sea  and  land  about  thu-ty  years,  and  during  those  years  scarcely  ever 
ceased  from  his  beloved  work.     Thus  it  was  that  he  was  willing  to  spend  till  he  was 
spent.   II.  For  whom  I  feel  this  self-devotion.    The  apostle  felt  this  self-devotion, 
or  self-sacrifice,  for  the  Corinthians.     Why  for  the  men  at  Corinth  ?     Because  St. 
Paul  had  been  instrumental  in  their  conversion.    The  believers  in  that  city  were  all, 
or  nearly  so,  seals  of  his  ministry.     Can  we  then  wonder  at  the  strength  of  his  love 
of  them  ?     What  will  not  an  earthly  parent  do  for  his  sons  or  his  daughters  ?     No  ; 
warmed  by  the  love  of  Christ,  he  will  cheerfully  spend  himself  for  their  spiritual 
edification,  welfare,  and  comfort.      (R.  Homfall.)         The  cost  of  saving  souls : — 
Paul    is    conspicuous    among    men    for    his    self-sacrifice.       I.    The    apostle's. 
AIM — the  souls  of  men.      1.    Certainly  to  be  kept  steadily  in  view   by  preachers. 
2.  But  not    by  ministers  alone,  for  we  all  influence  for  better  or  for  worse  the 
soul   life   of   each   other.      3.  To   injure   it  is   an    offence   in   God's   eyes   (Matt, 
sviii.  6).      II.  This  aim  requires  not  only  that  we  "spend,"  but  that  we  "be 
SPENT,"  for  the  higher  the  life  we  seek  to  develop,  the  deeper  is  the  sacrifice  we 
must  make.     If  a  father  wishes  only  physical  life  in  his  child  the  cost  is  little — 
food,  soap,  and  clothing.     If  he  wishes  the  mental  life  of  his  child  to  grow  strong^ 
and  full,  then  the  cost  is  greater,  not  only  in  money,  but  in  his  own  patience,  &c. 
But  if  he  wishes  the  highest  life  of  all — the  moral  life — the  life  of  the  lad's  soul  to 
flourish  and  bear  fruit — the  sacrifice  is  deeper  still.     III.  This  is  precisely  the 
KIND  OF  SACBiFXCB  WB  ABE  LEAST  wiLLXNG  TO  GIVE.     1.  In  almsgiving — works  of 


CHAP.  XII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  503 

charity.  We  give  money,  the  cheapest  sacrifice  we  can  give.  2.  In  church  life. 
Again  we  give  money  or  a  speech  to  escape  the  deeper  sacrifices.  3.  In  social  life. 
How  few  will  forego  the  utterance  of  a  bitter  word  or  a  doubtful  deed  lest  they  hurt 
the  soul-life  of  those  around  us.  IV.  Compare  this  reluctance  with  the  ALAcniTY 
OP  Paul.  He  said,  "  I  will  very  gladly  spend,"  &c.  Better  still  compare  it  with  the 
spirit  of  Christ  (John  x.  15,  18).  1.  The  loveliness  of  Christian  sacrifice  is  its 
voluntariness.  "God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver"  (chap.  ix.  7).  2.  The  blessed  life 
either  on  earth  or  in  heaven  is  not  one  exempt  from  sacrifice,  but  where  its  joy 
overwhelms  its  pain  (2  Chron.  xxix.  28).  {J.  Telford,  B.A.)  Ministerial  affcctiua 
poorly  requited  : — It  is  love  that  speaks,  and  unkindness  that  is  spoken  to.  Many 
ways  it  may  be  manifest  that  St.  Paul  loved  the  Church  of  Corinth  more  than 
many  other.  By  the  time  he  spent  with  them,  a  year  and  a  haU  full :  scarce  with 
any  so  much.  By  his  visiting  them  thi-ee  several  times,  not  any  so  oft.  By  two  of 
his  largest  Epistles  sent  to  them :  not  to  any  the  like.  Now  there  should  be  in  love 
the  virtue  of  the  loadstone,  the  virtue  attractive,  to  draw  like  love  to  it  again. 
There  should  be,  but  was  not.  For  their  little  love  appeared  by  their  many 
unloving  exceptions  which  they  took  to  him.  This  cold  infusion  of  so  faint  regard 
on  their  parts  might  have  quenched  his  love.  1.  There  was  a  world  when  one  said, 
bestow  your  heart  on  me,  and  I  require  no  further  bestowing ;  and  the  bestowing  of 
love,  though  nothing  but  love,  was  something  worth.  2.  Such  a  world  there  was, 
but  that  world  is  worn  out.  Love  and  all  is  put  out  to  interest.  3.  Such  is  now 
the  world's  love,  but  specially  at  Corinth,  where  they  set  love  to  hire  and  love  to 
sale.  4.  There  is  no  remedy  then.  St.  Paul  must  apply  himself  to  time  and 
place  wherein  love  depends  upon  yielding  and  paying.  5.  Now,  there  is  nothing  so 
pliant  as  love,  ever  ready  to  transform  itself  to  whatsoever  may  have  likeUhood  to 
prevail.  6.  St.  Paul  therefore  cometh  to  it ;  and  as  he  maketh  his  case  a  Father's 
case  towards  them.  7.  Yea,  "I  will  bestow."  Now,  alas!  what  can  Paul  bestow? 
Especially  upon  so  wealthy  citizens  ?  What  hath  he  to  part  with  but  his  books 
and  parchments  ?  Ware,  at  Athens  perhaps  somewhat ;  but  at  Corinth,  little  used 
and  less  regarded.  But,  by  the  grace  of  God,  there  is  something  else.  There  be 
treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge  in  Christ  Jesus.  Indeed,  this  it  is  St.  Paul 
can  bestow ;  and  this  it  is  Corinth  needs,  and  the  more  wealthy  it  is  the  more.  But 
it  is  much  more  to  be  bestowed  than  to  bestow.  1.  For,  first,  they  that  bestow 
give  but  of  their  fruits  ;  but  he  that  is  bestowed  giveth  fruit,  tree,  and  all.  Himself 
is  in  the  deed  of  gift  too.  2.  Secondly,  before  there  was  but  one  act ;  here,  in  one, 
are  both  bestowing  and  being  bestowed,  and  there  being  both  must  needs  be  better 
than  one.  8.  Thirdly,  before  that  which  was  bestowed,  what  was  it  ?  Our  good, 
not  our  blood ;  our  living,  not  our  life.  4.  And  indeed  we  see  many  can  be  con- 
tent to  bestow  frankly,  but  at  no  hand  to  be  bestowed  themselves.  But  hither,  also, 
will  St.  Paul  come  without  any  reservation  at  all  of  himself ;  to  do  or  suffer,  "to 
spend  or  be  spent."  How  to  be  spent?  will  he  die  ?  Yea,  indeed.  What,  presently 
here  at  Corinth  ?  No ;  for  at  this  time  and  long  after  he  was  still  alive.  If  there 
be  no  way  to  be  bestowed  but  by  dying  out  of  hand  ;  they  that  in  field  receive  the 
bullet,  or  they  that  at  the  stake  have  the  fire  set  to  them,  they  and  they  only  may 
be  said  to  be  bestowed.  That  is  a  way  indeed,  but  not  the  only  way.  And  that  is 
said  to  be  bestowed,  not  only  that  is  defrayed  at  one  entire  payment,  but  that 
which  by  several  sums  is  paid  in,  especially  if  it  be  when  it  is  not  due,  nor  could 
not  be  called  for.  By  intentive  meditation  (for  his  books  and  parchments  took  some- 
what from  his  sum),  by  sorrow  and  grief  of  heart  he  bestowed  himself  by  inchmeal. 
And  so  far  it  is  the  case  of  all  them  that  be  in  his  case,  as  Christ  termeth  them  the 
light  of  the  world,  lighting  others  and  wasting  themselves.  True  it  is  we  value  the 
inward  affection  above  the  outward  action  or  passion.  With  men  it  is  so  too.  When 
a  displeasure  is  done  us,  say  we  not,  we  weigh  not  so  much  the  injury  itself  as  the 
malicious  mind  of  him  that  did  offer  it  ?  And  if  in  evil  it  hold,  why  not  in  good 
much  more  ?  And  will  you  see  the  mind  wherewith  St.  Paul  will  do  both  these  ? 
Bestow  he  will  and  be  bestowed  too,  and  that  not  in  any  sort  be  contented  to  come 
to  it,  but  willingly ;  wiUingly,  nay  readily,  readily,  nay  gladly,  most  gladly.  And 
now  must  we  pause  a  little  to  see  what  will  become  of  all  this,  and  what  these  will 
work  in  the  Corinthians.  We  marvel  at  the  love,  we  shall  more  marvel  when  we 
see  what  manner  of  men  on  whom  it  is  bestowed.  He  complaineth  though  that, 
seeking  their  love,  and  nothing  else,  so  hard  was  his  hap,  he  found  it  not.  And  as 
he  to  be  pitied,  so  they  to  be  blamed.  All  other  commodities  return  well  from  Corinth, 
only  love  is  no  traffic.  St.  Paul  cannot  make  his  own  again,  but  must  be  a  great 
loser  withal.   But  aU  this  while  he  lived  still  under  hope,  hope  of  winning  their  love 


504  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  aih. 

for  whose  sakes  he  had  trod  under  foot  the  love  of  himself.  Love  endureth  not  the 
name  of  difficulty,  but  shameth  to  confess  anything  too  hard  or  too  dangerous  for 
it.  For,  verily,  unkindness  is  a  mighty  enemy  and  the  wounds  of  it  deep.  It 
serveth  first  to  possess  our  souls  of  that  excellent  virtue,  the  greatest  of  the  three. 
Nay,  the  virtue  without  which  the  rest  be  but  ciphers — love.  But  love,  the  action 
of  virtue,  not  the  passion  of  vice.  Love,  not  of  the  body,  but  of  the  soul,  the  precious 
soul  of  man  (Prov.  vi.).  And  for  them  and  for  their  love  to  be  ready  to  prove 
it  by  St.  Paul's  trial.  They  that  do  thus,  no  good  can  be  spoken  of  their  love 
answerable  to  the  desert  of  it.  Heavenly  it  is,  and  in  heaven  to  receive  the  reward. 
But  when  all  is  done  we  must  take  notice  of  the  world's  nature.  For,  as  St.  Paul 
left  it,  so  we  shall  find  it  (that  is)  we  shall  not  perhaps  meet  with  that  regard  we 
promise  ourselves.  Surely,  if  love  or  well-doing  or  any  good  must  perish  (which  is 
the  second  motive),  and  be  lost  through  somebody's  default  (where  it  hghteth),much 
better  it  is  that  it  perish  in  the  Corinthians'  hands  than  in  Paul's  ;  by  them,  in  their 
evil  receiving,  than  in  his  not  bestowing.  For  so  the  sin  shall  be  theirs,  and  we 
and  our  souls  innocent  before  God.  But  perish  it  shall  not.  For  howsoever  of 
them  it  may  be  truly  said,  the  more  we  love  the  less  they ;  of  Christ  it  never  can 
nor  ever  shall  be  said.  For  St.  Paul,  for  the  little  love  at  their  hands,  found  the 
greater  at  His.  Not  lost,  but  laid  out ;  not  cast  away,  but  employed  on  Him  for 
whose  love  none  ever  hath  or  shall  bestow  aught  but  he  shall  receive  a  hundred- 
fold.    (Bp.  Andrewes.) 


CHAPTER  Xm. 


Vers.  1-14.  This  is  the  third  time  I  am  coming  to  you. — PauVs  epistolary  fare- 
well to  the  Corinthians  : — There  is  no  evidence  that  Paul  wrote  a  word  to  them  after 
this.  The  letters  had  evidently  been  a  task  to  a  man  of  his  tender  nature.  No 
doubt  he  felt  a  burden  rolled  from  his  heart,  and  a  freer  breath,  when  he  dictated 
the  last  sentence.  I.  Words  of  warning.  He  warns  them  of  a  chastisement  which 
he  was  determined  to  inflict  upon  all  offenders  against  the  gospel  of  Christ.  1.  The 
discipline  would  be  righteous  (ver.  1).  He  will  not  chastise  any  without  proper 
evidence.  Therefore  the  true  need  not  fear ;  the  false  alone  need  apprehend. 
2.  The  discipline  would  be  rigorous  (ver.  2).  He  had  threatened  this  in  his  former 
letter  (1  Cor.  iv.  13-19).  There  is  no  more  terrible  chastisement  than  excommuni- 
cation from  the  fellowship  of  the  good.  3.  The  disciphne  would  demonstrate  the 
existence  of  Christ  in  him  (ver.  3).  He  could  have  given  this  proof  sooner,  but  he 
acted  in  this  respect  like  Christ,  and  was  content  to  appear  "  weak  "  amongst  them, 
in  order  that  his  power  might  be  more  conspicuously  displayed  (vers.  3,  4).  II. 
Words  of  exhortation  (ver.  5).  Self -scrutiny  is  at  once  a  duty  the  most  urgent  and 
the  most  neglected.  Observe— 1.  The  momentous  point  to  be  tested  in  self -scrutiny. 
2.  The  momentous  conclusion  to  be  reached  by  seK-scrutiny.  "  Know  ye  not " 
(emphatic),  &c.  U  you  are  in  the  faith  He  is  your  life.  Should  you  find  you  are 
not  in  the  faith,  ye  are  counterfeits,  spurious,  not  genuine ;  tares,  not  wheat.  III. 
Words  of  prayer  (ver.  7).  Not  for  his  own  reputation  or  himself,  but — 1.  That 
they  should  be  kept  from  the  wrong.  "  Do  no  evil,"  nothing  inconsistent  with  the 
character  and  teaching  of  Christ.  2.  That  they  should  possess  the  right.  "  Not 
that  we  should  appear  approved,"  &c.  IV.  Words  of  cojifort  (ver.  8).  1.  Truth 
is  uninjurable.  Man  may  quench  all  the  gas  lamps  in  the  world,  but  he  cannot  dim 
one  star.  Men  can  destroy  the  forms  of  nature,  level  the  mountains,  dry  up  the 
rivers,  burn  the  forests,  but  can  do  nothing  against  the  imperishable  elements  of 
nature,  and  these  elements  will  live,  build  up  new  mountains,  open  fresh  rivers,  and 
create  new  forests.  You  can  do  nothing  against  the  truth.  2.  Goodness  is  unpunish- 
able (ver.  9).  (1)  Because  it  is  goodness.  The  best  of  men  are  too  "  weak  "  in 
authority  to  punish  those  who  are  "  strong"  in  goodness.  The  way  to  paralyse  aU 
penal  forces  is  to  promote  the  growth  of  goodness.  (2)  Because  it  is  restorative, 
(ver.  10).  Its  destiny  is  edification,  not  destruction.  V.  Words  of  benediction. 
1.  Be  happy.  "Farewell,"  which  means  "rejoice."  2.  Be  blest  of  God.  "The 
grace  of  our  Lord,"  &c.     {D.   Thomas,  D.D.) 

Vers.  3—5.  Since  ye  seek  a  proof  of  Christ  speaking  in  me. — The  proof  of  our 
ministry  : — Notice — I.  God's  method  of  operation  in  the  Church  by  His  appointed 


CHAP.  XIII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  605 

SERVANTS.     1.  The  rebellious  Corinthians  had  spoken  ill  of  the  apostle  as  lacking  in 
power  :  his  personal  presence  was  not  commanding,  his  speech  was  not  fascinating. 
Paul  does  not  deny  the  charge,  but  declares  the  general  principle  of  power  in  weak- 
ness, by  which  the  Lord  conducts  the  gospel  dispensation.     (1)  Life,  born  of  death, 
is  the  life  of  our  souls  (ver.  4).     By  assuming  our  weakness  Christ  gained  the  power 
to  act  as  our  substitute,  and  put  away  our  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  Himself.     Because 
of  His  being  obedient  to  death,  even  the  death  of  the  Cross,  "  God  also  hath  highly 
exalted  Him,"  &c.     By  this  sign  He  conquered  :  the  ensign  of  His  Cross  is  the  seal 
of  victory.     It  is  Himself  thus  slain  which  is  His  power  to  pardon  and  to  save. 
(2)  Our  Lord's  power  over  our  heai'ts  comes  by  His  great  love,  and  this  matchless 
manner  of  His  showing  it.     Stooping  so  low  to  save  such  unworthy  ones  He  con- 
quers our  hearts.     His  dying  love  has  begotten  living  love  within  us.     2.  Why  did 
Paul  interject  this  teaching?     To  show  us  that  God  does  not  save  by  the  strength 
of  His  ministers,  but  by  their  weakness.     (1)  Paul  was  willing  to  lose  all  personal 
honour,  though,  in  truth,  not  a  whit  behind  the  chief  of  the  apostles.     "  We  have 
this  treasure  in  earthen  vessels,"  &c.     He  cheerfully  sank  that  his  Lord  might  be 
exalted.      (2)  In  those  days  there  was  a  great  liking  for  philosophy.      But  Paul 
determined  not  to  know  anything  among  them  save  Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  cruci- 
fied.    "  But  at  least,"  they  said,  "  what  he  has  to  say  ought  to  be  delivered  with  the 
graces  of  oratory."     "No,"  says  Paul,  "  my  speech  and  my  preaching  was  not  with 
enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom :  that  your  faith  should  not  stand  in  the  wisdom  of 
men,  but  in  the  power  of  God."     (3)  He  might  have  come  among  them  and  said, 
"  I  am  an  apostle  ;  I  have  supreme  power  over  churches ;  out  of  this  Church  I  shall 
eject  offenders  without  any  question  "  ;  yet  he  never  used  such  authority ;  on  the 
contrary  he  was  the  servant  of  all,  gentle,  unselfish.     If  any  one  was  grieved,  Paul 
was  grieved  with  him ;  if  any  suffered  trial,  Paul  was  tried.     Thus  he  was  a  power 
among  them.     By  laying  aside  authority  he  became  mighty  to  influence  them  for 
good.     All  who  desire  to  be  useful  must  learn  that  in  self-sinking  their  usefulness 
■will  be  found.     He  who  becomes  least  is  greatest  of  aU.  /  "  When  I  am  weak,  then 
am  I  strong."     II.  The  sure  proof  of  power  ;  the  indisputable  evidence  of  any 
minister's  call  from  God  to  preach  the  gospel.    1.  "  Ye  seek  a  proof  of  Christ  speak- 
ing in  me."     (1)  He  did  not  care  about  what  they  thought  of  his  own  speaking  ;  but 
he  was  greatly  concerned  that  they  should  not  think  lightly  of  the  Lord  Jesus  who 
spoke  in  him.     (2)  Further,  the  apostle  declares  that  even  the  power  of  the  living 
Christ  is  the  power  of  God.     Our  Lord  kept  nothing  to  Himself,  but  His  weakness 
through  which  He  was  crucified,  for  He  liveth  by  the  power  of  God.     Such  must  be 
the  power  of  every  Christian  worker.     (3)  Then,  says  Paul,  "  If  you  want  a  proof  of 
Christ's  speaking  in  me  with  power,  look  at  yourselves."     He  says  elsewhere,  "  Ye 
are  our  epistle."  "  Ye  are  God's  husbandry,"  and  the  test  of  how  far  our  husbandry 
has  been  the  Lord's  husbandry  must  be  found  in  your  fruitfulness.     The  proof  that 
Christ  really  doth  speak  by  us  is  that  He  has  wrought  by  that  speaking  in  you  after 
such  a  fashion  as  proves  the  doctrine  to  be  Divine.     Your  souls  are  the  seals  of 
Christ's  power.     If  ye  seek  any  proof  of  Christ  speaking  by  me,  ye  have  it  in  your 
— 1.  Conversion.     When  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  saw  the  man  that  was  healed 
standing  with  Peter  and  John,  they  could  say  nothing  against  them.     Conversion 
proves  that  He  by  whose  means  it  was  wrought  was  sent  by  God.     2.  Comfort.     If 
by  our  speaking  the  Lord  strengthens  your  weak  hands  and  confirms  your  feeble 
knees.  He  points  us  out  to  you  as  His  messengers.     3.  Correction.     Have  you  not 
sometimes  felt  your  hearts  turned  inside  out,  as  if  the  spirit  of  burning  were  scorch- 
ing and  purging  you  ?     Was  not  that  of  the  Lord  ?     4.  Conduct.     My  heart  sinks 
within  me  when  I  hear  of  some  who  have  been  numbered  with  us.     Do  people  say, 
"  These  are  members  of  Spurgeon's  church  "  ?     You  are  either  our  joy  and  crown, 
or  else  our  sorrow  and  dishonour.     You  must  estimate  whethec  a  man  farms  well 
by  the  crops  which  he  raises.     True  you  cannot  condemn  him  if  a  few  thorns  and 
thistles  spring  up  in  the  hedgerows,  but  if  there  is  a  preponderance  of  weeds,  every- 
body says,  "  This  is  wretched  farming."     5.  Consecration.     When  your  zeal  burns, 
when  you  speak  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  then  again  I  can  say,  seek  ye  a 
proof  of  Christ  speaking  by  me  ?     You  are  my  witnesses  inasmuch  as  by  our  word 
you  have  been  stirred  up  to  speak  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  for  the  winning 
of  souls.     6.  Completion  of  the  Christian  character,  and  the  display  of  it  in  the  last 
hours.     I  have  come  down  many  times  from  the  chamber  of  dying  Christians  with 
faith  confirmed  and  joy  increased.     No  dying  man  has  looked  me  in  the  face  and 
said,   "  Sir,  you  did  not  preach  a  religion  which  a  man  can  die  with."     III.  A 
NEEDED  PROOF  OF  OURSELVES.     1,  "  Examine  yourselves,  whether  ye  be  in  the  faith." 


506  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xm. 

It  is  something  to  have  our  ministry  attested,  but  it  is  much  more  to  have  your 
salvation  attested.  (1)  Therefore  you  are  not  to  take  it  for  granted  that  you  are 
saved.  In  London  years  ago  every  shop  had  its  sign,  and  they  had  a  saying  that 
the  house  which  had  the  sign  of  the  sun  in  a  certain  street  was  darker  than  any 
other.  So  there  are  some  who  have  grace  for  their  sign,  but  no  sign  of  grace.  To 
have  a  name  to  hve  is  a  wretched  tiling  if  we  be  really  dead.  (2)  Of  course  we  are 
to  examine  our  Uves,  but  he  says,  "  Examine  yourselves."  Sin  within  will  ruin  even 
if  it  be  not  seen  in  act.  Of  course  we  are  to  examine  our  doctrines,  but  even  more 
we  are  to  examine  ourselves.  Heart  error  is  more  deadly  than  head  error.  (3) 
"  Prove  your  own  selves."  Pry  deeper.  You  have  already  given  yourself  a  sifting ; 
take  a  finer  sieve  and  go  to  work  again.  You  have  already  been  in  the  crucible — 
go  in  again,  and  become  as  silver  tried  in  a  furnace  purified  seven  times.  A  man 
cannot  make  too  sure  work  about  his  own  salvation.  But  can  we  not  be  certain  of 
our  safety  ?  Yes,  we  can  :  but  certain  because  we  have  not  shunned  the  most  rigor- 
ous self-examinations.  2.  And  what  is  to  be  the  point  of  search  ?  "  Whether  ye 
be  in  the  faith,"  whether  what  ye  believe  is  true,  and  whether  you  truly  believe  it. 
3.  Dwell  mostly  on  this  point,  "  Know  ye  not  your  own  selves,  how  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  in  you,  except  ye  be  reprobates  ?  "  Is  Jesus  Christ  in  you  ?  I  know  aU  about 
Him.  Yes,  but  is  He  in  you  ?  I  read  of  Him.  Kead  on,  but  is  He  in  you  ?  (C» 
H.  Spurgeon.) 

Ver.  5.  Examine  yourselves  whether  ye  be  in  the  faith,  .  .  .  Enow  ye  not  your 
own  selves,  how  that  Jesus  Christ  is  in  you,  except  ye  be  reprobates  ? — The  profes- 
sing Christian  tried  : — All  are  not  Israel  who  are  of  Israel.  All  who  are  professing 
Christians  are  not  real  believers.  Tares  and  wheat  grow  together.  This  state  of 
matters  is  of  very  ancient  date.  When  Adam  and  his  family  constituted  the  Church, 
there  was  in  her  a  wicked  Cain.  When  the  Church  floated  in  Noah's  ark,  there  was 
at  least  within  her  pale  an  impious  Ham.  An  Ishmael  was  in  Abraham's  family 
— a  profane  Esau  in  the  family  of  Isaac.  I.  Kegarding  the  duty  of  self-examina- 
tion, we  observe — 1.  That  it  is  a  commanded  duty.  It  is  not  imposed  by  human 
authority.  Now,  the  duty  of  self-examination  is  plainly  implied  in  several  com- 
mands in  Scripture.  It  may  be  inferred  from  the  injunction  to  confess  Christ 
before  men ;  for  how  could  one  rightly  confess  Christ  before  he  had  ascer- 
tained that  he  belonged  to  Him?  It  is  imphed  in  the  command  to  rejoice 
evermore ;  for  how  could  one  rejoice  before  he  knew  that  there  was  reason  for 
his  joy  ?  2.  A  knowledge  of  our  state  is  attainable.  It  will  hardly  be  doubted 
that  an  impenitent  sinner  may  discover  his  state  of  condemnation  and  wrath.  This 
is  what  is  meant  by  conviction  of  sin  and  misery.  And  it  may  be  proved,  from 
several  instances  in  Scripture,  that  an  assured  confidence  of  our  being  in  a  state  of 
grace  may  Ukewise  be  gained.  Jacob  could  say  with  the  utmost  confidence  that  the 
Lord  God  had  appeared  to  him  at  Luz  and  blessed  him.  David  could  say,  "  The 
Lord  is  my  rock,  and  my  fortress,  and  my  deliverer,  my  God,  my  strength."  3. 
The  persuasion  that  one  is  a  real  Christian  would  assist  greatly  in  the  performance 
of  duty.  Why  is  it  that  professing  Christians  are  so  dull  in  the  performance  of 
duty?  It  arises  to  a  great  extent  from  the  uncertainty  which  hangs  over  their 
state.  The  persuasion  of  the  love  of  God  would  make  their  souls,  like  the  chariot 
of  Aminadab,  to  run  swiftly  and  smoothly  in  the  way  of  new  obedience.  4.  Self- 
examination  is  necessary,  from  the  danger  of  self-deception.  If  there  was  no  hazard 
of  mistaking  the  way  to  heaven,  there  would  be  no  need  to  inquire  whether  we  were 
walking  therein.  5.  It  is  necessary  for  the  believer's  real  comfort.  In  no  case  is  a 
state  of  doubt  a  happy  condition.  Though  the  matter  should  be  comparatively 
trivial,  yet  if  the  mind  is  doubtful  regarding  it,  there  will  be  little  inward  peace.  6. 
We  must  sooner  or  later  undergo  a  trial.  It  is  evident,  from  what  we  have  already 
said,  that  seK-examination  is  an  indispensable  duty.     We  were — 11.  To  consider 

SOME    EVIDENCES    OF    BEING    IN    THE    FAITH — THAT    IS,  OF    BEING    KEAL    CheISTIANS.       1. 

Those  who  are  in  the  faith  run  not  to  the  same  excess  of  riot  with  others.  If 
persons  are  habitually  indulging  in  known  sin,  they  give  evidence  that  they  belong 
not  to  Christ.  It  matters  not  what  zeal  such  persons  may  possess.  Jehu  could  say, 
"  Come  here,  and  see  my  zeal  for  the  Lord."  Nor  does  it  alter  the  case  that  they 
have  performed  deeds  of  benevolence  and  of  outward  religion.  Achish  protected  a 
persecuted  David.  Another  class  consists  of  those  who  persevere  in  known  sin  more 
secretly.  They  restrain  themselves  before  men ;  but  in  their  retirements  they 
transgress  with  avidity.  2.  Those  who  are  in  the  faith  are  a  people  zealous  of 
good  works.     3.  We  remark  again,  that  those  in  the  faith  have  pecuUar  views  of  sin. 


<3HAP.  xni.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  607 

4.  Those  who  are  in  the  faith  have  peculiar  views  of  the  Redeemer.  Others  see  no 
beauty  in  Him.  5.  Those  who  are  in  the  faith,  differ  from  others  in  the  views 
which  they  take  of  themselves.  A  little  consideration  will  satisfy  us  that  the 
generality  of  men  are  high-minded.  It  belongs  to  you  to  make  conscience  of  the 
work  of  looking  into  your  hearts.  1.  And  you  ought  to  engage  in  the  duty  often. 
It  is  not  enough  that  you  examine  yourselves  before  such  solemn  occasions  as  the 
Lord's  Supper.  It  ought,  like  secret  prayer,  to  be  performed  daily.  2.  Further, 
let  not  your  examinations  be  superficial.  Keep  searching  your  hearts  until  you 
arrive  at  a  conclusion  regarding  your  state.  Endeavour  to  probe  your  heart  to  the 
very  bottom.  3.  Beware  of  being  discouraged  from  the  duty.  Let  not  the  fear  of 
■exposing  yourselves  before  your  own  eyes,  deter  you  from  it.  4.  Above  all,  put  the 
case  into  God's  own  hand.  *'  Search  and  try  us,  0  God,  and  see  if  there  be  any 
wicked  way  in  us,  and  lead  us  in  the  way  everlasting."     (A.  Boss,  M.A.)  Self- 

examination  : — I.  Tn^  nrxY  of  self-examination  based  upon  self-ownership  and 
self-competence.  1.  h.Jf -ownership.  "  Your  own  selves."  Christ  paid  profound 
deference  to  the  individual  man.  "  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  "  His  own  soul,  which  he  can  never  abdicate,  nor 
«,lienate.  No  power,  no  process,  can  cut  off  the  entail  of  your  own  personality  ;  but 
what  an  awful  moment  is  that  when  a  man  like  the  prodigal  comes  to  himself,  and 
sees  for  the  first  time  the  being  that  must  be  his  own  for  evermore.  This  is  the 
•crisis  which  we  call  conversion.  2.  Out  of  this  arises  self -trusteeship.  No  executor, 
ecclesiastical  or  other,  can  take  that  off  your  own  hands.  It  is  said  of  a  duke  when 
he  went  over  to  the  Roman  Church,  the  Roman  Catholics  undertook  that  if  his  soul 
was  lost  they  would  bear  his  damnation  for  him,  and  he  could  never  find  any  other 
sect  that  would  undertake  that.  "  Thou  fool !  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee.'" 
We  cannot  relieve  you  of  the  responsibility.  3.  Self-competence.  "  Know  ye  not 
your  own  selves?"  Everyman's  interior  nature  is  a  terra  i7ico(7«ito  to  everybody 
■else.  "  No  man  knows  the  spirit  of  a  man,"  &c.  But  it  does  not  rest  there  only. 
Paul  is  speaking  to  people  who  have  heard  the  gospel,  and  so  Christ  says  to  those 
who  had  the  Old  Testament,  "  Judge  ye  not  that  which  is  right."  Self-searching 
and  Scripture-searching  must  be  carried  on  contemporaneously.  Then  you  have 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  enlighten  you.  "  They  shall  be  all  taught  of  God."  It  is  this 
which  constitutes  your  self-competence,  running  parallel  with  your  self-ownership. 
God's  ministry  is  not  intended  to  rescue  God's  people  from  the  labour  and  exercise 
of  thought  upon  the  subject  of  their  religion.  We  are  to  think  to  set  you  a-thinking. 
II.  The  peocess  of  self-examination.  Examine  yourselves  ;  then  prove  yourselves. 
The  word  "  prove  "  in  Scripture  means  both  to  prove  and  to  approve.  "  If  we 
■would  judge  ourselves  we  should  not  be  condemned  in  the  world."  1.  This  process 
•of  self-examination  is  based  upon  the  selfsame  principles  on  which  all  examinations 
are  held.  First  examine  and  then  prove,  as  the  man  of  science  does,  and  then 
draws  his  generalisation ;  as  the  judge,  who  collects  the  evidence  and  then  gives  his 
charge  to  the  jury  ;  as  the  medical  man,  who  finds  out  the  symptoms  and  examines 
until  he  obtains  a  diagnosis  of  his  case,  and  then  gives  the  prescription  of  the  treat- 
ment ;  as  the  examiner,  who  puts  his  questions  and  then  decides  upon  the  classifica- 
tion of  the  examined.  We  must  get  all  the  facts  together  as  clearly  as  we  can,  and 
then  determine  our  classification  in  the  sight  of  God.  2.  A  man  examines  himself 
when  he  studies  his  own  past  history,  when  he  lays  bare  the  habits  of  his  life,  when 
he  asks  himself  what  difficulties  and  temptations  lie  across  his  path,  and  considers 
with  what  aids  and  weapons  he  can  best  meet  them,  and  when  he  calls  up  before 
him  the  last  strong  fainting  agony,  and  asks  with  what  strength  he  is  provided  for 
tliat  terrible  moment ;  when  he  sends  out  his  thought  to  that  interminable  duration 
that  goes  beyond  the  grave,  and  asks  how  he  is  provided  to  meet  the  exigencies  of 
the  eternal  world  ;  then,  and  then  only,  does  he  examine  himself.  III.  To  what 
THIS  self-examixation  is  directed  :  "  Whether  ye  be  in  the  faith."  Faith  is  the 
nio'al  element,  the  spiritual  atmosphere  in  and  by  which  we  have  our  being.  When 
we  .say  a  man  is  in  a  rage,  or  in  love,  or  in  drink,  we  mean  that  rage,  love,  or  drink 
has  got  possession  of  him.  And  so  with  a  man  "in  the  faith."  It  means  that  his 
views  are  coloured  by,  and  that  all  his  affections  and  habits  are  under  the  mastery 
•of,  faith.  Now,  a  man  may  entertain  strong  affection  or  resentment,  and  yet  not  be 
in  a  rage  or  in  love ;  and  so  a  man  may  have  the  faith  in  himself  and  yet  not  be  in 
the  faith ;  may  have  no  doubt  as  to  the  historical  verity  which  constitutes  the  faith, 
and  yet  not  be  in  it.  How  sad  it  is  that  with  all  this  preaching,  and  singing,  and 
school-teaching,  the  faith  has  so  little  influence  over  us.  That  is  what  we  must 
■examine  ourselves  about.     2.  There  are  two  classes  in  the  present  day.     (1)  One 


508  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xni. 

says  the  question  is  whether  you  be  in  the  right;  "For  creeds  and  forms  let 
graceless  zealots  fight,"  &c.  This  is  neither  the  beginning  nor  the  end  of  the 
matter  at  all,  unless  the  beginning  be  to  be  right  at  first.  Everybody  knows 
that  the  moral  quality  of  an  action  depends  upon  the  motive  of  that  action. 
More  than  that ;  a  man's  motives  grow  out  of  his  heart.  A  good  heart; 
cannot  produce  bad  motives.  A  bad  heart  cannot  produce  good  motives.  Now 
the  moral  and  spiritual  quality  of  the  heart  depends  upon  and  is  derived  from 
the  object  upon  which  a  man's  heart  is  set.  If  a  man's  highest  object  in  life  is  self, 
then  selfishness  is  the  ruling  motive  of  his  actions.  And  if  a  man's  heart  is  set 
on  Christ,  he  lives  a  Christly  life,  and  will  be  thus  judged  at  last.  Are  you  then  in 
the  faith  ?  (2)  Nor  will  it  do  to  say  if  a  man  is  in  the  Church  he  must  be  all  right. 
No  doubt  if  you  are  in  the  faith  you  will  do  what  Paul  did,  "  essay  to  join  your- 
selves to  the  disciples."  You  will  do  it  by  a  necessity  of  your  own  nature.  IV. 
What  is  the  test  of  being  in  the  faith?  1.  Is  Christ  in  you?  That  will  deter- 
mine that  matter.  Is  He  now — (1)  In  your  thoughts  ?  Does  Christ  dominate  the 
whole  field  of  your  life  as  some  grand  cathedral  rises  above  the  spires  of  a  city,  or 
as  some  mighty  mountain  range  visible  from  every  part  of  a  continent  ?  (2)  In  you^ 
the  chief  of  your  affections  ?  Have  you  thrown  open  the  state  apartments  of  your 
heart  to  Him,  and  does  He  reign  there?  When  Christ  enters  the  heart  He  does 
not  come  incognito.  When  the  doors  are  lifted  up  that  the  King  of  Glory  may 
come  in,  the  soul  knows  it.  2.  But  what  is  the  terrible  alternative?  "  Except  ye 
be  reprobate" — rejected  and  cast  away.  The  idea  of  judgment  is  kept  up  all  the 
way  through.  This  is  the  subject  of  examination.  Examination  arises  respecting 
the  last  decisive  test.  If  when  you  come  before  the  bar  of  God,  and  the  secrets  of 
your  hearts  are  judged  according  to  the  gospel,  Christ  is  not  in  you,  you  must  be  a. 
wandering  wreck  for  ever — cast  into  outer  darkness,  where  is  weeping,  wailing,  and 
gnashing  of  teeth.  [B.  Gregory,  D.D.)  Self-examination : — It  is  readily  ad- 
mitted that  self-knowledge  is  about  the  most  necessary  of  al]  knowledge.  From  of 
old  it  has  been  accounted  a  precept  of  the  highest  wisdom,  "Know  thyself."  Might 
we  not,  then,  wonder  that  attention  should  be  so  much  averted  from  this  concern  ? 
Can  it  be  that  men  do  not  think  it  worth  while  ?  Or  is  it  from  fear  lest  the  state  of 
the  case  should  be  less  satisfactory  than  is  assumed  ?  If  so,  here  is  a  strange  spec- 
tacle. A  soul  afraid  of  itself.  It  is  easily  apprehended  how  a  human  spirit  might 
be  afraid  of  another  spirit  in  a  human  body,  or  of  a  disembodied  spirit,  evincing  its 
presence  by  voice  or  appearance ;  or  of  a  spirit  of  mightier  order.  But  think  of  a 
human  soul  in  dread  of  itself.  A  man  uneasy  in  a  local  situation,  or  in  the  presence 
of  other  men,  may  think  of  escape ;  but  in  his  own  soul !  there  he  is,  and  is  to 
be  perpetually.  But  now  think  of  the  pernicious  operation  of  such  fear.  To  fear 
that  there  may  be,  or  is,  something  incompatible  with  safety,  and  therefore  decline 
ascertaining  it !  Not  to  be  willing  to  see  how  near  is  the  precipice !  In  short,  to- 
abandon  ourselves  to  be  all  that  we  fear — rather  than  encounter  the  self-manifesta- 
tion and  the  discipline  necessary  for  a  happy  change.  I.  The  necessity  of  self- 
examination.  Every  one  actually  stands  placed  against  a  standard  unseen,  but- 
real — that  by  which  God  judges — the  eternal  law — the  rule  of  Christian  character. 
Think  of  all  our  assembly  thus  placed!  If  the  fact  could  be  an  object  of  sight,^ 
whatever  inquisitiveness  each  might  feel  respecting  the  rest,  surely  his  own  marked 
state  would  be  the  chief  object  of  his  eager  attention.  Well,  but  should  it  be  less, 
so  when  he  considers  and  knows  it  is  so  discriminated  in  the  sight  of  God?  Is 
there  anything  in  the  world  so  important  for  him  to  know  ?  II.  The  objects  of 
self-examination.  We  might  ask  a  man,  "What  are  you  most  concerned  to  know 
of  yourself  ?  Something  in  which  you  hope  for  a  gratification  of  your  pride  ?  Your 
merits  as  contrasted  with  those  ot  other  men  ?  Instead  of  this,  we  would  advise — 
examine  in  that  as  to  which  you  most  feel  you  need  to  know  when  you  approach  the 
throne  of  God.  Examination  should  be  directed  towards  the  points  made  by  the 
apostle.  1.  "  Whether  ye  be  in  the  faith."  Whether  you  are  decidedly  more  than 
a  cold  assenting  believer  in  the  Christian  doctrines.  That  a  man  may  be,  and  yet 
at  the  same  time  be  in  a  spirit  opposite  to  all  these  heavenly  truths.  But — in  the 
faith  so  as  to  be  powerfully  withdrawn  from  the  spirit  and  dominion  of  the  world  ? 
So  as  to  have  a  habitual  prevailing  order  of  views,  feelings,  &c.,  animated  by  it? 
So  as  to  be  in  a  zealous  league  with  its  faithful  adherents  ?  2.  "  That  Jesus  Christ 
is  in  you."  Is  He  in  the  thoughts  as  a  commanding  object  of  cont'  m  ilation  ?  Is 
He  m  the  affections — the  object  of  love,  and  of  awful  reverence  ?  Is  He  in  the 
conscience,  as  an  authority?  Is  He  in  the  soul,  in  the  sense  that  somewhat  of 
His  likeness  is  impressed  upon  it ;  an  indwelling  presence,  without  which  it  were. 


CHAP.  XIII.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  50^ 

lifeless  and  hopeless  ?  In  all  such  important  points,  let  men  beware  of  assuming, 
without  the  process  of  "  proving."  III.  The  correct  and  salutary  performance  op 
THIS  DUTY.  1.  Two  things  are  necessary.  (1)  A  distinct,  strong,  steady  apprehen- 
sion of  the  pure  standard  fixed  by  the  Divine  authority.  (2)  A  habit  of  reflection. 
There  can  be  no  effective  self-examination  without  a  resolute  and  often  repeated 
effort  to  retire  inward,  and  stay  awhile,  and  pointedly  inspect  what  is  there.  2. 
Self-examination — (1)  Should  not  expend  its  chief  exercise  on  the  mere  external 
conduct ;  for  if  that  alone  were  to  be  taken  account  of,  a  well-regulated  formalist  or 
Pharisee,  nay  possibly  a  hypocrite,  might  go  off  with  considerable  self-complacency. 
(2)  Should  be  exercised  on  a  principle  of  independence  of  the  estimates  of  others. 
It  is  true,  that  good  use  may  be  made  of  these,  but  they  may  have  a  wrong  effect. 
(a)  If  they  are  partial  and  favourable,  to  a  highly  flattering  degree,  will  not  the  man 
be  mightily  inclined  to  take  this  for  just?  (h)  Suppose  the  contrary  case,  then  an 
excitement  of  all  the  defensive  feelings !  "  AH  these  censures  are  from  ignorance, 
perverseness,  or  perhaps  even  from  jealousy."  There  is,  therefore,  a  necessity  for 
cool,  deliberate  independence  of  judgment.  And  this  will  be  promoted  by  a  solemn 
sense  of  standing  before  the  judgment  of  God — the  grand  requisite  in  all  self- 
examination.  (3)  Should  avail  itself  of  the  circumstances  and  seasons  which  may 
aid  self-revelation.  (4)  Slight  symptoms  should  not  be  disregarded.  In  medical 
science,  what  seem  slight  symptoms  are  sometimes  regarded  as  of  great  significance ; 
the  skilful  judge  is  struck  by  their  recurrence  as  indications  of  something  serious, 
and  as  deciding  what  it  is.  (5)  Should  take  a  comprehensive  account.  For,  if  a 
man  contents  himself  with  selecting  only  some  particular  points,  his  self-partiality 
will  almost  be  certain  to  choose  those  which  seem  the  most  favourable ;  and  he  may 
be  betrayed  to  make  these  the  interpreters  or  substitutes  of  all  the  rest.  (6)  Must 
beware  of  making  some  mere  doctrinal  point  the  great  test  and  assurance,  in  self- 
defence  under  the  absence  of  immediate  experimental  and  practical  evidence.  (7) 
Should  be  strongly  enforced,  by  doubt    and   uncertainty.     (J.   Foster.)  Self- 

examination  : — I.  Self-examination  being  so  important  an  exercise,  permit  me  to 
direct  your  attention  towards  it  in  regard  to  the  general  manner  in  which  it 
ought  to  be  conducted.  1.  Seriousness  is  the  first  requisite  of  self-examination.  2. 
For  similar  reasons  self-inspection  must  be  frequent.  An  account  with  conscience, 
like  worldly  accounts,  unless  often  looked  into,  is  apt  to  run  into  confusion.  Besides 
this  daily  reminiscence,  the  more  solemn  return  of  the  Sabbath,  in  which  all  classes 
of  men  may  find  some  leisure  for  their  spiritual  concerns,  may  well  be  employed,  in 
part,  in  the  useful  business  of  self-inspection.  3.  Self-examination,  thus  solemn 
and  frequent,  ought  moreover  to  be  conducted  with  candour.  The  introverted  eye 
must  search  the  remotest  recesses,  and  penetrate  with  keen  glance  the  darkest 
foldings  of  the  soul.  Men  are  but  too  apt  to  satisfy  themselves  on  false  grounds 
with  respect  to  the  security  of  their  condition.  Deal  with  thyself  plainly,  impar- 
tially, strictly.  Scrutinise  the  foundation  of  thy  confidence  towards  God.  4.  But  all 
this  seriousness,  frequency,  and  candour  will  be  of  little  avail  if  unaccompanied  by 
earnest  prayer  unto  Him  who  is  the  presiding  judge,  and  the  all-seeing  witness,  in 
the  secret  court  of  self-inspection.  Unless  there  be  a  deep  sense  of  His  presence^ 
His  purity,  His  infallibility.  II.  Seek  a  moi'e  particular  qualification  for  the  work 
of  self-inspection,  by  furnishing  ourselves  with  those  inquiries  of  which  its- 
substance  ought  to  consist.  Self-examination  respects  the  past,  the  present,  and 
the  future.  1.  As  it  respects  the  past,  it  is  requisite  that  Christians  carry  back  their 
investigation  to  the  earliest  period  of  their  lives  ;  and  mark  in  what  instances  they 
have  failed  of  their  duty  to  God,  their  neighbour,  and  themselves.  Take  note  of  all 
your  minuter  but  habitual  and  ingrained  faults.  Do  we  own,  on  the  whole  retro- 
spect, that  we  are  inexcusable  before  God,  and  have  only  to  throw  ourselves  upon 
His  mercy,  through  Christ,  for  spiritual  health  and  for  salvation  ?  2.  From  these 
reflections  the  Christian  will  be  led  forward  to  inquire  into  the  tenor  of  his  present 
conduct.  How  stand  now  his  affections  towards  God  ?  Do  they  centre  all  in  God, 
as  the  supreme  object  of  love?  Does  he  think  of  Christ  as  his  only  stay — of  the 
Holy  Spirit  as  his  essential  guide?  His  other  motives — are  they  those  of  the 
gospel?  How  have  these  principles,  if  genuine,  operated  in  detail?  Has  their 
efficacy  been  manifested  by  any  substantial  improvement  in  holiness  ?  Is  anything 
perverse  in  his  disposition  corrected  ?  3.  Anticipation  of  the  future  is  now  the  last 
link  in  the  chain  of  self-examination,  and  is  as  intimately  connected  with  attention 
to  the  present  as  that  is  with  reflection  on  the  past.  A  mighty  conqueror  of  old  sat 
down  and  wept  because  he  found  no  more  of  territory  to  subdue  ;  but  this  can  never 
happen  in  the  Christian  warfare.     The  Canaanites  are  still  in  the  fastnesses  of  the 


510  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xm. 

land ;  and  even  in  the  repose  of  conquest  there  remaineth  much  country  to  be 
gained.  How  have  they  made  up  their  minds  to  encounter  temptations  yet  to  come  ? 
Are  they  not  inclined  to  anticipate  apologies  for  future  remissness?  4.  In  conclu- 
sion, may  we  not  observe,  that  the  happiest  effects  can  be  prognosticated  from  self- 
examination  thus  wisely  conducted  ?  (J.  Grant,  M. A.)  Self-exaviination  : — The 
Corinthians  were  the  critics  of  the  apostle's  age.  They  criticised  Paul's  style. 
"  His  letters  are  weighty,  but  his  bodily  presence  is  weak,  and  his  speech  contemp- 
tible." Nay,  not  content  with  that,  they  denied  his  apostleship.  So  he  wrote  two 
letters  to  them  in  which,  having  wrested  the  sword  of  their  criticism  out  of  their 
hands,  he  pointed  it  at  their  own  breasts,  saying,  " '  Examine  yourselves.'  You 
have  disputed  my  doctrine  ;  examine  whether  ye  be  in  the  faith.  You  have  made 
me  prove  my  apostleship ;  '  prove  your  own  selves.'  "  The  fault  of  the  Corinthians 
is  the  fault  of  the  present  age.  Let  not  any  one  of  you  say  "  How  did  you  like  the 
preacher?  What  did  you  think  of  the  sermon  this  morning ?  "  Do  you  come  here 
to  judge  God's  servants  ?  Ye  should  say,  "  Let  me  take  unto  myseK  that  which 
I  have  heard,  and  I  come  up  here  to  be  judged  of  God's  Word,  and  not  to  judge 
God's  Word."  I  shall — I.  Expound  mt  text.  1.  "  Examine,"  that  is — (1)  A 
scholastic  idea.  A  boy  has  been  to  school  a  certain  time,  and  his  master  questions 
him,  to  see  whether  he  has  made  any  progress.  Christian,  catechise  your  heart  to 
see  whether  it  has  been  growing  in  grace.  (2)  A  military  idea.  Just  as  the  captain 
on  review-day  is  not  content  with  surveying  tne  men  from  a  distance,  but  looks  at 
aU  their  accoutrements,  so  do  you  examine  yourselves  with  the  most  scrupulous 
care.  (3)  A  legal  idea.  You  have  seen  the  witness  in  the  box,  when  the  lawyer 
has  been  cross-examining  him.  Question  your  heart  backward  and  forward,  this 
way  and  that.  (4)  A  traveller's  idea.  In  the  original  it  is  "  Go  right  through  your- 
selves." Stand  not  only  on  the  mountains  of  your  public  character,  but  go  into 
the  deep  valleys  of  your  private  life.  Be  not  content  to  sail  on  the  broad  river  of 
your  outward  actions,  but  go  foUow  back  the  narrow  riU  till  you  discover  your 
secret  motive.  2.  "  Prove  your  own  selves."  That  means  more  than  self-examina- 
tion. A  man  is  about  to  buy  a  horse ;  he  thinks  that  possibly  he  may  find  out  some 
flaw,  and  therefore  he  examines  it ;  but  after  he  has  examined  it,  he  says,  "  Let  me 
have  it  for  a  week,  that  I  may  prove  the  animal  before  I  invest  in  him."  A  ship, 
both  before  and  when  launched,  is  carefully  looked  at ;  and  yet  before  she  is  allowed 
to  go  to  sea,  she  takes  a  trial  trip ;  and  then  when  proved  she  goes  out  on  her  long 
voyages.  Now,  many  a  man's  religion  will  stand  examination  that  will  not  stand 
proof.  It  is  hke  some  cotton  prints  that  are  warranted  fast  colours,  and  so  they 
seem  when  you  look  at  them,  but  they  are  not  washable  when  you  get  them  home. 
It  is  good  enough  to  look  at,  and  it  has  got  the  "  warranted  "  stamped  upon  it ;  but 
when  it  comes  out  into  actual  daily  life,  the  colours  soon  begin  to  run,  and  the  man 
discovers  that  the  thing  was  not  what  he  took  it  to  be.  3.  "Examine  yourselves, 
whether  ye  be  in  the  faith."  Oh !  says  one,  "  You  may  examine  me ;  I  am  an 
orthodox  Christian."  But  the  question  now  is  not  whether  you  beheve  the  truth 
— but  whether  you  are  in  the  truth  !  Take  an  illustration.  There  is  the  ark  ;  and 
a  number  of  men  around  it.  "Ah!"  says  one,  "I  believe  that  ark  will  swim." 
"  Yes,"  says  another,  "  it  is  strong  from  stem  to  stern."  Ay,  but  when  the  flood 
came,  it  was  not  beheving  the  ark  as  a  matter  of  fact — it  was  being  in  the  ark  that 
saved  men.  4.  "  Know  ye  not  your  own  selves?  "  If  you  do  not  you  have  neg- 
lected your  proper  study.  What  avails  all  else  that  you  do  know  if  you  know  not 
yourself  ?  You  have  been  roaming  abroad,  while  the  richest  treasure  was  lying  at 
home.  And  especially  know  ye  not  this  fact,  that  Jesus  Christ  must  be  in  your 
heart,  formed  and  living  there,  or  else  ye  are  reprobates  ?  Now,  what  is  it  to  have 
Jesus  Christ  in  you  ?  The  true  Christian  carries  the  cross  in  his  heart.  Christ  in 
the  heart  means  Christ  believed  in,  beloved,  trusted,  espoused,  Christ  as  our  daily 
food,  and  ourselves  as  the  temple  and  palace  wherein  He  daily  walks.  II.  Enfobck 
THE  TEXT.  "  Examine  yourselves,"  because — 1.  It  is  a  matter  of  the  very  highest 
importance.  Tradesmen  may  take  coppers  over  the  counter  without  much  examina- 
tion ;  but  when  it  comes  to  gold,  they  wiU  ring  it  well ;  and  if  it  comes  to  a  five- 
pound  note,  there  is  still  more  careful  scrutiny.  Ah  !  but  if  ye  be  deceived  in  the 
matter  of  your  own  souls,  ye  are  deceived  indeed.  Look  well  to  the  title-deeds  of 
your  estate,  to  your  life  policies,  to  all  your  business  ;  but,  remember,  all  the  gold 
and  sUver  you  have  are  but  as  the  rack  and  scum  of  the  furnace,  compared  with 
the  matter  now  in  hand.  It  is  your  soul.  Will  you  risk  that  ?  2.  If  ye  make  a 
mistake  ye  can  never  rectify  it,  except  in  this  world.  A  bankrupt  may  have  lost  a 
fortune  once,  and  yet  may  make  another ;  but  make  spiritual  bankruptcy  in  this 


CHAP,  xin.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  511 

life,  and  you  will  never  have  an  opportunity  to  trade  again  for  heaven.  A  great 
general  may  lose  one  battle,  and  yet  win  the  campaign  ;  but  get  defeated  in  the 
battle  of  this  hfe,  and  you  are  defeated  for  ever.  3.  Many  have  been  mistaken, 
may  not  you  be  ?  Methinks  I  see  the  rocks  of  presumption  on  which  many  souls 
have  been  lost,  and  the  siren  song  of  self-confidence  entices  you  on  to  those  rocks. 
Stay,  mariner,  stay  I  Let  yon  bleached  bones  keep  thee  back.  Do  not  tell  me  that 
you  are  an  old  Church  member ;  for  a  man  may  be  a  professor  of  religion  forty 
years,  and  yet  there  may  come  a  trial-day  when  his  religion  shall  snap  after  all. 
4.  God  wUl  examine  you.  5.  If  you  are  in  doubt  now,  the  speediest  way  to  get  rid 
of  your  doubts  and  fears  is  by  self-examination.  Look  at  that  captain.  He  says 
to  the  sailors,  "  You  must  saU  very  carefully,  and  be  upon  your  watch,  for  I  do 
not  exactly  know  my  latitude  and  longitude,  and  there  may  be  rocks  very  close 
ahead."  He  goes  down  into  the  cabin,  he  searches  the  chart,  he  takes  an  inspec- 
tion of  the  heavens,  and  then  says,  "  Hoist  every  sail,  and  go  along  as  merrily  as 
you  please ;  I  have  discovered  where  we  are  ;  the  water  is  deep,  and  there  is  a  wide 
sea  room."  And  how  happy  will  it  be  with  you  if,  after  having  searched  yourself, 
you  can  say,  "  I  know  whom  I  have  beUeved,  and  am  persuaded  that  He  is  able 
to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  Him."  And  what  if  it  should  have  a 
bad  result  ?  Better  that  you  should  find  it  out  now  than  find  it  out  too  late.  HI. 
Try  and  help  you  to  caery  the  text  into  pbactice.  1.  Begin  with  your  public  life. 
Are  you  dishonest  ?  Can  you  swear  ?  Are  you  given  to  drunkenness  ?  &c.  Make 
short  work  with  yourself ;  there  will  be  no  need  to  go  into  any  further  tests.  "  He 
that  doeth  these  things  hath  no  inheritance  in  the  kingdom  of  God."  And  yet. 
Christian,  despite  thy  many  sins,  canst  thou  say,  "  By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what 
I  am ;  but  I  seek  to  live  a  righteous,  godly,  and  sober  life,  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked 
and  perverse  generation."  Kemember,  by  thy  works  thou  shalt  be  judged  at  last. 
Thy  works  cannot  save  thee,  but  they  can  prove  that  thou  art  saved ;  or  if  they  be 
evil  works,  they  can  prove  that  thou  art  not  saved  at  all.  2.  How  about  your 
private  life  ?  Do  you  live  without  prayer,  without  searching  the  Scriptures?  K  so, 
I  make  short  work  of  the  matter ;  you  are  "  in  the  gaU  of  bitterness,  and  in  the 
bonds  of  iniquity."  But  if  thou  art  right  at  heart,  thou  wilt  be  able  to  say,  "  I 
could  not  live  without  prayer ;  I  do  love  God's  Word  ;  I  love  His  people  ;  I  love  His 
house."  A  good  sign.  Christian,  a  good  sign  for  thee  ;  if  thou  canst  go  through  this 
test,  thou  mayest  hope  that  all  is  well.  {C.  H.  Spurgeon.)  Self-examination : — 
I.  What  it  is  about  oubselves  which  we  have  to  examine.  1.  Our  principles.  Let 
us  ascertain  whether  they  are  according  to  the  word  of  truth,  or  whether  they  are 
the  mere  inventions  of  men,  if  they  be  not  indeed  the  conjectures  of  our  own  un- 
thinking minds.  2.  Our  f eeUngs.  Is  the  love  of  God  and  Christ  indeed  in  us  ? 
This  affection  is  the  root  of  all  others.     3.  Our  practice  (Gal.  vi.  4).     II.  By  what 

KULES  WE  ABE  TO  CONDUCT   THIS   VEBY   IJIPOBTANT    INVESTIGATION.      There   is    nO    Other 

standard  than  the  Word  of  God ;  and  this  work  of  self-examination  has  perhaps 
been  more  marred  by  the  overlooking  of  this  circumstance  than  by  anything  else. 
The  Word  of  God  gives  us  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  it  gives  us  the  works  of  the  flesh. 
Take  each  list  and  see  which  contains  the  lineaments  of  your  character.  It  pre- 
sents to  us  various  precepts  which  we  are  called  upon  to  obey.  Examine  if  they 
are  the  outlines  of  your  everyday  doings.  But  how  is  the  examination  to  be  con- 
ducted upon  this  high  standard  ?  1.  Deliberately.  2.  Frequently,  for  we  are  con- 
stantly changing.  3.  With  a  view  to  improvement.  The  man  who  examines  him- 
self merely  to  know  that  he  is  safe  is  a  selfish  man.  When  he  goes  further,  and 
endeavours  to  know  what  as  a  saved  being  he  is  to  do,  he  is  pursuing  a  course 
which,  while  it  will  discover  to  him  his  defects,  will  at  the  same  time  point  out  the 
means  of  his  further  progress.  4.  In  reference  to  the  world  at  large.  How  far  are 
we  setting  before  the  world,  by  our  example,  the  Christianity  by  which  we  think  we 
are  ourselves  saved  ?  5.  In  reference  to  all  the  situations  in  which  the  providence 
of  God  may  place  us.  6.  In  reference  to  all  the  principles  that  we  discuss.  There 
is  no  principle  deserving  discussion  if  you  do  not  think  it  worth  your  while  after- 
wards to  inquire  how  far  you  have  made  it  useful.  {J.  Burnet.)  Self-examina- 
tion:— This  verse  has  been  made  to  sanction  a  doctrine  of  morbid  self-scrutiny 
utterly  at  variance  with  the  healthiness  and  reasonableness  of  the  New  Testament. 
Narcissus,  becoming  enamoured  of  his  own  beautiful  image  reflected  in  the  silvery 
fountain,  was  changed  into  a  flower ;  but  what  toadstool  kind  of  transformation  is 
likely  to  follow  persistent  brooding  over  the  vision  of  sin  disclosed  in  the  turbid 
depths  of  our  own  heart  ?  It  will  pay  us  much  better  to  look  up  at  a  fairer  vision. 
Self-vivisection  is  one  of  the  worst  forms  of  that  illegal  science.    Still,  self-acquaint- 


512  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xiii. 

ance  is  a  duty — a  duty  to  be  performed  in  a  wise  spirit,  and  we  ought  from  time  to 
time  to  assure  ourselves  of  our  heart,  our  character,  our  walk.  1.  "  Examine 
yourselves":  not  your  neighbours.  The  Corinthians  had  been  busy  in  their 
criticisms  on  the  apostle  ;  he  asks  them  for  a  while  to  turn  the  keen  investigation 
upon  themselves.  One  of  the  Puritans  says  :  "  The  windows  of  the  soul  should  be 
like  the  windows  of  Solomon's  temple,  '  broad  inward.'  "  We  are  to  watch  ourselves, 
to  judge  ourselves,  to  condemn  ourselves,  far  more  sevei'ely  than  we  do  the  Church, 
or  the  world.  2.  "Examine  yourselves":  do  not  confuse  yourself  with  others. 
"  Prove  your  own  selves."  The  other  day  I  saw  two  lads  weighing  themselves  on  a. 
weighing-machine ;  they  put  the  penny  in  the  slot,  and  together  got  upon  the  scale. 
They  thought  to  defraud  the  proprietor  of  the  machine  by  their  cleverness,  two- 
occupying  the  scale  intended  for  one.  But  the  result  must  have  been  very  unsatis- 
factory to  the  astute  youths.  They  knew  their  aggregate  weight,  but  neither  of 
them  knew  his  personal  weir.ht.  As  I  watched  the  lads,  it  struck  me  that  in  making 
our  moral  estimates  we  sometimes  fall  into  a  similar  fallacy.  We  do  not  detach 
ourselves  and  seek  to  ascertain  our  personal  merit ;  we  ingeniously  confuse  oi?rselves 
with  others.  We  are  sons  and  daughters  of  parents  who  have  passed  into  the  skies. 
We  do  not  isolate  ourselves  and  prove  our  own  selves.  We  shall  at  last  be  weighed 
in  the  balances  one  by  one,  and  we  had  better  weigh  ourselves  that  way  now. 
3.  "  Examine  yourselves  "  :  know  your  real  selves,  not  your  seeming  selves.  We 
sometimes  fancy  that  we  know  ourselves,  when,  in  fact,  we  know  only  our  seeming 
self.  The  Chinese  are  said  to  be  fondest  of  the  dress  which  most  effectually  con- 
ceals their  true  figure  ;  and  by  a  variety  of  sophistries  we  hide  our  real  selves  from 
ourselves.  If  we  strictly  examine  our  virtues,  they  may  turn  out  no  virtues  at  all. 
Zeal  keenly  tested  proves  to  be  temper ;  charity  reveals  itself  as  vaingloriousness ; 
economy  is  disguised  covetousness  ;  courage  is  presumption  ;  honesty  is  expediency 
with  a  fine  name  ;  conscientiousness  is  only  the  subtle  working  of  self-will ;  content- 
ment is  really  sloth ;  and  amiability  an  easy-going  disposition  that  lets  things  slide. 
We  must  not  be  content  to  note  the  surface.  4.  "  Examine  yourselves  "  :  your  pre- 
sent selves,  not  your  old  selves.  It  is  rather  a  common  thing  to  judge  ourselves  by 
what  we  knew  and  felt  and  did  in  past  years.  A  disastrous  change  has  taken  place^ 
and  taken  place  so  gradually  that  we  have  failed  to  note  it.  Are  we  converted  men 
and  women  now  ?  Is  the  Divine  fire  burning  still  ?  Are  our  prayers  availing  to-day  ? 
Are  our  last  works  more  than  the  first  ?  These  are  the  questions.  5.  The  grand  test 
in  self-examination  is  this:  "Know  ye  not  your  own  selves, how  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
in  you,  except  ye  be  reprobates  ?  "  One  of  the  great  perversions  of  the  duty  of  self- 
examination  is  that  we  make  it  more  a  quest  for  the  evil  that  is  in  us  than  a  quest 
for  the  good.  The  miner  does  not  look  for  the  dust  and  dirt  of  the  mine  ;  he 
watches  for  the  streak  of  gold.  And  we  must  not  search  our  heart  for  the  beast 
and  the  devil,  but  for  the  manifestations  of  the  indwelling  Christ.  (IF.  L.  Watkin- 
son.)  Self-examination  : — I.  Self-examination  is  a  necessaky  duty  belonging  tO' 
every  one  in  the  Church,  and  requires  much  diligence  in  the  performing  of  it.  1. 
It  is  a  necessary  duty,  in  regard  of  our  comfort.  What  comfort  in  Christ,  in  His 
meritorious  passion,  in  His  triumphant  resurrection  and  ascension,  in  His  prevalent 
intercession,  unless  we  know  that  by  faith  we  are  united  to  Him  ?  It  is  necessary — 
(1)  Because  there  are  common  graces.  There  is  an  acceptation  of  the  law  for  an 
outward  practice,  without  an  affection  to  the  lawgiver,  or  an  esteem  of  the  spiritu- 
ality of  the  law  itself.  (2)  Because  there  are  counterfeit  graces.  There  is  much 
false  coin  in  the  world.  Good  things  may  be  imitated,  when  they  are  not  rooted. 
The  apostle  speaks  of  a  dead  faith  (James  ii.  26).  There  is  a  repentance  unto  life 
(Acts  xi.  18)  which  supposeth  a  dead  repentance.  (3)  Because  every  man  is  in  a 
state  of  grace  or  nature.  There  is  a  state  of  grace  (Rom.  v.  1) ;  a  state  of  wrath 
(Eph.  ii.  3).  It  is  necessary,  therefore,  to  inquire  whose  we  are.  2.  It  is  a  duty 
that  requires  diligence  and  care.  That  which  is  of  infinite  consequence  in  the 
state  of  your  souls  ought  not  to  be  built  upon  sandy  and  slight  foundations.  It  is 
called  communing  with  a  man's  own  heart  (Psa.  iv.  4).  Not  a  slight  glance  and 
away :  sweeping  and  looking  with  a  candle  (Luke  xv.  8),  wherewith  every  cranny 
and  chink  is  pried  into.  (1)  Diligence  is  requisite,  because  the  work  is  difficult.  It 
is  no  easy  matter  to  be  acquainted  with  ourselves.  The  judgment  of  man  is  cor- 
rupted, and  misrepresents  things.  Where  grace  is  small,  and  corruptions  many,  it 
must  be  hard  to  discern  it,  as  it  is  for  an  eye  to  discern  a  small  needle,  especially  if 
in  the  dust  and  rubbish.  The  roots  of  sin  also  lie  deep,  not  easily  to  be  found  with- 
out good  directions.  (2)  Diligence  is  requisite,  because  man  is  naturally  unwilling 
to  this  duty.     Men  are  more  willing  to  have  their  minds  rove  through  all  the  parts 


CHAP,  xin.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  513 

of  nature,  than  to  busy  themselves  in  self -reflection;  would  read  any  book  or  rela- 
tion rather  than  the  history  of  their  own  heart.  We  are  nearest  to  ourselves 
physically,  and  furthest  from  our  own  selves  morally.  Men  whose  titles  are  cracked 
and  unsure,  are  loth  to  have  them  tried  before  the  Judge  and  come  under  the 
sittings  of  conscience.  Ever  since  the  fall  we  run  counter  to  God.  Satan  is  no 
mean  instrument  in  this ;  he  is  said  to  blind  the  world  that  they  might  not  know 
their  state.  This  unwillingness  ariseth — (a)  From  carnal  self-love.  It  is  natural 
to  man  to  think  well  of  himself,  and  suffer  his  affections  to  bridle  his  judgment. 
Every  man  is  his  own  flatterer,  and  so  conceals  himself  from  himself.  Very  few 
that  are  uncomely  in  body,  or  deformed  in  mind,  but  think  themselves  as  handsome 
and  honest  as  others.  Every  blackamore  fancies  himself  to  have  a  comely  colour. 
And  this  self-love  keeps  men  of?  from  this  work,  for  fear  they  should  behold  their 
own  guilt,  and  their  souls  be  stung  with  anguish,  (h)  From  presumption  and 
security.  (3)  Diligence  is  requisite,  because  man  is  hardly  induced  to  continue  in 
this  work.  That  self-love  which  makes  them  unwilling  to  enter  upon  it,  renders 
them  unfit  to  make  any  progi-ess  in  it.  When  we  do  begin  it,  how  quickly  do  we 
faint  in  it !  How  soon  are  our  first  glances  upon  ourselves  turned  to  a  fixedness 
upon  some  slighter  object !  (4)  Diligence  is  requisite,  because  we  are  naturally  apt 
to  be  deceived,  and  to  delude  ourselves.  How  many  extend  their  hopes  as  far  as 
their  wishes,  and  these  as  far  as  a  fond  fancy  and  imagination !  (5)  Diligence  is 
necessary,  because,  to  be  deceived  in  this  is  the  most  stinging  consideration.  To 
drop  into  hell,  when  a  man  takes  it  for  granted  that  he  is  in  heaven,  to  di'eam  of  a 
crown  on  the  head,  when  the  fetters  are  upon  the  feet,  will  double  the  anguish.  (6) 
Diligence  is  necessary,  because  many  have  miscarried  for  want  of  it.  II.  The  use. 
1.  If  this  be  our  duty  to  examine  ourselves,  then  the  knowledge  of  our  state  is 
possible.  If  we  are  to  examine  ourselves,  we  may  then  know  ourselves.  Reflection 
and  knowledge  of  self  is  a  prerogative  of  a  rational  nature.  We  know  that  we  have 
souls  by  the  operations  of  them.  We  may  know  that  we  have  grace  by  the  effects 
of  it.  Grace  chiefly  lies  in  the  will,  and  it  discovers  itself  in  actions.  There  can 
be  no  suthcient  reason  given  why  the  understanding  should  not  as  well  know  the 
acts  of  the  soul  and  will,  as  the  acts  of  the  sense,  and  the  motions  of  the  body.  We 
know  our  particular  passions  and  the  exercises  of  them.  There  is  no  man  that 
fears  a  danger  or  loves  an  amiable  object  but  he  knows  his  own  acts  about  them,  as 
well  as  the  object  of  those  acts.  If  a  man  have  faith  and  love,  why  should  he  not 
be  as  able  to  know  the  acts  of  faith  and  love  as  to  know  the  acts  of  his  particular 
affections  ?  2.  How  foolish  is  the  neglect  of  this  duty  !  III.  Use  of  exhoktation. 
It  is  our  highest  advantage  to  know  what  should  become  of  our  souls  in  eternity. 
I  shall,  lastly,  give  you  some  directions  about  this  duty  of  self-examination.  1. 
Acquaint  yourselves  with  those  marks  that  are  proper  only  to  a  true  Christian. 
Overlook  all  those  that  are  common  with  the  hypocrite,  such  as  outward  profession, 
constant  attendances,  some  affections  in  duties.  Let  us  not  judge  ourselves  by  out- 
ward acts  :  a  player  is  not  a  prince  because  he  acts  the  part  of  a  prince.  But  we 
must  judge  ourselves  by  what  we  are  in  our  retirements,  in  our  hearts.  He  only  is 
a  good  man,  and  doth  good,  that  doth  it  from  a  principle  of  goodness  within,  and 
not  from  fear  of  laws,  or  to  gain  a  good  opinion  in  the  world.  Grace  is  of  that 
nature  that  it  cannot  possibly  have  any  by-end.  As  it  is  the  immediate  birth  of 
God,  so  it  doth  immediately  respect  God  in  its  actings.  Let  us  examine  first  the 
truth  of  grace,  and  afterwards  the  height  of  grace.  A  little  of  the  coarsest  gold  is 
more  valuable  than  much  of  the  finest  brass.  See  how  the  habitual  frame  and 
inclination  of  the  heart  stands.  One  sound  and  undeniable  mark  is  better  than  a 
thousand  disputable  ones.  2.  Let  us  make  the  Word  of  God  only  our  rule  in  trials. 
This  is  the  only  impartial  friend  we  can  stick  to,  and  therefore  it  ought  to  be  made 
our  main  counsellor.  It  is  safe  for  us  to  take  that  rule  which  God  Himself  will  take. 
3.  Take  not  the  first  dictates  of  conscience.  He  that  trusts  his  own  heart  is  a  fool 
(Prov.  xxviii.  26),  i.e.,  without  a  diligent  inquisition  it  is  not  wisdom  to  do  so  ;  but 
he  that  walks  wisely  shall  be  delivered :  he  that  makes  a  strict  inquiry  into  it  shall 
be  delivered  from  its  snares  and  his  own  fears.  It  is  a  seai'ching,  examining, 
proving  our  hearts  that  is  required,  not  taking  them  at  the  first  word.  There  may 
be  gold  at  the  top  and  dross  at  the  bottom.  4.  In  all  implore  the  assistance  of  the 
Spirit  of  God.  Natural  conscience  is  not  enough  in  this  case,  there  must  be  the 
influence  of  the  Spirit.  It  is  God's  Interpreter  that  can  only  show  unto  a  man  his 
righteousness  (Job  xxxiii.  23).  The  sun  must  give  light  before  the  glass  can  reflect 
the  beams.  5.  Let  us  take  heed  that  while  we  examine  our  graces  and  find  them, 
our  hearts  be  not  carried  out  to  a  resting  upon  them.     We  may  draw  some  comfort 

33 


514  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [ch.u>.  xiii. 

from  them,  but  must  check  the  least  inclination  of  founding  our  justification  upon 
them.  Graces  are  signs,  not  causes  of  justification.  6.  In  case  we  find  ourselves 
not  in  such  a  condition  as  we  desire,  let  us  exercise  direct  acts  of  faith.  {Bishop 
Hacket.)  Self-examination  : — Observe — I.  What  is  peemised  in  the  text.  We 
are  exhorted  to  examine  ourselves.  We  may  err  in  supposing — 1.  Educational 
influence  as  synonymous  with  the  faith.  2.  In  confounding  a  regard  for,  and  an 
attendance  on,  religious  services  with  being  in  the  faith.  3.  In  mistaking  inward 
emotions  with  being  in  the  faith.  11.  To  what  the  text  distinctly  refers. 
*' Being  in  the  faith,"  evidently,  having  the  true  faith  of  a  disciple  of  Christ.  Now 
if  we  are  in  the  faith,  then  manifestly — 1.  The  faith  of  the  gospel  will  be  in  us.  2. 
The  experience  of  faith  will  be  in  us.  3.  The  signs  of  faith  wiD  be  upon  us.  III. 
The  course  the  text  enjoins.  "Examine  yourselves,  whether  ye  be  in  the  faith." 
And — 1.  Do  this  with  earnestness  of  spirit.  2.  Do  this  with  the  Word  of  God  as 
your  rule.  3.  Do  it  in  the  spirit  of  prayer.  4.  Do  it  from  time  to  time.  IV.  Some 
MOTIVES  BT  which  THIS  COURSE  MAT  BE  ENJOINED.  We  should  regard  it — 1.  As  a  duty. 
We  should  regard  it  in  reference — 2.  To  our  comfort.  It  is  for  the  comfort  of  the 
traveller  to  know  he  is  in  the  right  way ;  for  the  mariner  to  know  his  course  of 
sailing  is  correct;  for  the  heir  to  be  sure  that  his  title  is  unquestionably  valid.  3. 
It  is  connected  with  our  safety.  {J.  Burns,  D.D.)  On  being  in  the  faith  : — To  be 
in  the  faith  therefore  implies — 1.  That  we  make  an  open  confession  of  Christ,  as 
the  founder  of  the  Christian  religion,  by  union  with  His  professed  followers  (Matt. 
X.  32,  33).  2.  A  sincere  and  hearty  belief  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  Corinthians, 
before  they  embraced  Christianity,  were  idolaters.  Paul  wished  them  to  examine 
and  see  if  they  had  really  renounced  all  dependence  upon  their  idols,  and  were 
putting  their  trust  in  the  living  and  true  God  alone,  and  in  Jesus  Christ  whom  He 
had  sent.  It  is  possible,  too,  to  embrace  Christianity  from  interested  motives.  Any 
new  system  will  attract  some  admirers.  The  apostle,  therefore,  was  afraid  lest  their 
faith  should  be  insincere  or  superficial,  and  hence  wished  them  to  examine  carefully 
into  their  motives  and  character.  3.  The  phrase  "  in  the  faith  "  means  an  actual 
participation  in  the  blessings  of  Christianity.  (1)  If  "  Christ  is  in  you,"  you  are 
conscious  of  communion  with  Him.  (2)  As  your  Lord  and  Master  you  admit 
Him,  for  instance,  as  the  Lord  of  your  faith,  your  Teacher,  leaning  not  to 
your  own  understanding,  but  meekly  sitting  at  His  feet  and  saying,  "  Lord, 
what  I  know  not,  teach  Thou  me."  (3)  If  you  are  in  the  faith,  Christ 
is   in   you   as   your   Sanctifier.      (4)    As  a   Comforter.     (C.    IVilliams.)  Know 

ye  not  your  own  selves. — Self-knoivledge : — The  question,  "  Know  ye  not," 
&c.,  is  exceedingly  impressive  as  addressed  to  the  Corinthians.  They  prided  them- 
selves in  the  Greek  philosophy,  whose  wisest  precept  was,  "  Know  thyself."  Put  to 
them,  therefore,  the  question  expressed — 1.  Astonishment,  in  view  of  their  real  self- 
ignorance.  2.  Irony,  in  view  of  their  pretended  self-knowledge.  We  do  not  know 
our  own  selves.  I.  Physically.  If  men  thoroughly  understood  the  body  and 
perfectly  obeyed  the  laws  of  physical  life,  probably  most  would  attain  to  the  full 
threescore  years  and  ten.  How  strange,  nay,  how  sinful,  is  this  ignorance !  True, 
we  excuse  it  by  our  reliance  on  medical  science.  And  the  excuse  would  be  good  if 
we  employed  physicians  to  keep  us  in  health,  rather  than  to  aid  us  in  sickness. 
II.  Intellectually.  Many  men  practically  ignore  their  intellectual  faculties. 
Their  only  seK-culture  consists  in  taking  care  of  the  body.  Some  men  never  think 
at  all.  And  even  among  those  who  recognise  their  intellectual  nature,  how  strangely 
is  it  treated !  Every  man  has  his  special  intellectual  gift,  which  often  he  does  not 
discover  till  too  late  to  develop  and  employ  to  profit.  III.  Morally.  1.  Self- 
knowledge  here  promotes  comfort.  Of  the  passions  and  emotions  which  belong  to 
our  moral  nature,  some  are  painful  and  some  pleasurable,  and  our  happiness 
depends  upon  quickening  the  play  of  the  latter  and  diminishing  the  power  of  the 
former.  The  soul  of  man  is  a  dwelling  of  many  apartments.  In  it  love  may  be 
supposed  to  have  a  fair  banqueting  hall — anger  a  dark  cell ;  faith  and  hope  to  have 
glorified  chambers  looking  heavenward,  and  the  lower  passions  dungeons  of  gloom. 
And  possessed  of  such  a  house,  how  foolish  to  practically  ignore  those  loftier  and 
lovelier  pavilions  of  gladness — deliberately  choosing  to  abide  in  the  dungeons  of 
envy,  anger,  impurity,  rather  than  to  sit  at  love's  great  banquet,  or  to  recline  in  the 
pavilion  where  benevolence  makes  sweet  music,  or  to  ascend  to  the  bright  chamber 
of  faith  and  hope,  and  look  forth  upon  heaven  from  their  open  casements.  2.  Our 
character  depends  upon  it.  It  is  marvellous  how  little  most  men  know  morally  of 
themselves  !  And  this,  not  because  they  cannot,  but  because  they  will  not.  They 
■do  not  look  carefully  after  those  favourite  or  easily-besetting  sins  which  colour,  yea. 


CHAP,  xni.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  515 

constitute  character.  Reading  himself  wrongly,  a  man  manages  himself  wrongly. 
Every  man,  possessed  of  a  moral  nature,  whose  development  must  be  into  immense 
growths  either  of  good  or  evil,  should  understand  it  thoroughly,  that  the  flowers  and 
fruits  of  its  culture  may  be  good  and  glorious.  IV.  Spiritually.  1.  There  are 
persons  who  think  themselves  Christian,  but  are  not.  Such  self-deception  is 
altogether  unnecessary.  Surely  if  there  be  anything  made  plain  in  the  Bible,  it  is 
the  evidence  of  true  Christian  character.  A  true  Christian — (1)  Loves  God.  (2) 
Believes  in  Christ — not  merely  with  a  speculative  faith  but  with  a  loving  trust  as  his 
Saviour.  (3)  Sincerely  repents  of  sin.  (4)  Loves  the  duties  of  religion.  (5)  Loves 
his  brethren.  And  he  knows  that  he  hath  passed  from  death  unto  life  because  he 
does  so.  Now  these  are  the  obvious  evidences  of  regeneration.  How  strange,  then, 
is  it  that  men  should  be  self-deceived  I  2.  There  are  some  not  thinking  themselves 
Christians,  who  are  yet  real  children  of  God.  Sometimes  this  self-distrust  arises 
from — (1)  A  temperament  constitutionally  gloomy.  The  man  who  looks  habitually 
on  the  dark  side  of  everything,  of  course  looks  on  the  dark  side  of  his  religious 
character.  (2)  Bodily  infirmity.  What  the  man  wants  to  make  him  a  hopeful  and 
joyous  Christian  is  bodily  regimen  and  exercise,  and  not  theological  casuistry.  (3) 
An  over-estimate  of  the  particular  manner  or  circumstances  of  conversion.  They 
can  indeed  perceive  a  radical  change  in  their  own  feelings  and  conduct ;  but  the 
manner  and  manifestation  of  the  change  does  not  satisfy  their  conscience.  As  if  it 
mattered  how  a  blind  man's  eyes  were  opened !  or  with  what  instrumentality  the 
drowning  man  was  saved !  (4)  Assuming  false  tests  and  standards  of  Christian 
character.  They  entertain  extravagant  notions  of  the  effects  even  of  regeneration. 
They  have  read  the  biographies  of  distinguished  Christians,  wherein  it  seems  as  if 
life  were  uninterrupted  in  its  wrapt  communion  with  God,  but  wherein  there  is  no 
mention  of  faults  and  failings.  And  thus  the  humble  man,  finding  his  own 
experience  so  different,  turns  away  in  despair.  Conclusion :  The  text  appeals — 1. 
To  the  self-deceived.  To  be  in  the  Church  without  piety  is  of  all  conditions  the 
most  dreadful.  Not  because  false  professors  are  more  sinful  than  other  men^ 
though  even  this  may  be  true,  but  because  there  is  less  hope  of  their  conviction  and 
conversion.  Let  us,  then,  be  willing  to  know  the  very  worst  of  our  character  and 
condition  !  2.  To  the  self-distrustful.  Your  trust  for  salvation  is  not  in  what  you 
are,  but  what  Christ  is.  If,  with  a  penitent,  and  believing,  and  loving  heart,  you 
cast  yourselves  upon  the  Redeemer,  then  you  know  you  are  Christians  I  For  He 
says  you  shall  "in  no  wise  be  cast  out,"  and  "shall  never  perish !  "  And  thus, 
"  knowing  your  own  selves,"  your  place  should  be  in  Christ's  visible  Church.  3.  To 
the  openly  impenitent.  In  one  sense,  indeed,  these  men  do  "  know  their  own 
selves."  They  know  that  they  are  unconverted.  They  stand  boldly  in  the  ranks 
of  rebellion  against  Jehovah.  But  "  Know  ye  not  your  own  selves?  "  that  you  are 
not  beasts  that  perish,  but  immortal  creatures !  Two  eternal  worlds  watch  you  and 
strive  for  you.  Come  to  Christ  Jesus  for  life.  4.  To  the  Church.  The  text 
intimates  that  between  the  professing  people  of  God  and  the  world  there  is  so  little 
visible  difference,  that  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  them.  Surely,  then,  it  is  time  for 
us  to  rise  into  higher  frames  and  spheres  of  religious  Ufe !     (C.  Wadsworth,  D.D.) 

Vers.  7-9.  Now  I  pray  to  God  that  ye  do  no  evil — Paul's  prayer  for  the 
restoration  of  the  Corinthians  to  corporate  perfectness : — The  prayer  is — I. 
For  the  perfect  recovery  which  would  result  from  "  not  doing  the  evil." 
The  vices  that  infested  the  Corinthian  Church  are  those  which  have  been 
the  bane  of  the  Church  from  the  beginning.  1.  Rebellion  against  the  supreme 
authority  of  the  Divine  Revealer  and  Inspirer  of  truth  in  the  person  of  the 
apostle.  There  was  a  tendency  to  rely  on  the  light  of  their  own  reason,  and 
to  criticise  revelation.  Rationalism  in  the  individual  is  fatal  to  religious 
stability  and  growth,  and  in  the  Church  is  the  root  of  all  disorganisation,  and 
must  be  put  away  before  either  can  put  on  "  perfection."  2.  Lax  maintenance 
of  some  of  the  vital  doctrines  of  the  Christian  confession — the  direct  result  of  the 
former.  The  Corinthian  heretics  assailed  the  resurrection  generally,  and  Christ's 
resurrection  in  particular.  Hence  their  doctrinal  errors  went  perilously  near  to  an 
abandonment  of  the  atoning  death  of  Christ ;  and  it  was  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
they  misapprehended  the  design  of  the  Sacrament.  Obviously  the  integrity  of  their 
faith  was  in  his  thought  in  verse  8.  3.  Neglect  and  irreverence  in  divine  service, 
which  invariably  follow  hard  upon  laxity  of  doctrine.  The  flagrant  disorders 
rebuked  in  the  First  Epistle  were  doubtless  checked,  but  this  Epistle  indicates  that 
the  same  leaven  was  at  work ;  and  the  final  prayer  includes  the  removal  of  that 


516  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xm. 

spirit  of  disorder,  and  the  observance  of  all  that  is  "  decent "  (ver.  7)  in  its  wish  for 
their  restoration  to  perfection.  Never  was  this  prayer  more  needed  than  now.  Two 
kinds  of  dishonour  are  done  to  the  divine  service — the  one  taking  away  its  simplicity 
and  discerning  more  in  ordinances  than  they  have  to  show  ;  the  other  robbing 
everything  external  and  symbolical  of  its  true  value,  and  reducing  religious  cere- 
monial to  the  level  of  mere  human  arrangement.  Both  are  equally  distant  from 
ecclesiastical  perfection.  From  the  equal  sins  of  excess  and  defect  may  we  be  saved. 
4.  The  spirit  of  faction,  closely  connected  with  the  preceding  elements  of  disorder 
and  imperfection.  This  evil  seems  to  have  been  rebuked  by  the  First  Epistle  in  vain 
(chap.  xii.  20),  and  it  might  seem  as  if  the  apostle  had  a  presentiment  of  the 
calamities  which  would  befall  the  Church  through  this  spirit  of  division ;  for  he  sets 
no  limit  to  his  indignation  in  dealing  with  it.  And  it  was  with  a  distinct  appre- 
hension of  its  exceeding  sinfulness  that  he  expressed  the  hope  that  they  would  cease 
to  do  this  evil,  and  wished  their  "  perfect  restoration  to  order."  5.  The  violation 
of  Christian  morality.  In  chap.  xii.  20,  21  there  is  obvious  reference  to  those  two 
classes  of  moral  offence  from  which,  in  chap.  vii.  1,  they  had  been  exhorted  to 
cleanse  themselves.  (1)  The  sins  of  the  spirit  are  summed  up  in  the  completest  of 
those  catalogues  for  which  St.  Paul's  Epistles  are  remarkable.  (2)  The  sins  of  the 
flesh  are  lamentable.  Many  were  no  less  infamous  in  their  secret  sensuality  than 
in  their  open  turbulence.  And  this  condition  was  the  necessary  result  of  the  other 
elements  of  disorder.  II.  For  the  attainment  of  all  the  completeness  which 
MAT  belong  to  A  Chbistian  Chubch.  Notc  the  wonderful  fact  that  a  Church  encom- 
passed by  such  corruptions  should  be  prayed  for  as  capable  of  immediate  and 
perfect  amendment  as  the  result  of  energetic  co-operation  with  Divine  grace.  Paul 
knew  that  the  enemies  of  order  and  purity  were  only  a  minority,  and  it  may  be  that 
his  Master  gave  him  a  secret  assurance  of  success.  And  this  is  an  abundant 
encouragement  to  us  in  our  day.  There  need  be  no  more  than  a  step  between  great 
disorder  and  a  sound  amendment.  1.  The  bond  of  ecclesiastical  perfectness  is,  in 
Paul's  view,  a  compact  organisation  vivified  and  kept  in  living  unity  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  It  was  this  for  which  he  prayed.  The  Greek  term  expresses  the  apostle's 
ardent  wish  that  the  community  might  be  "  perfectly  joined  together  "  under  one 
discipline:  all  factions  suppressed,  and  the  separate  congregations  of  the  city  united 
in  one  corporate  body  for  common  worship,  communion  and  work.  And  it  expresses 
the  Holy  Spirit's  will  concerning  us  that  division  and  discord  should  cease.  Lav/- 
lessness  within  a  church  itself  and  bitterness  towards  other  churches  are  both  alike 
inconsistent  with  its  corporate  perfection.  2.  The  Church's  order  of  worship  may 
even  on  earth  attain  a  certain  standard  of  perfection  ;  and  this  must  be  included  in 
the  present  prayer.  Happy  the  Christian  congregations  who  seek  to  attain  in  the 
Spirit's  own  method  the  ideal  which  the  Spirit  proposes  ;  avoiding  the  two  extremes, 
of  a  ceremonial  that  stifles  the  simplicity  of  devotion,  and  of  a  bareness  and  poverty 
which  dishonour  the  holy  name  of  Him  who  is  in  the  midst.  That  thei'e  is  such  a 
perfection  of  praise  and  prayer  attainable  as  shall  make  the  place  where  the  dis- 
ciples meet  the  antechamber  of  heaven,  and  the  Christian  communion  the 
earnest  of  an  eternal  fellowship,  let  us  never  doubt.  3.  Paul's  ideal  of  corporate 
perfection  included  a  noble  theory  of  mutual  help.  These  epistles  are  a  complete 
depository  of  the  social  principles  of  Christianity.  Their  teaching  is  that  every 
member  of  the  body  must  in  his  vocation  and  stewardship  render  back  to  Christi- 
anity all  that  in  Christianity  he  receives,  and  give  to  the  community  the  fullest 
advantage  of  whatever  talent  he  as  an  individual  may  possess.  This  ideal  is  most 
fully  realised  when  charity  has  the  disposal  of  the  Church's  wealth ;  where  employ- 
ment is  given  in  various  ways  to  the  diversified  talents  of  its  members ;  where 
mutual  exhortation  and  encouragement  are  secured  by  periodical  meetings  ;  where, 
in  short,  every  joint,  according  to  its  deferred  function  in  the  common  organisation, 
supplieth  the  measure  of  its  effectual  working  to  the  edifying  of  the  body  in  love. 
4.  'The  apostle's  ideal  embraces  a  high  standard  of  Christian  morality.  The  purity 
nf  the  Church  must  be  guarded  by  a  rigid  discipline.  But  this  discipline  is  of  two 
kinds.  (1)  It  is  ecclesiastical.  Where  that  is  relaxed  the  Church  is  already  on  its 
way  to  dissolution,  or  worse.  (2)  But  the  more  effectual  discipline  is  the  mainte- 
nance of  a  high  standard  of  morality  in  the  common  sentiment  of  the  people  through 
the  instruction  of  the  Christian  ministry.  It  is  not,  however,  because  the  world 
expects  it  or  because  consistency  demands  it,  that  the  "  approved  "  Church  aims  at 
a  lofty  ethical  standard.  It  is  because  Christ  is  in  it  (ver.  5),  and  prompts  by  His 
Spirit  to  every  good  word  and  work.  Where  vice  reigns,  or  even  moral  laxity,  the 
Church  is  in  the  way  to  declare  itself  "reprobate."    Its  perfection,  however,  as 


CHAP.  XIII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  517 

prayed  for  by  St.  Paul,  is  its  aim  at  a  perfect  holiness.  5.  The  end  of  perfection 
is  charity.  Note  the  apostle's  extraordinary  anxiety  for  the  due  and  cheerful 
exercise  of  benevolence  towards  the  poor  Christians  at  Jerusalem.  And  we  may 
regard  this  as  only  one  illustration  of  that  boundless  compassion  towards  the 
miserable  inhabitants  of  this  sin-stricken  world  which  every  Christian  community 
is  bound  by  its  allegiance  to  Christ  to  exhibit.  No  other  excellence,  and  no  com- 
bination of  excellences,  will  compensate  ior  the  lack  of  this.  Conclusion :  Scarcely 
any  reference  has  been  made  to  the  individual  believer,  because  the  peculiar 
■»\-ord  demands  an  ecclesiastical  application.  Still,  every  application  of  scriptural 
truth  finds  its  way  to  the  individual.  Let  every  one,  then,  who  hears  this 
■"wish"  bethink  himself  of  his  own  soul,  and  ask  what  there  is  in  himself  of  dis- 
order and  imperfectness,  and  seek  to  bring  his  own  heart  into  the  "unity  of  the 
Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace,"  so  making  sure  that  his  own  part  is  contributed  to  the 
Church's  perfect  harmony.     (W.  B.  Pope,  D.D.) 

Ver.  8.  We  can  do  nothing  against  tbe  truth,  but  for  the  truth. — The  impotence 
of  revolt  ayciinst  the  truth  : — I.  The  futility  of  revolt  against  the  truth.  1. 
There  are  two  great  truths  against  which  the  world  has  been  in  perpetual  revolt. 
(1)  The  moral  truth  of  God's  government.  This  means  that  there  is  a  living  and 
a  righteous  God ;  that  He  will  reward  righteousness  and  punish  evil.  That  is  the 
sublime  belief  uttered  in  every  page  of  the  Bible.  By  that  belief  the  noblest 
nations  have  lived,  and  the  noblest  periods  of  history  been  shaped.  Denying  that 
truth,  the  world  becomes  a  fathomless  and  maddening  problem.  It  becomes  what 
Carlyle  said  the  materialists  made  it,  "  A  mill  without  a  miller,"  whose  wheels  turn 
endlessly  in  the  tide  of  the  ages,  but  without  purpose  or  result.  Such  revolt  is  the 
madness  of  an  empty  pride,  and  is  as  futile  as  it  is  wicked.  (2)  The  spiritual  truth 
of  God's  government  by  Jesus  Christ.  Christ  stands  before  men  as  the  embodied 
holiness  of  God,  and  His  law  of  life  is  the  law  by  which  human  holiness  is  attained. 
Against  that  Divine  Presence  the  world  has  been  in  perpetual  revolt.  The  past  sign 
of  that  revolt  is  Calvary  ;  its  present  sign  is  the  selfishness  and  un-Christliness  of 
human  life.  But  long  since,  on  the  steep  stairs  of  sacrifice,  Christ  has  ascended 
into  universal  supremacy.  The  Pharisees  had  hated  Him  living,  and  they  feared 
Him  dead.  And  so  they  came  to  Pilate,  who  said,  "  Ye  have  a  watch  " — set  it ; 
seal  the  tomb;  "make  it  as  sure  as  ye  can."  How  sure  was  that?  Was  it 
prophecy  or  irony  which  animated  Pilate's  speech  ?  The  revolt  against  Him  was 
futile  then,  and  it  is  futile  now.  He  being  "  lifted  up,"  is  drawing  all  men  unto 
Him.  There  are  those  who  resist  that  infinite  attraction.  Some  of  you  have  done 
it.  But  again  the  voice  of  Paul  speaks,  and  eighteen  centuries  have  only  added 
victorious  confirmation  to  his  words,  "  We  can  do  nothing  against  the  truth."  2. 
But  it  may  be  said,  where  is  the  proof  ?  One  proof  of  truth,  at  least,  is  found  in 
the  eternity  of  its  life.  Error  carries  the  seeds  of  its  own  death  with  it.  It  is  error 
that  changes  ;  truth  abides.  The  history  of  civilisation  is  a  history  of  the  slow  but 
certain  conquests  of  truth.  There  have  been  periods  when  the  world  has  seemed  to 
have  fallen  asleep.  But  at  length  from  that  vast  slumbering  host  one  man  has 
seen  a  new  light  kindling  in  the  far  firmament.  He  has  risen  and  announced  his 
great  discovery,  and  called  on  men  to  believe  in  it.  Such  men  have  always  been 
disbelieved,  persecuted.  But  time  has  tried  them  and  the  truth  has  proved  itself 
truth  by  living  and  triumphing.  Astrology  and  alchemy  have  perished,  but 
astronomy  and  chemistry  survive.  The  scientific  heresies  of  one  age  have  become 
the  commonplaces  of  the  next.  Time  has  threshed  out  the  wheat  from  the  chaff, 
annihilating  the  false  and  keeping  the  eternal  truths.  (1)  One  proof  of  the  moral 
government  of  God  is,  that  the  centuries  assert  it.  Think  how  many  great 
monarchies  have  arisen  and  covered  the  world  with  empire,  and  where  are  they 
now  ?  Did  ever  empire  seem  more  likely  to  endure  than  the  Roman  ?  What  does 
the  philosophic  historian  say  about  France?  "France  slit  her  own  veins  and  let 
her  own  life-blood  out  on  the  day  of  St.  Bartholomew,  and  has  been  perishing  of 
exhaustion  ever  since."  On  all  nations  which  have  become  corrupt,  the  same  fate 
has  fallen  sooner  or  later.  And  what  does  all  this  mean,  but  that  there  is  an 
avenging  holiness  in  the  world  ?  (2)  And  how  is  it  that  the  spiritual  empire  of  Jesus 
Christ  has  survived  ?  The  world  has  been  leagued  against  it  from  the  beginning. 
The  key-note  of  revolt  and  hatred  struck  on  Calvary  has  echoed  through  the  ages. 
Yet  the  kingdom  survives,  and  the  fiery  waves  have  fallen  back  quenched  and  impo- 
tent, and  the  wrath  of  man  has  passed  like  a  waft  of  smoke.  The  Christ  survives,  and 
is  the  moral  Emperor  of  the  universe  to-day.   What  does  it  all  mean  ?   It  means  that 


518  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xin. 

the  kingdom  of  God  in  Christ  is  a  fact,  and  cannot  be  destroyed.  The  v.hole  rebellion, 
of  man  against  God  is  one  wild  spasm  of  despair:  "  We  can  do  nothing  against  the 
truth,  but  for  the  truth."  3.  You  can,  of  course,  deny  the  truth  and  defy  it.  So,, 
too,  you  may  deny  the  law  of  gravitation,  but  if  you  defy  it  and  leap  from  yonder 
steeple,  there  is  one  sure  result — the  law  triumphs  and  the  man  is  slain.  You  can. 
deny  the  penalties  of  vice,  but  if  you  defy  them  the  slow  poison  will  eat  the  heart 
out  notwithstanding.  There  are  certain  things  which  have  long  since  been  lifted 
out  of  the  realm  of  speculation  into  certitude.  Why  is  it  no  one  doubts  ?  It  is- 
because  we  have  discovered  certain  laws  of  the  universe  which  are  subject  to  no 
caprice,  open  to  no  revisal.  And  so  in  the  spiritual  universe.  When  we  see  the 
same  cause  producing  the  same  effect  through  the  long  course  of  various  centuries, 
we  know  we  have  found  a  truth.  And  when  we  see  through  all  the  faded  past  of 
human  history,  Christ's  love  inspiring  love,  and  Christ's  light  bestowing  light,  and 
Christ's  life  imparting  life,  we  know  that  we  are  dealing  with  an  unchangeable  force, 
and  can  forecast  the  spiritual  future  of  the  world  with  unerring  accuracy.  II.  The 
TtiuTH  EVEN  PEOSPEKS  ON  OPPOSITION.  "  But  for  the  truth."  1.  It  has  always  been 
so  in  the  day  of  persecution.  The  hurricane  has  carried  the  seed  of  truth  afar ;  the 
fire  has  purged  the  hearts  of  men ;  the  storm  has  destroyed  the  old  building,  only 
that  it  shall  be  replaced  by  a  nobler  and  more  stable  structure.  It  is  the  very  irony  of 
victory !  God  indeed  holds  His  enemies  in  derision  when  their  best-planned  revolt 
crowns  His  arms  with  new  glory,  and  the  very  ingenuity  of  their  hatred  helps  on 
His  sovereign  purpose.  2.  But  impotent  as  we  are  to  assail  the  truth,  we  are  all  able 
to  assist  it.  You  cannot  revoke  the  laws  of  science ;  they  are  the  same  to-day  as 
when  the  dawn  of  the  world  broke :  but  they  lurk  in  silence,  and  wait  the  approach 
of  the  intellect  of  man,  and  the  demand  of  his  noble  curiosity.  Y^ou  can  destroy 
none  of  these  forces  ;  but  how  much  you  can  do  for  them !  It  is  even  so  with  the 
kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ.  3.  Let  our  hearts  rejoice,  then  :  Christ's  kingdom  cannot 
be  shaken.  Think  of  the  continuity  of  faith  which  has  run  through  all  the  ages,  of 
Christian  saints  in  every  century,  and  then  ask :  Is  it  possible  that  all  these 
believed  in  vain  ?  To-morrow  the  sceptic  will  propose  his  question ;  you  propose 
yours.  Is  it  probable  that  all  the  ages  have  been  wrong,  that  at  last  Herbert 
Spencer  and  his  little  following  should  be  right  ?  I  prefer  to  believe  that  vast 
anthem  of  certitude  which  rolls  upward  from  the  saintliest  and  noblest  hearts  of  all 
the  world's  great  past :  "  I  know  whom  I  have  believed,"  &c.  Conclusion  :  The  text 
is  a  call — 1.  To  loyal  submission  and  noble  service.  Cease  from  a  revolt  which  is 
impotent,  enter  into  that  allegiance  with  God  from  which  shall  issue  peace  and 
victory.  2.  To  increased  faith  in  the  victory  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  It  has 
triumphed  over  greater  odds  than  any  now  arrayed  against  it.  Picture  the  young 
convert  of  Paul's  day  as  he  enters  some  great  Pagan  city.  On  every  side  he  sees 
the  pomp  of  martial  power,  the  luxury  of  sensuous  life.  Vast  temples  rise,  and 
there  philosophers  dispute.  But  to  him,  poor  youth,  all  this  seems  strange,  sad, 
hateful.  Is  it  possible  all  this  can  be  changed  ?  But  he  turns  aside  into  some 
lowly  street,  and  amid  the  humblest  people  begins  to  preach  that  strange  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ.  And  La  three  centuries  not  a  heathen  temple  is  left  in  Piome.  3.  To 
new  and  nobler  enthusiasm  for  this  kingdom.  Enthusiasm  is  the  true  fire  of  man- 
hood, and  when  that  leaves  a  man,  a  church,  a  nation,  its  true  glory  is  departed. 
We  want  the  enthusiasm  of  that  young  minister  who  refused  a  hard  and  poor 
station,  but  that  same  night  heard  Bishop  Simpson  preach,  and  at  last  sprang  to 
his  feet  and  cried,  "  Bishop,  I  will  go  anywhere  for  Christ  now  !  "  We  want  the 
enthusiasm  which  shames  men  of  their  niggard  gifts,  and  counts  no  box  of  frankin- 
cense too  precious  for  that  Head  which  bowed  in  death  for  us.  4.  To  new  and 
nobler  effort  for  this  kingdom.  Enthusiasm  is  much,  but  action  is  more.  Fix  it 
in  your  minds ;  you  can  help  the  truth.  You,  bright  youth,  with  all  the  unused 
powers  of  heart  and  intellect ;  you,  poor  widow,  with  the  few  coppers  in  your  worn 
purse;  you,  rich  man,  with  your  social  position  and  wealth.  If  you  have  ever 
gazed  upon  the  Matterhorn,  you  will  have  thought  that  if  ever  there  was  a  type  of 
majestic  strength  it  is  standing  there.  But  ask  science  howthe  Matterhorn  was  made, 
and  it  will  tell  you  how,  ages  upon  ages  since,  there  were  drifting  mica-ilakes  floating 
in  an  abysmal  sea,  and  one  by  one  they  came  together,  and  were  beaten  into  hardness 
and  consistence,  and  grew  in  bulk  and  steadfastness,  until  at  last  the  waters  rolled 
back,  and  there  was  uncovered  that  vast  Alpine  tower.  And  even  so  Christ's  king- 
dom is  built  up.  Little  by  ILttle,  life  by  life,  the  kingdom  grows.  It  is  built  up 
inch  by  inch,  until  at  last  it  rises  mighty,  impf-egnable,  "  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it."     ShaU  our  lives  fe  added,  as  hving  siones,  to  this  growing 


CHAP,  xin.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  519 

grandeur?  Shall  they  be  fretted  out  in  blind  rebellion  against  this  rock  against 
which  men  are  broken,  and  which  when  it  falls  crushes  men  to  powder  ?  For, 
or  against?  But  before  we  answer,  the  decree  is  fixed:  "  We  can  do  nothing  against 
the  truth,  but  for  the  truth."  (IV.  J.  Daicgon.)  The  impotence  of  man  in  antag- 
onism to  the  trutJi : — Truth  is  reality — that  which  is  ;  falsehood  is  non-entity — that 
which  may  seem  to  be  but  is  not.  We  may  illustrate  Paul's  maxim  in  reference  to 
— I.  Human  science.  1.  In  the  region  of  the  material,  that  which  has  been  estab- 
lished is  true,  has  being.  To  fight  against  it,  to  be  frightened  at  it,  is  not  rational, 
is  not  reverent.  Unless  you  can  disprove  it,  it  is  as  much  a  part  of  the  truth  as 
anything  else  that  God  has  done  or  spoken.  (1)  There  are  those  who  cannot  accept 
this.  Investigation  is  viewed  with  suspicion.  At  the  exact  point  where  knowledge 
stood  when  tlisy  were  in  the  cradle,  there  it  must  remain  at  least  till  they  are  in 
the  grave.  (2)  What  calmness,  what  dignity,  would  it  give  to  the  Christian  if  he 
were  to  say,  truth  and  the  truth  can  never  really  be  at  variance.  The  God  of  the 
Bible  is  the  God  also  of  nature,  and  the  one  cannot  contradict  the  other.  There- 
fore I  wait,  rest,  and  trust.  (3)  It  is  otherwise  with  human  theories.  They  are  not 
yet,  and  may  never  be  parts  of  the  truth.  It  is  by  no  means  true  that  men  can  do 
nothing  against  them,  for  they  have  been  disproved  and  displaced  all  along  the 
ages.  But  facts,  once  proved,  are  a  part  of  the  truth,  and  we  can  do  nothing 
against  that.  2.  What  can  we  do  for  it  ?  We  may  help  the  onward  march  of  truth 
by  an  attitude  towards  it  of  respect,  interest,  and  gratitude.  We  can  assure  the 
toilers  in  the  field  of  science  that,  so  far  from  dreading  and  disparaging  the  results 
of  their  labour,  we  recognise  in  them  fellow- workers  in  the  cause  of  God  and  man. 
And  of  them  the  Christian  asks  for  the  truth's  sake — (1)  That  science  will  worship 
while  she  explores.  (2)  That  she  will  exercise  towards  workers  in  other  fields  that 
forbearance  and  respectfulness  which  they  manifest  towards  her ;  that  she  will 
never  allow  herself  to  speak  as  though  there  were  no  vast  region  within  which 
telescope  and  microscope  give  no  vision.  Science  is  a  fighter  against  the  truth 
when  she  arrogates  to  herself  the  whole  of  it.  II.  Life  and  conduct.  There  are 
such  things  as  reality  and  unreality,  truth  and  falsehood,  in  the  realm  of  action. 
We  speak,  e.g.,  of  a  true  man  and  a  false  man.  Good  itself  is  truth,  in  contrast 
with  evil,  which  is  always  hollow  and  evanescent.  1.  There  are  men  who  have 
thought,  in  this  sense,  to  do  something  against  the  truth.  Men  have  defied  morality 
and  hoped  by  the  force  of  position,  or  genius,  to  put  down  virtue  herself.  Have 
they  succeeded  ?  Has  not  the  judgment  of  the  next  generation,  nay,  even  of  their 
own,  gone  against  them  ?  In  nothing  has  the  application  of  the  word  "  truth  "  to 
morals  been  more  powerfully  attested,  than  in  the  failure  of  these  champions  of  a 
new  licence,  to  move  from  its  firm  base  by  one  hair's  breadth  the  impregnable  rock 
of  the  human  instinct  as  to  the  virtuous  and  the  vile.  But  for  one  man  who 
attempts  this  audacious  enterprise,  tens  of  thousands  have  hoped  to  do  something  on 
a  smaller  scale.  Then  the  appeal  lies  to  aU  of  us.  And  it  is  this — Did  you  find  by 
sinning  that  you  were  able,  practically,  to  do  anything  against  the  truth  ?  Was  it 
happiness  while  the  sin  reigned  in  you  ?  No  man  grown  to  man's  estate  will  feel 
the  slightest  disposition  to  gainsay  the  old  utterance,  There  is  no  doubt  on  which 
side  God  is  in  the  great  world-wide  and  age-long  war  between  vice  and  virtue.  2. 
We  can  do  nothing  against  virtue.  Can  we  do  somethmg  for  it  ?  I  address  the 
young.  It  is  comparatively  little  to  see  an  old  man,  or  a  family  man,  or  a  clergy- 
man, vhtuous.  It  is  expected  of  him.  But  who  shall  speak  of  the  "  power  for  the 
truth  "  which  is  yours  ?  Just  in  proportion  as  the  life  is  young,  and  the  snares 
many,  is  the  admiration  if  you  stand  steadfast.  Then  can  you  plead  for  truth 
against  the  lie,  and  be  listened  to.  Then  can  you  influence  one  or  two  of  your 
nearest  and  dearest  to  walk  with  you  in  the  way  of  purity  and  peace.  III.  The 
GOSPEL,  which  Paul  had  in  his  mind.  1.  Many  think  or  thought  that  they  could  do 
something  against  the  gospel.  Outspoken  infidels  and  false  brethren  have  tried  to 
bring  the  faith  of  Christ  into  disrepute.  Now  and  then  they  have  even  seemed,  in 
some  corner  of  the  field,  to  have  gained  a  victory.  But  look  again,  is  the  truth  over- 
borne ?  Is  the  gospel  weaker  to-day  than  it  was  five,  ten,  fifteen  centuries  afore- 
time ?  Were  there  ever  more  diligent  students  of  the  Bible,  more  earnest  men  of 
prayer,  more  holy  Hves,  more  Christian  deaths  than  is  this  age  ?  Are  the  impugners 
of  the  faith  satisfied  ?  Do  you  hear  no  laments  over  their  own  departed  days  of 
beUeving  and  worshipping — no  envious  lookings  upon  men  that  have  hope  and  can 
give  reason  for  it  ?  We  do  not  deny  that  it  is  in  the  power  of  any  man  to  be  an 
antagonist  of  the  gospel.  Any  fool  can  parody  verses  of  the  Bible ;  can  say  smart 
things  against  creeds.   And  some  of  these  things  wiU  stay  by  us,  and  make  it  harder 


520  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xm. 

to  be  good  than  it  need  have  been.  It  is  quite  possible  to  make  a  believer  into  an  infidel 
and  have  the  misery  of  hearing,  late  on  in  life,  that  an  associate  of  yours  has  lived 
without  God  and  died  without  hope.  Thus  far  can  we  go,  and  no  further.  But 
against  the  gospel  you  have  no  power.  2.  Can  we  do  nothing  for  it  ?  The  gospel 
seeks  not  yours  but  you.  It  does  not  want  your  help — it  wants  your  happiness. 
Not  till  you  have  embraced  it  will  it  accept  anything  of  you.  But  when  this  is  done 
we  can  add  one  little  chapter  to  its  evidences  and  show,  by  our  example,  that  its 
whole  tendency  is  good.  So,  when  the  last  day  of  life  comes,  your  last  breath  shall 
be  drawn,  not  in  the  disconsolate  cry,  "  0  Galilean,  Thou  hast  conquered  !  "  but  in 
the  confiding  utterance,  "  I  know  whom  I  have  believed ;  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my 
spirit."  {Dean  Vaughan.)  Chris fs  truth  uninjurable  : — The  text  may  be  taken 
—1.  As  expressing  the  strong  disposition  of  a  truth  loving  man.  2.  As  a  statement 
of  a  universal  fact.  The  religion  of  Christ — I.  Is  truth.  1.  Eeligion  is  not  to  be 
understood  either  as  theology,  ecclesiasticism,  or  ritualities,  but  as  those  eternal 
principles  that  are  hungered  after  and  agree  with  the  reason,  intuitions,  and  wants 
of  humanity.  2.  The  great  cardinal  principles  of  all  the  religions  of  the  world  are 
more  or  less  identical  with  those  of  Christ.  They  all  involve — (1)  Absolute  depen- 
dence upon  the  Supreme  Being.  (2)  The  obligation  of  the  highest  love  and  devo- 
tion to  Him.  (3)  The  duty  of  exercising  justice  and  beneficence  towards  men.  (4) 
The  existence  of  a  future  state  of  retribution.  (5)  The  idea  of  mediation.  3. 
These  principles  are  therefore  the  truth,  the  reaUty.  Christ  brought  them  out  in  His 
life  and  teaching  in  a  form  more  perfect  and  powerful  than  they  were  ever  brought 
forth  before.  He  is  their  exponent,  their  incarnation.  Hence  Paul  speaks  of  the 
truth  that  is  "in  Jesus  Christ."  He  says  Himself,  "I  am  the  truth."  II.  Is 
iNDESTEUCTiBLE.  1.  Man  Can  do  much  against  the  theology  or  theory  of  truth. 
2.  Man  can  do  much  against  conventional  manifestations  of  the  truth.  Christendom 
calls  Christ  Master  and  Lord,  but  many  deny  Him  in  their  daily  life.  3.  Man  can 
do  much  against  its  ecclesiastical  representation.  4.  But  whilst  man  can  do  much 
against  all  these  things  he  can  do  nothing  against  the  truth.  The  truth  that 
•Christ  taught  and  incarnated  is  independent  of  these.  Conclusion  :  Whilst  you  can 
do  nothing  against  the  truth,  remember  that  in  opposing  the  truth  you  may  do  much 
against  yourselves.     (D.  Thomas,  D.D.) 

Ver.  9.  For  we  are  glad,  when  we  are  weak,  and  ye  are  strong :  .  .  even  your 
perfection. — Christian  perfection  : — I.  The  object  desired.  Perfection.  1.  As 
individual  believers.  No  such  thing  as  aggregate  holiness  can  exist,  without  the 
sanctifieation  of  its  imits.  A  church  cannot  be  perfect  except  as  its  members  are 
so,  any  more  than  the  body  can  be  healthy  unless  its  organs  are  sound.  In  what 
he  considered  this  to  consist  we  may  gather  from  his  wi-itings  : — "  In  understanding 
be  men,"  literally  "  perfect  "  ;  "  that  I  might  perfect  that  which  is  lacking  in  your 
faith  "  ;  "  perfect  and  complete  in  all  the  will  of  God  "  ;  "  that  the  man  of  God 
may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  to  every  good  work  "  ;  "  perfect  in  Christ 
Jesus."  He  would  have  Christians — (1)  Of  vigorous  understanding,  not  feeble 
minded,  not  intellectual  dwarfs,  not  liable  to  be  carried  about  with  every  wind  of 
doctrine  in  consequence  of  their  slight  comprehension  or  grasp  of  the  truth.  (2) 
Of  strong  faith,  not  sceptical,  doubting,  hesitating,  but,  like  Abraham,  strong  in 
faith,  giving  glory  to  God  ;  living  by  it,  walking  by  it,  taking  it  as  their  principle 
and  guide ;  and  by  it  giving  the  future  ascendency  over  the  present,  the  spiritual 
over  the  material.  (3)  Perfect  in  all  God's  will ;  not  correct  in  creed  and  defective 
in  practice  ;  not  strong  in  faith  and  deficient  in  love,  but  showing  faith  by  works  ; 
being  all  that  Christianity  requires  and  Christ  was.  (4)  "Careful  to  maintain  good 
works"  ;  active,  dUigent,  zealous,  devout.  (5)  And  all  this  "in  Christ  Jesus";  not 
from  a  spirit  of  legaUty,  self-righteousness,  or  self  dependence,  but  by  grace  derived 
from  Christ,  by  the  indwelling  spirit  of  Christ,  actuated  by  the  love  of  Christ,  and 
doing  all  to  His  glory.  This  is  an  object  at  which  we  may  aU  aim.  The  highest 
kind  of  excellence  is  presented  to  the  view  of  each.  You  cannot  perhaps  be  great, 
you  may  be  good^wealth  may  be  denied  you,  worth  is  not.  And  this  is  what  we 
want.  If  each  one  will  consecrate  themselves  by  a  more  personal  surrender  to 
Christ,  and  will  resolve  in  God's  strength  to  be  more  what  the  Word  of  God  re- 
quires, a  new  era  will  dawn  upon  this  fellowship.  2.  As  a  Church.  (1)  And  here 
we  are  at  once  reminded  that  there  is  much  which  a  Christian  Church  may  possess 
which  does  not  constitute  Christian  perfection.  Like  the  capital  to  which  the  city 
gave  its  name  and  which  is  the  composite  of  many  other  forms  of  beauty,  the 
Corinthian  Church  had  great  excellence,  but  it  was  not  perfect.     It  had  wealth, 


CHAP.  XIII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  521 

gifts,  numbers  probably — yet  it  was  not  perfect.  The  perfection  of  a  Christian 
Church  does  not  consist  in  outward  things.  Not  that  they  are  to  be  despised. 
They  may  be  valuable  adjuncts.  But  we  are  in  danger  of  putting,  e.g.,  beautiful 
architecture  in  the  place  of  a  spiritual  house ;  melodious  music  in  the  place  of 
harmonious  feeUng ;  of  mistaking  eloquence  for  gracious  words  ;  of  idolising 
intellect  instead  of  yielding  to  truth ;  but  in  proportion  as  we  do  this  we  content 
ourselves  with  the  shell  instead  of  the  kernel,  we  grasp  a  shadow,  but  we  miss  the 
substance.  "  The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  in  word  but  in  power."  (2)  In  thinking  of 
what  constitutes  Church  perfection,  I  place  too  in  a  very  subordinate  position  mere  out- 
ward organisation.  Not  that  I  despise  it ;  but  I  regard  it  as  a  means.  (3)  If  I  am  asked 
what  then  constitutes  the  perfection  of  a  Church,  I  point  you  to  the  Pentecostal  Church 
(Acts  ii.).  (4)  As  we  would  obtain  this  perfection,  let  us  try  and  avoid  whatever  would 
impair  or  destroy  it.  In  this  letter  the  apostle  had  animadverted  on  many  points 
of  reprehension.  There  was  party-spirit,  forbearance  of  needful  discipline,  undue 
conformity  to  the  world,  defects  in  the  mode  of  conducting  worship  and  in  dispensing 
ordmances,  an  undue  regard  to  ostentatious  display  of  gifts,  a  lack  of  such  liberality 
as  was  exhibited  by  other  and  poorer  churches,  unkind  depreciation  of  him  as  their 
teacher  and  apostle.  These  and  similar  evils  led  him  to  say  (chap.  xii.  20),  "  I  fear, 
lest  when  I  come  I  shall  not  find  you  such  as  I  would,"  and  no  wonder  that  he  so 
earnestly  desired  greater  perfection.  II.  The  wish  expressed.  Here  observe — 1. 
The  lofty  aim  of  the  Christian  ministry.  (1)  Look  at  it  in  itself,  and  how  spiritual, 
vast,  important — the  fullest  development  of  individual  and  collective  character. 
And  then  recollect  this  was  desired  in  order  to  something  beyond — the  world's  salva- 
tion and  the  glory  of  God.  The  Christian  ministry  seeks  the  Church's  perfection, 
and  this  in  order  to  higher  aims  still.  (2)  I  go  a  step  farther  :  it  not  only  seeks  it 
but  it  is  greatly  instrumental  in  promoting  it.  God  has  many  means  by  which 
He  works,  as  He  can  dispense  with  all ;  but  of  all  the  means  He  has  blessed  to  this 
end,  none  have  been  more  hopeful  than  an  earnest,  evangelical  ministry.  This 
we  wish  as  ministers — your  perfection.  2.  The  deep  emotions  by  which  earnest 
minds  are  characterised.  The  term  wish  but  faintly  intimates  the  apostle's  obvious 
feeUng.  We  might  illustrate  it  by  some  other  of  his  expressions  : — "  My  Uttle 
children  of  whom  I  travail  in  bhth  again  till  Christ  be  formed  within  you."  "  God 
is  my  record  how  gi'catly  I  long  after  you  all  in  the  bowels  of  Jesus  Christ."  "  I 
will  very  gladly  spend  and  be  spent  for  you."  Be  in  earnest,  and  let  the  earnest 
emotion  of  others  on  your  behalf  urge  you  to  concern  for  yourself.  3.  The  conscious 
dependence  of  the  apostle  upon  an  agency  superior  to  his  own  to  secure  the  object 
desired.  We  wish !  but  some  one  else  must  grant.  Perfection  will  never  be 
secured  by  mere  wishing.  This  indeed  will  never  secure  anything.  (1)  There  must 
be  effort.  What  a  man  sows  that  shall  he  also  reap.  If  he  sows  only  wishes, 
wishes  light  as  thistle  down  will  be  his  only  harvest.  If  he  sows  real  effort,  diligent 
persevering  exertion,  a  daily  advance  to  perfection  will  be  his  glorious  reward. 
Are  we  putting  forth  this  ?  Say  not  it  is  discouraging  to  be  constantly  failing. 
Eemember  the  effort  braces  the  moral  nature,  and  is  thus  its  own  reward.  Let 
conscious  failure  only  quicken  to  further  exertion.  (2)  Likewise  pray — so  did  the 
apostle ;  weU  did  he  know  that  only  the  Perfect  One  could  give  perfection.  (J. 
Viney.)  Christian  perfection : — I.  The  nature  of   the  apostle's  wish.     1.  It 

was  very  serious  and  solemn,  and  of  the  nature  of  a  fervent  and  affectionate 
prayer  (Rom.  x.  1).  2.  It  was  benevolent.  The  apostle  had  reason  to  be  offended 
with  the  Corinthians,  yet  he  manifested  towards  them  the  greatest  kindness,  and  was 
at  all  times  their  advocate  at  the  throne  of  grace.  3.  It  was  seasonable  and  suitable. 
It  implies  that  some  things  had  taken  place  amongst  the  Corinthians  which  he 
lamented,  and  desired  to  see  removed.  4.  It  was  full  and  comprehensive,  including 
both  their  present  and  eternal  welfare.  The  greatest  thing  that  is  said  of  glorified 
saints  above  is,  that  they  are  made  perfect.  The  greatest  thing  that  can  be  said  of 
God  Himself  is,  that  He  is  perfect.  5.  It  was  highly  apostolic,  being  in  unison  with 
his  character  and  office.  II.  Its  object  "perfection."  This  is  what  he  laboured 
himself  to  attain  (Phil.  iii.  12).  For  the  Corinthians  he  entertained  the  same  holy 
desire  (ver.  7).  Corrupt  principles  and  evU  habits  had  crept  in  among  them,  and 
he  wished  to  see  these  corrected  and  laid  aside.  Not  content  with  negative  purity 
he  adds :  "  This  also  we  wish,  even  your  perfection."  1.  Christian  perfection  is — (1) 
Legal.  In  the  eye  of  the  lawgiver,  all  the  saints  are  complete  in  Christ,  who  is  their 
head  and  representative  (Col.  ii.  10,  11).  (2)  Moral,  which  is  either  full,  or  partial. 
Man  was  originally  free  from  moral  defect,  being  created  in  righteousness  and  true 
holiness.     Christ  was  also  holy  and  sinless.     Both  were  perfect,  being  in  every 


522  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xiii. 

respect  what  righteousness  could  require.  The  only  perfection  to  be  found  amongst 
fallen  creatures  is  partial ;  a  perfection  begun  but  not  consummated ;  entire  in  all 
the  integral  parts,  but  not  in  degrees,  as  a  child  is  perfect  in  possessing  all  that  is 
requisite  to  constitute  a  complete  and  entire  human  being,  though  not  grown  up  ta 
the  fulness  of  the  stature  of  a  man.  So  where  patience  has  its  perfect  work,  in 
connection  with  all  the  other  graces,  the  believer  is  said  to  be  perfect  and  entire, 
■wanting  nothing  (James  i.  4).  (3)  Comparative  (1  Cor.  ii.  6).  (4)  Synonymous 
with  sincerity  and  uprightness  (Gen.  vi.  9,  xvii.  1 ;  Job  i.  8  ;  Psa.  xxxvii.  37,  ci.  2 ; 
John  i.  47).  2.  The  perfection  which  Paul  desired  on  behalf  of  the  Corinthians 
would  include  (1)  A  maturity  of  understanding  in  the  great  mysteries  of  the  gospeL 
The  entrance  of  God's  Word  giveth  light  (Col.  i.  13) ;  but  aU  true  religion  is  pro- 
gi'essive.  (2)  A  pure  heart  and  an  unspotted  conversation.  (3)  A  high  degree  of 
spirituality.  (4)  Tenderness  of  conscience.  (5)  An  aptitude  for  spiritual  and 
edifying  conversation.  (6)  Joining  in  Christian  fellowship,  and  attending  on  gospel 
ordinances.  Conclusion  :  1.  The  sincere  Christian,  though  he  has  not  attained 
perfection,  earnestly  breathes  after  it,  and  cannot  be  satisfied  without  it.  2.  What 
the  apostle  wished  for  others,  let  us  anxiously  seek  for  ourselves.  3.  As  the  most 
eminent  and  perfect  part  of  the  Christian  character  consists  in  making  Christ  all 
and  in  all,  so  let  this  be  the  life  and  substance  of  our  religion.  {B.  Beddome,  M.A.) 
CJijixtian perfection  : — The  objection  to  this  is  probably  the  loudest  of  all  objections 
ever  urged  against  Christianity.  It  is  said  to  be  clear  fanaticism,  false  in  fact,  and 
ridiculous  in  appearance.  And  yet  it  is  likely  that  a  very  slight  examination  will 
show  that  the  common  creed  of  all  men  has  not  a  more  clear  or  prominent  feature 
or  section  in  it  than  this  very  doctrine.  And  here  we  inquire,  is  it  a  new  and 
strange  doctrine  peculiar  to  Christianity  ?  Ask  the  orator  how  high  he  has  fixed 
his  standard  of  perfection  in  the  powers  of  oratory,  beyond  which  point  he  does  not 
aim?  His  young  manhood  makes  war  upon  all  who  have  preceded  him.  His 
pride  disdains  the  achievements  of  mortals ;  and  he  would,  if  he  could,  hold  his 
audience  nerveless  and  breathless — subject  only  to  the  flash  of  his  eye  and  the  move 
of  his  finger.  His  motto  is  perfection.  Ask  the  painter — if  he  would  not,  were  he 
able,  make  the  canvas  whisper  !  The  sculptor,  if  he  could,  would  chisel  the  marble, 
that  you  could  see  the  very  life  blood  coursing  in  its  veins  !  To  excel  is  the  desire 
of  every  man  who  is  not  a  di-one  or  a  sluggard.  What  means  achievement  ?  Is  it 
a  word  without  a  meaning  ?  "  Go  on  to  perfection  "  is  the  only  motto  worthy  a 
God-created,  heaven-aspiring  mind.  It  is  the  first  thing  the  child  learns,  and  the 
last  thing  the  sage  grasps  after.  And  would  you  deny  this  heavenly  doctrine  to  the 
Christian  ?  Must  he,  and  he  alone,  be  deprived  of  its  cheering  influence  ?  May 
not  his  heart,  too,  be  fired  with  its  vital  flames  ?  Must  he,  and  he  alone,  be 
fettered  and  chained  down  to  the  mere  experience  of  the  common  herd  ?  Or  may 
he  not  rise  above  the  earth  likewise,  and  go  on  to  perfection  too  ?  Let  him  go  ! 
Let  him  rise  !  Let  him  fix  his  aspiring  gaze  higher,  yea  upon  the  very  spot  where 
the  Saviour  sits  at  the  right  hand  of  God.     (Homilist.) 

Vers.  11-14.  Finally,  brethren,  farewell. — Fareicell : — Note — I.  The  apostolic 
EXHORTATION.  1.  The  State  to  be  attained  :  "  Be  perfect,"  which  conveys  the 
idea  of  repairing,  or  putting  in  order.  It  is  used,  e.g.,  of  the  disciples  mending 
their  nets,  and  also  in  Gal.  vi.  1,  the  idea  there  being  that  of  a  dislocated  limb  ; 
and  just  as  a  surgeon  will  reduce  that  limb  and  restore  it  to  its  proper  place  in  the 
body,  so  Christians  were  to  restore  a  fallen  brother  to  the  position  which  he  had 
lost.  So  it  is  for  you  to  inquire  whether  there  may  have  been  in  time  past  anything 
wrong.  It  was  a  complaint  of  Him  who  searches  the  heart,  "  I  have  not  found 
thy  works  perfect  before  God ;  remember,  and  repent."  At  the  same  time  the 
exhortation  is  rather  for  our  future  guidance.  Every  believer  has  his  proper  place 
in  the  Church,  and  has  his  proper  duties  to  perform,  and  it  is  for  us  to  ask  of  God 
to  teach  us  what  it  is,  and  then  give  us  grace  to  do  it.  2.  The  happiness  to  be 
enjoyed:  "Be  of  good  comfort."  Comfort  is  needed,  for  we  are  in  a  world  of 
sorrow.  Comfort  is  needed  even  by  the  believer,  for  he  is  called  sometimes  to  suffer 
under  the  chastisement  of  a  Father's  hand,  and  "  no  chastisement  is  for  the  present 
joyous,  but  rather  grievous."  But  amidst  all  the  dispensations  of  providence  with 
which  God  deals  with  him,  he  may  still  be  of  good  comfort.  For  remember  the 
foundation  on  which  the  gospel  bases  this  comfort.  "  Be  of  good  comfort,  thy  sins  are 
forgiven  thee."  Comfort  is  supplied  by — (1)  The  assurances  of  the  gospel :  "  God 
is  faithful  who  hath  called  you  to  the  knowledge  of  His  dear  Son  " ;  "  The  founda- 
tion of  G  od  standeth  sure,  having  this  seal :  the  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  His  "  ^ 


CHAP,  xni.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  523 

*'l  know  My  sheep,  and  am  known  of  Mine";  "I  know  their  sorrows  and  will 
deliver  them  "  ;  "I  will  never  leave  them  nor  forsake  them."  (2)  The  promises  of 
the  gospel.  Whatever  there  be  that  we  want,  there  is  some  promise  or  other  of 
which  we  may  plead  the  fulfilment  at  the  throne  of  grace  ;  and  our  Lord  has  said, 
"  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  My  name,  believing,  ye  shall  receive."  (3)  The 
hopes  of  the  gospel,  (a)  They  extend  to  the  very  verge  of  life.  "  Surely  goodness 
and  mercy  shall  follow  me  all  the  days  of  my  life."  (b)  They  cast  a  light  even 
upon  the  dark  "valley  of  the  shadow  of  death."  (c)  They  give  us  the  assurance 
•of  heaven.  3.  The  unity  to  be  sought :  "  Be  of  one  mind."  Now  this  has 
reference  to  the  state  in  which  the  apostle  found  the  Corinthian  Church.  They 
formed  parties  and  factions.  One  of  them  liked  one  minister  better  than  another. 
Ijut  the  apostle  asks,  "Who  is  Paul  and  who  is  Cephas,  but  ministers  by  whom  ye 
believed?  "  They  are  mere  instruments  after  all.  He  teaches  the  Corinthians  to 
honour  Christ  alone.  Look,  then,  off  from  the  preacher.  Determine  to  honour 
Christ  only,  then  there  will  be  no  fear,  but  you  will  "be  of  one  mind."  And  then, 
in  order  to  do  that,  let  His  Word  only  be  your  authority.  Then  unite  in  His  work. 
4.  The  spirit  to  be  manifested :  "  Live  in  peace."  (1)  With  God.  (2)  With  one 
another.  Seek  to  promote  peace  in  your  families,  in  the  social  circle,  in  the 
church.  II.  The  apostolic  assurance.  "  The  God  of  love  and  peace  shall  be 
with  you."  Notice  the  ground  on  which  this  assurance  is  given.  It  is  not  as  a 
condition,  but  rather  as  an  encouragement.  "  The  God  of  love  and  peace  shall  be 
with  you  "  to  encourage  you  in  the  discharge  of  duty.  1.  We  have  to  do  with 
the  God  of  love — (1)  In  every  comfort  and  blessing  which  His  bounteous  provi- 
dence bestows  upon  us.  (2)  In  every  trial  which  we  are  called  to  bear.  2.  And 
He  is  also  the  God  of  peace.  He  devised  peace,  arranged  the  plan  by  which  it 
might  be  restored  ;  He  proclaims  peace  in  and  through  the  gospel ;  He  delights  in 
peace ;  He  will  ever  pour  upon  His  people  the  blessing  of  peace.  3.  Then  notice 
the  comprehensive  blessing  to  be  realised :  "  The  God  of  love  and  peace  shall  be 
with  you";  in  duty  to  strengthen  you,  m  difl&culty  to  guide  you,  m  trial  to 
support  you,  in  loneliness  to  befriend  you  and  cheer  you,  in  death  to  be  the  strength 
of  your  heart,  in  judgment  to  be  your  Father  and  Saviour.  {W.  Cadman,  M.A.) 
Be  perfect :  be  of  good  comfort. — Perfection  and  comfort : — 1.  "  Farewell "  means 
rejoice.  Just  as  the  parting  wish  with  us  is  that  friends  may  fare  well,  so  it  was 
with  the  Greeks.  2.  "Be  of  good  comfort"  conveys  the  same  idea,  but  with 
reference  to  difficulties  to  be  overcome.  The  apostle  returns  in  this  expression  to 
the  keynote  which  he  had  struck  in  chap.  i.  The  epistle,  indeed,  is  a  ministering 
of  comfort  united  with  a  call  to  perfection,  and  the  gist  of  it  is  therefore  given  in 
this  verse.  3.  Effort  after  perfection,  however,  seems  a  very  different  thing  from 
joy  on  the  one  side  and  comfort  on  the  other.  These  two  are  smiling  and  bright, 
like  fertile  plains  watered  by  placid  silver  streams,  but  the  other  is  a  steep  rock 
with  its  summit  lost  in  the  clouds.  And  yet  if  we  look  close  we  shall  find  a 
meaning  in  the  collocation  beyond  that  of  mere  contrast.  Consider — I.  The 
PURSUIT  OF  PERFECTION.  1.  The  injunction  may  seem  a  strange  one  in  the  light 
of  man's  condition  and  history.  And  yet  he  has  been  ever  repeating  it.  In  the 
Far  East  it  is  repeated  by  Confucius.  The  Brahmin  and  the  Buddhist  dream  and 
speculate  regarding  it.  The  subtle  Greek  defined  and  analysed  it.  It  seems  as 
if  man  could  nowhere  escape  from  it.  The  very  thought  of  a  good  suggests  that 
of  a  better  and  a  best.  Every  beautiful  thing  speaks  of  it.  Even  the  desire  to 
finish  a  piece  of  work  thoroughly  is  a  hint  of  it.  It  is  because  man  has  an  ideal 
which  rebukes  him  that  he  is  smitten  with  penitence;  because  he  has  an  ideal 
which  gleams  before  him  that  he  marches  on  with  courage  and  enthusiasm.  The 
-child  who  tries  to  write,  or  draw,  or  learn  a  lesson  perfectly,  opens  for  himself  a 
chink  into  the  infinite.  The  idea  of  the  perfect,  the  thirst  after  it,  is  thus  one  of 
the  greatest  powers  in  the  common  unideal  everyday  world.  What  benefactors  the 
men  have  been  who  said,  "  I  cannot  and  will  not  rest  till  I  know  the  principle  that 
underlies  these  facts  " ;  "I  must  give  perfect  expression  to  that  idea  at  whatever 
-cost  of  time  and  labour"  ;  or  "I  must  bring  out  all  the  power  that  lies  in  this 
material";  "I  must  utter  the  beauty  I  see  in  things."  Those  whose  inspiration 
was  the  thought  of  perfection  have  been  the  most  practical  of  men.  There  are 
many  things  that  never  would  have  been  attempted  or  dreamt  of  but  for  this,  and 
the  whole  fabric  of  work  and  thought  is  sustained  and  vivified  by  it.  2.  And  yet 
this  perfection  is  everywhere  unattainable.  The  horizon  recedes  before  man  to 
"whichever  side  he  turns.  It  is  the  same  in  the  moral  and  spiritual  world.  Keason 
•approves  it,  imagination  dreams  it,  consci'  n  e  demands  it,  love  of  God  and  man 


524  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xin. 

never  cease  to  enforce  it.  The  tender  majestic  glory  of  Jesus  clothes  it  with 
unspeakable  attraction.  And  yet  ever  far  above  the  highest  and  best  of  men  it 
towers — the  unapproachable.  But  the  pursuit  of  it  is  none  the  less  imperative. 
We  dare  aim  at  nothing  less.  3.  Is  this  a  contradiction  ?  Is  it  unreasonable  that 
the  painter  should  seek  a  perfection  which  no  earthly  colours  can  supply,  and  no 
mortal  hand  can  achieve?  Would  not  his  whole  work  descend  to  a  poor  daub 
without  this  ideal  ?  And  so  without  the  thought  of  perfection  the  depth  would 
depart  from  duty,  effort  would  grow  languid,  and  every  walk  of  life  would  feel  the 
blight.  When  we  feel  that  we  are  sinking  down  from  the  conception  we  must 
chide  and  rebuke  ourselves.  If  we  keep  the  desire  for  perfection  bright,  the  belief 
in  eternal  existence  will  be  a  necessity,  to  us,  and  the  entire  spiritual  realm  and 
atmosphere  will  spread  around  us  in  living  power.  II.  The  appaeent  incompati- 
bility OF  THE  TWO  INJUNCTIONS.  1.  The  command  to  rejoice  and  be  of  good 
comfort  is  as  truly  a  Divine  command  as  the  other.  We  conceive  of  joy  as  some- 
thing which  we  may  either  take  or  not  as  we  think  fit.  We  forget  that  the  joy 
inculcated  in  the  Bible  is  no  superficial  thing,  but  a  plant  having  its  roots  in  great 
truths  and  blossoming  into  rich  flower  and  fruit.  In  one  sense  joy  is  an  easy 
thing,  in  another  it  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  achievements.  We  are  to  be  glad 
in  the  Lord — how  simple  and  direct  this  is — how  different  from  the  task  of 
forcing  joy  on  the  soil  of  self ;  but,  still,  what  a  clear  and  steady  vision  it 
implies,  and  what  a  projection  of  our  thoughts  away  beyond  the  sphere  of  self. 
To  rejoice  is  natural  and  inevitable  it  one  only  keeps  in  the  proper  attitude  and 
element — here  lies  both  the  easiness  and  the  diificulty.  2.  But  the  great  difficulty 
to  many  minds  is  that  of  making  both  comfort  and  perfection  objects  of  earnest 
pursuit.  The  idea  is  deeply  rooted  that  one  or  other  must  be  surrendered.  And  it 
cannot  be  doubted  that  the  thirst  for  perfection  often  destroys  comfort.  The  thirst 
for  perfection  in  anything  is  apt  to  become  absorbing,  devouring,  isolating.  The 
current  of  life  is  drawn  away  in  one  direction,  and  the  man  becomes  unsocial.  He 
is  lost  in  his  aim.  Eeligion  has  often  taken  this  form.  Men  fascinated  with  the 
glory  of  perfection  have  often  been  deeply  melancholy  with  only  brief  periods  of 
heated  joy.  Many  who  are  far  enough  from  being  thus  engrossed  in  the  pursuit^ 
experience  a  measure  of  the  like  sorrow.  They  are  so  often  disappointed.  3.  How, 
then,  can  any  man  attend  to  both  these  injunctions?  (1)  Emphasise  the  indis- 
pensableness  of  joy.  Joy  is  a  necessary  and  great  part  of  perfection.  As  well 
speak  of  a  perfect  day  without  sunshine  as  a  perfect  man  without  joy.  (2)  Never 
make  perfection  a  solitary  aim.  The  command  to  be  perfect  is  only  one  of  many 
commands.  No  doubt  it  includes  all  others  ;  but  it  will  never  be  so  regarded, 
unless  these  also  are  made  to  stand  out  in  distinctness  and  importance.  Should 
not  communion  with  God  be  placed  even  higher  than  our  own  perfection  ?  And 
constant  fellowship  with  God  means  rest  and  solace  and  joy.  Should  not  looking^ 
to  Jesus  be  the  spirit  of  our  life  ?  and  can  we  look  to  Jesus  without  getting  peace 
and  gladness?  Should  we  not  seek  to  live  for  others?  and  does  not  this  self- 
forgetfulness  bring  strength  and  calm  ?  Fellowship  with  God,  faith  in  Jesus,  and 
life  for  others,  have  rest  and  joy  in  them.  And  they  are,  at  the  same  time,  the 
things  most  indispensable  to  progress — they  are  the  main  elements  in  perfection. 
{R.   H.    Story,    D.D.)  Perfection : — To    most    persons    this    is    discouraging 

language.  But  the  idea  is,  not  that  we  should  grasp  perfection  as  an  immediate 
result,  but  make  it  our  aim;  and  this,  so  far  from  discouraging,  only  inspires. 
How  many  are  satisfied  to  be  as  good  as  others,  to  reach  the  current  medium  of 
reputable  character !  But  what  is  this  perfection  ?  First,  it  includes  all  the 
virtues.  It  suffers  us  not  to  rely  on  some  good  qualities  to  the  neglect  of  others, 
or  to  hope  that  we  can,  by  a  partial  innocence,  compound  with  God  for  the  com- 
mission of  any  sin.  In  the  scales  of  His  justice  generosity  will  not  atone  for 
intemperance,  irritability,  or  dishonesty.  Again,  perfection  requires  that  each 
quality  should  be  free  from  taint,  like  the  Jew's  unblemished  offering,  anil  without 
debasing  alloy.  Lastly,  perfection  requires  that  all  the  graces  be  expanded  to  an 
unlimited  degree.  But,  immeasurable  as  perfection  is,  shall  it  not  be  our  aim  ? 
See  how  every  thing  great  and  good  on  this  earth  has  grown  out  of  the  aim  at 
perfection.  Its  fruits,  if  not  in  religion,  are  everywhere  else  around  us.  Why  do' 
we  live  in  such  comfortable  dwellings  ?  Because  men  were  not  satisfied  with  a  cave 
in  the  ground  or  a  rude  fabric  above  it ;  but  aimed  at  perfection.  Why  that  proudest 
monument  of  architectural  skill  careering  swiftly  between  continents,  through  the 
waste  of  waters  ?  Because  men  were  not  satisfied  with  the  creaking  raft.  There, 
again,  is  a  man  who  has  toiled  in  loneliness  and  secrecy  upon  the  strings  of  a 


CH-o-.  xm.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  525 

musical  instrument  till  he  has  concentrated  all  the  sweet  sounds  of  nature  into 
that  little  space,  and  can  draw  forth  liquid  melodies  and  mingling  harmonies,  the 
voice  of  birds,  and  the  flow  of  streams ;  now  the  sounds  of  laughter,  and  anon  the 
sobs  of  prayer,  to  the  astonishment  of  assembled  thousands.  And  shall  Christians 
debate  whether  it  is  a  possible  or  reasonable  thing  to  make  a  perfect  piety  to  God 
and  charity  to  man  their  standard  ?  No :  there  is  no  other  aim  worthy  of  your 
immortal  natures.  There  is  no  perfection  so  glorious  as  that  of  moral  and  religious 
goodness.  Satisfy  yourselves  no  longer  with  moderate  attainments.  (C.A.Bartol.) 
Perfection : — I.  There  is  no  absolute  perfection  in  this  life.  By  absolute 
perfection  I  mean  a  state  without  sin,  and  by  this  Ufe  I  mean  the  present  dis- 
pensation. I  do  not  whoUy  deny  that  a  creature  may  be  without  sin,  yea,  I  must 
needs  grant  it,  for  God  created  our  first  parents  without  sin,  and  angels  and  mea 
in  heaven  are  freed  from  it.  But  I  speak  now  of  our  present  state  and  condition 
after  the  fall,  when  all  mankind  are  corrupted.  The  testimonies  which  occur  in. 
Holy  Scripture  prove  this  sufficiently.  Those  infallible  writings  expressly  deny  & 
sinless  perfection  (1  Kings  viii.  46;  Prov.  xx.  9;  Eccles.  vii.  20).  Besides,  Scrip- 
ture attesteth  this  truth  by  the  various  instances  and  examples  it  presents  us  with. 
I  might  instance  also  in  societies  and  communities  of  persons,  for  the  Scripture 
testifieth  the  very  same  of  these.  The  best  Churches  have  sinned.  In  the  next 
place  I  am  to  make  this  good  by  reason  as  well  as  Scripture  and  examples.  First, 
if  you  consider  the  depraved  nature  of  the  best  persons,  you  will  conclude  that  it 
cannot  be  otherwise.  Secondly,  this  might  be  made  good  from  the  consideration  of 
the  nature  of  the  covenant  of  grace.  A  complete  exact  conformity  to  the  law  is 
not  the  condition  of  this  gracious  covenant  made  with  mankind  after  the  faU  of 
Adam.  Thhdly,  this  doctrine  will  appear  most  reasonable  if  you  consider  the  end 
and  design  of  God's  constituting  repentance  under  the  gospel.  This  great  evan- 
gelical grace  is  useless,  according  to  the  notion  of  absolute  perfection,  for  repentance 
supposeth  guilt,  but  where  there  is  absolute  perfection  there  is  no  guilt.     11.  Is 

this:  THAT  THERE  IS  A  PERFECTION  TO  BE  ATTAINED  IN  THIS  LIFE.  1.  The  perfec- 
tion which  holy  men  attain  to  in  this  life  is  comparative,  i.e.,  though  they  cannot 
arrive  to  an  absolute  and  sinless  perfection,  yet  they  may  be  said,  and  expressly 
are  said  in  Scripture,  to  be  perfect,  as  they  are  compared  either  with  others  or 
with  themselves  at  different  times.  First,  I  say,  if  they  be  compared  with  others, 
viz. — (1)  Those  that  are  no  Christians.  (2)  Those  that  are  profane  and  wicked,  of 
what  religion  soever  they  are.  (3)  The  holy,  but  weaker.  Christians.  2.  Believers 
and  holy  men  have  an  imputative  perfection.  This  is  the  true  evangelical  per- 
fection, namely,  the  being  perfect  by  another.  3.  The  perfection  of  believers  in 
this  hfe,  as  it  is  imputative,  so  it  is  likewise  personal  and  inherent.  As  they  are 
righteous  by  another's  righteousness,  so  it  is  as  true  that  they  are  righteous  by  their 
own  righteousness,  and  accordingly  they  have  a  perfection  of  their  own.  (1)  The 
evangelical  and  personal  perfection  of  the  saints  is  a  perfection  of  sincerity.  (2) 
The  personal  perfection  of  Christians  is  a  perfection  of  impartial  obedience.  (3) 
This  perfection  consists  in  our  acquiring  a  habit  of  virtue  and  godliness.  (4)  To 
climb  to  the  most  heroic  acts  and  achievements  of  Christianity  is  perfection. 
Consequently  self-denial,  taking  up  the  Cross,  profound  humility,  patience, 
heavenly-mindedness,  great  mercifulness,  and  extensive  charity,  denominate  a 
person  perfect  (James  i.  4).  And  there  is  also  the  perfection  of  love  as  it  hath 
God  for  its  object.  And  so  for  that  eminent  grace  of  faith,  that  likewise  when  it  is 
complete  is  said  to  be  perfect  (James  ii.  22).  Conjunction  with  it,  it  hath  its 
utmost  perfection.  Lastly,  to  be  very  eminent  and  exact  in  any  one  duty  of  our 
religion,  to  excel  in  any  one  grace,  especially  if  it  be  very  difficult,  is  in  Scripture 
language  perfection.  (5)  To  acknowledge  our  failings  and  to  be  thoroughly 
sensible  of  our  imperfections  is  the  true  gospel-perfection.  (6)  To  desire  and 
endeavour  after  the  absolute  and  consummate  perfection,  to  strive  to  come  as  near 
to  it  as  may  be,  and  as  this  state  is  capable  of,  this  is  gospel-perfection.  He  that 
aims  at  a  star  shall  shoot  higher  than  he  that  takes  a  shrub  for  his  mark.  Covet 
earnestly  the  best  things,  aspire  to  the  highest  pitch  of  holiness.  III.  Proposition, 
which  is  this :  that  every  Christian  ought  to  make  it  his  business  to  attain 
THIS  perfection.  Be  careful  that  this  perfection  be  made  up  of  all  its  dimensions. 
Thus  labour  to  be  complete  and  entire  in  your  religion ;  do  every  thing  without 
reserves,  ingenuously,  freely,  nobly.  In  brief,  follow  that  advice  which  Socrates 
used  to  commend  exceedingly  to  his  scholars,  viz.,  to  act  to  your  utmost.  To 
which  I  must  add  two  rules  more,  the  first  of  which  is  this,  repent  of  what  you 
leave  undone  or  what  you  do  amiss.     The  second  is,  after  aU  your  omissions  and 


526  £HE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xiii. 

commissions  rely  on  Christ's  merits,  who  hath  performed  perfect  obedience  for 
you.     Thus  you  will  be  perfect,  i.e.,  you  will  arrive  to  the  perfectest  state  that  this 
life  is   capable   of.     And   if   you  would   know  by  what  methods   you  may  most 
successfully  pursue  and  at  last  obtain  this  gospel  perfection,  I  can  only  tell  you  that 
the  means  and  directions  in  order  to  it  are  the  same  with  those  that  I  commended 
to  you  for  your  growing  in  grace.     Evangelical  perfection  is  not  to  be  sought  by 
any  enthusiastic  flights,  and  by  affecting  extraordinary  discoveries  and  helps,  but 
you   must  tread   in   the    usual   and   appointed   path   of    God's    ordinances,   you 
must    take    the    way    and    course    that    is    prescribed     you    by    the    Word    of 
God,     namely,     seK-examination,     meditation,     communion    of     saints,     ardent 
prayer,  reading    the   Holy  Scriptures,  hearmg  the   Word.      (J".    Edwards,   D.D.) 
Ferfection  iji  Christ : — I.  The   text   seems  a  very  conteadictort  one.     1.  "  Be 
perfect."     We  do  not  like  that.     Somebody  says,  "I  do  not  believe  in  perfection." 
What  you  believe  is  very  little  matter.     When  God  speaks  it  is  of  very  little  use  to 
say,  "I  do  not  believe  in  perfection."     I  want  you  to  say,  "My  God,  what  this 
perfection  is  Thou  knowest,  and  I  want  Thee  to  give  it  to  me."     However,  these 
words  seem  contradictory.     "Be  perfect."     That  seems  as  if  the  text  took  me  up 
some  slippery  height  and  said,  "That  is  where  you  have  to  get,  and  it  is  very  few 
people  who  can  get  up  there,  only  very  clever  mountaineers ;  and  many  who  have 
got  up  have  not  been  able  to  stay  up  there.     They  have  come  falling  down  again, 
and  have  talked  about  it  all  the  days  of  their  life."     "  Be  perfect."     Ah  !  most  of  us 
look  up  and  sigh :  "  Yes,  I  very  much  wish  I  could  be  a  better  man  than  I  am,  but 
I  cannot  climb."     When  I  went  to  see  the  Matterhom,  I  said  to  the  guide,  "  I  sup- 
pose there  are  some  people  who  climb  that?  "     "  Yes,"  said  he,  "  a  few."     I  looked 
at  him  and  said,  "When  do  you  think  I  shall  climb  it?  "  and  he  looked  at  me  and 
smiled.     I  said,   "  Well,  I  will  tell  you.     When  I  can  fly."     That  is  how  most 
people  think  about  being  perfect ;  they  look  at  the  top  of  that  slippery  height  and 
say,  "Yes,  when  I  can  fly."     When  we  have  done  with  earth,  then  there  will  be 
some  hope  for  us.     2.  "  Be  of  good  comfort."     That  seems  to  say,  "  Take  it  easy  ! 
If  you  are  not  as  good  as  some  people,  never  mind ;  you  are  not  as  bad  as  some 
are."     11.  What  we  want  is  to  put  these  two  things  together.     Let  your  ideal  in 
Christ  be  as  lofty  and  sublime  as  God's  ideal  is,  and  yet  do  not  worry.    The  glory  of 
Christ's  religion  is  that  it  joins  these  two.     There  is  many  a  heathen  religion  that 
has  its  ideal  "  Be  perfect,"  but  it  is  by  torture.     Here  are  the  two  hands  of  our 
God ;  the  right  hand  of  His  righteousness  that  saith,  "  Be  perfect,"  the  left  hand 
of  His  love  that  saith,  "  Be  of  good  comfort."     HI.  Many  people  lose  both  because 
they  put  them  in  the  wrong  order.     It  is  a  very  common  and  mischievous  religion, 
in  which  the  whole  aim  is  first  of  all  "Be  of  good  comfort" — a  religion  in  which, 
when  a  man  is  converted,  he  is  accustomed  to  say  he  is  made  happy.     This  religion 
is  true  enough  until  you  push  it  to  an  extreme.     There  are  thousands  of  young 
people  in  our  churches  who  come  home  on  a  Sunday  night   and  say,  "Well,  I 
think  I'm  saved,  I  feel  so  happy  to-night,"  and  on  a  Monday  morning  they  get  up 
and  say,  "  I  do  not  think  I  feel  much  happier  than  I  did  on  Saturday,"  and  they 
think  they  are  lost  again.     1.  Now,  is  the  idea  of  our  religion,  first  of  all,  to  make 
us  feel  happy?     If  so — (1)  I  can  find  a  loftier  idea  of  life  outside  religion.     Come 
with  me   into  Westminster  Abbey.     Here  are  buried  heroes,  travellers,  explorers 
who  defied  death  in  a  thousand  shapes,  and  went  through  all  sorts  of  perils  and 
agonies.     What  cared  they  for  feeling?     They  flung  feeling  to  the  winds,  and 
said,  "There,  that  is  where  I  have  got  to  get,  and  that  is  where  I  will  go,"  and, 
nothing  daunted,  went  and  reached  it.     And  here  you  get  a  very  highly  respectable 
tombstone,  gilt,  magnificent.     Will  you  read  the  inscription  ?     "  Here  lies  a  man 
who  felt  happy."     Think  of  that  as  an  aim  in  life.     (2)  It  is  a  failure.     Keligion 
must,  in  order  to  make  me  perfectly  happy,  either  change  my  nature,  so  that  all 
circumstances  shall  minister  to  my  happiness,  or  else  so  change  my  circumstances 
as  that  my  nature  shall  find  in  them  always  that  which  makes  me  happy.     Does 
it  ?     I  get  the  toothache ;  I  find  it  pains  me  as  much  after  conversion  as  before. 
(3)  You  would  not  deal  with  your  children  after  that  fashion.     I  have  got  a  boy  at 
home.    I  do  not  think  he  ever  told  me  a  lie ;  but  think  if,  one  day,  he  came  all  red- 
eyed  and  sobbing,  and  confessed  to   me,   "  Father,  I   have   told  a   lie  !  "     Now, 
should  I  say,  "  WeU,  my  boy,  I  do  not  want  you  to  feel  like  this.     Run  away ;  fetch 
out  your  marbles  ;  I  want  you  to  feel  happy  "  ?     Not  a  bit  of  it.     I  should  want 
that  boy  to  feel  very  miserable  indeed.     If  Christ  has  only  come  to  say  to  me, 
"Don't   you   trouble   about  sin,   it   is   all  right,   I   have  settled  that;    now  you 
go  off.     I  want  you  to  feel  happy," — I  say  I  should  be  a  better  man,  if  by  all 


CHAP,  xm.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  527 

the  anguish  of  the  ages,  there  should  be  just  wrought  through  and  through 
me  a  great,  deep  abhorrence  of  the  thing  that  is  evil.  You  have  not  learned 
the  first  lesson  of  the  Cross,  if  you  have  not  seen  brought  right  out  and  nailed 
;up  in  the  sight  of  heaven  what  God  thinks  about  sin,  how  Hj  hates  it,  and 
must  sweep  it  right  away.  2.  What  is  the  purpose  of  the  true  religion  of 
■Jesus  Christ?  It  is  to  help  us  to  think  more  of  Jesus  and  to  be  more  like 
Him.  How  do  you  pray  ?  "  O  Lord,  clothe  me,  feed  me,  take  care  of  me, 
prosper  me  in  business,  make  me  more  happy,  and  bring  me  home  to  heaven 
when  I  die,  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake.  Amen."  Well,  your  religion  is  simply  a  fattener 
of  your  selfishness.  "But,"  you  say,  "does  not  it  say,  'Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread '  ?  "  Ay  !  but  you  have  left  something  out.  "  Our  Father,  who  art  in 
.heaven,"  &c. — all  that  first.  That  is  what  you  are  here  for,  that  is  why  God  gives 
us  the  crust  of  bread.  That  His  name  may  be  hallowed,  that  His  kingdom  may 
come,  that  His  will  may  be  done,  "Give  me  this  day  my  crust  of  bread."  Thou 
must  not  ask  for  thy  bread  till  thou  hast  put  God  in  His  right  place.  First,  set 
Christ  upon  His  throne;  think  "now  I  have  got  to  glorify  Him."  What  would 
that  not  do  for  the  world  ?  How  quickly  should  the  Church  overtake  the  world 
when  every  man  made  the  end  of  his  religion  not  his  own  little  self,  not  his  own 
•  escape  to  heaven  ;  but  when  the  whole  purpose  of  himself  in  everything  and  every- 
where should  be  to  make  the  whole  world  think  well  of  Christ.     IV.  A  great  many 

LOSE    BOTH    PtllFECTION    AND    HAPPINESS   BECAUSE    THEY    LEAVE    OUT   THE    LoKD'S    PAET 

ALTOGETHER.  1.  Somc  great  impulse  seizes  you,  and  you  say,  "  Yes,  that  is  what 
I  have  got  to  be,  and  that  is  what  I  will  be."  Take  care.  How  long  will  it  last? 
Ah,  how  soon  we  have  said — for  I  have  been  one  of  them — "  Well,  it  is  no  good  ; 
I  cannot."  We  could  not  keep  up  the  strain.  If  we  cannot  find  something  better 
to  begin  with  than  "  I,"  let  us  give  up.  The  moment  I  fetch  in  "I,"  I  fetch  in 
failure.  There  are  some  who  do  succeed.  I  have  met  with  people  who  have  made 
themselves  perfect — the  most  dreadful  people  I  ever  knew,  for  they  have  narrowed 
and  concentrated  their  whole  thought  upon  themselves.  They  have  begun  to  chip 
themselves  and  cut  off  their  corners,  and  have  made  a  hundred  corners  in  cutting 
-off  one.  They  have  sandpapered  themselves,  and  sulphuric-acided  themselves, 
and  at  last,  after  two,  three,  four,  five  years  of  that  concentrated  agony,  and  effort, 
and  self -consciousness,  they  have  brought  out,  what  ?  Why,  what  else  could  you 
expect?  from  five  to  six  feet  of  polished  "  I" — it  is  all  "I,  I,  I."  I  cannot  believe 
very  much  in  perfection  when  I  look  at  human  nature ;  I  believe  in  it  less  still 
when  I  look  at  myself ;  but  when  I  look  at  Jesus  I  cannot  help  believing  in  per- 
fection then.  2.  "  Be  of  good  comfort,"  because  it  is  not  my  straining  and 
sacrificing  and  putting  myself  in  the  fire  and  melting  myself  and  running  myself 
out  into  a  mould  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  Christ ;  it  is  the  getting  away  from 
myself,  forgetting  myself,  bringing  in  a  new  consciousness.  It  is  not  my  climbing  the 
slippery  height;  it  is  Christ  coming  right  down  from  that  height  to  me,  and  saying, 
"  Soul,  this  work  is  Mine,  not  thine ;  and  I  want  thee  to  let  Me  come  in  and  do  it 
for  you."  "  Be  perfect  " — yes,  with  such  a  Saviour.  "  Be  of  good  comfort  " — yes, 
because  it  is  His  work,  not  mine.  It  is  saying,  "  My  Lord  !  Thou  shalt  do  it  all." 
"  Comfort " — what  does  it  mean?  "Co.,"  that  means  "  company  "  ;  "  fort,"  that 
means  "strength" — strengthening  by  company.  You  can  only  spell  holiness  in 
five  letters — J  E  S  U  S.  Perfection  is  but  letting  Jesus  have  His  own  way  with  us 
in  everything — Jesus,  a  perfect  Saviour.  My  Master  would  not  make  an  imperfect 
grass-blade,  an  imperfect  daisy,  an  imperfect  spider,  and  do  you  think  He  is  going 
to  let  His  perfect  Son  show  all  these  things  and  that  redemption  shall  show  nothing 
of  it?  No.  And  now  somebody  will  say  to  me,  "  Must  not  I  do  anything?  For 
instance,  if  I  am  tempted  to  sin,  must  not  I  resist?  "  Well,  I  would  advise  thee 
not.  "  Well,  but  does  not  it  say,  '  Your  adversary,  the  devil,  as  a  roaring  lion, 
walketh  about,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour  ;  whom  resist '  ?  "  I  thought  it  did 
once,  but  I  looked  again,  and  I  found  before  Peter  says  a  word  about  that,  he  says, 
"  Humble  yourselves,  therefore,  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God."  Get  right  in 
under  God's  mighty  hand,  then  turn  round  and  say,  "  Now,  devil,  I  am  not  afraid 
of  thee  a  bit."  The  first  thing  you  have  to  do  before  you  resist  is  to  run  away 
io  Jesus.  (Mark  Guy  Pearsc.)  Be  of  one  mind,  live  in  peace. — Christian 
unity : — Its  nature,  here  recommended,  appears  to  be  sufficiently  expressed  by 
the  word  concord,  or  unanimity.  1.  So  necessary  is  this  agreement  that  bad  men 
ijannot  execute  their  schemes  without  a  temporary  concord,  founded,  for  want  of 
better  principles,  either  upon  the  mutual  interest  of  all  parties,  or  a  fantastical 
kind  of  honour,  which  answers  its  purpose  if  it  keep  them  together,  till  the  deed 


528  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xnr. 

of  darkness  be  done  and  the  prey  divided.  If  Satan's  kingdom  were  divided  against 
itself,  it  must  presently  fall.  2.  If  we  take  a  view  of  discord  at  its  introduction 
into  the  world,  we  shall  find  that  it  was  threefold.  (1)  Between  God  and  man, 
occasioned  by  man's  transgression,  which  estranged  him  from  his  Maker,  whom 
from  thenceforth  he  feared.  (2)  Between  man  and  himself,  caused  by  the  accusa- 
tions of  conscience  thereupon.  (3)  Between  man  and  man,  owing  to  unruly 
desires  and  passions,  continually  interfering,  and  never  to  be  satisfied.  3.  In 
opposition  to  this  threefold  discord,  introduced  into  the  world  by  the  evil  spirit, 
the  concord  effected  in  the  Church  by  the  good  Spirit  of  God  is  likewise  threefold. 
Man  is  reconciled  to  God  by  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  through  faith  ;  to  himself 
by  the  answer  of  a  conscience  thus  purged  from  sin ;  and  to  his  brethren  by 
Christian  charity  shed  abroad  in  his  heart.  4.  All  these  operations  worketh  one 
and  the  same  Spirit ;  whence  the  unity,  of  which  we  are  now  speaking,  is  styled 
"  the  unity  of  the  Spirit,"  which  is  represented  as  encircling  all  things  in  heaven 
and  earth  with  a  bond  of  peace.  And  is  not  the  Spirit  to  the  Church,  or  body  of 
Christ,  what  the  breath  is  to  the  body   natural?    II.  To  induce  bretheen  to 

"  DWELL    together   IN    UNITY,"     GoD    SEEMETH     TO    HAVE    EMPLOYED     EVERY    KIND   OF 

ARGUMENT.  He  hath  erected  both  worlds  upon  the  basis  of  concord,  and  made 
harmony  to  be,  as  it  were,  the  life  and  soul  of  the  universe.  1.  In  contemplating 
the  scenes  of  nature,  where  indeed  there  is  neither  voice  nor  language,  yet  it  is 
impossible  not  to  observe  how  the  elements  conspire  to  serve  God,  and  to  bless 
mankind.  2.  From  a  survey  of  nature,  proceed  we  to  inspect  the  make  and  con- 
stitution of  man  himself,  who  subsisteth  by  a  union  of  two  very  different  parts, 
a  soul  and  a  body,  between  which  there  is  a  kind  of  marriage  not  to  be  dissolved 
"  till  death  them  do  part."  Nor  less  observable  is  the  union  which  obtains  between 
the  members  of  which  the  body  is  composed,  and  by  whose  mutual  good  offices  it  is: 
supported  and  preserved.  3.  It  is  not  more  necessary  that  the  members  should  be 
joined  together  in  the  body,  than  that  mankind  should  be  united  in  civil  society. 
Man  comes  into  the  world  helpless.  And  therefore  it  is  that  an  all-wise  Providence 
has  implanted  in  our  nature  that  affection  which  is  found  to  prevail  between 
parents  and  children,  brethren  and  sisters,  those  of  the  same  family,  kindredr 
house,  city,  nation,  age,  or  vocation.  Such  are  the  means  used  to  invite  and 
almost  force  men  to  live  in  peace  and  concord.  4.  Let  us  now  see  how  the  case 
stands  in  that  spiritual  world.  (1)  And  here,  if  we  look  up  and  behold  by  faith 
the  glory  of  the  eternal  Trinity,  we  must  presently  fall  down,  like  the  elders,  before 
the  throne,  and  in  the  power  of  the  Divine  majesty  worship  the  unity.  And  as 
they  are  one,  so  all  the  angels  and  blessed  spirits  in  the  courts  of  heaven  make 
their  sound  to  be  heard  as  one  in  blessing  them  for  ever  and  ever.  Not  a  dis- 
cordant note  is  heard  in  all  that  celestial  choir.  (2)  From  heaven  we  descend 
again  to  earth  with  Him  who  did  so,  for  us  men,  and  for  our  salvation,  to  the  end 
that  as  body  and  soul  are  one  man,  so  God  and  man  might  be  one  Christ,  who 
•was  to  live  and  to  die  for  us,  to  suffer  and  to  save;  as  man  to  suffer  and  as  God  to 
save.  (3)  By  the  union  of  God  and  man  in  the  person  of  Christ,  another  union  was 
effected  between  Christ  and  the  Church.  For  is  the  vine  united  to  the  branches 
that  spring  from  it  ? — "  I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches."  Is  the  head  joined 
to  the  body? — "  God  hath  made  Him  head  over  aU  things,  to  the  Church,  which 
is  His  body."  Is  there  a  strict  union  between  man  and  wife  ? — "  This  is  a  great 
mystery,  but  I  speak  concerning  Christ  and  the  Church."  (4)  One  more  conse- 
quence should  follow  from  this,  viz.,  a  union  among  Christians.  Joined  to 
one  common  head,  they  should  be  joined  likewise  to  each  other.  "  Ye  are  the 
body  of  Christ,  and  members  in  particular."  By  concord  in  the  Church,  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  is  established  on  earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven,  where  there  is  no 
rebeUion  or  opposition  to  the  will  of  God,  but  all  are  unanimous  in  doing  it.  By 
the  gospel,  enmity  was  abolished,  and  never  should  have  been  heard  of  more. 
II.  How  SHALL  WE  BEST  PERFORM  THIS  DUTY.  1.  "  Acquaint  thyself  with  God,  and 
be  at  peace  " ;  be  at  peace  with  Him  and  thine  own  conscience,  and  then  thou  shalt  be 
at  peace  with  all  around  thee.  2.  Endeavour,  by  the  grace  of  Christ,  to  moderate 
desires  of  earthly  things.  "  Whence  come  wars  and  fightings  among  you  ?  Come 
they  not  hence,  even  of  your  lusts,  which  war  in  your  members?"  (Bp.  Home.} 
Unity,  peace,  and  blessedness  : — I.  "  Be  of  one  mind."  Let  there  be  no  division 
among  us  in  regard  to  Bible  doctrine.  Christian  experience,  or  religious  duty. 
1.  Doctrines  are  the  glory  of  revelation.  2.  Again,  unity  in  regard  to  views  of 
Christian  experience  is  of  the  utmost  consequence  to  the  Church.  3.  "Be ye  of  one 
mind  "  in  view  of  Christian  duty  ;  be  unanimous  in  advancing  the  kingdom  of  our 


CHAP,  xm.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  529 

Lord  Jesus.  U.  "Live  in  peace."  This  is  the  second  injunction  of  the  text. 
Living  in  peace  is  a  true  correlative  of  being  of  one  mind.  Spiritual  congeniality 
of  feeling  sweetly  accompanies  agreement  in  sentiment.  Eeligion  is  "first  pure, 
then  peaceable."  1.  The  nature  of  the  peace  recommended  includes  love  to  our 
brethren  in  Christ,  and  good  will  toward  all  men.  2.  The  obligations  to  peace 
are  manifest  and  manifold.  (1)  Peace  is  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit.  "We  have 
passed  from  death  unto  life,  because  we  love  the  brethren."  (2)  The  good  of  the 
Church  is  another  of  the  obhgations  to  live  in  peace.  (3)  The  happiness  of  the 
individual  is  an  obUgation  to  live  peaceably.  (4)  A  regard  for  the  salvation  of 
others  is  an  obligation  to  live  a  life  of  peace.  (5)  The  heavenly  state  shows  the 
obligations  to  a  life  of  peace.  No  angel  in  glory  disturbs  the  harmony  of  the 
heavenly  abode.  3.  The  manifestations  of  peace  in  our  Uves  may  be  briefly  illus- 
trated in  reference  to  our  own  Church,  and  in  its  relation  to  other  churches.  (1)  In 
our  own  Church,  the  manifestations  of  peace  consist,  in  part,  in  a  kind  and  con- 
ciliatory treatment  of  all  sectional  questions.  (2)  Another  mode  in  which  peace 
may  be  exhibited,  consists  in  avoiding  the  dangers  arising  from  parties  formed 
in  admiration  of  men.  (3)  A  life  of  peace  may  be  further  manifested  in  the 
Church  in  our  personal  intercourse  with  our  brethren.  Let  us  all  "  pray  for 
the  peace  of  Jerusalem."  III.  First  unity ;  then  peace ;  then  blessedness. 
"  The  God  of  love  and  peace  shall  be  with  you."  What  a  hopeful  indication 
of  the  blessings  that  follow  unity  and  peace  is  found  in  the  very  names  here 
claimed  by  God !  "  And  the  God  of  love  and  peace  shall  be  with  you."  1.  He 
will  bless  His  Church  with  the  indwelling  of  His  Holy  Spirit."  2.  Again,  "the 
God  of  love  and  peace  will  be  with  you,"  to  enlarge  the  prosperity  of  the  Church, 
in  His  providence.  3.  The  God  of  love  and  peace  will  be  with  His  loving  disciples, 
to  crown  them  with  salvation  in  His  glory.  "  The  meek  will  He  beautify  with 
salvation."  (C  V.  Rensselaer,  D.D.)  The  city  of  peace  : — I.  Its  walls — unity 
— concord.  II.  The  gates — 1.  Innocence  ;  2.  Patience  ;  3.  Beneficence  ;  4.  Recom- 
pense or  satisfaction ;  5.  Humility — the  little  postern.  III.  Its  enemies — 1.  Hos- 
tility without ;  2.  Mutiny  within.  IV.  The  governor — God,  who  possesses  supreme 
authority.  V.  The  law — the  law  of  Christ.  VI.  The  palace — the  temple' where 
God  is  worshipped.  VII.  The  river — prosperity.  VIII.  The  life  of  the  citizens. 
— love.  IX.  The  city's  general  state — universal  felicity.  X.  The  inheritance — 
eternal  glory.  (T.  Adams.)  And  the  God  of  love  and  peace  shall  be  with  you. — 
The  highest  character  and  the  highest  companion : — I.  The  highest  character  of 
God.  "  Love  and  peace."  1.  Love  is  the  highest  attribute  of  any  character. 
Higher  than — (1)  Power.  Mere  animals  have  power,  but  not  love.  (2)  Wisdom. 
2.  "  Peace."  Wherever  there  is  real  love,  there  is  peace.  The  stronger  the  love, 
the  more  essentially  pacific  the  soul.  Peace  implies — (1)  Freedom  from  remorse. 
Wherever  there  is  a  sense  of  guilt,  there  can  be  no  true  peace.  (2)  Freedom  from 
fear.  Fear  causes  the  soul  to  quiver  as  an  aspen-leaf  in  the  wind.  (3)  Freedom 
from  selfishness.  A  selfish  heart  can  never  be  at  rest ;  it  is  as  the  tide  in  the 
ocean.  Jealousy,  anger,  pride,  revenge,  all  of  which  are  the  offspring  of  selfish- 
ness, are  antagonistic  to  peace.  He  is  absolutely  free  from  all  these :  hence  He  is 
a  God  of  peace.  II.  The  highest  companion  for  man.  "  The  God  of  love  and. 
peace  be  with  you."  No  companion — 1.  So  tender.  In  all  our  affliction  He  is 
afflicted.  2.  So  wise.  He  knows  all  about  us :  What  we  have  been ;  what  we 
shall  be.  He  can  solve  our  problems,  clear  all  our  perplexities,  baffle  the  machina- 
tions of  all  our  enemies.  3.  So  constant.  Human  companions  are  constantly  leaving 
us,  either  by  change  or  death.  But  He  will  never.  4.  So  enduring.  The  greatest 
sorrow  of  earth  arises  from  the  loss  of  endeared  companions.  But  no  bereavement 
can  tear  Him  away  from  us.     (D.  Thomas,  D.D.) 

Ver.  14.  The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. — The  benediction  of  the  Church : — 
1.  If  a  man  has  been  to  visit  his  friend,  and  you  see  him  leaving  the  gate,  it  is 
pleasant  to  notice  in  his  hand  a  basket  of  fruit  or  a  bunch  of  flowers.  It  would  be 
very  embarrassing,  however,  if  the  proof  of  friendship  were  always  an  outward  gift. 
If  a  friend  visits  us,  we  place  ourselves  at  his  disposal ;  and  if  we  visit  a  friend,  we 
are  delighted  to  receive  the  overflow  of  his  life  into  our  own.  Now  suppose  under 
the  old  law  a  man  had  offered  a  lamb  in  sacrifice  to  God,  and  had  found  that  his 
flocks  did  not  increase  according  to  his  hope,  and  had  then  said,  "  I  will  offer  Him 
no  more  lambs."  Might  we  not  next  suppose  a  wise  friend  saying  to  him,  "  God 
has  done  this  to  try  your  love.  If  you  loved  God,  you  would  offer  Him  even  the 
last  lamb,  feeling  that  it  is  better  to  have  the  heavenly  Friend  than  to  have  only 

34 


530  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xiii. 

His  property."  God  invites  us  to  His  presence,  and  desires  that  we  should  have 
great  pleasure  in  coming  to  see  Him  ;  and  it  is  very  certain  that  if  we  have  come 
in  the  true  friendly  temper,  we  shall  go  away,  taking  something  in  our  hearts, 
though  nothing  in  our  hands.  No  man  that  rejoices  in  God's  grace  complains 
much  of  God's  providence.  2.  Now,  when  we  come  to  church  God  entertains  us 
and  sends  us  away  with  a  benediction.  It  is  the  benediction  of  the  Church  also; 
i.e.,  the  Church  desires  that  God  may  grant  its  members  His  blessing,  and  expresses 
its  faith  that  He  will.  We  will  render  the  text,  "  May  your  faith,  hope,  and  love 
be  replenished."  We  come  in  different  states.  (1)  There  are  persons  who  come  in 
quest  of  truth.  Suppose,  then,  in  the  sacred  service  something  is  said  which  the 
heart  feels  is  sure.  The  heart  cries  out  to  itself  gladly,  "  Whatever  is  doubtful, 
that  is  true."  Then  the  man  has  received  a  gift.  (2)  There  are  others  that 
believe,  and  yet  are  confounded.  Well,  suppose  a  person  very  tired  in  body  and 
soul,  almost  hopeless,  and  something  is  said  that  excites  hope.  In  the  springtime 
the  effect  of  the  shower  is  perceived  within  a  few  minutes  of  its  fall ;  and  there  is 
that  in  the  soul  athirst  for  God  that  causes  the  season  of  drought  to  be  indeed  a 
springtime  when  once  the  shower  descends.  Hope  enters  this  weary  breast,  and  is 
not  hope  a  gift  ?  (3)  Then  there  are  persons,  not  without  belief  or  hope,  that  still 
yearn  for  sympathy.  Now  if  the  spirit  of  truth  breathe  itself  forth  as  love,  and  the 
heart  is  comforted  by  love,  then,  too,  it  has  received  a  gift.  (4)  Faith,  hope,  love  ! 
Need  we  so  distinguish  them  ?  No.  You  can  never  believe  a  little  more,  without 
beginning  to  hope  too,  and  without  feeling  the  glow  of  affection.  When  either  of 
these  three  become  prominent  the  two  others  are  seen  beside  it  as  in  shadow  ;  and 
sometimes  they  take  sisterly  hands,  and  with  a  common  brightness  appear  as  equals. 
These  three  states  of  our  spirit  are  an  equivalent  expression  for  the  blessing  uttered 
in  the  words  of  our  text.  Let  me  show  this.  I.  "  The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  1.  Eecollect  instances  in  which  our  Lord  showed  grace.  When  He  had 
been  speaking  amongst  His  own  townspeople  "  they  wondered  at  the  gracious  words 
that  proceeded  out  of  His  mouth  "  ;  such  sincere  and  kind  words  no  one  had  ever 
heard  before.  A  leper  said  to  Him,  "  Lord,  if  Thou  wilt.  Thou  canst  make  me 
clean."  Jesus  touched  him;  what  nature  loathes  grace  can  love.  On  another 
occasion  the  only  son  of  his  mother  was  being  carried  forth  to  the  grave.  Jesus  laid 
His  hand  upon  the  bier.  Was  this  presumptuous  handling?  No;  this  was  the 
hand  of  grace.  The  young  man  arose,  and  his  mother  received  him  by  the  hand 
of  God's  grace.  We  remember  how  our  Saviour  said,  "Sin  no  more,"  and  yet 
pronounced  no  word  of  doom  for  the  sin  that  had  been  committed.  His  life 
abounded  with  gracious  words,  cures,  and  pardons,  that  showed  the  tender,  com- 
passionate favour  with  which  He  regarded  us  all  in  our  weakness,  sorrow,  and  sins. 
This  is  grace.  Through  such  grace  love  makes  us  believe  in  it.  2.  Now  we  might 
say,  why  not  place  the  love  of  God  first?  Which  is  first,  the  door  or  the  house? 
If  God  has  a  great  mansion  of  love,  He  must  provide  a  door  to  it,  or  we  shall  never 
get  in.  Grace  is  the  door  into  love.  Love  is  greater  than  any  one  of  its  own  acts. 
There  is  more  in  a  mother's  love  than  there  is  in  her  gentle  touch.  There  is  more 
in  the  father's  love  than  there  is  in  his  gift  to  his  child  on  its  birthday.  In  like 
manner,  the  love  of  God  is  more  than  any  of  His  acts,  more  even  than  His  grace — 
its  own  chief  and  most  expressive  instance ;  and  why  are  we  introduced  through 
the  grace  into  the  love,  but  that  we  may  trust  that  love  and  trust  it  always.  So  we 
may  apply  the  Baptist's  words,  "  He  that  cometh  after  me  is  preferred  before  me, 
for  He  was  before  me."  Grace  wins  our  faith,  and  then  through  its  trust  we  have  a 
love  of  our  own  which  responds  to  the  great  general  love  of  God.  That  which 
"  comes  after  "  our  faith,  then,  is  love,  which,  though  coming  after  it,  is  "  preferred 
before  it,"  for  "  it  was  before  it."  II.  The  love  of  God.  Assume,  now,  that  we 
have  faith ;  what  is  our  state  ?  I  have  seen  a  little  child  perplexed  at  losing  on 
Hampstead  Heath — not  a  very  great  and  terrible  wilderness  —  her  sister,  and 
crying  because  sisler  was  a  few  paces  off  concealed  by  a  bush.  So  it  may  be  with 
our  feeble  heart ;  for  in  our  times  of  loneliness  we  are  all  children,  and  we  cry  out 
for  God,  "Where  is  He?  "  Now,  "  the  grace  of  God  "  is  His  answer  to  our  cry. 
God  says  to  the  lost  world,  "  Here  I  am."  When  we  have  found  Christ,  then  we 
have  found  God  ;  we  have  found  our  Father  ;  we  now  rest  in  our  faith.  But  what 
have  we  found  our  Father  for  ?  If  the  child  has  found  its  sister  or  its  mother,  they 
will  go  away  together  home,  and  there  will  be  many  a  happy  work  of  affection 
then.  If  a  man  has  found  God  as  his  Father  through  Jesus  Christ,  then  that  man 
is  introduced  into  all  the  length  and  breadth  of  human  participation  in  Divine 
benefits.     The  love  of  God  will  be  bountifully  manifested  in  all  that  he  learns  and 


CHAP.  XIII.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  531 

all  that  he  does.  Out  of  this  faith,  then,  will  spring  a  hope.  He  cannot  be 
received  into  union  with  God  without  continuing  united  in  such  a  sense  that  he 
will  constantly  look  onward  with  hope,  feeling  that  all  is  right,  that  here  and 
hereafter  all  necessary  instructions  and  blessings  will  be  given.  III.  "  The  com- 
munion or  THE  Holy  Ghost."  If  God's  grace  in  Christ  is  trusted,  and  God's  love, 
so  broadly  revealed  in  Christ,  is  hoped  in,  then  we  receive  into  ourselves  a  life 
which  leads  us  on  by  progression  towards  all  the  fuhiess  that  is  in  God.  God, 
through  Christ,  breathes  into  us  His  Spirit ;  this  we  receive,  not  alone,  but  con- 
jointly one  with  another.  God,  through  Christ,  begins  by  imparting  to  our  heart 
faith  in  His  grace,  and  hope  through  His  grace  in  all  His  goodness ;  and  knowing 
and  hoping  in  that,  we  abide  in  His  love.  Christ  gives  us  His  gracious  Spirit,  and 
aU  the  onward  motions  of  tlie  leading  Spirit  are  in  harmony  with  the  "  grace  of 
God."  The  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is,  in  other  words,  the  sharing  of  a 
common  life  of  sacred  love  by  which  we  feel  brotherhood  with  one  another, 
and  by  which  we  progress  onward  led  by  our  purified  inward  motives,  and 
traversing  according  to  our  ability  the  length  and  breadth  of  that  kingdom 
of  affairs  which  God  has  given  to  exercise  and  to  enrich  us.  Such  is  the 
communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  the  fellowship  of  love,  in  a  hope  reposed  on  God, 
through  faith  created  and  nourished  by  His  grace.  (T.  T.  Lynch.)  The  triune 
Messing  : — Consider  the  particular  blessing  from  each  person  of  the  Holy  Trinity 
St.  Paul  desires  for  the  Corinthians.  I.  "The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
By  the  "  grace  "  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  seems  meant  His  goodwill,  His  gracious 
favour  in  practical  and  perpetual  exercise.  When  St.  Paul  deshed  and  prayed  that 
the  Corinthians  might  be  blessed  with  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  meant 
just  this  :  May  all  the  blessings  of  Christ's  incarnation,  redemption,  and  mterces- 
sion  ever  be  with  you  Corinthians.  The  blessing  of  Divine  pardon,  of  spiritual 
cleansing,  of  reconciliation  with  God ;  the  blessing  of  union  with  Christ  and  thereby 
union  and  communion  with  God;  the  blessing  of  progressive  sanctification,  &c. 
When  the  grace  of  Christ  is  with  a  man,  it  means  that  all  heaven  is  with  that  man  ; 
that  every  blessing  which  is  possible  and  good  for  a  man  is  granted  to  him,  accord- 
ing to  his  capacity  to  receive  it.  The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  mentioned 
first,  because  all  heaven's  blessings  to  man  begin  with  Christ's  grace,  favour,  or 
goodwill  towards  man.  Christ  is  man's  starting-point  in  all  his  relations  with  God, 
He  being  the  Mediator  between  God  and  man.  Unless  our  Mediator  be  first 
graciously  disposed  towards  us,  how  is  it  possible  to  receive  any  of  those  blessings 
from  God  which  are  the  result  of  His  mediation  ?  "  By  whom  also  we  have  access 
by  faith  into  this  grace  wherein  we  stand."  Is  it  not  true  that  by  Christ  we  have 
access  into  every  grace  of  God  ?  II.  "The  love  of  God."  The  love  of  God  is  the 
fountain  source  of  the  threefold  blessing  mentioned  in  the  text.  All  heavenly 
blessings  proceed  from  the  love  of  God,  through  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
by  the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  By  the  love  of  God  in  the  text  is  meant,  not 
simply  the  love  of  benevolence  which  God  has  for  all  His  creatures  in  common,  but 
what  theologians  call  the  love  of  complacency,  which  God  has  for  those  only  who 
are  the  living  members  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  are  the  brethren  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  through  spiritual  union  with  Him.  It  is  this  love  of  God,  the  love  of  the 
Divine  Father  for  His  adopted  children,  who  are  the  members  of  His  dear  Son,  that 
St.  Paul  desires  and  prays  may  be  the  blessing  of  the  Corinthians.  The  love  of 
God  truly  comprehends  aU  blessings.  St.  Paul  might  have  said,  The  power  of 
God,  the  protection  of  God,  the  guidance  of  God,  the  peace  of  God,  be  with  you 
Corinthians ;  but  instead  of  that  he  said  what  comprehends  all.  The  love  of  God 
be  with  you.  If  the  love  of  God  be  with  us,  all  is  with  us  that  it  is  possible  for  man 
to  have  from  God.  III.  "  The  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  By  this  is 
meant  the  fellowship,  the  partnership,  the  companionship  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  or, 
in  other  words,  the  indwelling  and  inworkiug  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is  by  means 
of  the  communion  or  indwelling  and  inworking  of  the  Holy  Ghost  that  the  love  of 
God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts,  and  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  con- 
veyed to  us.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  the  Divine  Agent  or  Vicegerent  by  whom  God  the 
Father  and  God  the  Son  carry  on  and  carry  out  their  work  in  man.  When  St. 
Paul  says  to  the  Corinthians,  "  The  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost  be  with  you," 
it  is  as  though  he  said,  "  I  pray  that  you  Corinthians  may  always  have  the  Holy 
Ghost  within  you  as  your  Divine  Guest  and  Companion,  to  enlighten  you,  to 
strengthen  you,  to  comfort  you,  to  guide  you  ;  to  fiU  you  with  God's  love,  and  joy, 
and  peace ;  to  form  in  you  a  holy  character  like  unto  the  character  of  Christ ;  to  fit 
you  for  your  admission  to  the  heavenly  glory  of  Christ."     Such,  then,  is  the  triune 


532  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xm. 

blessing  of  the  Triune  God.  Were  there  not  a  Trinity  of  Persons  in  the  Godhead, 
this  apostolic  blessing  would  be  utterly  unintelligible,  and  its  language  utterly  mis- 
leading. Behold  in  this  blessing  the  blessing  of  all  blessings,  in  comparison  of 
which  all  other  blessings  are  absolutely  worthless.  Let  the  words  of  this  apostolic 
blessing  be  regarded  as  a  reality.  When  they  are  being  pronounced,  let  all  believe 
that  the  blessing  they  set  forth  is  verily  conveyed  to  aU  who  devoutly  receive  it. 
Let  them  not  be  listened  to  in  a  formal  spirit.  (H.  G.  Youard.)  The  Divine 
Trinity  : — The  Christian  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  teaches  us  how  the  Infinite  God 
has  made  Himself  known  to  men.  God,  as  He  is  in  Himself,  no  man  can  compre- 
hend. I.  Men  have  always  believed  in  some  power  higher  and  greater  than 
THEMSELVES.  In  old  times  they  peopled  the  unseen  world  with  innumerable  deities, 
who  presided  over  human  affairs.  But  above  all  others  one  deity  was  supreme — 
Jupiter,  the  father  of  gods  and  men.  Like  children  who  have  lost  their  way  from 
home,  they  wrestled  and  prayed  and  sought  to  discover  a  God  and  Father,  to  whom 
they  could  yield  filial  obedience.  In  these  later  days  we  have  been  told  that  all 
such  efforts  are  useless.  Law,  force,  order— these  are  the  ultimate  discoveries  of 
research  ;  these  are  the  gods  of  our  modern  Pantheon.  But  no  such  doctrine  can 
ever  satisfy  the  soul  that  has  once  begun  to  long  for  God.  I  am  sure  that  my 
personality  cannot  be  the  result  of  blind  law  and  force.  The  first  cause  from  whom 
I  come  must  be,  like  myself,  a  person,  only  infinitely  greater.  Thus  there  is 
nothing  mysterious  in  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  as  it  relates  to  the 
everlasting  Father.  Rather  does  it  clear  up  mysteries,  by  telling  us  that  the  laws 
and  forces  at  work  in  the  world  and  in  ourselves  are  the  operations  of  that  Divine 
and  gracious  Father  to  whom  it  is  our  most  blessed  privilege  to  yield  filial  obedience. 
n.  But  we  need  not  only  a  Divine  Father,  but  a  Divine  Son.  We  require  the 
revelation  not  only  of  a  perfect  law  and  a  supreme  will,  but  also  the  revelation  of 
a  perfect  and  Divine  obedience.  We  know  the  perfect  fatherhood  of  God  ;  what 
we  want  is  a  perfect  sonship  to  bridge  the  gulf  between  us  and  God,  a  sonship  in 
which  the  will  of  God  and  the  obedience  of  man  shall  be  blended  into  one  beautiful 
and  blessed  life.  We  want,  not  only  the  love  of  the  Father,  but  the  "grace"  of  a 
perfect  Son.  Must  there  not  be  somewhere  a  perfect  Ideal  of  what  man  ought  to 
be ;  and  where  can  this  Ideal  be  found  but  in  the  mind  of  God  ?  But  mark  how 
the  Christian  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  comes  down  to  the  utmost  needs  of  fallen 
man.  To  redeem  us  from  sin  the  Divine  Sonship  was  clothed  in  flesh;  passed 
through  all  the  changes  of  mortal  life,  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave.  Here,  then, 
towering  above  the  ruins  of  our  race,  is  the  perfect  manhood  of  Jesus  Christ.  Ever 
living  to  make  intercession  for  us  is  this  Divine  Son,  who  has  conquered  sin  and 
death  and  hell  by  patient  submission  and  by  filial  obedience  to  the  Father's  will. 
HI.  If,  then,  we  are  thus  brought  nigh  to  the  Father  through  the  Son,  it  must  be 

OUR  HIGHEST  PRIVILEGE  TO  HOLD  CONSTANT  COMMUNION  WITH  THE  EVER    PRESENT    SpIRIT 

OF  God.  {F.  W.  Walters.)  Communion  human  and  Divine : — The  gi'eat  benedic- 
tion of  the  Christian  Church  never  grows  old  and  never  becomes  monotonous.  It 
is  like  the  sunshine,  which  rises  on  us  every  day  of  our  lives  with  a  fresh  beauty  ; 
or  like  our  truest  friendships,  which  are  for  ever  new.  There  is  no  blessing  more 
continually  needed  than  "  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  We  go,  then,  first 
to  the  perpetual  and  universal  facts  of  human  life,  for  Christianity  always  uses 
them  and  is  in  harmony  with  them.     And  one  of  the  deepest  of  these  facts  is  man's 

PERPETUAL   NEED   OF     INTERCOURSE     AND     FELLOWSHIP.        A    life    of     SOlitudc    is    nevet 

satisfactory  to  a  truly  healthy  man.  He  needs  some  fellowship.  And  for  his  whole 
satisfaction  he  needs  various  fellowships :  with  those  above  him,  on  whom  he 
depends;  with  those  beside  him,  who  are  his  equals;  and  with  those  below  him, 
whom  he  helps.  All  three  of  these  relationships  furnish  the  life  of  a  completely 
furnished  man.  And  the  essence  of  all  these  fellowships  is  something  internal;  it 
is  not  external.  It  is  in  spirit  and  sympathy,  not  in  outward  occupations.  It  is 
communion  and  not  merely  contact.  This  goes  so  far  that,  where  communion  is 
perfect,  where  men  are  in  real  sympathy  with  one  another,  contact  or  outward 
intercourse  may  sometimes  be  absent.  What  a  man  really  needs,  then,  is  a  true 
understanding  of  other  men  ;  community  of  intelligence  producing  community  of 
sentiment,  interest  in  the  same  things  producing  the  same  feelings.  This  is  com- 
munion.    And  then  the  second  fact  is  that  the  communions  or   fellowship   of 

MEN   ARE    SELDOM   DIRECT,    BUT    COME    ABOUT    THROUGH   A   MEDIUM.       They    are    UOt    the 

mere  hking  of  men  for  each  other  for  qualities  directly  apprehended,  but  they  are 
the  result  of  a  common  interest  in  something  which  brings  the  men  together  and  is 
the  occasion  by  which  their  sympathy  is  excited,  the  atmosphere  or  element  in 


CHAP,  xin.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  533 

which  their  communion  lives.     Is  not  this  so  ?     Two  children  in  the  same  family 
grow  up  in  cordial  love  for  each  other ;  but  their  love  is  a  love  of  and  in  the 
family.     They  did  not  deliberately  choose  each  other  for  friends,  but  their  hearts 
were  drawn  out  in  the  same  direction,  towards  the  same  father,  the  same  mother, 
the  same  home  life,  and  so  they  met  and  came  to  know  each  other.    So  two  scholars 
find  their  element  of    communion   in  their  common  study.     Two  business  men 
reach  each  other  and  become  friends  through  their  common  business.     And  two 
i-eformers  enter  into  each  other's  life  in  the  indignation  or  enthusiasm  of  a  common 
cause.     In  every  case  you  see  the  union  of  men  is  made  through  a  third  term,  an 
clement  into  which  both  enter,  and  in  which  they  find  each  other  as  they  could  not 
without  it.     This  is  the  way  in  which  men  come  to  be  gathered  in  those  groups 
which   make   the  variety  and  picturesqueness  of  human  life.     Now  it  is  in  the 
application  of  this  same  idea  that  there  lies,  I  think,  the  key  to  this  phrase,  "the 
communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost."     Once  more  there  is  an  element,  an  atmosphere, 
in  which  men  are  brought  close  together — brought  together  as  they  come  under  no 
other  auspices,  in  no  other  way.     That  element  is  God.     Men  meet  each  other, 
when  they  meet  in  Him,  with  peculiar  confidence,  dearness,  frankness,  and  truth. 
Just  as  there  is  a  certain  character  which  belongs  to  the  intercourse  of  men  who 
are  met  as  the  pursuers  of  a  common  business,  and  so  are  met  in  the  communion 
of  that  business ;  and  as  there  is  another  character  which  belongs  to  the  intercourse 
of  men  who  are  met  as  the  disciples  of  a  certain  study,  and  so  are  met  in  the  com- 
munion of  that  study,  so  there  is  yet  another  deeper  and  completer  character  which 
belongs  to  the  fellowship  of  men  who  come  to  have  something  to  do  with  one 
another  as  the  servants  of  God,  and  so  whose  communion  is  the  communion  of 
Ood.      And   now  take  one   step   farther.     Who  is  the  Holy  Ghost?     He  is  the 
effectively  present  Deity.     He  is  God  continually  in  the  midst  of  men  and  touching 
their  daily  lives.     He  is  the  God  of  continual  contact  with  mankind.     The  doctrine 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  continual  protest  against  every  constantly  recurring  tendency 
to  separate  God  from  the  current  world.     Wherever  the  fellowship  and  intercourse 
of  men  has  a  peculiar  character  because  it  is  born  of  the  presence  of  God  among 
men  ;  wherever  men's  dealings  with  each  other,  or  men's  value  of  each  other,  is 
coloured  with  the  influence  of  the  truth  that  we  live  in  a  woi-ld  full  of  God  ;  where- 
ever  our  communion  with  each  other  takes  place  through  Him,  the  sacredness  and 
usefulness  of  what  we  are  to  each  other  resulting  from  what  He  is  to  all  of  us,  then 
our  communion  is  a  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost.     I  doubt  not  there  is  a  deeper 
philosophy  in  this  than  we  can  understand.      The  Bible  truth  is  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  "  the  Lord  and  Giver  of  Life."     The  power  of  life  is  the  power  of  unity 
everywhere.     It  is  the  presence  of  life  in  these  bodies  of  ours  that  keeps  them  from 
falling  to  pieces.      The  moment  that  life  departs  dissolution  comes.     And  so  life, 
which  is  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost — nay,  which  is  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
in  society  or  in  the  soul — is  the  power  of  unity  in  society  or  in  the  soul.     The 
society  in  which-there  is  no  presence  of  a  Uving  God  drops  into  anarchy  and  falls 
to  pieces.     The  soul  in  which  there  is  no  presence  of  a  living  God  loses  harmony 
with  itself,  becomes  distracted.    Again,  our  idea  finds  its  illustration  in  the  different 
characters  of  different  households.     Lift  the  curtain,  if  you  will,  from  two  homes, 
both  of  them  happy  and  harmonious,  neither  of  them  stained  with  vice  nor  dis- 
turbed with  quarrels.     One  of  them  is  a  household  of  this  world  altogether.     The 
domestic  relationships  are  strong  and  warm.     The  loves  of  husband  and  wife,  of 
parents  and  children,  of  brothers  and  sisters,  are  all  there.     They  prove  themselves 
in  all  kind  offices.     Each  helps  the  other,  and  there  are  no  jealousies,  no  strifes. 
There  is  the  best  picture  of  the  communion  of  the  family  affection.     Now  look  into 
the  other  home.     All  is  the  same,  but  with  this  difference :  that  here  there  is  an 
ever-live,  strong,  vivid,  loving  sense  of  God.     As  real  as  father  or  mother,  gjp  real  as 
brother  or  sister,  God  is  here.     No  act  is  ever  done  out  of  His  presence.     He  is  felt 
in  the  education  of  the  children.     The  children  are  His  gifts.     The  love  of  each 
member  of  the  household  for  the  rest  is  coloured  all  through  with  gratitude  to  Him. 
All  of   that  love  is  deepened  because  each  desires  for  each  sacred  and  spiritual 
mercies.     All  these  loves  which  were  there  before  move  on  still,  but  they  are  all 
surrounded  by  and  taken  up  into  one  great  comprehending  love  ;  and  he  who  enters 
in  at  the  door  of  that  converted  house  hears  them  all  in  deepened,  richened  music, 
the  same  strains  still,  only  full  of  the  power  of  the  new  atmosphere  in  which  they 
are  played.     And  so  it  is  with  friendship.     Two  men  who  have  known  each  other 
for  years  become  together  the  servants  of  Christ.     His  Spirit  comes  to  them.     They 
begin  the  new  life  of  which  He  is  the  centre  and  the  soul.     How  their  old  friendship 


534  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xin. 

changes  !     How  it  is  all  the  same,  and  yet  how  different  it  is  !     It  opens  depths  and' 
heights  they  never  dreamed  of.     "Where  they  used  to  do  so  little  for  each  other,  now 
they  can  do  so  much.     Where  they  used  to  touch  only  on  the  outside,  now  their 
whole  natures  blend.     One  of  the  most  valuable  changes  which  come  to  a  human 
friendship  when  it  is  thus  deepened  into  a  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the 
assurance  of  permanence  which  it  acquires.     There  is  always  a  lurking  distrust  and 
suspicion  of  instability  in  friendship  which  has  not  the  deepest  basis.     No  present 
certainty  answers  for  the  future.     This  must  be  so  to  some  degree  with  an  affection 
where  each  is  held  to  each  only  by  the  continuance  of  personal  liking.     But  when 
friendship  enters  into  God,  and  men  are  bound  together  through  their  communion 
with  Him,  all  the  strength  of  that  higher  union  authenticates  and  assures  the 
faithfulness  and  perseverance  of  the  love  that  is  bound  up  with  it.     The  souls  that 
meet  in  God  may  well  believe  that  they  shall  hold  each  other  as  eternally  as  He 
holds  each  and  each  holds  Him.     And  the  same  power  which  insures  the  perpetuity 
of  friendship  must  also  secure  a  wider  range  of  sympathy  and  fellow-feeling  among 
men.     The  more  the  associations  of  men  come  to  consist  in  what  is  essential,  and 
not  in  what  is  merely  formal,  the  larger  becomes  the  circle  of   a  man's  fellow- 
creatures  with  whom  he  may  have  relations  of  cordial  interest.      So  much  of  our 
communion  with  men  is  a  communion,  not  of  spirit,  but  of  form.     We  associate 
•with  men  because  we  happen  to  be  thrown  in  with  them  in  the  mere  circumstances 
of  our  lives  ;  because  we  live  in  the  same  circle  of  society,  and  so  our  habits  are  the 
same ;  because  we  are  seeking  the  same  ends  of  life  in  the  same  kind  of  actions. 
And  very  often  our  sympathies  are  bounded  by  the  same  narrow  lines  which  limit 
our  associations.     But  the  communion  of  the  Spirit,  the  communion  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  something  deeper,  and  therefore  something  wider,  than  that.     Wherever 
any  human  soul  is  loving  the  God  whom  we  love,  feeling  His  presence,  trying  to  do- 
His  will,  though  it  be  in  forms  and  ways  totally  different  from  ours,  the  communion 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  brings  us  into  sympathy  with  Him.     There  is  no  influence  of  the 
Christian  life  more  ennobling,  more  delightful  than  this.     It  takes  you  out  of  the 
low  valley  of  formal  life.     It  sets  you  upon  the  open  summit  of  spiritual  sympathy, 
close  to  the  sun.     Thence  you  look  out  into  unguessed  regions  of  noble  thought  and 
living,  with  which  you  never  dreamed  that  you  had  anything  to  do.     But  mean- 
while is  it  not  a  very  lofty  and  inspiring  ambition  to  offer  to  a  man,  that  the  more 
he  knows  and  loves  God  the  more  he  shall  see  the  noble  and  the  good  in  all  his 
brethren  ?     We  should  like  to  believe  in  men  so  much  more  than  we  do  !     We  are 
almost  ready  to  give  up  in  despair ;  the  meanness,  the  foulness,  the  cruelty  of 
humanity  crowd  on  us  so.     "  If  you  will  earnestly  try  by  obedience  and  love  to 
enter  into  communion  with  God,  these  brethren  of  yours,  who  are  like  sealed  books 
with  stained  covers,  shall  open  to  you,  and  you  shall  see  goodness,  nobleness,  truth, 
devotion,  all  through  them."     Here  is  the  difference  between  religious  and  secular 
philanthropy.     Secular  philanthropy  loves  and  helps  men  directly,  for  themselves. 
Eeligious  philanthropy  loves  and  helps  men  in  God.    (Bp.  Phillips  Brooks.)       The 
apostolic  benediction : — I.    The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.     This  is  men- 
tioned first,  not  that  it  stands  first  in  the  order  of  these  great  blessings ;  but  it  is 
most  obvious,  most  immediate,  to  the  view  of  a  Christian  :  Jesus  Christ  naturally 
came  foremost  before  the  apostle's  mind,  as  the  procurer  of  all  Divine  blessings. 
And  "  grace  "  is  mentioned  as  the  peculiar  property  of  Jesus  Christ.     Grace  denotes 
free  and  sovereign  favour.     "The  law  was  given  by  Moses,  but  grace  and  truth 
came  by  Jesus  Christ."    The  grace  of  Jesus  Christ  includes — 1.  All  that  He  has 
done  and  suffered  for  the  Church.     His  grace  drew  Him  down  from  above  into  our 
world  and  nature :  "  Ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  &c.     All  that 
He  endured  during  His  sojourn  among  men,  and  especially  in  Gethsemane  and  on 
the  Cross,  proceeded  from  His  grace ;  all  the  peace,  hope,  confidence,  and  strength 
of  His  people  are  so  many  streams  that  flow  from  this  fountain.     2.  All  that  He 
Btill  does  for  His  Church.     He  sits  above  as  its  High  Priest  and  Intercessor.     He 
has  all  power  given  to  Him  for  the  interests  of  His  people,  and  they  receive  all  that 
they  need  out  of  His  fulness.     We  shall  never  know,  on  this  side  of  eternity,  the 
full  amount  of  our  obligations  to  Christ ;   the  manner  and  extent  in  which  He 
guards,  directs,  sanctifies,  and  comforts  His  people.     II.  The  love  of  God.     As  the 
grace  of  Christ  is  the  meritorious,  so  the  love  of  the  Father  is  the  original  cause  of 
all  spiritual  blessings.     The  Father  is  represented  in  Scripture  as  originating  the 
salvation  of  man,  as  giving  and  sending  His  Son.     Love  is  the  principle  from  which 
all  redemption  proceeds,  and  the  apostle  prays  that  his  brethren  might  feel  them- 
selves the  objects  of  this  love.     This  is  dignity,  this  is  felicity,  and  there  is  none 


CHAP,  xin.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  535 

beside ;  to  be  embraced  in  the  arms  of  the  Divine  Father  as  His  beloved  children ! 
St.  John  stands  astonished  at  this  love,  and  exclaims,  "  Behold,  what  manner  of 
love,"  &c.    But  let  it  be  remembered  that,  if  we  would  enjoy  the  love  of  God,  we 
must  keep  His  commandments.     None  of  the  consolations  of  Divine  love  are  to  be 
found    in    union   with   disobedience.     III.   The  communion  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
As  the  Father  originates,  and  the  Son  executes,  it  is  the  part  of  the  Spirit  so  to 
communicate  Himself  as  to  change  and  form  His  subjects.     As  Christ  purchased 
all  Divine  blessings,  so  the  Spirit  dispenses  the  things  of  Christ.     As  Christ  glorifies 
the  Father,  so  the  Spirit  glorifies  Christ.     He  is  the  Vicegerent  and  Deputy  of 
Christ,  as  Christ  of  the  Father.     Let  it  be  remembered  that  a  suitable  walk  is 
required  of   those  who  would  enjoy  the  fellowship   of  the  Spirit.     We  must  be 
careful  not,  by  resistance,  to  grieve  Him  ;  if  we  sadden  this  Comforter,  where  shall 
we  hope  to  find  comfort  ?    Conclusion  :  1.  In  the  text  we  have  a  distinct  mention 
of  three  Divine  persons.     None  will  deny  that  the  Father  and  the  Son  are  Persons ; 
it  is  reasonable  to  conclude  that  the  Spirit  is  also  such.     Here  the  "  grace  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  could  never  have  been  placed  in 
such  a  close  juxtaposition  with  the  "love  of  God,"  if,  as  some  have  supposed, 
there  were  an  infinite  distance  between  them.     2.  The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is 
not  a  mere  speculative  mystery.     Each  of  the  Divine  Persons  has  His  ofi&ce  in 
the  economy  of    redemption  ;    and  this  gives  us  an   idea   of   the   grandeur   and 
dignity  of  that  redemption,  in  the  economy  of  which  there  is  such  a  co-operation ; 
the  Father  devising  it,  the  Son  executing,  the  Spirit  applying.     How  solemn  and 
august  the  work  of  preparing  a  soul  for  glory,  when  each  person  of  the  Godhead  has 
His  own  peculiar  part  in  that  work  to  execute.     What  manner  of  persons,  then, 
ought  we  to  be?     {R.  Hole,  M.A.)         The  threefold  benediction: — It  is  remarkable 
that  this,  which  is  one  of  the  two  most  explicit  recognitions  of  the  Holy  Trinity, 
should  be  in  the   form  of  a  benediction.      The  fact  is  in  itself  a  sermon.     It 
tells  us,   above   all,   that  the  doctrine   is  not  an   object  of    speculation,   but    a 
living  truth.      It  recalls  us  from  metaphysics  to  life.      God  reveals  Himself  to 
us  as  a  trinity  of  persons :   the  eternal  Father,  of  whom  we  are  the  children ; 
the  eternal  Son,  who  brings   back  to   us   our  lost  sonship ;   the   eternal  Spirit, 
by  whom  we  and  aU  things  live.     And  yet  they  are   not  three  Gods,  but  one 
God.    It  is  a  trinity  of  benedictions.      The  love  of  the  Father,  the  grace  of  the 
Son,  and  the  fellowship  of  the  Spirit,  come  each  of  them  round  us,  and  enfold 
us  in  the  wings  of  blessing.     And  yet  they  are  not  three  benedictions,  but  one.     The 
love  and  the  grace  and  the  fellowship  are  not  dififerent  and  apart ;  but  one  and 
the  same.    I.  The  apostle  begins  with  the  grace  of  oub  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  because 
that  seems  to  be  nearer  to  us ;  it  is,  as  it  were,  the  doorway  through  which  we  pass 
to  the  sense  of  the  love  of  God.     Grace  means  "  gift."    It  was  the  word  which 
seemed  best  to  sum  up  that  which  Jesus  Christ  did  for  us,  and  includes  at  once 
redemption,  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  the  hope  of  eternal  life.     The  world  had 
been  seeking  for  redemption,  light,  and  hope ;  it  had  struggled  with  its  pain,  with 
its  sorrow,  with  the  problem  of  its  disappointment  and  its  failure,  and  it  could  not 
always  beat  the  air  in  a  fruitless  battle ;  and  there  was  coming  over  man,  as  the 
slow  mist  creeps  over  the  fair  landscape  in  an  autumn  afternoon,  the  sense  of  a 
supreme  despair.     And  to  men  came  grace,  a  sure  and  certain  faith  that  God  was  in 
the  world,  and  had  not  left  us  to  be  the  struggling  but  inevitable  prey  to  passion, 
and  darkness,  and  death.     II.  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  also,  and 
was  thereby  the  love  of  God.     There  are  many  Christian  men  who  lose  the  con- 
ception of  fatherhood.     They  tend  to  speak  of  the  Almighty,  or  of  Providence,  as 
though  He  were  not  a  person,  but  an  abstraction.     Many  think  of  Him  as  the 
Supreme  Judge  and  Kuler,  and  forget  the  infinite  depths  of  love.     He  reveals  Him- 
self to  us  as  a  Father.    He  loves  us  in  infinitely  greater  degree,  but  in  some  way 
like  the  way  in  which  we  love  our  children.    He  forgives  us  when  we  go  back  to 
Him.     He  helps  us  on  our  way  when  we  tend  to  stumble,  He  gives  us  a  Father's  arm 
upon  which  to  lean  and  a  Father's  hand  to  guide.     The  love  of  the  Father  is  like 
the  sun  which  shines  in  heaven,  it  shines  upon  one  field  and  another ;  but  upon 
one  there  is  a  crop  of  grain,  upon  another  there  is  a  crop  of  baleful  weeds,  the  differ- 
ence lies  not  in  the  sunshine  but  in  the  preparation  of  the  ground.     So  it  is  with 
human  souls.    The  love  of  the  Father  comes  to  us  all,  but  the  blessing  of  the  love 
comes  to  us  in  proportion  as  we  till  the  soil  of  our  soul.    It  is  dependent  so  far  upon 
our  effort ;  it  comes  not  to  supersede  our  work  but  to  call  it  forth  and  to  bless  it.   III. 
And  so  the  love  of  God  becomes  the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     The  eternal 
Father  has  not  placed  His  love  in  some  infinitely  distant  space,  to  blaze  and  burn 


586  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xiii. 

like  Sirius  in  some  field  of  the  universe  which  we  can  only  see  in  the  distance, 
which  touches  us  with  no  warmth,  which  enlightens  us  with  no  knowledge,  and 
which  only  reveals  to  us  the  unimaginable  vastness  of  His  power.     He  does  not 
mock  us  with  a  panorama  of  sunlight,  and  the  luxuriant  growths  that  come  of  sun- 
light, passing  as  it  were  like  a  vast  moving  spectacle  before  our  eyes.     He  comes 
close   to   us ;  He  holds  communion  with  us ;    He  touches  us  with  warmth ;    He 
enlightens  us  with  His  light.     Conclusion:  1.  The  sense  of  a  gift  of  a  Divine  Son- 
ship,  of  the  love  of  a  Divine  Father,  of  a  Divine  communion,  are  the  prismatic 
colours  of  one  perfect  light.     If  you  ask  me  to  translate  the  text  into  the  language  of 
philosophy ;  if  you  tell  me  that  no  ray  of  that  Divine  light  can  reach  my  soul  until 
I  have  told  you  of  what  chemical  elements  it  is  composed,  I  answer.  Nay.     The  sun 
was  shining  in  the  heavens,  revealing  to  the  world  the  infinite  beauty  of  form  and 
colour  for  untold  ages  before  its  rays  were  analysed  by  the  prism.     It  was  bringing 
forth  verdure  by  its  warmth  for  untold  ages  before  it  was  found  out  that  oceans  of 
hydrogen  served  upon  his  surface,  and  that  heat  like  light  is  a  mode  of  motion. 
What  you  and  I  want,  and  have,  is  not  the  bare  truth  that  there  is  a  sun,  but  the 
sense  of  his  warmth.     What  you  and  I  want,  and  have,  is  not  an  analysis  of  the 
idea  of  God,  but  the  sense  that  there  is  a  Father  who  loves  us,  the  sense  that  there 
is  a  God  who  holds  communion  with  us.     2.  I  will  ask  you  thus  to  think  of  the 
Trinity  to-day.     Let  the  thought  of  God,  as  He  is  revealed  to  us,  be  with  you  not  as 
a  dogma,  but  as  an  ever  present  benediction.     Let  each  pray  for  himself  the  prayer 
which  the  apostle  prayed  for  himself  and  all  the  world.     It  is  not  a  selfish  prayer. 
The  benediction  of  God  is  like  the  sunlight  which  must  radiate  back  again  for  all 
upon  whom  it  shines.     The  love  of  the  Father  cannot  be  in  our  hearts  without 
shining.     The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  canriot  be  hid.     The  fellowship  of  the 
Divine  Spirit  is  a  sharing  in  His  Divine  activity  in  an  unresting  and  untiring  life, 
always  moving  because  motion  and  not  rest  is  the  essence  of  His  nature.     (E.  Hatch, 
D.D.)       The  Trinity  in  unity  : — I.  To  lay  before  you  what  the  Scripture  teaches 
us  RESPECTING  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  Trinity  IN  UNITY.     1.  That  there  is  but  oue 
God.     2.  That  this  one  God  subsists  under  three  relations  or,  as  we  commonly  say, 
in  three  Persons,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.     3.  That  these  three 
Persons,  though  in  a  manner  inconceivable  by  us,  are  distinct  from  each  other.     4. 
It  is  to  be  observed,  in  the  fourth  place,  that  the  Scriptures  teach  us  that  each  of 
these  three  Persons  is  truly  and  perfectly  Divine.     II.  To  deduce  from  it  some 
PRACTICAL  inferences.     We  infer  from  this  subject — 1.  How  great  is  the  happiness, 
how  exalted  the  dignity,  and  how  elevated  the  hopes  of  the  real  Christian.     2.  How 
vain  is  the  religion  of  those  who  refuse  to  admit  this  essential  truth  of  Christianity. 
3.  How  vain  the  religion  and  how  fearful  the  state  of  those  who,  while  they  speculatively 
admit  the  doctrine  of  which  we  have  been  speaking,  yet  practically  deny  it,  and  live 
in  the  indulgence  of  worldly  and  sinful  tempers  and  habits.     4.  What  abundant 
ground  is  there  for  the  consolation  of  the  real  penitent !     5.  Much  of  the  nature  of 
the  Christian's  duty.     Has  God  revealed  Himself  as  subsisting  in  three  distinct 
Persons  ?     The  Christian  is  bound  to  offer  his  thanksgivings  to  each  of  these  Persons 
for  the  share  taken  by  Him  in  the  economy  of  redemption.     6.  How  highly  we  ought 
to  value  those  Holy  Scriptures,  which  alone  contain  a  discovery  of  this  inexplicably 
mysterious  yet  unspeakably  important  doctrine  !     (J.  Natt,  B.D.)         The  Trinity  : 
—The  inner  nature  of  the  Deity  is  an  impenetrable  secret,  which  the  human  mind 
cannot  explore ;  and  the  Trinity  is,  in  one  aspect  of  it,  a  name  for  this  unfathom- 
able mystery.      We  therefore  freely  concede  at  the  outset  the  difficulties  of  the 
subject.     To  these  difficulties  those  who  reject  the  doctrine  urgently  appeal.     On 
the  basis  of  them  they  declare  it  to  be  inconceivable  and  irrational.     In  regard  to 
this  claim  I  would  say  that  the  intellectual  difficulties  which  beset  a  truth  are  not 
necessarily  a  bar  to  belief  in  it.     Nor  is  the  credible  always  limited   to   the  con- 
ceivable.    The  primary  question  respecting  the  Trinity  is  whether  there  are  ade- 
quate grounds  for  belief  in  it.     The  essence  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is,  that 
God  exists  in  a  threefold  mode  of  being,  as  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit.     Each  of 
these  is,  in  the  strict  sense,  Divine,  that  is,  partakes  of  the  nature  of  Deity.     All 
three  of  them  together  constitute  the  one  only  God.     There  is  a  unity  of  nature  or 
substance  in  God,  and  there  is,  at  the  same  time,  a  threefoldness  or  trinality  which 
represents  eternal  distinctions  in  the  Divine  essence.     God  is  one  and  God  is  three, 
but  not,  of  course,  in  the  same  sense.     He  is  one  in  substance  or  essence  ;  but  there 
exists  within  this  one  essence  three  persons  or  subsistences,  which  are  revealed  to  us 
under  the  names  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit.     There  are  many  notions  of  God's 
nature  which  stand  in  contrast  to  the  Trinitarian  idea.     One  of  these  is  the  Uni- 


cn-vp.  xm.]  11.  CORINTHIANS.  537 

tarian  doctrine.  On  this  view  God  is  one  and  solitary ;  He  is  in  no  sense  three. 
There  is  no  room,  according  to  this  conception,  for  interrelations  or  intercommunion 
within  the  nature  of  the  Divine  Being.  Another  contrasted  view  is  the  pantheistic. 
On  this  view  God  is  at  once  the  One  and  the  All.  The  universe  itself  is  taken  up 
and  lost  in  God  ;  or,  stating  the  idea  from  its  other  side,  God  is  identified  with  the 
universe  and  lost  in  it.  This  mode  of  thought  almost  necessarily  surrenders  the 
personality  of  God.  Still  another  view  is  the  polytheistic,  which  admits  the  exist- 
ence of  many  gods,  and  assigns  to  them  various  limitations  of  nature  and  function. 
The  great  fact  which  occasioned  the  development  of  the  doctrine  was  the  incarna- 
tion. The  claims  which  Christ  made  for  Himself,  and  the  claims  which  the  New 
Testament  writers  make  for  Him,  compel  the  admission  of  His  eternal  pre-existence 
and  His  Divine  nature  (John  xvii.  5,  viii.  58,  i.  1 ;  Phil.  ii.  6).  If  Christ  is  Divine, 
and  yet,  at  the  same  time,  can  speak  of  the  Father  in  distinction  from  Himself,  these 
two  facts,  taken  together,  give  us  both  the  idea  of  the  unity  and  that  of  the  distinc- 
tion between  Him  and  God.  But  a  further  fact  meets  us.  Christ  speaks  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  as  distinct  both  from  the  Father  and  from  Himself,  and  yet  ascribes  to 
Him  Divine  prerogatives  and  powers.  He  is  "  another  Advocate,"  distinct  from 
Christ  (John  xiv.  liB).  He  bears  witness  of  Christ  (John  xv.  2G) ;  and  His  coming  to 
the  disciples  is  conditioned  upon  the  Saviour's  departure  (John  xvi.  7).  Personal 
pronouns  are  used  in  referring  to  the  Spirit,  and  personal  activities  are  constantly 
ascribed  to  Him.  The  doctrines  of  the  deity  of  Christ,  and  of  the  Trinity,  cannot 
be  denied  except  upon  grounds  which  involve  the  surrender  of  the  historicity  and 
truthfulness  of  the  New  Testament.  Some  persons  who  have  acknowledged  that 
the  teaching  of  Jesus  and  of  the  apostles  involved  the  doctrine  of  the  equal  Divinity 
of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  have  avoided  the  acceptance  of  the  commonly 
received  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  by  holding  that  these  three  terms  designate  three 
phases  or  modes  of  the  Divine  self-manifestation,  and  not  essential  and  eternal  dis- 
tinctions in  the  nature  of  God.  This  is  the  so-called  Sabellian  doctrine.  It  holds 
to  a  Trinity  of  revelation  only,  a  moral  as  opposed  to  an  immanent  Trinity.  It  is, 
however,  an  unsatisfactory  explanation  of  the  facts  with  which  it  seeks  to  deal.  It 
does  not  accord  with  the  New  Testament  teaching  respecting  the  eternal  pre-exist- 
ence of  the  Son  of  God  in  a  form  of  being  distinct  from  the  Father.  Moreover,  if 
God  is  revealed  as  a  Trinity,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  He  exists  as  such.  He 
is  revealed  as  He  is.  I  have  already  alluded  to  the  objection  so  often  made  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  that  it  is  inconceivable,  and  therefore  irrational.  It  is 
necessary  to  weigh  this  objection  more  carefully.  If,  when  it  is  said  that  the  Trinity 
is  inconceivable,  it  is  meant  that  the  mind  can  form  no  mental  picture  of  it,  the 
statement  is  quite  true.  The  truth  of  the  Trinity  transcends  the  reach  and  power 
of  the  imagination.  But  so  also  do  thousands  of  truths  for  which  the  evidence  is 
commonly  deemed  to  be  overwhelming,  and  which  are  therefore  generally  accepted 
among  men.  We  cannot  imagine,  that  is,  form  any  definite  mental  concept,  of  the 
human  soul.  We  cannot  picture  to  ourselves  the  various  faculties  or  powers  of  our 
own  mysterious  personalities.  Our  powerlessness  to  conceive  of  these  things  does 
not  overbear  the  testimony  in  their  behalf.  We  also  accept  many  inconceivable 
facts  for  which  the  evidence  is  found  outside  our  own  mental  life.  Such  are  many 
of  the  truths  of  science.  The  nature  and  action  of  natural  forces,  and  especially  the 
marvellous  phenomena  of  psychical  action — such  as  the  influence  of  mind  over  body, 
and  of  one  mind  upon  another — are  utterly  beyond  the  power  of  the  imagination  to 
construe.  The  truth  is,  that  when  we  come  to  reflect  upon  the  matter,  we  find  that 
the  province  of  the  imagination  is  very  restricted.  It  can  never  be  made,  in  any 
sphere  of  knowledge,  the  measure  of  our  convictions,  or  the  final  test  of  truth.  That 
we  cannot  conceive  of  the  Trinity  is,  therefore,  no  real  evidence  against  its  truth. 
But  when  it  is  said  that  the  Trinity  is  inconceivable,  it  is  sometimes  meant  that  it  is 
contrary  to  reason.  If  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  were  that  God  is  one  and  three  in 
the  same  sense,  it  would  be  absurd,  and  belief  in  it  would  be  stultifying.  But 
this  is  not  the  doctrine.  The  truth  of  the  Trinity  is  not  contrary  to  reason 
although  it  is  above  and  beyond  reason.  What  mental  law  forbids  us  to 
believe  that  there  is  an  external  trinality  in  the  one  absolute  Being  ?  With 
the  acceptance  or  rejection  of  the  doctrine  the  evangelical  system  of  theology 
has  commonly  stood  or  fallen.  The  doctrine  of  the  Deity  of  Christ,  and  the 
significance  of  His  saving  work,  are  involved  in  the  truth  of  the  triune  nature  of 
God.  The  denial  of  the  Trinity  on  account  of  its  mysteriousness  has  usually  carried 
with  it  the  denial  of  some  of  the  most  characteristic  doctrines  of  Christianity  on 
account  of  their  mysteriousness.     If  men  are  too  impatient  of  mystery  to  accept  the 


538  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xiii. 

Trinity,  they  will  probably  be  too  much  so  to  believe  in  the  incarnation,  the  atone- 
ment, and  related  truths.  We  have  always  carefully  to  distinguish  between  the 
acceptance  of  a  truth  upon  adequate  evidence,  and  the  satisfactory  explanation  of 
that  truth  in  itself.  If  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is  approached  directly,  and  is 
taken  up  as  a  problem  for  solution,  the  mind  will  probably  be  baffled  and  repelled. 
The  true  method  of  approach  is  along  the  line  of  those  facts  of  Divine  revelation 
which  lead  us  at  length  to  the  heights  of  this  mystery,  where  we  can  no  longer  define 
and  describe,  and  where  thought  must  acknowledge  its  bounds  and  find  its  resting- 
place.  K  it  is  urged,  as  it  sometimes  is,  that  the  doctrine  is  not  taught  in  the  Bible, 
the  answer  is,  that,  while  it  is  not  explicitly  and  formally  taught,  the  elements  of 
truth  which  compose  it,  such  as  the  Deity  of  Christ  and  the  Personality  of  the  Spirit, 
and  the  facts  which  require  it,  such  as  the  incarnation  and  atonement,  are  funda- 
mental factors  in  all  biblical  revelation  and  teaching.  It  may  fairly  be  said,  in  the 
first  place,  that  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  the  Absolute  exists  in  a  mode 
of  being  to  which  finite  nature  furnishes  no  adequate  analogy.  The  Deity  does  not 
belong  to  any  class  of  beings  whose  attributes  can  be  made  determining  for  the  con- 
ception which  we  are  to  entertain  of  His  nature.  He  stands  alone  and  unique.  It 
cannot  be  urged  that  because  nature  and  human  life  furnish  no  examples  of  such  a 
Trinity  in  Unity  as  we  believe  to  exist  in  God,  the  belief  is  contrary  to  reason  and 
experience.  It  is  above  and  beyond  aU  experience  ;  it  may  be,  in  important  respects, 
above  and  beyond  reason,  but  it  is  not  on  that  account  contrary  to  it.  There  are, 
moreover,  some  suggestive  facts  which  present  themselves  to  our  view  in  contempla- 
ting the  universe,  with  which  the  idea  of  the  Trinity  in  God  does  strikingly  accord. 
We  find,  for  example,  that  as  we  ascend  the  scale  of  being,  life  becomes  diversified 
and  complex.  Not  only  do  we  observe  this  general  fact  in  the  world  of  matter,  but 
in  the  world  of  mind  as  well.  The  mental  life  of  the  lower  orders  of  creation 
appears  very  simple.  Their  souls  act  in  but  a  few  directions  and  in  but  a  very 
limited  sphere.  The  mental  organisation  of  man,  on  the  contrary,  is  very  complex 
and  diversified.  I  lay  no  stress  on  the  threefoldness  of  this  well-nigh  universal 
analysis  of  man's  mental  constitution,  nor  do  I  urge  the  complexity  of  mental  lite 
in  the  highest  form  of  being  which  we  immediately  know  as,  in  any  strict  sense,  an 
argument  for  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  I  do,  however,  claim  that  it  would  be 
according  to  analogy  to  expect  that  in  the  Supreme  Being  there  should  be  a  mani- 
foldness  and  complexity  of  life  surpassing  those  which  we  find  to  exist  in  the  highest 
forms  of  finite  being.  Considerations  like  this  which  I  have  presented  are  not 
strictly  a  part  of  the  evidence  for  the  truth  of  the  Trinity ;  but  they  do  f aU  into  line 
with  that  evidence,  and  serve  to  confirm  it  from  the  side  of  reason  and  observation. 
I  turn  now  to  a  brief  consideration  of  the  argument  for  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity 
which  is  derived  from  the  nature  of  God  as  love.  We  must  suppose  that  there  was 
once  a  time  when  this  finite  world  did  not  exist.  If  God  alone  is  uncreated  and 
self -existent,  then  the  entire  universe,  including  all  men  and  angels,  must  have  begun 
to  be.  Let  our  thought  now  travel  back  to  the  time  when  God  alone  existed.  Shall 
we  think  of  Him  as  absolutely  single  and  solitary,  dwelling  in  eternal  silence  and 
self-contemplation,  or  as  having  within  Himself  the  conditions  of  a  social  life  ? 
Which  conception  best  befits  the  notion  of  His  inherent  perfection?  If  God  is  truly 
the  absolute  Being,  as  theists  commonly  suppose  ;  if  He  is  not  dependent  upon  the 
world  in  respect  to  His  own  existence  and  perfection,  but  has  freely  created  the  same 
— then  must  His  nature  be  perfect  in  itself,  and  in  this  nature  all  the  conditions  of 
blessedness  must  be  realised.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  Trinitarian  doctrine  of  God, 
which  affirms  distinctions  and  relations  as  eternally  existing  in  His  essence,  best 
answers  to  the  idea  of  His  inherent  perfection,  because  it  supposes  the  Divine  life  to 
be,  by  its  very  nature,  social  and  self-communicating.  If  this  seem  an  abstract 
method  of  presenting  the  subject,  let  us  approach  it  by  saying  that  there  is  an 
eternal  Fatherhood  in  God.  He  is  not  merely  the  Father  of  men  and  of  all  higher 
orders  of  created  beings.  He  did  at  some  point  begin  to  be  a  Father.  The  relations 
of  Fatherhood  and  Sonship  which  concretely  express  to  us  what  we  count  most  dear 
in  the  nature  of  God,  are  eternal  and  constituent  in  His  very  being.  It  is  commonly 
agreed  among  Christians  that  the  most  perfect  description  which  can  be  given  of 
the  Divine  nature  is  that  which  is  contained  in  the  Scriptural  statement — "  God  is 
love."  If  this  means,  not  merely  that  God,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  does  love,  not 
merely  that  He  may  be  or  that  He  has  love,  but  that  love  is  an  eternal  quality  of 
His  moral  nature  which  is  absolutely  fundamental  and  constitutive  in  His  being- 
then  it  would  seem  that  there  must  be  within  His  nature  itself  occasion  and  scope 
for  the  exercise  of  love,  apart  from  His  relations  to  finite  existence.    Love  is  a  social 


CH.vp.  XIII.]  II.  CORINTHIANS.  539 

attribute,  and  the  conditions  and  relations  which  love  implies  must  exist  in  the  very 
■essence  of  God.  In  the  Trinitarian  view  of  God  these  conditions  have  for  ever 
existed  in  the  eternal  personal  distinctions  and  reciprocal  relations  of  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Ghost.  God  did  not  begin  to  love  when  He  created,  nor  is  His  love  a  mere 
potentiality  which  in  the  silent  depths  of  eternity  looks  forward  to  creation  for  its 
satisfaction.  Love  is  the  very  core  and  essence  of  God's  moral  nature,  and  as  such 
is  ceaselessly  active  within  the  internal  relations  of  Deity.  Love  is  eternally  in  full 
exercise,  since  God  is  love,  and  love  ever  found  in  God's  own  perfect  being  the  full 
iruition  and  blessedness  of  its  exercise  in  self-communication  and  fellowship.  We 
thus  see  that,  despite  the  diflSculties  which  the  Trinitarian  doctrine  presents  to  the 
imagination,  it  has  the  great  advantage  of  according  with  the  highest  conception 
■which  revelation  yields  us  of  the  moral  nature  of  God.  It  enables  us  to  maintain 
that  God  eternally  is  what  He  is  revealed  to  be.  The  Trinity  is  a  practical  truth. 
High  as  it  is  above  reason,  baffling  as  it  is  to  the  imagination  and  to  thought,  it 
accords  with  the  demands  and  deliverances  of  the  Christian  consciousness.  It  con- 
serves the  truth  of  Christ's  essential  Divinity  and  that  of  the  reality  and  power  of 
the  work  of  the  Spirit,  which  He  described  as  the  sequel  and  completion  of  His  own 
work.  It  accords  with  belief  in  the  incarnation,  and  makes  the  redemptive  work  of 
Christ  a  Divine  work.  All  this  the  Christian  consciousness  craves  and  requires. 
We  want  to  know,  not  merely  that  God  has  sent  us  a  message,  not  merely  that  in 
Jesus  He  has  raised  up  an  exceptionally  pure  and  holy  member  of  the  human  race, 
but  that  in  Him  God  has  come  to  us,  and  that  His  work  of  revelation  and  redemp- 
tion is  a  work  of  God.  Our  sense  of  sin  is  met  and  answered  only  by  the  know- 
ledge of  a  Divine  Redeemer.  Mystery  as  the  Trinity  is,  it  is  a  mystery  which  is 
full  of  heavenly  light.  The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  conserves  the  idea  of  the  richness 
and  fulness  of  the  Divine  life  and  love,  and  of  the  amplitude  of  their  manifestation. 
According  to  its  terms,  God  is  revealed  to  us  as  our  Father,  and  His  eternal  nature 
is  shown  to  be  fatherly  ;  Jesus  Christ  is  presented  to  us  as  a  true  incarnation  of 
God  in  humanity,  a  Redeemer  whose  Divine  person  and  work  are  a  veritable  revelation 
of  God  ;  and  the  Holy  Spirit  is  conceived  of  as  an  actual  Divine  agent  who  dwells 
and  works  in  human  life,  influencing  and  moulding  it  into  the  Divine  likeness. 
According  to  the  Trinitarian  doctrine,  we  have  to  do,  in  Christianity,  with  Divine 
realities.  Our  religion  is  not  a  subjective  play  of  fine  ideas,  memories,  or  aspira- 
tions. Our  religion  is  intensely  supernatural.  It  is  fitted  to  quicken  and  foster  in 
our  hearts  a  living  sense  of  God.  The  forces  that  provide  and  complete  our  salva- 
tion are  truly  Divine.  It  is  God  that  has  wrought  for  us  and  in  us  ;  our  life  is 
ensphered  in  Deity,  and  filled  with  the  fulness  of  Him  that  fillethall  in  all.  (George 
B.  Stevens,  D.D.)  The  Trinity  a  practical  truth  : — 1.  The  distinction  between 
doctrinal  and  practical  exists  rather  in  popular  impressions  than  in  reality. 
Doctrine  simply  means  what  is  taught :  practice  what  is  done.  Christian  charity, 
as  delivered  in  1  Cor.  xiii.,  is  a  doctrine ;  as  it  enlarges  souls  and  sweetens  life 
it  is  a  practice.  In  general.  Christian  practice  is  simply  Christian  doctrine  gone 
into  the  life  of  mankind.  2.  The  Trinity  is  the  meeting-point  of  the  doctrinal  with 
the  practical  elements  of  our  faith.  For,  on  the  one  hand,  it  represents  facts  lying 
far  above  us,  in  the  inscrutable  Being  of  God  ;  but  it  also  lays  the  foundation  for 
the  personal  faith  which  brings  peace  to  the  heart  and  for  the  duties  which  give 
use  and  honour  to  life.  The  Trinity  has  just  the  mysteriousness  which  belongs  to, 
say,  the  connection  of  your  mind  with  your  hand,  or  the  growth  of  a  tree  from  a 
seed.  Much  about  these  things  you  may  well  understand  ;  but  much  more,  which 
you  cheerfully  accept  because  it  is  familiar,  is  just  as  completely  inexplicable  to 
reason  as  the  Trinity.  Yet  you  may  traverse  every  field  and  you  will  find  no  form 
of  goodness  that  has  not  its  origin  in  this  Trinity  of  God — in  the  parental  provi- 
dence of  the  Father,  the  renewing  grace  of  the  Son,  the  sanctifying  communion  of 
the  Spirit.  For  the  proof,  we  may  look  to  three  different  regions  of  revelation  in 
order :  I.  The  inspired  Scbiptdees.  1.  There  is  no  Divine  quality  which  is  not 
ascribed  to  each  of  these  Persons.  Each  is  separately  declared  to  be  eternal, 
almighty,  perfect  in  holiness,  knowing  all  things,  and  worthy  to  be  worshipped. 
Yet  with  equal  emphasis  they  are  not  only,  as  in  the  text,  associated  together,  with 
no  suggestion  of  degrees  of  rank,  but  they  are  explicitly  declared  to  be  one  in  sub- 
stance, power,  and  glory.  2.  These  three  are  so  set  before  us  that  the  entire 
Christian  system  could  not  be  complete  or  even  consistent  without  them  all. 
Each  refers  to  the  others  as  co-equal  Persons — the  Father  to  the  Son  and 
the  Spirit,  the  Son  to  the  Spirit  and  the  Father,  the  Spirit  to  the  Father 
and  the   Son.      3.  Taking    up    the  Scriptures    in    their  historic   order — (1)  The 


540  THE  BIBLICAL  ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xiii. 

Holy  Ghost  appears  with  the  Father  from  first  to  last.  Amidst  the  miracles  of 
creation  He  broods  upon  the  face  of  the  waters  ;  holy  men  "  spoke  as  they  were 
moved  by  "  Him ;  it  is  by  His  power  that  the  Messiah  is  miraculously  conceived, 
and  that  His  mission  is  attested  at  His  baptism.  The  Spirit's  more  manifest 
coming  forth  is  at  length  made  ready  as  the  Saviour  departs,  till,  after  Pentecost,  all 
the  preaching  of  the  apostles,  and  all  the  upbuilding  of  the  Church,  and  all  the  con- 
version of  the  world,  are  effected  by  the  same  Spirit.  (2)  With  corresponding  mea- 
sure moves  the  revelation  of  the  Son  of  Man.  In  the  beginning  He  was  with  God, 
and  was  God.  Not  without  Him  too,  says  the  apostle,  the  worlds  were  made.  In 
Eden  we  foresee  Him  "  born  of  a  woman,"  bruising  the  serpent's  head,  and  atoning 
for  the  Fall ;  known  to  Job  as  the  Redeemer  that  shall  stand  upon  the  earth ;  bless- 
ing all  mankind  in  Abraham's  seed  ;  the  Shiloh  that  should  come  of  the  family  of 
Judah  ;  wrestling  with  Jacob  ;  worshipped  as  the  Jehovah-angel ;  leading  Israel  in 
the  burning  column  ;  foretold  as  the  everlasting  High  Priest  in  the  Psalms  of  David ; 
the  Emmanuel,  Wonderful,  Counsellor  and  Mighty  God,  of  Isaiah's  prediction  ; 
"  The  Lord  our  Piighteousness  "  named  by  Jeremiah  ;  the  glorious  appearance  of  a 
Man  on  the  sapphire  throne,  before  whom  Ezekiel  fell  in  adoration ;  Daniel's 
"  Messiah  who  should  be  cut  off,  but  not  for  Himself  "  ;  Haggai's  "  Desire  of  all 
Nations  "  ;  Malachi's  "  Sun  of  Eighteousness."  He  is  the  theme  of  the  whole  Bible, 
the  Bond  of  living  unity  between  Old  Testament  and  New.  II.  The  iioR.Ui  con- 
stitution AND  history  of  MAN.  Outside  the  Bible  there  are  three  different  regions 
for  the  manifestation  of  God  to  man.  1.  Nature.  In  it  the  one  God  has  a  peculiar 
work,  creating.  But  as  we  commonly  apply  the  term  "  creating  "  to  the  originating 
of  things,  that  process  by  which  He  preserves  and  so  ever  re-creates  nature  is 
named  Providence.  God  is  a  Creator,  and  creatorship  is  the  first  work  of  person- 
ality in  His  threefold  Being.  2.  Christ.  (1)  Nature  was  not  enough  for  man's 
spiritual  education  and  salvation.  He  needs  a  supernatural  mediation  for  the 
unfolding  and  ripening  of  his  religious  powers,  and  for  rescue  when  the  choice  has 
been  wrong  and  the  forces  of  sin  have  brought  him  down.  As  a  conscious 
soul  man  has  thoughts  that  the  whole  natural  world  cannot  interpret,  desires 
that  the  natural  world  cannot  fill,  aspirations  that  the  natural  world  and  even 
natural  religion  cannot  meet.  Nay,  it  is  just  when  the  world  does  its  bravest 
for  us  that  our  supersensual  life  is  most  oppressed  with  the  feeling  of  its 
insufficiency,  and  the  homesick  heart  feels  out  into  infinitude  for  the  light  that 
never  was  on  sea  or  land.  (2)  Man  is  lost  tiU  the  Son  of  Man  comes  forth  from 
the  Father.  The  palace  of  nature  is  empty  till  the  King  enters,  (a)  If  it  is  moral 
excellence  that  the  world  is  seeking  for,  the  Second  Person  of  the  Trinity  not  only 
carries  up  all  ideas  of  character  to  their  loftiest  pitch,  by  saying,  "  Be  ye  therefore 
perfect,"  but  He  matches  the  precept  by  an  actual  embodiment,  {h)  Is  it  some 
vision  of  self-sacrifice  that  the  higher  thought  of  humanity  is  feeling  for  ?  Then 
in  the  same  Person  God  sets  up  the  Cross,  planting  its  foot  in  the  very  core  of  the 
world's  heart,  and  binding  about  it  the  reverent  affections  of  all  ages,  (c)  Is  the 
world  yearning  for  reconciliation  with  God  ?  None  less  than  He,  no  daysman  of 
baser  rank,  can  make  the  necessary  atonement,  at  once  magnifying  the  law,  and 
yet  the  justifier  of  the  sinner.  It  must  be  both  God  and  man,  the  God-man,  who 
redeems.  Nature  is  fair  and  orderly,  for  it  is  the  workmanship  of  God.  But  can  it 
atone  for  this  lost  soul  that  has  gone  down  under  the  powers  of  sin,  and  is  now  in 
the  terror  and  the  punishment  of  a  separation  from  its  God?  It  says,  "Obey  and 
live.  Hast  thou,  0  foolish  child,  disobeyed  ?  Then  be  wrecked  against  our  iron 
necessity ;  perish  amidst  our  pitiless  magnificence !  "  Man  sees  no  cross  in  nature 
till  the  Saviour  rears  it  at  Calvary.  3.  By  the  very  conditions  of  the  visible  Incar- 
nation, however,  it  must  be  limited  and  temporary.  For  here  the  Eternal  comes 
into  history,  and  thus  is  made  subject  to  limitations  of  time  and  place.  Jesus,  the 
Son  of  Mary,  wears  a  human  body,  which  must  pass  from  the  world.  It  is  expedient 
for  us  that  He  should  go  away.  Hence  the  third  development  of  the  Trinity- 
mystery.  There  is  a  third  realm  where  the  one  God  is  also  to  be  revealed — the 
inner  world  of  the  believer's  heart.  (1)  Christ  saw  the  deep  necessity  for  that,  and 
made  careful  preparation  for  it  in  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Like  the 
Eternal  Word,  that  Paraclete  has  been  from  the  beginning,  and  was  with  God,  and 
was  God.  But  now,  in  the  heavenly  order,  the  Spirit  shall  appear ;  He  shall  pro- 
ceed both  from  the  Father  and  the  Son,  for  Christ  expressly  says  both,  "  I  will  send 
Him,"  "  Whom  My  Father  will  send."  The  symbol  is  shown  when  Christ  breathes 
on  the  apostles  before  His  ascension.  The  august  reality  is  seen  when  the  day  of 
Pentecost  is  fuUy  come.    (2)  Henceforth — (a)  When  the  weary  and  heavy-laden 


CHAP,  xni.]  n.  CORINTHIANS.  641 

heart  comes  home  repenting  to  the  Father's  house,  through  faith  in  the  Son,  it  is 
known  to  be  the  Holy  Spirit  that  quickens  it.  {b)  When  the  secret  mercy  of  peace 
tranquillises  the  sorrow  of  troubled  breasts,  it  is  the  same  Spirit  that  is  the  Com- 
forter, (c)  When  a  hidden  inspiration  bears  on  advancing  Christians  from  one 
degree  of  sanctity  to  another,  it  is  by  the  same  "  Spirit  of  the  Lord,"  the  Sanctifier 
of  the  faithful,  (d)  When  new  tides  of  consecrated  feeling  rouse  the  Church  to  her 
aggressive  work,  it  is  the  coming,  again  and  again,  of  the  same  blessed  Paraclete.  III. 
The  gospel  kingdom  or  Chukch  of  Christ.  1.  Just  on  the  eve  of  Christ's  departure 
His  accredited  apostles  are  gathered  about  Him.  Now  the  ambassadors  shall  be 
told  what  is  of  supreme  importance  in  the  work  they  are  to  do,  and  the  message 
they  are  to  bear.  He  speaks :  "  Go  ye,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature," 
"  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them."  But  teach  them  what?  Baptize  them  into 
■whom?  This  is  the  last  and  highest  question  to  be  answered.  The  doctrine  ye  are 
to  proclaim,  the  threefold  cord  with  which  ye  are  to  "  bind,"  the  covenant  names 
into  which  ye  are  to  baptize — hear  these :  the  Father,  the  Son,  the  Holy  Ghost. 
The  three  names  send  out  their  light  over  Christendom  with  co-equal,  co-eternal, 
and  blended  beams.  They  are  one.  By  the  power  hid  in  that  truth  the  world  was 
to  be  saved  :  by  no  other.  2.  See  then  how,  in  the  very  terms  of  the  office  assigned 
to  His  Church,  there  is  an  exact  correspondence  with  this  fundamental  doctrine  of 
the  faith.  (1)  There  is  action — "  Go  ye."  This  answers,  on  earth  and  in  men,  to 
the  creative  work  of  the  Godhead.  The  natural  power  must  work ;  natural  means 
must  be  employed.  (2)  There  is  the  continued  presentation  of  the  fact  of  redemp- 
tion, under  its  due  sign  and  sacrament,  coupled  with  the  preaching  of  the  gospel. 
As  the  Second  Person  was  the  embodying  of  the  Word  and  redeemed  the  world,  as 
that  Word  was  made  flesh,  so  the  living  Word  must  still  go  forth,  beginning  at 
Jerusalem,  to  all  the  earth.  The  new  covenant,  superseding  that  of  the  elder 
Testament,  is  to  pledge  the  blessings  of  propitiation,  gather  and  bind  in  one  the 
Catholic  family  of  Christendom,  and,  by  the  sanctifying  of  water  to  the  mystical 
washing  away  of  sin,  bring  back  clean  blood  into  the  disordered  heart  of  the  race. 
(3)  But,  finally,  that  this  Christian  system  should  take  effect,  create  a  real  regenera- 
tion, and  yield  the  Lord  a  bride  without  spot  or  wrinkle,  the  energy  of  the  Spirit 
must  attend  it.  The  Holy  Ghost,  sent  down  from  heaven,  must  accompany  the 
preaching.  God's  flock  must  be  fed  by  men  whom  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made 
overseers.  Conclusion  :  What  is  remaining  but  that  in  the  simplicity  of  a  search- 
ing and  earnest  faith  we  should  put  the  question  to  ourselves  and  to  one  another  : 
Has  this  wonderful  and  blessed  doctrine  entered  in,  to  bear  its  gracious  fruit  in  our 
own  lives  ?  (Bp.  Huntington.)  And  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost. — The 
communion  of  the  Holy  Spirit : — I  fear  that  our  familiarity  with  these  words 
serves  in  a  great  measure  to  veil  their  meaning.  They  become  more  associated 
■with  the  closing  up  of  the  service  than  anything  else,  as  is  the  case  with  one 
of  the  grandest  choruses  in  the  Messiah,  the  "  Amen  Chorus."  It  is  the  last 
in  the  whole  Oratorio,  and  every  one  takes  it  as  a  signal  to  begin  to  depart. 
Paul  is  here  pouring  out  his  heart's  love  in  the  very  best  wish  that  he  can 
think  of.  What  do  we  understand  by  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  What 
is  the  meaning  of  the  word  "  communion "  ?  I  do  not  know  any  better  way 
to  explain  the  meaning  of  that  word  than  is  given  in  the  following  verses  of  the 
Bible  (Gal.  ii.  9) :  "  When  James,  Cephas,  and  John,  who  seemed  to  be  pillars, 
perceived  the  grace  that  was  given  unto  me,  they  gave  to  me  and  Barnabas  the 
right  hands  of  fellowship."  That  is,  they  took  Paul  into  their  communion  as  a 
sharer  in  the  concern ;  they  gave  him  the  right  hand ;  he  became  partner  with 
them  in  the  work.  That  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  "  communion."  In  Luke  v. 
10,  we  read  that  James  and  John  "were  partners  with  Simon."  You  see  that  it 
■would  mean  part-ownership  in  that  boat ;  they  would  no  longer  speak  of  that  boat 
as  my  boat,  but  our  boat.  So,  I  think,  that  the  best  meaning  of  the  word  "  com- 
munion "  is  "  partnership."  Thus  the  text  will  read  :  "  The  grace  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love  of  God,  and  the  partnership  of  the  Holy  Ghost  be  with 
you  all."  I.  Partnership  with  a  glorious  Person.  First  of  all  we  must  realise 
the  personality  of  the  partner ;  we  must  grasp  the  personality  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
by  practical  experience.  Do  we  know  much  about  this  ?  Hundreds  of  you  could 
say,  "  I  know  what  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is."  But  do  you  know  what 
is  partnership  with  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  Partnership  impUes  a  partner,  and  we  cannot 
be  long  in  partnership  without  knowing  the  partner.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  a  living 
personality  as  much  as  the  Father,  whose  love  we  receive ;  a  living  personality  as 
much  as  Jesus,  whose  grace  we  delight  in,  and  whose  name  we  adore.    It  is  not  an 


542  THE  BIBLICAL    ILLUSTRATOR.  [chap.  xm. 

"  it "  we  have  to  do  with.  All  the  attributes  of  a  Person  are  His.  He  has  under- 
standing, will,  grief  and  love;  for  when  Paul  writes  to  the  Eomans,  he  says 
(Rom.  XV.  30).  How  necessary  it  is  we  should  know  His  attributes,  since  we  ar& 
living  in  His  dispensation.  The  Old  Testament  records  belong  to  the  dispensation, 
of  the  Father,  and  tell  of  one  coming,  the  Gospels  are  the  record  of  the  dispensation 
of  the  Son,  and  Christ  stiU  points  on  and  says,  "It  is  expedient  that  I  go  away, 
but  I  wiU  pray  the  Father,  and  He  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  He  may 
abide  with  you  for  ever."  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  ascended  to  the  Father,  He 
has  gone  up  to  Heaven,  and  is  sitting  at  His  Father's  right  hand,  and  it  is  just 
because  He  is  there  that  the  Spirit  is  here.  The  Spirit  came  only  when  Jesus  was 
glorified.  God  is  thus  on  earth  to-day  in  the  Person  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  He 
receives  no  better  treatment  now  than  the  Lord  Jesus  did  when  He  was  on  earth  > 
He  has  come  to  take  the  same  place  as  Jesus  took,  and  to  be  as  real  to  you  as  Jesus 
was  to  His  disciples.  The  reason  we  have  so  many  dull  faces  in  our  churches, 
to-day  is  because  the  Holy  Ghost  is  not  thought  of  as  present,  and  is  not 
welcomed  as  a  personal,  helpful  Friend.  But  the  ministry  of  the  Spirit  is  only 
a  tune  ministry ;  this  dispensation  is  not  going  on  for  ever.  Jesus  fulfilled  His 
mission  and  then  He  ascended,  and  I  believe  that  the  Holy  Spirit  will  have  His 
ascension,  and  then  Jesus  will  come  to  reign.  There  is  a  further  beautiful  meaning 
in  the  word  "  communion,"  namely,  a  common  interest.  Thus,  you  love  Christ : 
so  does  the  Holy  Ghost.  You  love  prayer :  the  Holy  Ghost  maketh  intercession 
for  us.  In  Eom.  viii.  16,  we  read,  "  The  Spirit  itself  beareth  witness  with  our 
spirit."  What  beautiful  partnership  is  that  1  You  want  to  be  holy ;  the  Spirit 
wants  you  to  be  holy.  If  you  want  Jesus  to  come,  so  does  the  Holy  Spirit.  You 
see  you  have  common  interests  all  the  way  through.  II.  Partnership  in  His 
GLORIOUS  WORK.  All  that  Jesus  did,  He  did  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit.  The  Holy 
Spirit,  like  a  dove,  had  sought,  for  four  thousand  years,  a  heart  that  would  be  His 
resting  place,  and  sought  in  vain,  until  He  rested  on  Jesus  by  the  Jordan's  brink. 
Then  Jesus  went  forth  to  His  work  filled  with  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He 
cast  out  demons,  He  healed  the  sick.  He  raised  the  dead,  and,  indeed,  all  that  He 
did.  He  did  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Look  tit  our  churches — north,  east, 
south  and  west  ?  They  are  trying  to  carry  on  their  work  without  the  partnership 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  But  it  is  so  difiScult,  you  say,  to  realise  what  we  cannot  see. 
You  have  never  seen  the  wind,  yet  you  feel  and  believe  it  is  there.  You  have  never 
seen  electricity,  but  put  your  hands  on  the  handles  of  the  battery,  and  you  start 
with  the  shock.  And  if  I  am  going  into  partnership  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  I  must 
believe  He  is  here,  though  He  is  not  seen  by  mortal  eyes.  His  Sovereignty  I  must 
know  as  well,  and  fully  yield  myself  to  His  direction  and  control.  We  read  in  the 
Acts  that  the  Holy  Ghost  forbade  the  apostles  going  to  Asia  to  preach  the  Word. 
There  are  diversities  of  His  wiU,  and  we  need  to  be  entirely  in  His  hands.  If  we 
have  fellowship  with  Him,  we  must  be  willing  to  let  Him  work  in  us.  At  times  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  to  uproot  a  man,  strip  him  of  all  his  possessions,  of  health,  wealth, 
and  position  before  He  is  made  willing  and  obedient.  We  must  be  willing  to  be 
just  what  He  wants  us  to  be  in  this  great  partnership.    {A.  G.  Brown.) 


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